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Strategic Living's News & Views
April 2010
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And, for those of you who've taken my classes, review me on Yelp.
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 Dear ,
I've been doing presentations at health/wellness fairs over the last year. Maybe you've been to one or two yourself. Maybe you saw a "self-defense for women" demo at a health fair (or shopping mall, or expo/show). The group putting
on the demo seemed friendly and knowledgeable, and now you're wondering
if their program would be a good fit for your needs. Here's two
important keys to watch for.
In many self-defense demos, you see a male instructor as "attacker" and a
female instructor as "defender." So far, so good. Now, who does the
talking? Is it a male instructor, or female? Yes, this IS important!
If you are teaching women to strongly face a real-life assailant, she
should be the one talking to the women in the audience.
Second, watch carefully for either (or both) of these two things to
happen: the female defender does her moves but in a tentative manner
and a male instructor describes her as being "nice" to her "attacker." Or over the next 3 minutes the demo actors subtly shift roles so a male
instructor has taken over showing the moves.
Is this empowering for women? (Hint: the answer is no.)
I've seen this scenario happen several times now. I have no doubt that
these are very nice and well-meaning people, and their techniques can be
effective. However, until the women show a real lead in their demos I
have a hard time believing that the women they are trying to recruit as
students will get two of the most essential self-defense lessons. Which
are, of course, to take charge and use your voice.
Sincerely, Joanne
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Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!
Not much is life is covered
by a real guarantee, especially when it involves violence and assault. Because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it's a good time to review some strategies for prevention.
These tips, if diligently followed by would-be perpetrators,
WILL WORK!
I've read variations of this
now on several sites, including Girl with Pen (who attributes authorship to Colleen Jameson) and The Huffington Post's Ellen Snortland (whose book Beauty Bites Beast is
THE "why-to"book of self-defense).
1. Don't put drugs in people's drinks in order to
control their behavior.
2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave
them alone!
3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems,
remember not to assault them!
4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.
5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in,
DON'T ASSAULT THEM!
6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry,
do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
7.USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop
yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you
are in public.
8. Always be honest with people! Don't pretend to be a
caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault.
Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don't
communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign
that you do not plan to rape them.
9.Don't forget: you can't have sex with someone unless
they are awake!
10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might
assault someone "on accident" you can hand it to the person you are
with, so they can blow it if you do.
The bottom line is that responsibility for sexual assault lies with the perpetrator. Period. Personal self-defense is critical for facing those unexpected and unwanted approaches, but the would-be assailant needs to be held accountable for their actions. Always.
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Classes for Spring 2010:
Self-Defense 101: A four week course that builds progressive skill and prepares you for life's unexpected and unwanted moments.
Mother's Day Seminar: Are you struggling to find just the right Mother's Day gift? A gift that says you've put thought into her wants and needs? One that shows you really care? A gift that will keep giving for a lifetime? How about giving her the gift you hope she NEVER has to use?Give the gift of confidence, safety, and independence. A self defense class from Strategic Living is ideal for women of all ages (as well as their mothers and daughters). In a single 5 hour session she will learn the 3 most critical self defense lessons: recognizing when someone's planning an assault, how to deter an assault, and simple, effective physical skills to disable an attacker. She will learn about real risks, assailant tricks, crucial targets, and releases from common grabs. And this is a great class to take with your mother! Maybe you are a mother, and would like nothing more than peace of mind knowing your teen or young adult daughter has effective safety tools at her disposal. This is a great class to take with her! I am offering a special promotion for mothers and daughters registering for the Self Defense Seminar on May 9th. Register together and enjoy a 20% discount off the $194 tuition for two. Visit http://www.StrategicLiving.org/MothersDay.htmto register. 
Self-defense skills are like CPR, you should review and practice them annually.
Register for my Refresher Program at http://www.StrategicLiving.org/Refresh.htm. And if you believe that these skills are crucial for all women, please take advantage of my Referral Program at http://www.StrategicLiving.org/Refer.htm. Do you work with a non-profit or community organization that holds silent auctions? Ask me to donate a gift certificate for a private 1.5 hour seminar. Do you work with a non-profit or community organizations whose staff/volunteers/members/clients would benefit from a safety skills seminar? Visit http://www.StrategicLiving.org/donated-class.htmfor information on requesting partly subsidized training sessions. |
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Contact Information
phone: 206.202.0748
jifactor@StrategicLiving.org
You can look me up on LinkedIn, or follow my tweets on Twitter.
Or become a Facebook Fan on Strategic Living's Page.
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