One of the reasons hands-on self-defense training can be challenging and intimidating is because at some point, you will need to use those skills against another human being. The relevant skills rarely exist in isolation because the entire point is that they will work to physically deter or stop an attacker. To do that, you’re
Occasionally, someone asks me about women’s-only self-defense classes. They’re a popular offering and often fill quickly, so clearly there is a market for them. The question for me, though, is whether they’re a good idea that serves the student population well, in a way that will make them actually safer when they leave. After all,
Stereotypes about you are one thing, but what about the stereotypes that you believe in about other people? For the same reasons the generalized ideas about the type of person you appear to be can be harmful to you in a variety of ways, the same kinds of ideas applied outward can harm the folks
“Good girls don’t…” We’re all familiar with the stereotypes, and the social conditioning that creates and reinforces the behaviors that make up those stereotypes. They’re not limited to gender roles, though, and today I’m thinking about how similar types of stereotypes and conditioning can affect other groups, sometimes subjecting individuals to even more outside forces
It’s been almost exactly one year since I posted the below and sadly, not much has changed. We are still seeing high-profile attacks against Asian Americans, and we are still seeing gaps in effective self-defense that takes into account the unique social and cultural experience of Asian Americans. I’ve started putting more work specifically into
I just spent my fifth weekend with Immediate Action Combatives, assisting once again with Cecil Burch’s basic combatives for self-defense curriculum. I’ve talked about the class on OHO before, and continue to believe it’s an excellent introduction to the physical skills that can help keep you alive and allow you to fight back against an
Part of the conversation I had with Lee Weems last week on his podcast made me think about how context and experience are such strong factors in shaping our perceptions. Where we come from naturally has a lot of influence on how we see the world. Our background is what makes us who we are,
A few months ago, I pondered with you the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, and how it turns out so many of them aren’t or don’t have to be true after all. Identifying them is one thing, but changing them is another thing entirely. Nevertheless, it can be important – even vital
Last weekend, Christina Yuna Lee was followed into the building where she lived, into her apartment, where she was killed with a knife from her own kitchen. She’d gone to the same college I had, half a dozen years after me. Last month, Michelle Alyssa Go was pushed into the path of an oncoming train.
It’s Valentine’s Day, traditionally a day of celebrating romantic love and coupledom. That makes it a tough day for some of us, who aren’t spending it with a partner for any of a number of reasons. So instead, or in addition, I’d like to think about and celebrate other loves in our lives. The ancient
