Self-Defense for All Generations
In Lawrence Parks and Recreations, a three-hour self-defense class on the afternoon was attended by a family of three-generations: Christine Winters, her daughter Lori Howard, and her young granddaughter Tanner.

The instructor herself proved that not even size could be a hindrance to learning self-defense; Mandana Hurt was forty-five years old and petite at five-foot-one. Also helping her teach her female students was not just her husband but her pre-teen daughter Natasha as well.

Each class began with a warning: no flashy moves would be taught and pain was sure to follow. Students were then summarily taught how to pinch, choke, stomp, bunch, block, and kick their attackers.

Hurt, who also taught science at Central Junior High School during the day, also imparted other important self-defense prevention tactics to her students. She taught them to be aware of their surroundings, remember locking the door, and even why it was best to stand at the side of a tree when they were loading stuff in the trunk of their cars.

Having taught self-defense lessons for eighteen years, Hurt had noticed how attendance rose and fell, usually hitting the highest point when local attacks were also on the rise.

Other Self-Defense Tips for Women
Attacks will most often catch you by surprise and unarmed as well. But if you have the will to survive then there are many ways when you can still defend yourself.

Practice makes perfect
If you’ve got self-defense skills, don’t let them become rusty. Practice regularly so that if you do end up in danger, you won’t suffer even a second of doubt or confusion as to what you should do next.

Look for substitute weapons
You may be out of pepper spray, your Taser is still charging, but that doesn’t mean you have to fight weaponless. Perfume, hair brushes, and lipsticks can all be excellent weapons when used properly.

Hit strategically
Don’t waste time and effort with wild strikes. If you are going to fight, make sure that you target vulnerable areas like eyes, throats, and groin. Decide which angle it’s best for you to strike.

Be prepared
Never underestimate your attacker. Do not hesitate when you strike and never show your fear. Once you let your fears get to you, your attacker will immediately have the upper hand!

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In Vermont, the Rutland City Police Department has been offering self-defense classes to children ages 3/12 to 12 years old. Their aptly named program, radKids, the shortened term for Resist Aggression Defensively, has been in the offing for a number of years already. The classes are held in the Rutland Recreation and Parks Department. Rutland Regional Medical Center also joins forces with the other departments in promoting the program.

radKids aims to provide children with “stranger danger” education. In class, kids learn about safety skills in personal empowerment. Active police officers lead the class, teaching children the various steps they can take if they feel they are in danger.

Kids also learn how to get away quickly from assailants. It’s made very clear to them that reacting immediately to danger is important and they needed to do what they can to make other people aware of the danger they’re in.

The program’s stranger danger education also includes helping kids recognize tricks that potential assailants may use to gain their trust as well as determine the different between touches that are good, bad, or uncomfortable. Home, school, and car safety tips are also taught.

Last but certainly not the least, the program ensures its young students understand that nobody ever has the right to inflict harm to them.

Parents should also do their best to instill the stranger danger philosophy in their children at home. It is important to impress upon their young minds that danger can come in all shapes and sizes.

In the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) website, an article reported how two women with blonde hair and in their early twenties had tried luring a 9-year-old schoolboy walking home from school with a lift. The boy had not responded. When the two women persisted in following him in their dark-colored four-wheel drive, this prompted the boy to run away. His mom had been able to pick him up at the next street.

In another ABC news article, the police had appealed for public help after an abduction attempt on a 9-year-old girl in Sydney. The girl, who had also been walking home, was approached by a man wearing a balaclava. He attempted to grab her wrist but when she was able to break free, the assailant had jumped into a white van, where another man was waiting on the wheel.

image credits to David Kelly

The Kenner Police Department, on the other hand, takes a slightly different approach with a self-defense course designed for women. The classes, offered free of charge, will be held from September 8 to 11, targeting females aged 13 and above. Two certified police officers will take the role of instructors for the self-defense course and their lessons include but aren’t limited to the discussion and demonstration of escaping multiple attackers, abduction, lawful means of self-defense, the various types of sexual assaults, and risk awareness. Interested parties may attend more than one class and will have the opportunity to put their skills to test during classes.

Another self-defense course designed for women, also for free, is offered in the Recreation and Cultural Arts of Asheville Parks. Entitled “Practical Self-Defense for Women”, the workshop will take place at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center at September 4, 2008.

The introductory class will be under the direction of WNC Center for Self-Defense founder and lead instructor Steve Lunsford. Participants don’t need to have previous experience and are requested to come in loose-fitting attire.

In Wilmington, New Hanover County, free self-defense lessons are also offered, prompted by a recent attack on a 24-year-old woman. The victim had to undergo surgery after suffering from sexual assault and multiple stabbings. The incident made concerned resident Aaron Lawrence, a black belt in karate, volunteer to teach self-defense classes for free.

Many types of self-defense courses are offered today, designed to teach people of all shapes and sizes to defend themselves properly. All you need to do is find one that appeals to you and fits your schedule.

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