Self-Defense | beyond self defense

Beat a Bully Without a Fight

February 27, 2019February 8, 2023 by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense

We all have run into a bully at some point in our lives. Whether a child or an adult, a bully will harass and invade your space when you least expect them to. Just when you think you are safe where they won’t bother you, here they come. It seems the bully is everywhere! And if he isn’t in your presence, you carry him around in your thoughts.

The most common advice people like to give someone who is bullied is to “ignore them.” Well, you are ignoring them. You take a different route to school, you change your routines and perhaps change your classes to “ignore” this person that won’t leave you alone.

This advice of ignoring is given without forethought or consideration of the situation. Unless it is happening to them, people do not stop to consider what they would do if they were bullied. – Or stalked. Stalking is the adult form of bullying.

For the purposes of this blog, we will keep to the subject of bullying, but bear in mind that the bully graduates from high school, and goes on to be the bully at work and at home. Also, for the purposes of this blog, I will use “he” as the pronoun to describe a bully, but also bear in mind that girls and women are terribly mean and use words, rather than actions, to cut deep. Continue reading “Beat a Bully Without a Fight” →

Why Learn Self-Defense

October 6, 2018October 25, 2018 by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense

woman knees man in groin — Check out those heels. A perfect weapon.

Why learn self-defense?

What is the value of knowing how to defend yourself? Women are at a greater daily risk for assault than men. How many precautions do you take during the day to assure your safety?

Do you carry your keys ready to strike, check your backseat before getting into the car, park in a lighted area, never go out alone after dark? Here are four things most women do every day as second nature. Do men take these kinds of precautions?

It is a brave woman who will come forth and talk about a rape to a room full of men who have no clue what she is feeling. A room full of men who have had their own sexual exploits have taken advantage of their fair share of women.

A man has his fun, his fling, and forgets about the woman he’s hurt. She is the one that carries the memory.

Rape violates our very essence, the core of our existence. Continue reading “Why Learn Self-Defense” →

Empowering Self Defense

September 18, 2018October 30, 2018 by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense

There are new terms cropping up to define woman’s self-defense; empowerment defense; feminist defense. Whatever the style is called, the driving idea behind these schools is this:

Why spend years studying the martial arts when you can learn to defend yourself in a short amount of time without all the philosophy and practice?

In an attempt to quiet that claim, here is my experience with that question. My karate adventure started in June of 1985. The first day I walked into the dojo, I was hooked in the first five minutes. I loved the discipline and the exercise. My body quickly became strong and fit. But the main reason for taking this class, besides wanting to learn to ward off attackers, was that Continue reading “Empowering Self Defense” →

The Best Self-Defense Programs Empower Women

September 18, 2018October 30, 2018 by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense

In this post, we will examine the concepts of different programs that teach purely self-defense; not martial arts schools, but self-defense schools. There are many sites, when scouring the web, that expound on the glories of self-defense. But all have the same advice:

Prevention first, defense second

The purpose of this article is not to single out particular schools or styles, but to give the reader a general overview of what to consider when looking for a self-defense class. Continue reading “The Best Self-Defense Programs Empower Women” →

What is the Best Martial Art for Self-Defense?

September 13, 2018October 30, 2018 by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense

If you live in the city, you will find a martial arts school on nearly every street corner. If you live in the country, you might be lucky to find one school in your area. There are as many different styles and schools as there are instructors. Each instructor takes the best of what he knows and teaches that. You can go to three different schools that teach the same style of martial arts and see three different ways of teaching.

A Brief History of the Martial Arts

The martial arts began with the Shaolin monks in about 5th Century A.D. A Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma traveled across the Himalayas and the Gobi desert from India and came to a Shaolin Temple. There he found the monks in poor physical condition, spending all their time in meditation and none in physical activity.

Bodhidharma established a routine of exercise and nutrition for the monks, and taught them a simple form of defense. Through his rigid discipline and training, the monks became strong and healthy. A group of monks perfected these techniques, and when the temples were destroyed by the Chinese government, the monks scattered throughout China and taught their art. This is why there are many art forms of what we know as kung fu. This is a general term that encompasses all the Chinese martial arts. Continue reading “What is the Best Martial Art for Self-Defense?” →