Toni McSorley started taking martial arts classes at a small dojo in her neighborhood after becoming good friends with the instructor’s middle daughter. She was only 13 years old at the time. Forty six years later, she has now received welcome and deserved notoriety for her prowess by being inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.McSorley currently has her own studio called Arts of the Samurai in Knoxville, Tennessee where she teaches Agedo Karate and Toyama Rwu Kendo. She notes that Toyama Rwu Kendo is “an old battlefield art that is very simple and to the point.”
Receiving the honor in Richmond, Virginia a few weeks ago seems to have meant a lot to her. “Women are still second-class citizens in a lot of respects,” she says. “The first year we showed up for state competition, they took me off the floor for opening ceremonies, because they didn’t want a woman in the picture,” Toni says. “The first year I coached at nationals they sent a man to help me. . . This one really meant something special (the induction), because when I started, if you were a woman or a kid and you showed up at a martial arts school, normally the first thing they did was try to get you to quit because they didn’t want you there.”
Well, no one is attempting to get her to quit anymore. That would be foolhardy. Congratulations to her on a great honor.
Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
Brandon Luis Aponte, left, and David Lavallee Jr. come to blows in a final confrontation in Nathan Quattrini’s Sons of Lemuria debuting Thursday night at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket.
It may not exactly be Jackie Chan on screen Thursday night, April 23. But Warwick filmmaker Nathan A. Quattrini hopes it comes a little bit close when he presents the world premieres of his three short martial arts films at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, followed by martial arts demonstrations and a stunt fight on stage.
The 29-year-old self-taught filmmaker, who lived in Taiwan for a couple of years, combined his love of martial arts with moviemaking for the ambitious project.
“It started out as three two-minute short films that were going to demonstrate three different styles of martial arts action,” said the cheerfully easygoing Quattrini. One was going to feature David Lavallee Jr., another Brandon Luis Aponte, and the third Quattrini himself. “But it turned into three short films that took over two years to complete.”
In the end, Quattrini wound up directing, producing and cowriting the films, taking only a small role in one of them with Aponte and cowriter Lavallee as the stars.
The films run from 7½ to 22 minutes. Sons of Lemuria is set in ancient times, with swords and tunics and gauntlets and it looks impressive although it was shot mostly in modern-day Warwick. Five Minutes Flat is a do-or-die thriller with the hero racing the clock to save his life. American Chop Suey is a comedy in which a martial arts fan, who learned all his moves from Hong Kong kung fu movies on TV, sets out to get revenge after his DVD subscription is cancelled. In a case of art imitating life, Quattrini said that Lavallee, who stars in American Chop Suey, “got into kung fu by watching martial arts movies on TV, mimicking the action.” Quattrini first met Lavallee on the set of a student film for which Lavallee was doing the fight choreography.
The films go on screen beginning at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a Q&A with the audience, a demonstration of Wu Shu Kung Fu by a team from the Way of the Dragon martial arts school in East Providence and a comical stunt performance by the Stunt Players of America, as well as a raffle.
Tickets are $15 and $20 and may be purchased at the door, at stadiumtheatre.com or by calling (401) 762-4545. Those who bring a non-perishable food item for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank will receive a large character print from one of the films that they can have autographed.
Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
When they think about maintaining their safety on the job, Emergency Medical Personnel, EMTs, Paramedics, nurses & social workers always want to know: Is it possible to predict who will be violent? What can I do to prevent a situation from becoming violent? And what should I do to protect myself if someone strikes out at me?
Predicting Violence
Are there factors common to those who commit violent acts? In fact, there are. Research has identified certain traits and factors that make people more inclined to violence:
Prior Violence. Each time someone commits a violent act, it is more probable that violence will happen again. Since this is the single best predictor of violence, it is a good idea to ask questions about past or current violent behavior during your initial contact with a child or family member. Specifically, you want to know about a person’s most violent act, and how often he or she has violent thoughts.
Certain Feelings. Several internal factors have been associated with aggressive encounters. These include fear, humiliation, boredom, grief, and a sense of powerlessness. To reduce risk, avoid putting clients in positions that embarrass them. Rather, give them knowledge that empowers them and help them see other, nonviolent options.
Physical Factors. Physical factors increase the risk of violence as well. These include lack of sleep, physical exhaustion, use of drugs or alcohol, brain trauma, heat, hunger, cold, physical disability, or chronic pain.
Situational Factors. Situational factors are also predictive of violence. Access to weapons, experiencing childhood abuse or aggression in the home, or feeling a sense of injustice or oppression can lead to violence.
Forced Removal. There is growing evidence that demonstrates that violence is more likely when children or adults are taken from their living situations, especially if they are removed in front of family or friends. Therefore, removals should always be planned events. Never conduct one alone.
What to Look for
Even if you do not have any information about a person’s past history or current emotional state, there are signs you can look for. Observe the person’s body: is she pacing or fidgeting? Clenching her fists or jaws? Does she have a “wild” look in her eyes? Is she out of touch with reality? Is she speaking in a loud voice or becoming verbally abusive? If you see these behaviors, take immediate steps to reduce the tension before it escalates.
Reducing Tension
You are on a home visit, and Mom’s boyfriend comes home. He glares at you and paces around the room. When you explain who you are and why are visiting, he yells at you. He begins cursing and gesturing, but stays away from you. What do you do?
Unfortunately, there is no “right” answer, no technique that will work in every situation. Ideally, though, you want to help the angry person “come down” from his or her anger.
The main rule (and it’s easier said than done) is to remain calm. A calm tone, demeanor, and presence transfers to others. Speak in a clear and direct manner, so the person can hear what you are saying through the anger.
It is not a good idea, however, to tell the client to “calm down.” By saying this, you communicate that you do not understand—if you did, you would understand why he or she is so upset. Instead, be empathetic. Talk about the frustration or problem that has come up. Reflect feelings and behaviors such as “you seem angry.” Take responsibility for your mistakes.
It may be easier to remain calm if you remember this isn’t personal—the person is angry at the situation, not you. Defensiveness on your part validates the angry person, increasing the tension (Horejsi & Garthwait, 1997).
Reinforce your calm tone with nonthreatening, non-confrontational body language. Move slowly. Avoid putting your hands on your hips. Position yourself to the side of the person, so you are not squarely facing them. Avoid extensive eye contact and physical closeness. Do not touch an angry person. Do not stand between the person and the door.
You can also use different strategies to help an angry person calm down. One method is to offer the person choices, such as talking later or agreeing on a cooling off period. Allow the person to save face—give him or her a way out.
Attempting to distract or change the subject can sometimes work, but be careful, as this may further anger people if they realize you are diverting them. Don’t use humor—in the haze of anger, it is too easily misinterpreted.
Even if the person seems to be calming down, be patient—it takes a person about 30 to 40 minutes to calm down from anger physiologically (Griffin et al., 1995). If you have done what you can and things still seem to be escalating, leave the situation and/or get help.
If Aggression Occurs
The angry boyfriend doesn’t calm down. Suddenly he comes at you, his hands outstretched. What do you do?
Anger and aggression cannot always be contained. If a person attempts to assault you, protect yourself. Your first step should always be to leave the room and get away from the situation. If you cannot leave, call for help and:
Protect yourself from head injuries. Block blows with pillows, arms, clipboard, etc.
If you fall, block the attack with your feet and legs.
If your arm is grabbed, break the hold by twisting quickly toward the person’s thumb.
If you are choked, raise both arms straight up and quickly turn around. Your arms and shoulders will break the hold.
If you are bitten, push into the bite, don’t pull away.
If your hair is pulled, press down on the person’s hand with both of yours.
Weapon: Never reach for the weapon. Encourage the person to talk. Focus on the person, and keep your distancem (Flick, 1996; Griffin, 1997).
Implications
Safety is essential to your success—you can’t help a family through a crisis if you are afraid for your own well-being. Therefore it is crucial to know how to identify potentially dangerous individuals and what to do when you encounter them. By maintaining your awareness and being proactive, you improve your ability to do your job, as well as stay safe.
Sources
Brady, E. (1993). Coping with violent behavior: A handbook for social work staff. Harlow, United Kingdom: Longman Group.
Brown, R., Bute, S., & Ford, P. (1986). Social workers at risk: The prevention and management of violence. London: British Association of Social Workers.
Dernocoeur, K. (1993, July). Tips on defusing a violent situation. JEMS, 78-79.
Flick, J. (1996). Defusing potentially violent situations: Keeping yourself and others safe. Unpublished. Presented at social worker safety training.
Fraser, M. (1995). Violence overview. In R. Edwards (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Work. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2453-2460.
Horejsi, C. & Garthwait, C. (1997). Be careful out there: CPS worker safety in rural areas. Protecting Children, 13(1), 12-14.
Griffin, W., Montsinger, J., & Carter, N. (1997). Resource guide for administrators and other personnel. Durham, NC: ILR, Inc.
Hughes, D. (1994). Assessment of the potential for violence. Psychiatric Annals, 24(11), 579-583.
Murdach, A. (1993). Practice forum: Working with potentially assaultive clients. Health and Social Work, 18(4), 307-312.
Nadwairski, J. A. (1994). Inner city safety for home care providers. Journal of Safe Management of Disruptive and Assaultive Behavior, 2, 4-6.
Star, B. (1984). Patient violence/therapist safety. Social Work, May/June, 225-230.
Adapted & re-published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
Self-defense is the ability to come out of violent situations alive and if possible unhurt and with all of your possessions. For most persons, self-defense is learning how to beat someone up (or use any other suitable technique like throws, locks,…). This is the stuff you will learn in most martial-arts or self-defense classes. Unfortunately this is only a part of the whole self-defense business. In my eyes, self-defense consists at least of the following parts:
Conflict prevention
Conflict avoidance
Situation analysis
Fear control
Deescalation
Running away
Use of violence
Stopping the use of violence
The law
In the following I will try to explain what I mean by the respective points.
Conflict prevention
The most important part of the whole self-defense business is something that is hardly self-defense at all. It is the prevention of any conflicts. Important factors in conflict prevention are education, guidance, tolerance and parents/educators attention (and maybe to a certain degree, punishment). These are measures that have to be present from the beginning and are lacking in certain cultures, regions or groups in society. If they are not there, they have to be built up step by step, until a peaceful society exists. Each individual can influence its surrounding by increasing the level of non-violence through his actions (the most extreme case for this is certainly mahatma gandhi). Other ways are the legal system, education by the parents or the education system.
Conflict avoidance
The standard sentence “don’t walk down dark alleys” tries to capture the meaning behind the conflict avoidance subject, it goes much farther than simple rules though. Avoiding a conflict can start by not going to places (the dark alleys) but for this, these places have to be identified and it has to be possible to not go there (if you work near such a place or in such a region, you just have to go there). It continues with the standard “how to behave” rules like having straight posture, looking up, walk confident and so forth. These things help to a certain extend (and good posture is anyway a good thing). The next thing and this is where it starts to become harder, is to watch your surrounding, try to identify people that don’t belong there or look suspicious and try to go out of their way if possible. This is hard as most people have much better things to do than to be suspicious all the time. You can train to be subconsciously aware of your direct surroundings (the people around you and how they behave) as you are aware of your surroundings when driving a car (how the vehicles are driving, braking and turning) .
Situation analysis
As soon as a potentially dangerous situation arises, it has to be analyzed as fast as possible to decide what actions have to be taken. The analysis includes the following:
What is the “level” of the situation (angry glares, hefty discussion, punches flying, rage,…)
Number of attackers and who is their leader
Number of attacked persons
Are weapons involved
Are improvised weapons around
What is the location (a forest or in the middle of a supermarket)
Is there help available
What are the escape paths
Each of these factors influences what you are going to do next. You have to learn how to judge these factors and take your decision as fast as possible as soon you detect a self-defense situation.
Fear control
When a self-defense situation arises it is possible and even probable, that you will be filled with fear. This is normal. You can learn to cope with this fear. This means, that you have to prepare yourself and train how to overcome this state of fear (the fear won’t go away) and still do something despite the fear. This is partly something you can try to train by simulating fear-like situations and partly something that you have to mentally prepare by visualizing situations that can create fear and what you have to do when they arise.
De-escalation
Many nasty situations can be solved by purely talking to the attacker(s). Whether this is possible largely depends on the state of the attacker(s) and how far the situation has escalated so far. The tools you can use to deescalate are to be found in subjects as rhetoric and psychology. Some means you have at your disposition are apologies, agreement (it’s harder to be angry at someone who agrees with you), avoid contradiction and so forth.
Running away
A very clever solution to many self-defense problems is removing yourself from the scene. In most cases this can be done by running away, but driving away, taking the next bus or entering a building can lead to the same result. Running away can be a solution at any point of a confrontation, before it starts, after an attacker has hit you, after you have hit him once and after you have controlled him.
Use of violence
Applying violence is the last resort you have when being attacked. You try to inflict enough damage or control to your attacker so that the fighting stops. The use of violence is the main subject that is taught in most martial arts classes. It should contain at least the following points:
technique against unarmed and armed attackers, standing and on the floor
development of force, stability and speed
learn how to fight (take away the fear of hitting and being hit)
positional judgment of the attackers
vulnerable points of the human body
training of situations (attackers that grab, punch, shove,…)
simulation of the reality (as close as possible in a controlled environment)
There are many teaching methods on how to learn these things.
Stopping the use of violence
As important as it is to recognize when to start using violence, it is to stop using violence. This can be the case in these situations:
The attacker is no longer able to defend himself (you become the attacker)
The attacker is fleeing
The attacker does no longer attack (e.g. he became reasonable)
Another solution becomes the preferred one (e.g. the attacker’s friends turn up and you should start running)
The police arrives and starts to intervene
The law
As soon as a violent confrontation is over (and in some cases even after non-violent ones) someone (most of the times the counsel for the prosecution) will see if there is need for an accusation. If this happens, the accused person will have to defend itself on a trial. Even when you act in self-defense it can happen that you are this person. It may not be clear from the outside, that you were the one who was defending himself (the attacker or witnesses can lie), you can also have exaggerated the violence you used in the given situation (many countries have laws to cover these cases). If you land in such a situation it is certainly advisable to get yourself a good lawyer. But more importantly, if you train your self-defense, train for appropriate behaviour and actions. It is very bad to train how to smash someones larynx (a deadly technique), when he just slaps you on the cheek. If you train that way, the probability is big, that you will act the same way in a real situation.
Conclusion
Self-defense is a very complex subject and has to be treated that way. Most self-defense courses focus way too much on the violent part of the whole thing. It is very important to give the other parts a more prominent part in the teaching of self-defense. Each of the points I mentioned so far could easily fill a whole blog post (or even a whole book). So maybe I will take up on one or the other and expand on it at a later point.
Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
It never entered my mind when I began my career as a Paramedic, that my career would be shortened after becoming the victim of violence. But in fact my career was in fact shortened because I was assaulted by a patient who had overdosed on illegal narcotics and became violent. Scene safety was never discussed in the emergency medical education program. Today emergency medical services personnel wear bulletproof vests because of the increased violence against EMS workers.
A study conducted in 1999 concluded that during 12-years in EMS, those paramedics received an average of 9 assaults per paramedic. Assault injuries resulted in 170 cases of blunt trauma, 73 lacerations, 2 gun shot wounds, 10 stabbings, 1 burn, 8 fractures, 9 dislocations, 1 choking, and 56 cases of miscellaneous body injuries.” Emergency medical services personnel continue to face many dangers in the course of their profession and in the line of duty. The dangers faced begin upon receiving a call from their dispatcher for response to a medical or traumatic call. The emergency run poses a greater risk of becoming involved in an automobile accident causing injury or death then the chances of an EMT accidentally sustaining a needle stick and contracting HIV.
Once on the scene of a call the emergency medical technicians chances of becoming the victim of an act of aggression and violence. Danger can threaten EMS providers at any time and anywhere. There is no such thing as a “safe” neighborhood or a “safe” area of town. Emergency medical services personnel have been killed and or injured, in the line of duty. The causes and acts are becoming more and more random. They include injury and or fatal injuries resulting from motorists who have failed to yield the right away to the EMS vehicles equipped that are equipped with state of the art flashers, sirens, and intersection lights. Drivers do not pay attention to Emergency Vehicles, and are distracted by blasting stereos, driving while intoxicated, and talking on cell phones just to name a few.
Once on the scene, emergency medical personnel often are faced with hysterical family members, sometime including verbal and physical assaults from bystanders. Additional risks faced by the EMS personnel include being struck by cars while treating patients at accident scenes that have resulted in both critical injuries and deaths. Motorist fails to slow down, or operate their cars dangerously and aggressively in accident zones. Over the years, paramedics have seen in an increase in responses to more dangerous situations that have resulted from both foreign and domestic terrorism.
EMS personnel have been targets during the Columbine school shootings, the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal building, the 1993 World Trade Center Attack, release of gas in the New York subways, and the most recent attacks on September 11, 2001 of the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. Emergency medical services personnel who are trained to save lives and operate under the EMT Oath taken to preserve life, EMS Personnel now face the uncertainty that Police officers and Firefighters that there is no guarantee of returning home to their families at the end of their shift. Paramedics and Firefighters do not carry a firearm their only means of safety is a Law Enforcement presence and that’s still not a safety guarantee.
Legislation is lacking in many states that provides strong legal consequences for causing injuries and or death of these dedicated men and women in Emergency Medical Services. As stated earlier the cost of a bullet proof vests is approximately $500.00 per vest, many private agencies as well as volunteer organizations do not provide these needed safety devices because of the cost, leaving the choice and expense of the EMT. Recently in my county a new policy was adopted by the Medical Control Director that states that EMS Personnel and Firefighters responding to violent and suicide calls must “stage,” [park several blocks away from the scene until police units have arrived and secured the scene] although this protects the responding medical personnel it does create the danger of delaying rapid treatment for the patient. EMS Personnel should incorporate the following criteria in their response to Dangerous calls.
1.) Dispatchers need to obtain as much Information as possible, i.e. is there a violent situation for patient? Is this an attempted suicide and by what means, if this is a shooting and or stabbing is the perpetrator still on the scene? Is the patient in possession of any type of weapon?
2.) The responding EMS crew and Fire personnel must be given detailed dispatch information, including frequent updates regarding Law Enforcement’s response as well as their estimated time of arrival. In addition, dispatch should update the crews as additional information becomes available.
3.) Upon EMS arrival, the EMS crew should overview the scene. i.e. is there any immediate danger, is law enforcement on the scene, and are there any visible dangers to the crew. Identify areas for a safe retreat.
4.) When on scene of a motor vehicle accident, survey the area before getting out of the rig is the scene secure. Are there any electrical lines down on or around the vehicle or vehicles, is there a vehicle fire, are there any vehicles involved there is transporting hazardous waste or chemicals? Is traffic congestion causing additional hazards? Place your Unit in a safe position that will protect you, the patients, and the scene.
5.) Do not put yourself in harm’s way; Always have open communications with your dispatcher. If the scene becomes dangerous remove yourself and your partner from the scene until security is reestablished by law enforcement.
The potential for scene violence & violent patients exists for all types of EMS responses, do not become complacent you must always remain vigilant. Since the attack on September 11, 2001 police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel have had the publics renewed appreciation for the work that we do and the a unselfish sacrifices we make.
DISCLAIMER - Please be advised, Dave Huethe is not the person noted, associated, or affiliated, with Dave’s EMS Headquarters. Re-publication of the above article should in no way be construed that Mr. Heuthe endorses, supports or approves of any of Dave’s EMS Headquarters website and/or its associated content.
Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
Self-defense and martial arts are not the same thing!
Many people have the idea that to learn to protect themselves against everyday dangers they have to learn a martial art–they have to learn Michelle Yeoh’s or Jackie Chan’s moves. This simply isn’t true.
While many martial arts did evolve as self-defense systems, they suited the needs of a people in a specific time and place (such as sword-fighting on horseback in 17th century Korea). They don’t necessarily translate well to practical, modern-day needs. You’re not, for example, going to do a flying kick to a potential date rapist, workplace harasser, or child abuser.
Instead, you can use self-defense techniques for the real dangers women and girls face in our society today, such as harassment, abuse, and sexual assault. These are best addressed through a quality women’s self-defense class.
Self-defense and martial arts each have strengths–and they do have things in common. Here are a few:
SELF-DEFENSE: Anybody can learn basic self-defense skills, even somebody small, elderly, with physical disabilities, overweight, or out of shape. It is not a form of exercise.
MARTIAL ARTS: Is a good workout. Will get you in shape and bring you the health benefits of fitness. Some schools are geared toward sports and competition and attract younger or more athletic people. Other schools are non-competitive and view martial arts as a practice open to anyone.
BOTH: Get you in touch with your physical power.
SELF-DEFENSE:Teaches skills to use against harassment, abuse, and assault, including everyday situations that don’t involve physical attack.
MARTIAL ARTS: May teach awareness to help with prevention, and may help develop confidence to handle daily situations. The physical fighting techniques of martial arts, though, are not usually practical or realistic for the kind of attacks that happen in today’s world.
BOTH: Increase confidence.
SELF-DEFENSE: Effective skills that can be learned quickly.
MARTIAL ARTS: Must be studied for a long time to attain proficiency; often a life-long pursuit.
BOTH: Create a stronger mind-body connection.
SELF-DEFENSE:Develops self-respect and awareness. Encourages personal insights into experiences with violence.
BOTH: May spur internal change as well as learning specific skills.
SELF-DEFENSE:Depending on the program, may connect to feminism, anti-racism, and larger sociopolitical issues.Develops a broader awareness of issues related to violence against women and girls.
MARTIAL ARTS: Depending on the focus of each school, may encourage spiritual development and/or martial arts as sport and competition.
BOTH: May make connections beyond the particular focus of the program or school.
Re-Published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
Why martial arts for seniors? Or, to pay lip service to being pc, why should boomers and old folks be interested in a martial art? Simple answer: reversing or slowing the effects of age. Sorry, I can’t help with the grumpiness! Actually, exercise is a great stress reliever and mood elevator so, maybe I can…<grin>. When I googled effects of age +exercise, I got 9,880,000 hits. It is a huge topic. Huge. And you’ll never find this article hidden under all that! If your understanding of the martial arts comes from the movies as it does for most people, then you can be forgiven for thinking that only 20 year old hard bodies practice the traditional martial arts for fame and fortune.
The reality is that many folks over fifty train for health and relaxation and to prepare for later years. One five time winner of the U.S. national grand championships won his division titles while in his sixties, having started his training in karate at forty-seven years old because he was double his health weight and had developed heart problems. As the fitness generation edges up into their pre-senior years they have kept their commitment to fitness for health and have refused to go gently into muscle loss, frailty and balance problems. In their search for a stronger and healthier retirement they have the support of a number of university studies that have focused on identifying the process of ageing and methods to slow the process down. Dalhousie University in Halifax reports that after the age of thirty the changes of ageing; loss of muscle mass and strength, brittle bones and tighter joints are inevitable. Since these changes are exactly the same as the deterioration you suffer from an inactive lifestyle, if you do not exercise into your forties and fifties you are in effect doubling these detrimental body changes. This greatly impacts your quality of life during retirement. The good news is that the ageing process can be drastically slowed down by exercise, which also reverses the losses attributed to an easy rider of the easy chair lifestyle.
“Active people decline at a far slower [rate]…that means that people who are physically fit can lead an actve life longer. They’ll be able to take care of themselves [better than] someone who is sedentary.”
~ I say: DUH
They also claim that it is never too late to gain the benefits of exercise whether you are looking for muscle tone, muscle building (size) or joint loosening. Emotional benefits of starting an active lifestyle at any age include feeling better from the release of stress and tension, decrease in depression and increase in self confidence. Osteoporosis (brittle bones) and balance problems also decrease. While Victoria doctor Richard Backus, whose credits include the dramatic recovery of Olympic rower Silken Laumann, is mostly involved with the rehabilitation of injuries, he has found that his work translates well into the special problems of the elderly.
“Much of the ageing we see is not an inevitable process but rather a decline due to prolonged inactivity. We need to reactivate those people.”
Even if you are presently nursing an old injury, exercise and not rest is one recommended cure.
“Activity is the key to recovery from soft tissue back injuries, not extended bed rest,” says Dr. Kelly Flannigan of Victoria’s Summit Rehabilitation.
Dr. Flannigan is also known for prescribing martial arts techniques to help show clients how to use legs and hips properly, in order to save their back from extra stress.
But why a martial art?
Self Defence Martial arts training is deeper than mere self defence although you may become prepared to defend your family in the training. I have seen a lot of improvement in my mature students over the years. My Raising Canes students are particularly quick to achieve confidence in self defence. The oldest student I ever taught was eighty-four years old and had significant loss of eyesight. Not having an interest in working through the belt system or self defence, this gentleman started karate training to offset his personal fraility. He gained significantly in his joint looseness, flexibility and balance. His strength increased to the point where he started to feel that the self defence aspects of the art might not be outside the limit of his years. He only quit when his eyes failed totally. Fitness I too am a bit of a late bloomer, not starting my training until I was in my mid-twenties. When I realized how old and out of shape I felt at twenty-five, I knew real old age would be a disaster. But I also realized that every day putting off the pain and other costs of working out would make my life that much more painful later. That started my martial arts career. Now at sixty years old, with thirty-five years of training behind me, I have never been as strong and balanced as I am now. I relate the success of my mature students to the fact that I can structure the classes so that everyone only competes against himself and not others. I know that no person over the age of forty or fifty has the energy or stamina of a twenty year old and usually has different goals. If you do become interested in practicing a martial art, look for a club with the ability to accommodate a wide range of goals that has a proven record of providing service to a wide range of student ages.
Martial arts training is a great life time activity
It is ever changing and there is always something new to learn and something old to perfect. A sprained ankle sidelines a volleyball or badminton player but the karate-ka will merely switch to hand drills and the grappling arts for the duration of the injury. Those who play old-timer hockey or slow pitch have an off season and martial arts training can bridge the gap and ease season opening trauma. The training itself is a perfect complement to all other sports, especially those demanding coordination and balance. Karate training has stayed fresh for me, even after thirty-five years of repetition because the amount of material is beyond anyone’s ability to digest (or perfect) in one lifetime. Karate teaches by means of choreographed forms called kata. The learning curve (and therefore the sustained-interest curve) rises steeply into the stratosphere as you become proficient with the basics and learn how to learn the kata. The kata can be done at home in any spare moment. Martial arts training is perfect for all those who hate the mindless repetition of jogging or aerobics classes. Add in the enjoyment of learning about the culture of origin of the style you choose, and another world of learning and opportunity for growth presents itself. The list of physical improvements you can expect from most martial arts training include: increased anaerobic efficiency and aerobic fitness, increased strength and flexibility, increased endurance and stamina, and increased muscle tone. Increases in balance and coordination will be experienced relatively quickly. These changes will enhance your abilities in all your activities in your broader lifestyle. Though a dedicated exercise like running or weight lifting will show greater improvement in that exercise, martial arts training usually hits the full scope of related body needs: balance, agility, gracefulness, strength and flexibility. Character improvements available in the training include: increased self esteem, self confidence and assertiveness, which is not to be confused with aggressiveness. Relief from the effects of stress are quickly reported. Also the classes themselves tend to teach the (younger) students emotional control, how to work co-operatively in a group, how to lead a group as well as initiative and independent learning. As you can imagine, quick thinking and problem solving become a way of life very quickly.
Adapted & republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
Facing hostile families, overwhelming caseloads, and the occasional gun barrel, a child protective service worker’s job requires both street smarts and grace under pressure. Here’s how to protect yourself. By Richard Bermack
As child protective services worker Denise Smernes walked into the home of her clients in Alameda County, California, she was shocked to see a teenager inside the house loading an automatic weapon. A shouting match erupted between the police officer accompanying Smernes and the woman who answered the door of the apartment. Emotions were escalating fast. In her mind, Smernes flashed through strategies to defuse the situation. “If I don’t do something fast, we’re going to get shot,” she recalls.
Smernes (picture above) turned to the officer and ordered him to leave the apartment immediately and wait for her in his car. He initially refused. “I’m not leaving you with these people,” he said.
She knew she had to convince him. “Leave before someone gets hurt,” she insisted. Then she quickly reassured the residents she was not a threat to them or to the children she was there to check. “I’m not here to take the kids, I just need to make sure they are safe,” she recalls telling the woman.
Such flashpoints are increasingly common between social workers and the clients they serve. Ten years ago, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) first began to hear about scattered attacks faced by the group’s 150,000 members. In a 2002 NASW survey of 800 school social workers, 19 percent had been victims of violence and 63 percent had been threatened.
Experts say the very nature of social work can thrust them into tense situations at the office and in their clients’ homes. It can pull them into unsafe neighborhoods where they’re in danger of attack.
School social workers often are called upon to counsel students with serious behavior problems. Child protective services workers are routinely sent into dangerous environments to remove children from a home and to investigate cases of suspected physical abuse and sexual molestation. There they may be exposed to verbal abuse, death threats, and even gunfire. And although social workers are often accompanied by police officers to help them do their job safely, the presence of law enforcement can make their clients more defensive and hostile.
“When you can get a police officer, it is safer. But I’ve had social workers who’ve asked the police officer to come in, and the officer has said, ‘I’m not going in there,’” said Eva Skolnik-Acker, chairwoman of the NASW Massachusetts chapter’s Committee for the Study and Prevention of Violence Against Social Workers.
Although fatalities are rare, two recent killings of social workers exemplify the risk they face: the 2004 murder of social worker Teri Zenner during a routine visit to a client in Kansas, and the 2006 killing of social worker Sally Blackwell, who was found dead in a field in Texas after repeatedly being threatened during her work investigating child abuse and neglect cases.
NASW has stepped up its training programs in recent years to help prevent other tragedies. In Michigan, social workers have pushed the passage of a bill that would require two social workers be present when conducting a home visit in a dangerous situation. But many social workers believe that two workers should be present on all visits, saying that it’s impossible to predict when a situation will turn threatening.
The Michigan bill also calls for child protective service workers to go through formal training in handling dangerous situations and would make self-defense training available to those who request it.
“The fear factor”
In a 1997 NASW survey of school social workers, participants reported they were pushed, grabbed, and shoved, had their hair pulled by angry clients, and had objects thrown at them. Some of the attackers were students or their parents. In the survey of school social workers, 77 percent reported their attackers were students they were counseling, and 49 percent said the attacker was a parent.
Social workers responding to the survey also reported feeling threatened by violence in the neighborhoods they visit, especially when they visit clients in their homes. Smernes was once interviewing a mother and child when bullets began flying through the house she was visiting. As it turned out, the mother lived next to a drug dealer, and drive-by shootings were not an uncommon experience in the neighborhood.
In Los Angeles, social worker Barbara Dean said a male caller once reported a phony case of child abuse to a hot line where she worked. When she went to the address he reported, the man was lying in wait. He grabbed her, but she managed to escape. The man continued to call the hot line to say he liked her voice.
Michael Yee has been an emergency response social worker for 17 years. He estimates that he has probably investigated over 4,000 cases. Yee has found himself in the middle of drug raids, been threatened with knives, had a police officer point a shotgun at him, and was once even threatened with a frying pan full of hot oil.
“The fear factor is an important part of the job. You can’t make mistakes out there,” Yee says. “You have to be very cautious and have a lot of street smarts. You’re the first one through the door, and you never know what you are stepping into.”
Violent assaults are not the only hazard on the job. Much more common, social workers say, is trauma from verbal assaults and the job stress they face from managing large caseloads that require many hours of overtime each week. Because social service agencies are often understaffed, social workers are often assigned much higher caseloads than they can manage adequately, Skolnik-Acker notes.
For some workers, the stress is overwhelming. Maryellen McFadden worked as a social worker in the child protective services department in Contra Costa County, California, for 12 years. But workloads were so high that she often worked between 10 and 20 hours of overtime every week, she says. In January 2000, the overload took its toll. McFadden suddenly began experiencing chest pains and labored breathing, and began to weep uncontrollably. She was forced to go on stress leave.
Preventing attacks on the job
The NASW has a number of prevention and safety tips to protect social workers against physical assault:
•
Don’t be alone when seeing clients in the office or going on home visits. Backup help is often necessary, and if you’re seeing a client alone, you have no one to call upon.
•
Install a buzzer at your office. This way, clients and visitors must ring to get into the office, and you can screen callers.
•
Develop a phone code system and a safety plan for the office. If you’re nervous about a particular client, a colleague can agree to call 10 to 15 minutes into a session to check up on you. Work out a system of code words that indicate whether you are having a problem and need assistance. This may involve setting aside a “risk” room, where you can see clients. Other workers should know that if you’re in there, they need to check in regularly.
•
Carry a cellular telephone. Many residential neighborhoods don’t have public telephones, and even if they do, they may not work or be available in an emergency. Skolnik-Acker says social workers should also make sure they leave an itinerary of home visits with the office and call in after each visit.
•
Work with the local police department to establish a code for emergencies. Social workers should develop a system in conjunction with local law enforcement to indicate when they need police officers to storm in and when they need quiet intervention.
•
Take a nonviolent self-defense class. An attack may come suddenly. These courses help workers defend themselves and get away without inflicting harm.
•
Learn how to defuse a situation verbally. Some states offer training to workers to help them handle confrontations without violence.
Some states have gone beyond training. After the death of social worker Lisa Putman, Michigan state officials pumped more money into equipment and resources to beef up safety for social workers on the job.
“What it did was really made the agency take a hard look at the precautions we were putting in place to protect our workers,” said Karen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Family Independence Agency. The state issued workers special cellular telephones that act as two-way radios. State cars were also retrofitted with alarm systems, and a pilot project under way gives the state’s child protective services department access to law enforcement records, allowing workers to be alerted when they are visiting homes where crimes have been committed. “Since then,” she said, “our workers feel much more comfortable they will be protected.”
– This piece was based on a series of interviews that Berkeley freelance writer and editor Richard Bermack conducted for the SEIU 535 Dragon, a newspaper for service employees. CHI editor Psyche Pascual contributed reporting.
Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
A MARTIAL arts combat day in Swindon raised funds that will help save the lives of near extinct Amur tigers and leopards in Russia.
More than 30 people took part in 100 rounds of sparring at New College’s sports centre yesterday which was organised by Ashley Eaglestone, chairman of Swindon Martial Arts.
An outer circle moved around an inner circle of people to have 40 seconds of sparring each before moving onto the next opponent.
The aim of the day was to raise more than £2,000 to help support the Amur charity.
Money will be used to send a vet out to the far east of Russia to catch, treat, tag and release some of the rarest wild cats on the planet.
There are only 450 Amur tigers and 35 Amur leopards remaining in the wild.
Members of Jujitsu Karate Kai, the Swindon Skikuki Karate Club, Smnf Kickboxing, LA Marshall Arts, the Amateur Kickboxing Academy and Swindon Muay Thai Kickboxing were all involved on the day.
Ten-year-old Natasha Edwards from Rodbourne, who goes to Even Swindon Primary School, said: “Martial arts give you discipline and you can protect yourself if you are attacked in the street. My favourite move is a flying side-kick.
“This is a good event as it helps raise money for the tigers and the leopards who could become extinct if nothing is done to protect them.”
Sharon Miller from the charity Amur was hugely thankful after the Swindon event proved a great success.
She said: “This money will go towards sending a top English vet out to Russia for a month.
“In that time he’ll go out with a small team who will spend days waiting to catch these wild cats. It could be about four they manage to get.
“They can then check for disease, plan their fertility management and tag them.
“There are 37 people here and just 35 Amur leopards left in the wild - that really puts it into perspective.” For more information about the animal charity, please call 01225 851251 or visit www.amur.org.uk.
Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
How can we as EMTs and paramedics stay safe? Our job puts us in potentially dangerous situations every day. We deal with the public in a similar way that the police do. People call us for help and they expect us to solve problems or resolve disputes that they can’t resolve on their own. Though we don’t deal with criminals in the act of a crime, we do deal with people who, for a variety of reasons, medical and/or emotional, may see us as a threat.
Emergency situations can escalate very quickly into a physical confrontation. This is where the police have a big advantage. They have weapons. We don’t. They are trained and authorized to use deadly force. We are not. So how can we deal with the reality of our job? Is there a way we can stay safe with the limitations we have? I believe there is.
In a previous article entitled “Awareness: our first and Best Defense” I wrote about how to avoid dangerous situations, but as you know we are not always in full control, mistakes happen and we can find ourselves face to face with danger. What do we do then?
Here are some basic strategies to stay safe.
1) If you find yourself in a dangerous situation LEAVE. If it’s obvious that you won’t be able to treat the patient, GET OUT OF THERE and call for the police. You remember them, the guys with the guns. It’s nice to get a medal for heroism, but not posthumously. People will talk about how brave you WERE, but your family will still be without you.
2) Speak in a calm voice. Don’t allow your emotions to take over. Don’t shout or yell. The Bible says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.”
3) Don’t challenge. If a person puts his fists up don’t mirror him. He’ll see that as a challenge, which could escalate into a fist-fight. Step back with your hands out, palms facing him, saying, “I’m just here to help you.”
4) Put your ego in your pocket. We can’t allow ourselves to take what people say, in the heat of the moment, personally. Others may insult or accuse you, but remember they don’t know you. It really doesn’t matter what they say so let it go.
As I said before mistakes can happen, but if you follow these simple rules, your chances of going home safe are greatly increased.
Published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!
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Why martial arts for seniors? Or, to pay lip service to being pc, why should boomers and old folks be interested in a martial art? Simple answer: reversing or slowing the effects of age. Sorry, I can’t help with the grumpiness! Actually, exercise is a great stress reliever and mood elevator so, maybe I can…<grin>. When I googled effects of age +exercise, I got 9,880,000 hits. It is a huge topic. Huge. And you’ll never find this article hidden under all that! If your understanding of the martial arts comes from the movies as it does for most people, then you can be forgiven for thinking that only 20 year old hard bodies practice the traditional martial arts for fame and fortune.
rower Silken Laumann, is mostly involved with the rehabilitation of injuries, he has found that his work translates well into the special problems of the elderly.
Martial arts training is deeper than mere self defence although you may become prepared to defend your family in the training. I have seen a lot of improvement in my mature students over the years. My Raising Canes students are particularly quick to achieve confidence in self defence. The oldest student I ever taught was eighty-four years old and had significant loss of eyesight. Not having an interest in working through the belt system or self defence, this gentleman started karate training to offset his personal fraility. He gained significantly in his joint looseness, flexibility and balance. His strength increased to the point where he started to feel that the self defence aspects of the art might not be outside the limit of his years. He only quit when his eyes failed totally. Fitness I too am a bit of a late bloomer, not starting my training until I was in my mid-twenties. When I realized how old and out of shape I felt at twenty-five, I knew real old age would be a disaster. But I also realized that every day putting off the pain and other costs of working out would make my life that much more painful later. That started my martial arts career. Now at sixty years old, with thirty-five years of training behind me, I have never been as strong and balanced as I am now. I relate the success of my mature students to the fact
that I can structure the classes so that everyone only competes against himself and not others. I know that no person over the age of forty or fifty has the energy or stamina of a twenty year old and usually has different goals. If you do become interested in practicing a martial art, look for a club with the ability to accommodate a wide range of goals that has a proven record of providing service to a wide range of student ages.
