From: sasnla@shadow.unx.sas.com (Nancy Agnew)
Subject: Re: Choosing a martial art - effectiveness?
    <1992Apr9.154952.1@camins.camosun.bc.ca> <barry.702876438@citr.uq.oz.au> 
    <1992Apr10.175842.11524@colorado.edu>
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 19:49:25 GMT
Originator: sasnla@shadow.unx.sas.com
X-Bytes: 4832

In article <1992Apr10.175842.11524@colorado.edu>, ejh@khonshu.colorado.edu (Edward J. Hartnett) writes:
>In article <barry.702876438@citr.uq.oz.au> barry@citr.uq.oz.au (Barry Kitson) writes:
>>comp138w142@camins.camosun.bc.ca (Scott) writes:
>>
>>>  In my _opinion_ if you want to learn to protect yourself take a street
>>>safe or Anti rape/mugging (yes I _know_ you're a guy) type course....
>>
>>      There is considerable weight of net.opinion suggesting that
>>short courses (such as you describe) are entirely too short to have any
>>useful results.  Some have even suggested that they may engender a
>>false sense of security, although some degree of self-confidence
>>(even if ill-founded) may be a good thing (IMHO).
>>      Think of it this way: If there exist a few simple techniques,
>>which can be taught and learnt in 6 weeks, and which are always
>>effective, why are so many of us working so hard? :^)
>>
>>      Barry.
>>
>
>       I have taken (and, in one case, helped teach) several such
>courses, and I agree that they are of very limited use. Two months at
>a couple hours a week just is not going to help much. I have known
>several women, after taking such a course, who seemed to think they
>were totally safe anywhere, when, in fact, I doubt they got a single
>thing out of the course. I think, for people who have no other
>training, the only good thing that can be said about them is that
>they're better than nothing.
>       However, I (and other MAs I knew) got a lot out of the course(s).
>Firstly, we knew how to train hard, and pay attantion, etc., which
>most people taking the course didn't. Secondly, we could immediately
>fit it into our MA framework. So I highly recomend such courses for
>MAs, as they can provide a nice supplement in very practical and
>simple self-defense, not to mention a moderate work-out too. I enjoyed
>them very much.
>       One other good thing about them though, is that they might
>encourage someone to study MA, who normally wouldn't.
>                       Ed Hartnett

The following is hearsay (but from a 4th dan in karate, if that matters).

A woman who had watched a video of a Model Mugging (or whichever high
impact course) graduation was able to use information she saw/heard in
the video.  She woke up with a man sitting on her chest and a pillow held
over her face.  Based on things she had seen in the video, she kept
cool, tried to talk him into removing the pillow (he eventually reduced
it to just the pillowcase so she couldn't see, but now she could breathe
more easily), kept treating him as "normally" as she could so as not
to get him more worked up, and as soon as she felt a slight weight
shift in him (he seemed to be going to his back pocket for something),
she reacted HARD AND FAST.  She used a pin evasion she had seen on
the video, got him off of her, and kicked and kicked him until he ran
off, leaving his pants behind.....with his identification and a knife
in the back pocket.

Now, exceptional?  yes.  Believable?  barely.  worthwhile if there is
only a glimmer of truth to it?  YES.  If seeing a video taught this
woman to wait, relax, prepare, and act with full commitment, it was a very
worthwhile thing.

In addition to Ed's comment about people being drawn in to studying MA
who otherwise wouldn't, there is the notion of breaking down the societal
conditioning to "be nice".  The high impact courses include verbal
abuse designed to break the victim's spirit and fully padded muggers
who won't let up.  The students learn to ignore the verbal garbage and
concentrate on the things they can control (their own body and reactions).
When a student gets to the point of all out, vicious counter-attack in
response to the mugger, having just one or two hand techniques and one or
two foot/leg techniques that make as efficient use of the body as possible
*can* make a difference in an attack.  I think the value in many of
these courses is in breaking the "nice-ness" conditioning and de-cluttering
the mind of many of the self-defeating things most of us have been
taught.  These things can take a long time in a conventional MA
training program.  The high impact programs may not be effective in
the long run for all participants, but there are success stories coming
out of them.  There is nothing gentle about the desired outcome of these
programs.

Clearly ANY program will depend on the instructors and the design of
the course and the ability of the student to make the best use of the
information.  Nothing is guaranteed about anything we are taught --
at some level the will to use the information has to come from within
the practitioner.

NLA
-- 
Nancy Agnew                         sasnla@unx.sas.com
SAS Institute Inc,  SAS Campus Dr,  Cary NC 27513-2414
My company's opinions are not likely mine, and vice versa.