THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502260076
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
I didn't realize how helpless I could feel until the instructor grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides and cutting off my breath. I couldn't move.
Even with 21 other women in the self-defense class urging me to push, for that moment I was alone. I finally clasped my hands in a fist, punched for the sky and broke his hold and swirled to plant my nails in my ``attacker's'' face. But in that blur, I realized why 22 women had given up their Saturday morning for Street Survival '95.
The world is a violent place, particularly for women. The violent-crime rate for men has decreased since 1973 but not for women, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Some statistics estimate that one in five women will be the victim of a sexual assault. Of the group that attended the class at the Clarion Hotel in Virginia Beach, six had been victims of violent crimes or knew of someone who had.
Joseph Garcia, a law enforcement instructor who developed Street Survival '95, began the seminars recently when a couple local businesses requested them for their female employees. Garcia then decided to open the classes to all women, exclusively.
``Men have no reason to learn what a women's vulnerabilities are,'' Garcia said.
``Stats show that men are more often the victims of crime, but that takes into account bar fights, fights in jail, fights all over. Men more often instigate fights, women are most often chosen to be victims.''
Garcia bills his class as unique because he uses the techniques he teaches law enforcement agents: no karate chops or fancy spins, but a few well-placed punches and the importance of distraction and surprise.
``I'm not here to teach you how to beat someone to a pulp,'' Garcia told the group. ``I'm here to give you that extra 15 seconds to get your mace, or your (gun) . . . or to get away.''
Saturday's group was an enlightened bunch of nurses, teachers, homemakers and businesswomen who boasted about never forgetting to lock their car doors and always parking in well-lighted areas. Within minutes, we realized how little we knew about protecting ourselves and our families.
Home security systems linked to the phone do not work if someone is using the phone or the line is cut. Burglars love laundry rooms since many people go to bed with their clothes tumbling in the dryer, which hides the sound of breaking glass. Garcia suggested getting a cellular phone for the bedroom because when burglars enter homes, their first move often is to take the phone off the hook.
Women often have been taught to loop purse straps over their necks to prevent them from being snatched from their shoulders. We learned how easily the strap could be pulled around our necks and used to strangle us.
Mace and our pepper sprays are not the shields we've hoped them to be. They simply have no effect on 1 to 10 percent of the population. They need to be replaced annually. Extremely low temperatures can cause the resin to settle, making the spray useless. If left in the heat, the spray condenses and becomes syrup. The attacker also needs to be within ``striking distance'' - arm's length - or the wind could blow the mist back or the attacker could easily dodge the spray.
``Plus, it doesn't work if you drop it . . . you can't become dependent on anything that isn't a part of your bodies,'' Garcia said.
It wasn't until we began to move around, learning to use our limbs and our instincts that we found what it seemed that many had come for: a sense of control. As an attacker closes in, the attacker becomes most vulnerable. A heavy slap along the sides of the neck can stun an attacker long enough to bring a fist or knee to the groin. The rearview mirror and visor in most cars can be pulled off and used as weapons.
Many of the women cooed when they realized that slapping someone with rings turned palmward can draw blood.
``I have a ring that has a high setting, just the prongs, I never got the diamond replaced,'' one woman said to another. ``I can wear that when I do my grocery shopping.''
Her friend whispered back: ``I think I'll get my engagement ring out. That's pretty vicious.''
Maryann Monahan of Virginia Beach was once a sprinter but lost her speed after a car accident last March left her with permanent damage in her right ankle.
``Before this class I would've tried to fight back with my purse or not to fight at all,'' Monahan said.
``But this has taught me to keep thinking, and I know there are things that I can do to protect myself.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
``I'm not here to teach you how to beat someone to a pulp,'' said
Joseph Garcia, a law enforcement instructor. ``I'm here to give you
that extra 15 seconds to get your Mace . . . or to get away.''
KEYWORDS: SELF-DEFENSE by CNB