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Friday, April 23, 2010

Feisty Fiesta - A Course in Self Defense

We had a Relief Society activity on Thursday called the Feisty Fiesta.  Feisty because we learned how to protect ourselves from attackers and Fiesta because we had nachos after our workout!
Richard and Jason Davis, who have  black belts in karate and  each run their own martial arts studio, were the instructors for the fun-filled, informative, exhausting, activity!

There are 5 Ts to be aware of:
1. Target - Someone could be watching our activity to see if we do the same thing day after day.  Others may just watch us for a minute to see if we're vulnerable.  We need to be aware of our surroundings, look confident, don't be distracted and change up our routine once in a while.

2. Test - That person may walk past us to see what we do, or may ask us a question to see how we respond.  Will we act weak and look away or will we look him in the eye to let him know we could identify him if necessary?

3. Threaten - If he comes toward us in a way that we feel threatened or feel he's in our space,  we need to put our hands up, with palms out, just below our face, take a bold step forward, and yell, "STOP!"  That breaks his cycle and he may turn and leave.

4. Touch - If, after yelling, "STOP", he only hesitates then proceeds to grab you, there are some things to remember:
♦Thumbs are weak - you can get out of his grip by pulling your arm either up or down depending on where his thumbs are located on your arm.
♦Circles work - If he grabs your shirt, step away from him at the same time bring your arm into a full circle to break his grip.
♦Don't just scream, but scream "FIRE" or something that would get the attention of others.
I found this video to show "thumbs are weak".  This is kind of wimpy because we were having to break out of both of the attacker's hands locked on our arm.  But you'll get the idea.



5.  Take-off - If he tries to take you with him, do everything in your power to get away. If he takes you away from the area, your chances of survival are slim.

We all practiced the techniques on each other.  We were grabbing, getting out of holds, kicking, and punching.  I felt like Jillian as I stood and held the pads on my hands while my partner punched the pads as hard as she could.  I have a new respect for Jillian! Today I feel like I've been run over by a truck! (I need some Ibuprofen!)

We did have a good time but we were dealing with a very serious subject.  We had 2 hours of instruction.  What we learned only scratches the surface and what little I have written here only scratches the surface of the surface! We can't be paranoid but we do need to be cautious and smart. 

The best part of this activity was being able to come home and try it out on my manly son and husband!  It really works! 

18 comments:

CB said...

I would love it if our Relief Society did this!!! We all need a fiesty night! Most of all we all need to learn how to protect ourselves and not be vunerable to predators.
Super idea and glad it was a success!

Tracy said...

How interesting, informative and fun!! It's always great to come away from an evening of learning and feeling of success and accomplishment. Make sure you get some Ibuprofen in ya!! ;-)

Cheeseboy said...

I hope that the pervs don't read this and start doing thumb workouts.

Kazzy said...

LOL Cheeseboy...

I feel scared for A and your son.

Kristina P. said...

Any RS activity where I can kick the crap out of people is one I would go to.

Kerin said...

You crack me up!! I think it's hysterical that your husband accused you of trying to poison him!: ) Brilliant! I'm going to have to remember that one! Maybe I can convince my husband that making rhubarb jam might poison me:) ( hee hhhhhaa, insert maniacal laugh here)
My sweet husband has been in law enforcement for over twenty years, and his father was in law enforcement for 22 years. So, of course, we have all had the self defense lessons and pressure point lessons. Ouch! They work!
Rest up some today. Have a great one:)

gigi said...

Very timely advice we all need to read and re~read often. We can not be to careful when it comes to things like this.

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Good advice and awesome that you get to go home and twist some digits on the spouse and sons!

Sounds like a great evening!

Ann Marie said...

I think this is a brilliant idea!
Do you feel confident in your super busy life to teach my ward? lol!!

Have a good weekend lady! :)

Darla said...

HIYA Connie, Every time I get up from my desk it takes a few minutes for me to move because "the strongest" part of my body hurts from our kicking defense routine. Thanks for being my sparring partner!
:-D

Julie Harward said...

Wellll...I would just sic my dog on them and if that didn't work I'd whip out my pistol and shoot them in the knees! LOL LOL LOl
Seriously, that is a great thing to train on :D

Heather said...

What a great activity for Relief Society. I think this subject is very important! Thanks for these tips!

Valerie said...

Thanks for sharing a little of what you learned. I love the idea of the activity along with that name. People are so creative!

Kerin said...

Good Morning Cutie Pie!
I made your nummy carrot cookies yesterday. They were a huge hit. Had tons and so we shared ;)
Have a wonderful day. Hope you do something fun!

Yvonne said...

That sounds like a fabulous activity. We did that with the young women years ago, but I think it would be a great one for the adult women, too.

I've always thought if someone came after me I'd yell, "Look at all this money"--PEOPLE WOULD COME RUNNING TO SEE IF THEY COULD "HELP" ; )

Jenny said...

If you are prepared then you have nothing to fear.

Kimmie said...

What a great class to have available in Relief Society. I would enjoy it very much if our Relief Society would have a class like this.

I am going to have to suggest that as I know I would not survive if I were attacked.

LOVED this post as I need to take a look at my life and get better trained in self defense.

You are a wonderful woman and SO glad you were able to practice your newly learned skills on your manly son and hubby and that it WORKED!!

Have a wonderful day!

Valerie said...

Wonderful things to learn. I would love to have my daughter go to a class like that. She's not very assertive and I worry that someone will take advantage of that.