Drills for Women's Self-Defense

[RBFC]

Per request, I'll get things going by describing the thought process we go through to create drills for women's SD classes. Then, I'll post another specific drill we developed.

The main problem/limitation in designing realistic drills for SD is the very nature of the environment in which the drills are carried out. When students enter the "dojo", they know that they're there to practice SD. They are focused on techniques, etc. and therefore have more concentration on this area of their total existence than they would when going about their daily routine. There is also the fact that they know the "rules" of the practice sessions: what techniques to use, what NOT to use, the range of the encounter, the type of attack they'll be defending, the fact that the attacker is NOT really trying to kill them, and that there will be no consequences for a poor performance. Tony Blauer calls this situation "implied consent". The comfort zone established by all these unspoken rules diminishes the value of the typical SD drill.

A major goal of a good drill is to create the same feeling of surprise and "startle" when an attack is launched. This is not easy, since a typical set-up has the students watching each other undergo the drills, and their "planning" commences as soon as they see the first participant perform. Since a spontaneous, adrenalized state is the goal, adjustments to the environment, adjustments to the "rules", and adjustments to the psychological/emotional state of the participant must be made.

Adjustments to the environment include, but are not limited to: lighting, noise level, presence of objects to stumble over (or use as improvised weapons), space allotted for the drill, and (in advanced situations) the presence of friendly/unfriendly bystanders. You may also place the student in a specialized environment: car seat, bed, chair, etc.

Adjustments to the "rules" revolve around allowing the conflict to be carried out in multiple ranges (different for each participant), allowing the bad guy to continue fighting (rather than posing with the first blow), allowing the bad guy to ignore blows he feels are ineffective, allowing the bad guy to ignore ALL blows for a period of time (simulates drugged attacker), and NOT divulging any important details about the nature of the drill to the student before their turn.

Adjustments to the emotional/psychological elements of the drill fall into a few main categories (my definitions):

1. Anticipation/Apprehension: Examples include making the student stand with her back to the bad guy and her eyes closed. For added effect, remove the sense of hearing also by having her hum a song to herself. (Just having to concentrate on making the notes of a song while she is desperately trying to get feedback about her environment is extremely unsettling) Lining up all the women at once in this same manner, nobody knows "who's gonna get it next--another level of apprehension.

You can also put the rest of the students in an "isolation" area, so that they cannot see or hear what is happening as the first student does the drill. In this manner, each trainee arrives completely clueless as to what will transpire.

2. Distraction of the conscious mind: In this realm, we attempt to remove the students' primary concentration from the upcoming drill and force them to perform cognitive tasks which will occupy their consciousness. This simulates the pre-occupation with daily living and responsibilities, etc. It may be a physical task such as stacking items or placing numbered items in order. It may be verbal, where we require them to actively participate in a "thinking-level" conversation. In the physical realm, giving them complex calesthenic/balance problems achieves a similar effect.

3. Societal/Conduct Breaches: This includes outright profanity and screaming, or any other disturbing verbal interaction (chosen to fit the individual student) either before or during the attack. In my Pressure Cooker drill, the bad guy may also use all verbal means of assault and then merely disengage the attack (sound like real life?)

A more crude, but effective means of inducing "panic" into the situation is to have the attacker use much more force and aggressiveness than typical. This often surprises even the most hardcore trainees, as long as it's unexpected. However, like the swallow the gasoline and lighted match trick, this usually only works once!

DRILL FOR DISTRACTION OF THE CONSCIOUS MIND

The bad guy (your assistant), wearing protective gear, waits patiently for his signal to silently attack the student in any fashion he sees fit. The student stands facing the instructor with eyes closed. The instructor engages the student in conversation which requires thoughtful answers to the questions:

How many houses have you lived in during your lifetime?
Where is the jack located in your car to change a flat tire?
Do you have any living great aunts or uncles?
How do you bake a chocolate cake?
What is 27 + 14?
etc.....etc......
(questions may be "chosen" for best effect with a certain individual)

At a prearranged or random time during the questioning, the bad guy attacks the student without warning.

We get some incredible startle responses from this drill, and the effectiveness is confirmed when the student typically tells us afterward that they do not remember what they did to fight their way out!

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE ANY OF YOUR IDEAS! I am very interested in expanding my "menu" of drills and tactics for training.

Thanks,

Lee

[Szczepankiewicz]

First of all RBFC, anyone form New Mexico generally has a higher IQ than the rest of the population. I think it has something to do with the water.

Secondly, You provided to drills here, right? I have some questions to give me some context as to how you go about this.

What level of contact do you maintain during these drills?


Are there any off liimits targets?

Do you mix grappling in with striking in training your students?

I have more questions, but I don't want to generate a mile long thread right off the start.

Thanks,

Spanky

[RBFC]

Thank you for your reply.

1. The level of contact is typically all-out by the woman, however, elbows/knees to the head are requested to "take a little off" ( I lose more assistants that way!!!) The attacker uses the level of force commensurate with the type of attack: a "bear hug" will by powerful enough to hold the woman tightly and a little bit more to really challenge her. The assistant is dressed in protective gear chosen for the drill. Typically he wears a Blauer helmet, FIST groin, and Rawlings Lobster knee/shin/instep (catcher's gear-great mobility and protection). Any more equipment is frowned upon, since it restricts the mobility and naturalness of the attacker.

We start the women by introducing the basic weapons and escapes in more controlled situations than the drills I describe. Once they know how to strike, etc. then we escalate the level of force on the controlled drills, where they know the type of attack, etc. This is the point where most self-defense programs stop. Unfortunately, we've found that this level of training does not prepare a trainee for an unexpected, aggressive attack. That's why we introduce the elements of a real attack (some of which I described above in the first post.)

2. All Targets are legal for the defender. The attacker's first option is to merely try to reapply whatever "grip" he had on the woman. In more advanced situations, he may strike back at the defender with reasonable force. We also use biting, where the defender calls out "BITE!" when in position to use a solid biting tactic. Attacks to the eyes are encouraged, and the attacker is protected by the face shield. That's when good observation and monitoring of the session by the instructor comes in, so that effective techniques are not missed by the guy in pads.

3. We certainly do grappling. At least 1/3 of the class time deals with grappling-related issues. We teach biting, eye gouging, etc. to help equalize the size advantage of the attacker. We use movements from the "guard" to simulate the rapist's goal. We use escaping the mounted position to help the trainee overcome the fright of being on the bottom and severely limited in options. We deal thoroughly with the situation where the trainee has been pushed to the ground, and must defend against a standing attacker. The use of improvised weapons (from nearby environment) is also discussed. The conversation usually heads toward talk about small knives and "Kubotan"-type weaponry for assisting the groundwork (works pretty well during standup too).

Basically, if a trainee finds themselves in a situation where their training has left a "hole", then the school has not fulfilled its moral responsibility to that person. I will include in this category referral of the student to those who have more expertise in specific skills. For instance, I may be able to show them elementary espada y daga, but I will immediately refer them to a much more experienced FMA instructor. There's no room for ego when a person's life is at stake!

Lee

[Szczepankiewicz]

Are you kidding? There's always room for my ego!


In your opinion, what are the basic components that are essential for self defense training?

About how long would a person need to train to complete the fundamental level of self defense competence requirements?

What are your thoughts on learning 'self defense' from a book?

How do you differentiate between self-defense, sport, and more traditional martial arts?


I'm not sure, but I could not find any 'background' information on yur website. Can you maybe add an introduction or explanation of 'credentials' if you have not done so already.

Look forward to your thoughts sir.

Regards,

Spanky

[RBFC]

Spanky,

I'll try to keep my "bio" stuff brief. The various arts I've studied and drawn from are listed in my profile. I have used a combination of video, print, and live training to put together the current program. I have NOT studied with the "Star" trainers personally, although I have worked with some of their students. I've spent 35 years in the arts, and have taught my current curriculum for over 10 years. However, the content changes constantly as I uncover better ways of achieving our goals. I have trained law enforcement officers, federal agents, professionals, and everyday citizens. I offer no trumped-up credentials (quite common in this business), instead I advertise the fact that I have taken a scientific approach to the emotional/psychological side of performance enhancement. It's not difficult to teach a woman to eye gouge, but to give her the composure to use it under the extreme stress of a violent confrontation is another matter. This matter is NOT solved by a few more practice sessions doing the eye gouge!

More importantly, my research into women's self-defense issues revealed a need for BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION and a reorganization of their belief structures. By this I mean that all the physical training in the world will not help a woman who does not believe COMPLETELY that she can defeat a large, aggressive male. Society has done an excellent job at conditioning females to form passive/submissive beliefs, and has stripped away the remnants of the females' fierce protective role. A main objective is to reinstall that "program", and give them the tools to use it. We present a simple, and brutally effective arsenal of basic and dirty techniques. We allow the women to experience being in the middle of high-force attacks which are combined with the "messing with their head" tricks I've described (some of them). They can then discover the universal nature of these techniques and learn how to efffectively use them in a large variety of situations, so their arsenal stays very small, LIMITING THEIR CHOICES. Choices are the over-riding factor in the "classical mess" described by Bruce Lee. A basic law of neuro-physiology, known as Hick's Law, states that the average time for a learned response to a stimulus is about 0.5 seconds. If a second response to that stimulus is also learned, the response time is INCREASED by about 58%! Apply that law to the ego-based martial art that brags that "We have 5000 deadly techniques!" and you can see the folly in this approach! When I began studying in the '60's, there were lots of black belt instructors getting their heads handed to them in bar fights because they had not yet gotten past this "trap". Things have come a long way since then.

The basic components to an effective self-defense system include ( but not limited to) :

1. Arsenal: small, efficient - techniques work for any size practitioner

2. Training: progressive, with emphasis on working with live, non-compliant opponents

3. Weapons: Basic understanding of edged, impact, aerosol, and firearm weapons and their applications. "Homework" involves beginning the creative process of using improvised weapons (found objects, weapons that do not look outwardly "weaponly", etc.) Whether a student chooses to employ weapons as offensive /defensive tools or not, they must still display an understanding of these items.

4. Behavior Modification: Changes to mindset, etc. which I have already mentioned.

5. Awareness

Have to go, maybe more later.......

Lee

[Szczepankiewicz]

weapons that do not look outwardly "weaponly"

Now you're starting to sound like a philosophy instructor.... "I am being appeared to 'redly' when I view this Coke can."


1) Compact yet versatile Tool Box (Implicit weapons)

2) Full-contact, situational training

3) Explicit weapons

4) Perspective

5) Awareness ( a good use of the color code system)

6) Adrenal Management

What else can we add to this list? And how many factors do you address (of the ones that can be added to the list)?


My toolbox is small, only one weapon: Kingston on a leash!

Spanky

[Kingston]

Originally posted by Szczepankiewicz

My toolbox is small, only one weapon: Kingston on a leash!

Just let me at em spanky!! ARRGH!......no really.....its cold in here, you havn't fed me in weeks.....

I MISS THE OPEN TUNDRA OF ONTARIO!......i can just smell the caribou meat cooking in the long house....my brothers need my help in the up coming seal hunt!....*sigh*

[Szczepankiewicz]

Life is hard on the frontier, warrior princess.

[Kingston]

Originally posted by Szczepankiewicz
.......... warrior princess.

If i had feelings.....that would have hurt them....

[Hulk]

Originally posted by Szczepankiewicz
Life is hard on the frontier, warrior princess.

Warrior Princess? Xena: the Warrior Princess, is it not?

Now, whats with you and New Zealand? :P

[Szczepankiewicz]

Yes, but I know you don't, so it didn't .


Sheep rule! We're coming up on the Year of the Sheep. Kano and Jesse7 will have nothing but good fortune, if you know what I mean.


In all seriousness, I was friends in the past with a couple of Aussies. One actually came to visit and introduced me to the wonderful world of vegemite.

And, I likes the sheep.

Kano brokered me a good deal on a pair of wool mittens...




Spanky

[RBFC]

6. Strategic positioning and "targeting" instincts during pre-confrontational exposures. How to stand, posture, gesture, and talk to a potential attacker (when you're not sure of his intent).

7. "Profiling" skills which help you select the best diversions/distractions, etc. to gain a combative initiative. i.e.: choosing the proper enviromental, cultural, and socio-economic lingo to "connect" momentarily with the attacker

8. A good understanding of the laws and statutes pertaining to the use of force during confrontation. Justification for the use of deadly force, etc.

9. Training experience in various venues: cars, phone booths, hiillsides, stairwells, etc.

10. Student has already set "boundaries" which determine their "permission" to counter-attack. The decisions have already been made before even going out into the world.

How about you guys?..................

Lee