Formal Training Week Six Part 2

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I spent an additional day at the dojang this week. In part, it was to go with Chad to his first private lesson, but the other reason was just that I needed to be somewhere I felt safe for awhile. Sensei was not able to make it tonight, so Chad and I worked with Master Eric instead.

Not all of the techniques we practiced tonight were purely physical. Master Eric used to be a police officer, and is teaching us techniques such as verbal deescalation, where one would assert that they either do not have what the attacker wants, or assert that one does not want things to get physical and turn over what has been demanded. Objects are replaceable. People not so much. He also said he wants us to start paying greater attention to detail, particularly when it comes to people around us. He encouraged us to look for distinguishing characteristics, (scars, tattoos, above or below average build, height, etc) that set people apart. He had us try to describe Miss Linda without looking, and even though she was teaching almost directly next to us, and I had spent some time talking with her before our lesson started, we found there wasn't much we could recall that wasn't fairly generic. Master Eric was much more accurate. This skill is important because if your attacker runs off, the details you are able to give may make all the difference in if the suspect is caught.

Then we moved on to physical work. This section of the lesson focused on recognizing which hand an attacker is grabbing us with from behind, and responding appropriately by grabbing it and pulling them down across our body and into an arm bar, if not throwing. The same was executed when the back of the neck was grabbed, and the hair or head. If the hair is grabbed, don't pull up, push down and slide the attacker's hand off, and into a hold. Most importantly, if you are grabbed, cover the attacker's hand with your own as quickly as possible to gain an advantage.

We worked lastly, on using our chairs as weapons. When I grabbed Master Eric tonight, I used the momentum of my grab to slam my chair back into him and throw him off balance, also wedging his foot against the tippy bars. You can also pop a wheelie and bring either tippy bars or footplate down on the foot. Wedging a knee between frame and wheels is also effective.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to gain an extra lesson this week. I know if I keep working hard, I can achieve my goal of becoming an instructor.

Misha