Tonight’s workshop was led by Kathleen, a karate instructor from the school’s PE department.  We started off by saying our names and what we knew about self defense.  Not surprisingly, most fellow scholars did not know much about it.  To give us some background information, Kathleen first told us self defense was about defending your rights while respecting those of others.  She then had us switch to a neutral power position, legs shoulder-width apart, arms on either side of the body and the back straight.  I felt that the atmosphere of the room changed immediately.  The looks on others’ faces became more serious and less friendly.  We then tilted our bodies and have our dominant arms behind the other.  Kathleen explained that the first step of defending yourself is to not let anyone coming any closer to you.  Establishing a stern stance discourages the offender from making a move.  However, if they choose to attack from the front, push their head away with the heel of your dominant hand, grab their hand and shoulder, kick them in their soft spot, and quickly push them away from you.  That was the first striking technique taught in the workshop.  We then practiced the drill some more and moved on to breaking out of wrist holds and choke holds.  

What I took away from the workshop was that you have to be aware of your posture and how you hold your body.  Self defense is strategic.  Not using the right amount of force or the correct technique could jeopardize your chance of getting out of danger.  This was my first experience learning self defense and I look forward to taking actual classes in the future.  Although no one should have to use these skills, it is crucial to know how to extract yourself from imminent threats in this imperfect world.