self-defense for women riders

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@theneteffect.com>]

Since we're on the topic of self-defense for women, a concern since we 
spend so much of our time riding alone, I think I'll put in a short plug 
for the rape self-defense class I have taken, and to which I have sent 
several friends and relatives.  It's wonderful, and it's a national 
program, so many of you should be able to take it as well (or something 
similar).

The class I took is designed by Martial Arts Research Systems in 
Benton, AR (phone 501-776-1119 according to my noteobok).  I took it 
about 5 years ago from a local tae kwon do studio.  The instructor had 
attended seminars to be accredited to teach this program.  It was only one 
evening, about 4 hours, and cost me $25, which included a short video, a 
short lecture, and 3 hours of heavy-duty fighting, and a very nice 3-ring 
binder to take home, with diagrams and written instructions on all that I 
had learned.  I take the binder out periodically to review the moves, and 
sometimes practice on a willing friend.  Obviously this is not a 
money-maker for the studio where I took the class -- the owner does this 
more as a community service project.

At my local studio, the male students are given a number of free sessions
in exchange for volunteering to be "attackers" in the class.  You must
pre-register, so there is one attacker per student.  After the short video
and lecture, you spend 3 hours fighting with the attackers.  Basically you
are being taught how to "fight dirty" -- to stun an attacker long enough
for you to run away to get help.  You read in the notebook together how to
perform a move, then it is demonstrated by the instructor, then you
practice it on an attacker.  I promise you, after 3 hours of fighting like
this, your entire body will ache for days.  You will be covered in bruises
and hurt like the devil.  But you will feel stronger and more confident
than ever before, because you learned to use a few simple moves to bring
those great, big, strapping, 24yo martial arts students to their knees.  No
kidding, some of those men were actually in tears for a few moments when 
we got the moves right.  Everyone of them told us to do our best, though, 
because they wanted us to really learn what to do.  I admired those men a 
lot for agreeing to suffer that kind of abuse for the sake of women they 
don't even know.

Anyway, the exact format of the class may vary depending on where you 
take it, but I highly recommend this type of instruction for every woman, 
but especially for women like us, who are exposed to danger fairly 
often through the sport we love.  

Glenda