Before attending the Self-Defense workshop last Friday, I was expecting a lot of kicking and punching, because I always sort of associated self-defense with fighting. To my surprise, the workshop did not do much kicking or punching, but taught us moves and techniques on how to get away from the person assaulting you rather than trying to fight with him. We learned a lot of different moves to deal with different situations, such as striking with your palm, kicking with your knee, twisting your wrists free when somebody grabs your wrists and ducking under the arm to free your neck when somebody’s choking you. When trying these moves with my friend, I was pretty amazed at how well they worked and felt that I learned something very valuable. Another thing worth pointing out is how voice affects our moves. Shouting out while doing moves makes a huge difference in the power of the move, and makes you feel a lot stronger.

However, I feel the most important thing about self-defense that I learned is attitude. When confronting danger, it is important to keep a ‘tiger’ attitude, feeling strong, confident and ready to defend yourself. If you position yourself looking weak and clumsy, it is hard to defense yourself effectively. It almost seems to me that attitude brings more strength in your moves than your muscles. But there is a huge difference between being confident and being aggressive. The point of learning self-defense is to protect and empower yourself, not to pick up fights.

Last week I attended a self-defense workshop taught by Kathleen Garrity.  Before I went to the event, I had no idea about self-defense.  I just knew it looked cool to be able to defend yourself in any situation especially since I was always taught to run away from conflict.  My brother took karate, but he never taught me anything.

The first lesson learned was about posture and the message conveyed through one’s stance.  Garritty taught that the main reasons why people are targeted for bullying is due to the message your body conveys to others.  For example, Garritty started to hunch over and crossed her arms to express timidness and fear.  What was surprising was that a lot of other people were also doing the same thing, including me.  I quickly got out of that position and took a more opened and more balanced stance.

We were then taught basic martial arts to quickly stun the opponent, using your hand to smack the jaw and your knee to kick the opponent in the stomach.  Then main goal of the combination was to quickly get as far away from the person as possible, not necessarily to go for the kill (haha).  Using your voice was also critical in self-defense as Garrity showed how your voice can both communicate your feelings but also to move your energy through your body.

At first I wasn’t taking these moves seriously.  I felt empowered learning them, but didn’t fully understand how dangerous a situation is when you need to defend yourself.  Garritty then did one-on-one demonstrations on how to get away from someone grabbing you from behind.  I started panicking after the moves she taught the class were not working and tried to squirm my way through to no avail.  It made me realize how important it is to keep a calm composure while trying to defend.

Overall, I am very glad that there was a self-defense workshop.  It makes me consciously think about my posture and the messages my body language conveys to others.  I’m glad to know how important it is to learn the basics of self-defense in order to prepare for any dire situation.

Self defense is generally thought of as a way to prepare for the worst; a way for one to defend themselves against an attack. But what I learned last Friday was that self-defense is a way to empower yourself. I think people often, especially women, doubt their abilities. We forget to see how strong and powerful we are and overlook all that we are capable of. Society often tells us that we are weak, we need a man to defend us. But what was so powerful about this seminar was that we all  learned that we are capable of great things if we only believe that we can do it. Henry Ford once said “Whether you say you can or you can’t–you’re right.” We are the ones getting in the way of our own true strength.

Last Friday I did something that I never thought in a million years I could do. I broke a board with my knee. It seems so simple and yet it was incredibly rewarding and empowering. I just told myself to go for it, something that fear of embarrassment would of preventing me from doing just a year ago and yet it turned into a highlight of my college career. It meant that by stepping out and trying something new, I wan’t going to fail. Not as long as I believed in myself. Self-defense turned from defending your self to defending against yourself. Something I wished I had realized sooner.

The Self-Defense workshop was the event that I was waiting to attend for a long time. I knew that before coming to college, I needed to learn how to physically protect myself if I ever encountered a dangerous situation.  Participating in this workshop really opened my eyes to the real meaning of self defense which was to prepare oneself to face difficult situations and use the physical tactics as needed. The workshop required that all the participants be very active which meant that we had to change our posture regularly. When everyone was standing in a circle around the room, the instructor told us that we had a lazy and weak posture that made us look like victims. In order to combat the onlooker, you had to present yourself as a strong opponent which included spreading out your legs a little bit and letting your hand hang loose along your hips. Suddenly, everyone in the room started to look more alert and strong. I found it amazing to see how a simple posture transformation could change the way you perceive another person’s capabilities.

Soon we jumped into the physical training portion of the workshop and learned a few martial arts moves that could help us guard against attackers. The most important piece of training that we learned was the verbal component which required the victims to assert their statements to the attackers. Phrases like “No!” , “Leave Me Alone”, or “Don’t Touch me” have such a powerful impact when spoken with conviction, and that’s exactly what the attacker doesn’t expect to hear. When the attacker stops seeing the person as a victim, he or she will back away from the situation and avoid any confrontation. The main goal for the victim is to avoid any physical fights at all costs, and the only way to do that is to present oneself as a strong opponent and not challenge the attacker in any way. Self defense is only useful when the onlooker attacks the victim first but it is not at all necessary that the victim insinuate the fight. After participating in this workshop, I have realized that sometimes my words can speak louder than my actions in certain situations and that self defense is a useful tool for protection but not for harm.

The self defense workshop was a really fun experience. The karate instructor taught us how posture plays a role in avoiding the need to use self defense to protect yourself. If you look like you can be easily assaulted then you’re likely to be assaulted but if you’re standing up straight and walking with confidence then you’re not going to be assaulted.  I learned that self defense is not about beating up the person that is trying to hurt you but instead it is about just defending yourself. The instructor also showed us some moves that vary depending on what situation you’re in. this led me to believe that self defense is all about strategy and knowing when to use the moves you know. I also learned that shouting out the moves as you make them generates more power.  The fun part of the workshop came when we actually had to practice the moves on each other. This created a lot of excitement and laughter in the room. I think that part of the laughter was because we were all moving our bodies in a way that we were not used to and some of the movements might’ve felt weird to perform. I think that this feeling of weirdness might be similar to what a person experiences when he doesn’t like to dance but has to. There was a wod breaking part towards the end of the workshop and that was fun to watch.

Last Friday, I I took a class on self defense along with other rose scholar students and it was quite an experience! I had to step out of my comfort zone, put aside any feelings of embarrassment and channel my inner tiger.

I learned that self defense is not about hurting others and expressing violence, it’s actually all about avoiding physical contact and using it only as a last resort. The way to defend yourself from the start is to show others that you are not a target, and that starts right from your posture. Crossing your legs or folding your arms is a sign of passivity meaning that others will perceive you as someone who is easy to pick on. So the first step is to spread your legs shoulder width apart and let your arms hang at your sides!

And when the worst comes to worst, you have to be able to defend yourself from attacks of others and phase them out just so that you have enough time to escape. As a group we learned a few moves and practice it among each other. It was fun, unconventional and a great opportunity for stress relief!

Too often I find myself in power struggles. When I entered the Self-Defense Workshop, I thought I would walk out with the keys to holding the power in physically uncomfortable situations.

However, I was wrong. I walked out with one lesson. The power is not having power. In self-defense, the goal is to show respect for yourself AND the other person’s existence. If power dynamics enter a situation, it could escalate things for the worst, instead of ameliorate all problems. In addition, power can keep one from truly centering and channeling energy.

The Self-Defense Workshop was empowering for me physically and mentally, as I realized power has no place in safety, nor does it have a place in respectable environments.

I walked into the Self-defense workshop low in energy and not really wanting to be there. Once the instructors began, I automatically felt the switch in energy. From the stances we made, to the quick, jerky moves against an invisible attacker, I gained energy.

Disclaimer: I will sound crazy.

But the energy was coming centrifugally. At one point I felt from the pit of my stomach warmth radiating. This of course, could’ve been a placebo effect since the instructors did tell us that we would be pulling energy from the center. What ever it was, I caught myself realizing that I can do this all the time (not only for self-defense).

When I wake up in the morning and can’t seem to get out of bed – Just practice pulling central energy.

When I don’t want to do work or I’m stuck on a problem – Just practice pulling central energy.

This short, but powerful workshop enlightened me to all I have to offer myself. A hidden potential energy. A physical shift.

What do you do when someone is attacking you? Do you fight back? Run? Scream? If I were in that situation, I probably would have been too surprised to be able to do any of them. I went to the rose self-defense workshop because I wanted to learn how to protect myself if I ever come across a dangerous situation. The karate instructor Kathleen Garrity, who has more than 40 years of karate experience, taught us many tips and moves for gaining control of the situation and escaping violent situations.

One of the first things we learned is that just standing confidently with broad shoulders can allow you to avoid an unwanted confrontation by a stranger. By standing tall, you are sending out a confident energy that may discourage the attacker to choose you over another person as their victim. Until the instructor pointed it out, I didn’t realize how much I lean on to an object or hold on to my arms. I’ll remind myself to stand confidently when I am outside in the future.

A lot of the movements that she taught us were interesting because it was not what I intuitively would have acted in a stressful situation. For example, you need to stand with your weaker side facing your attacker, so that if you get hurt on your weaker side, you still have your stronger arm and leg to defend yourself. Overall, I learned a great deal about self-defense in an hour and I will keep practicing as instructed but I hope that no one will ever need to use it.

Answer to the question from beginning: Keep balanced, face the attacker on your left side (if you are right-handed), raise your arms and face your palms at them, block any hits with your arms, then strike up with your right palm hard on their chin, grab their right shoulder across, then knee them with your right leg, and finally push them on their side and run away to safety!

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I attended the self-defense workshop. We began the workshop by going around the room, introducing ourselves, and stating what we knew about self-defense. Like most other participants, I knew very little about self-defense and so was unsure what to say. However, in the next hour I learned a great deal about self-defense. We began the seminar by standing and breathing “like a tiger.” It was very interesting to see how just a change of posture can make a person transform from a victim to an equal.

We then moved on to actual strikes and maneuvers.  We learned a few basic hits to incapacitate an attacker, and learned how to escape from several different holds. We “practiced” with a partner in slow motion to get a feel for the movements. It was pretty awkward at first, to pretend to be hitting and grabbing people that I didn’t really know, but i got used to it after a while. Overall, it was  a pretty educational and empowering night. I only wish that I had known exactly how involved it was going to be before I attended, because I would have worn different shoes and clothes.

On Friday the 13th I had the pleasure of participating in a little self defense workshop with the Karate teacher here at Cornell, Kathleen Garrity.  She was a spunky little lady, full of energy. She taught us different techniques on how to escape an attacker in different kinds of situations. The first thing she taught us was having a good stance that displays self confidence and shows that you are unafraid in the presence of an attacker. To help build more confidence, we made a stance, with one leg in front of the other, and our hands in boxing position. We then practice some quick jabs and some yells. There are several ways to go next, but one of the first moves you should make is pushing your palm up to the bottom of their chin. Then you can grab the attacker and knee him in the body, and after that you can push him away from you and RUN. Another thing to do is to simply just create distance between you and the attacker. One of the best things I learned from her was not to display fear of any kind. I hope I will never have to use these techniques, but if the time ever comes, I feel slightly more prepared. I realized there are several things you can do to get yourself out of a sticky situation.

I come from New York City, and although I have never encountered a situation in which I was being attacked, it is a possibility. I always feel a little tense, especially if I’m returning home when it’s dark outside. Anything can happen. With Kathleen’s lesson on self-defense, I feel more at ease, and this lesson encouraged me to possibly start taking a martial arts class, so I can defend myself. Thank you to Kathleen for coming and sharing her knowledge!

“What do you know about self-defense?” This was the question that 40-year Karate instructor Kathleen Garrity opened the workshop with. It was interesting to hear that most of the students that answered did not know much about self-defense, but that was about to change after an hour with this wonderful instructor and her assistant.

It first started with our posture; there is so much that can be said when one has a strong, tall, and confident stance. By simply standing up straight and planting our feet firmly into the ground, we were already on our way to preparing ourselves for anything that was going to get thrown at us.

After grounding our bodies, be worked on blocking and striking with the heel of our palm and our knee. There were specific instructions given about every movement, the main one being engaging one’s core and using all of one’s body when striking. Another element that helped a lot with striking was using our voice to say commands. We would say “No!” or “Stop!” or “I don’t want to.” The power behind incorporating one’s voice made the movements more powerful, nearly three fold, and it encouraged us to try harder and put more emphasis in our movements.

At the end of our session, we recalled what we had learned and simply breathed in the powerful, positive energy that was surrounding each of us. It is important that self-defense is only to be used when necessary. Its purpose is to defend yourself, your rights, and get away as quickly as possible. Of course no one hopes to be in a situation where self-defense is necessary, but it doesn’t hurt to know of methods on how to protect oneself if something were to occur.

I feel prepared, and more informed about a couple tactics that I could use if I ever find myself being attacked. It is a matter of controlling my mind as much as I can and thinking of the quickest was to get away from my attacker. Although I may not be trained to fight back in these situations, I understand that I can prevent myself from getting into these confrontations and use self-defense if need be.

Friday the 13^th was a pretty cool day, I don’t think anything bad happened to me, except the fact that an instructor kept “attacking” me until I could block her move. Let me explain.

There was a self-defense workshop held by Rose House, given to us by the Karate instructor Kathleen Garrity and her assistant Robbie. It was PHENOMENAL. There was so much participation and knowledge that this became one one of my personal favorites. I learned a little bit of self-defense in high school, but having a refresher course was nice.

We started off by working on our stance because the way you stand can either make you appear as an easy target or victim or less vulnerable by focusing all your energy and balancing yourself. It even gives you a confidence boost. We learned some basic moves such as the palm to the chin, pulling the attacker into your knee and even grabbing evasion tactics. Key tips are to have great timing, balance and get away from the attacker after you strike.

I was actually really surprised at a couple of things. One for sure was that we actually got physical. (I guess there is no better way than to do.) Secondly, we can do anything if we put our minds to it. Two girls with no extensive martial arts training actually got a chance to break boards. After only an hour of channeling their inner strengths, they were successful! It was insane and everyone cheered for them! Lastly, and the most important in my opinion, our voices are so powerful. With every strike, we make a sound, but the projection of that sound can startle someone. Using a strong, clear voice makes the attacker know that you are serious and confident in yourself. I think here at Cornell our voices can definitely help us get out of unsafe situations and I’m glad we had this workshop!

It was also pretty adorable that the House Professor’s son came in and gave demos and participated for a little bit. I definitely enjoyed this activity and hope there are more like it!

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.

Tonight I went to the self-defense workshop my friend and had a great hour with two lovely ladies and fellow rose scholars. Interestingly, the instructor started off adjusting our standing position and explain that to make a great strike, you need to accumulate ‘energy’ inside your body. Then they taught some great skills. The first one is stand in somehow taichi fashion, push forward the hand in the back to push the attacker’s head backward. Immediately after that, rise your leg on the same side of attacking hand and kick the soft spot of the attacker (I guess would be around the belly area). And in the end, in case the attacker responds and catches you again, push his shoulder (from one side) and eject yourself immediately. Another technique they taught us is for when the attacker grabs you body along with your arms from your back. When you find yourself in such a situation, first step on attacker’s feet (if you can reach them) and mind to step on the ankle area instead of the toes (I guess that is because it would be much more painful if you step on the bones than flesh). Then extract you hip a little bit forward, hold your breath for a second and use all of your strength to hit the attacker with your hip. At the same time, stretch both of your arms forward to get rid of his/her control. When I first saw the technique I really doubted its effectiveness. Surprisingly it hurts a lot in real practice. Because my friend is taller than me, when she hit with her hip, it hit directly on my belly area so it was very effective. I guess that you need to hit much harder and combine with stepping on the feet with the attacker is someone much taller than you.

This is a very fun evening and I enjoyed the session a lot. If anyone is interested in further learning. The two ladies will be having a self-defense class at Cornell next semester. Have a look if you are interested!