5 Self Defense Moves Every Woman Should Know

[Josephina]

IfKrav Maga or muay thai classes are offered in your area, consider signing up. Muay thai is a combat sport in Thailand that uses stand-up striking techniques. Krav Maga is a modern self-defense system.

When equipped with some basic self-defense knowledge, women young or old, city dwellers or country residents, can have confidence in their personal safety and protection. No matter what type of combat or self-defense class you take, practicing can help you develop muscle memory. In a flight-or-flight situation, this muscle memory can be key to helping you escape from an attacker.

Dave focuses on core body posture and movement, power with unity of body movement, and practical real-world situations and attacks. He believes in focus, intensity, fun and having positive learning mind.

Sam Carney was introduced to aikido in 1965 when a dojo opened around the corner from his home. He studied for a short time then gave it up. In 1976, feeling that he was getting out of shape, he started training again. Since the dojo near his home had closed, he looked around and found the NJ School of Unarmed Self-Defense. He was advanced to shodan in 1981 and hired as full-time instructor/dojo manager in 1982. In 1998 after managing that dojo for 16 years he decided to strike out on his own and opened South Jersey Aikido Academy.

On his first stint as a martial arts student, he was attracted to aikido because the dojo was around the corner from his home. The second time around, he continued with aikido because he had so enjoyed the practice because of the combination of physical and philosophical which is a part of aiki.

Sam has teamed up with Dave Maturo to further develop both technique and philosophy. Sam remains the arbiter of technique development at The Martial Way.

Al has been a student of aikido since 1985 and an instructor since 1988. He started his formal training at the New Jersey School of Unarmed Self Defense as a member of the Hombu Aikido Federation. Al moved over to the South Jersey Aikido Academy (The Martial Way Dojo) upon its opening. He has had the honor and privilege to attend seminars and actively train with such aikido legends as Morihiro Saito Sensei, Patricia Hendricks Sensei and Vince Salvatore Sensei.

Although his desire to learn self-defense drove him into the dojo, he focuses heavily on the traditional aspects of the art and the sense of balance and control it brings to each practitioner. The blending of modern defense tactics and traditional skills make training with Al both challenging and rewarding. Al is excited about the future of The Martial Way dojo and its commitment to the art and the people who train there. He is passionate about learning from both instructor and other students each and every day. He fills in teaching group classes when needed.

Sensei Adam was first introduced to aikido in 2004 by his now wife, Richelle. He acquired his Shodan (1st degree black belt) in 2007 Since then he has continued to develop his passion for the art. He is now training to pass his 2nd degree black belt otherwise known as Nidan.

Gordon Mueller is a veteran martial artist with nearly 50 years of training. He has been inducted into the Tactical Hall Fame for the International Martial Arts, 2001 USA. He has been teaching Gloucester and Camden County police recruits for over 35 years in Defensive Tactics, Tactical Handcuffing and Weapon Disarms. He is trained in judo, aikido, tae kwan do, and holds a black belt in Chinese Kempo.

Tony Pallante has been training in aikido and marital arts for nearly 50 years. He is the most experienced instructor at the Martial Way and has trained also in fencing, silat, tai chi, boxing and more. He is experienced at the highest levels with aikido hand technique and weapons.

Starting in January 2002, under the direction of Rabon Jones Sensei, Mark began training in Goju Ryu Karate earning my Shodan in January 2004. Mark trained with Jones Sensei until his passing in late 2004. My training continued under the direction of Master Ramon Santiago in the Universal Systems of Martial Arts / Warrior Phoenix Martial Arts. He currently holds the rank of Sandan in Goju Ryu in that organization. He is a member of the World Karate Union Hall of Fame, being inducted as Master of the Year for Aikido in June 2013 and a member of the Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society (PHMAS) being inducted into their Hall of Fame for Aikido in July 2019.

Aikido is literally the way of harmonizing with energy. It has a foundation of core techniques and fundamentals, and these remain open to interpretation allowing for near limitless variations of techniques and applications. It does not share the rigidness of other arts that remain fixated on traditional forms. Aikido is a living, breathing and highly adaptive art. It actively looks to the outside environment and even the attacker as a source of input and energy with which we learn, grow and adapt to new and changing threats you may face in the real world.

Because the art is fluid and adaptive, students can train as hard or soft as they wish and still benefit tremendously. Aikido is a challenging art to master, and there seems to be new peaks to achieve even after years of training. This makes aikido an art that will continually challenge you for years to come, and it can provide fun, engagement and fulfillment throughout your life. Should you choose, it could be a forever path to walk upon? There is always something new to learn and a new challenge to overcome. Some choose to practice for self-defense, some for physical fitness, some for emotional and spiritual development and self-fulfillment, and others simply to have fun and make new friends. Many practice aikido for several of these reasons and value having it as a part of their lives.

Members of the Clermont Chamber of Commerce recently participated in a workshop that taught them the five simple self-defense moves that every woman should know, and now, The Clermont Sun is sharing those tactics with you, our readership.

Shanda Lynn Poitra was born and raised on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. She lived there until she was 24 years old when she left for college at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

"Unfortunately," she says, "I took my bad relationship with me. At the time, I didn't realize it was so bad, much less, abusive. Seeing and hearing about abusive relationships while growing up gave me the mentality that it was just a normal way of life."

"I wore many masks back then and clothing that would cover the bruises," she remembers. "Despite the darkness that I was living in, I was a great student; I knew that no matter what, I HAD to succeed. I knew there was more to my future than what I was living, so I kept working hard."

While searching for an elective class during this time, she came across a one-credit, 20-hour IMPACT self-defense class that could be done over a weekend. That single credit changed her life forever. It helped give her the confidence to leave her abusive relationship and inspired her to bring IMPACT classes to other Native women in her community.

I walked into class on a Friday thinking that I would simply learn how to handle a person trying to rob me, and I walked out on a Sunday evening with a voice so powerful that I could handle the most passive attacks to my being, along with physical attacks."

"As afraid as I was, I finally had the courage to report the abuse to legal authorities, and I had the support of friends and family who provided comfort for my children and I during this time," she says.

A lot of change happened at once. As a newly single mom, she ended up leaving med school and transferring to a tech school to learn a trade. And because she knew what her abuser was capable of, she took a lot of precautions to keep herself and her family safe.

"I worked and studied hard while my children were in daycare and school, spent the evenings cooking & cleaning, and studied again once the children were in bed. After two years of classes, months of clinical rotations, and becoming alumni at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN, I graduated as a Surgical Technologist and began working full-time," she remembers.

"Within my first week of being home, I noticed so much violence that I once thought was normal behavior," she says. "One morning, I got a phone call notifying me that my childhood friend was beaten and left for dead by her children's father; she was flown out to the nearest ICU and taken in for surgery for a hematoma in her skull."

Domestic abuse is a big problem on reservations like Shanda's. More than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women and men have experienced violence in their lifetime, and more than one in three experienced violence in the past year.

She spoke with several community members about the violence she was seeing, but she found they were quick to blame the victim. That's when it occurred to her: "What if I started a self-defense class for Native women?" Shanda says. So she called up her former instructor, found a group of instructors, and attended another class with her new team. And from there they founded their own chapter.

"IMPACT is being used all over the world, yet has never been available to Indigenous communities until now," she says. "Currently, our team consists of four core members; two suit instructors and two female lead instructors, all Indigenous members of our Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewas. All members are active in empowering our community in many ways."

And that is why Shanda is being named one of Tory Burch's "Empowered Women" this year. The $5000 donation will be made to IMPACT to help them bring IMPACT to more indigenous communities across the country and further their mission to help Native women recognize and protect themselves from physical violence.

"Truth is, I know what it feels like to be on both sides of empowerment. I know the fear, pain, and humiliation that comes with domestic violence, sexual assault, trauma, and PTSD and I recognize it in my students," she continues.

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