Joe Hornaday
Pinning down the definition of the word “self-defense” is difficult, and the Decatur County Family YMCA is hoping to explain it to local residents.
According to a release from the YMCA, the bottom line is that self-defense means making sure residents and their families do not get hurt by someone who wants to do them harm. The YMCA will begin hosting a self-defense workshop from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30.
In the past twenty years, an entire industry has sprung up, offering a variety of weapons for the pocket or purse toted as the “best” way to protect oneself. All have their uses, but when an attack happens, those weapons might not be in easy reach, according to the release. Any weapon can be dropped, used incorrectly or used against the person who brought it. However, there are weapons everyone has at every moment, including: their voice; their hands and feet; and most importantly, their mind.
The basics of self-defense do not involve beefed-up muscles, complicated throws or a bunch of showy techniques. It is, first and foremost, about knowing how to avoid an attack altogether. But if that fails, a potential victim will need simple and easy to remember things to do. They need to know how to use their hands and feet, where to strike and what to do to make sure they get away as quickly as possible. They do not need to be stronger or bigger than the person attacking them, but they do need to be stronger than the attacker's weaknesses, and they need to know how to strike those weak points.
“As a martial artist, I know many people who can prove themselves great fighters,” Blair Woodall, a Second Degree Black Belt, explained. “But self-defense isn't a fight with rules and boundaries, where one person gets to win a prize and the other gets to try again in another bout. Self-defense is about life and death, period. Certainly one's self-defense skills improve with months and years of training, but everyone can develop the awareness of self and surroundings, as well as the determined mindset, that can protect you when the unexpected happens.”
No one deserves to be a victim, but that truth doesn't protect us from becoming one. Learning the basics of self-defense is the first step.
Woodall holds a Second Degree Black Belt with Adamson's Karate Studios. She will be teaching self-defense at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Decatur County YMCA. For more information, those interested can contact the Decatur County Family YMCA, and they may register the day of the workshop. The YMCA can be reached at 812-663-9622.
