Female Self-Defense (It Ain't What You Think It Is)

Female Self-Defense.

Forgive me, but I tend to regard the implication of this prefix and suffix, at least in terms of its most common meaning, as a contradiction in terms.

I was just watching a video from the late 40’s in which a man and woman are demonstrating what purports to be female self-defense. Of course, the entire physical interaction was choreographed, and (of course) when the man grabs said woman from behind, she manages to overcome his advances in short order, and he is easily subdued.

… Not!

At least, not in “real life.”

Each and every time I see a video like this one on social media, I am certain to leave a comment about the impracticability of the average woman possessing the wherewithal of defending herself against a man her size or larger. It just ain’t practicable. It’s just plain unlikely. It would be something just short of amazing.

Unless…

and of course, said woman has a great deal of training in the martial arts, (and not a certificate from some 10 hour course offered at the local YWCA).

My comment?

“I’m sorry. Unless you are Wonder Woman, or were trained in Karate, Judo and Kung Fu by the infamous Bruce Lee, and you are accosted by, you guessed it, a male,

… you’re in BIG trouble.

If you attempt to fight back, you’re only gonna make him angry, and he’s gonna hurt you real bad. Escape if you can, but fighting back is a losing proposition.

No, I suggest you be a bit more logical and proactive about the whole sorry mess of assault and battery. Use some common sense. Practice “self-defense” BEFORE you and the bad guy intrude into one another’s personal space.

If you’re away from home, its night, and you’re parked in an unlit (or lit, for that matter) parking lot, ask a man to walk you to your car.

Wear a whistle around your neck. Be prepared to blow the heck out of it.

Keep a can of pepper spray on or about your person, and be prepared to douse the bad guy about the head and shoulders with it.

Safety isn’t about whether you manage to get a lucky kick into the gonads of someone with bad intentions. Safety is about defending what you hold near and dear (your person, of course)

… while you still have the ability to do so.

 

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 6