Interview with Linda (part 3)

For the last couple of days, I have been working on the translation of Linda’s interview. In this part, we will learn more about Linda’s principles and philosophy in teaching self defense to young women. It is a very enlightening reading. 

Linda, what do you think makes your course different than the others?

I think you are going to be surprised by the answer. My course is free of charge and is led by a woman, and this makes a whole lot of difference. There are many different courses out there, the dojo owners all brag about how great a job they do, they do not teach any bullshit like the others, they are realistic, simple, etc. However, keep in mind that these are commercial projects with money-making as their prime focus. Women’s actual needs are not on the top of the list of priorities. How a course can be called ‘reality based’ if you use a heavily padded model attacker with restricted movement hardly reacting to any hits.

Karate is a nice martial art but impractical
for female self defense 

The course responsible are often practitioners of martial arts, they always think that just adapting the martial art they are familiar with is enough and can be taught to women.  Although few ‘experts’ would still argue that learning Judo or Karate is sufficient self defense training, this type of thinking unfortunately remains. My system is not based on any martial art, just the research I and my peers have done with a strong focus on simplicity and effectiveness.

In other systems, there is also too much emphasis on basic or first response techniques and very little, if anything, on last resort self defense. This is maybe appropriate when teaching men but is poor when teaching tactical strategies to young women. Female self defense is not a contest but rather a fight for survival in which one of the opponents is limited by a smaller size and weaker strength and this must be taken into account and balanced out. In my opinion, many courses provide just a false sense of security rather than true empowerment which is absolutely needed.

Can you tell us more about why teaching last resort self defense is important?

There is this flawed idea that the scope of a self defense course should not go beyond wrist lock releases, punches to the nose, or elbow to the stomach. It somehow implies telling: “So, the wrist lock release did not work, now expect to be raped, we did not teach you what to do next.” An attacker with his pants down and his genitals exposed is much more vulnerable and defeatable than the moment he just jumped out of bushes doped with adrenaline. A state-of-the-art course should cover all the situations and stages of a sex attack and should focus on techniques and strategies, even a petite girl can do before the worst happens.

Many trainers feel uncomfortable going into more sensitive and touchy subjects. For a male teacher, it might be awkward to talk about his own male parts and how vulnerable they are. For this reason, the best is when a female teaches other females, this way one can also avoid any unwanted sexual backdrops.

Lastly, I often read a very stupid argument that learning self defense is worthless because women are in majority attacked by someone they know. The self defense techniques I teach can be used in different situations and against anybody, including an abusive husband or boyfriend. All men have Adam’s apple and testicles.

Can you explain to the readers what are the main principles of your system?

Deception is an important element 
of last resort self defense

My system is based on simple principles in both learning and execution. If in a sticky situation a woman should follow the ‘4D’ principle which comes in sequence: decision, deterrence, deception, and determination.  The ‘decision’ means to learn to make the right decision at a given moment. For instance, running away can be the best option in some instances. Freezing can be a problem, but I also teach how to overcome this through some mental training.

If immediate escape or alerting the crowd is not possible a woman might decide on deterrence at different levels. Depending on the seriousness of the situation she can use some psychological tools or less serious techniques such as ‘fire quenchers’. A deception should follow if everything failed so far, the aim is to make the attacker off guard and his targets exposed. Using trickery is key in manipulating the attacker to a position he becomes vulnerable and creating a window of opportunity for the execution of a debilitating counterstrike. Momentary cooperating, making him remove his pants, and gently touching his genitals can be a prelude to the most serious no-fail techniques. This should be done with a determination which is an important component when resorting to physical resistance; it has to be done with full force, violently, and without hesitation. 

The aim is to subdue the attacker till he is no threat to you. The attack should be targeted at the three most sensitive targets: his eyes, Adam’s apple, and testicles, the best in a sequence BCD: ‘Blind him, choke him, desex him!’ Sometimes it is necessary to make him pass out. This can be done for instance by stomping sharply between the attacker’s splayed legs so there is no doubt he will stay down, and you can make your way out to safety. This is rarely taught in any other courses.

However, there has been a controversy about how you teach these techniques…

How would one expect women to learn something when they cannot try it out during training? Nobody ever learned a new language just by listening.  So why should we, for instance, teach a lifesaving technique such as GTP just by saying You know, BTW you can also grab his groin? And the only time a would-be victim would execute or at least try it is in the most stressful life-threatening situation. It is then too late to figure out how it is actually done properly. I understand that the readers have some concerns about our male assistants. Pain and occasional embarrassment are a small price they have to pay. There are higher stakes than that for women not provided with the ability to defend themselves.

Once you told us that the female self defense training should involve both psychological and physical aspects. What are the psychological aspects?

The road to mastering the art of self defense starts in the head. Women are naturally non-violent lenient creatures; they do not want to hurt anybody. The psychological component of my training is to change their mindset to find inner aggression and unleash it when needed. I aim to accomplish true female empowerment and to build self-confidence. That’s why I insist any woman should try out the techniques as close to reality as possible, including those that are normally taught just orally such as attacks on testicles. Not only does a woman memorize it well, but she can more easily repeat it when really needed. It leaves a deep imprint in her mind: “I managed to take down a training assistant, I can do it again in real life and it works.” 

But still, I often have difficulties convincing some girls to go full force. I often hear “Linda, but this might permanently maim the attacker! I don’t want to castrate him!” I explain to them, that in this horrible situation they should not worry if they injure him, even if they castrate him. Their goal is to get away from the situation using whatever it takes, even if it means castration.  I tell them “Think for a moment, you are not only saving yourself but potentially any other girl in the future.” I wish the girls leave my course not just as course graduates but as true female warriors.

And what about the physical aspect of self defense?

Some exercises can be done
during other daily activities 

The self defense training is not only about mastering the techniques and getting the appropriate knowledge and skills. It should not end after a lesson or after a course. I always tell my students that staying fit and physically active is not only healthy and for good looks but increases your chances of a successful encounter with a violent dangerous man. I suggest building a dummy out of pillows with attached testicles made from a sock with rubber balls and keep practicing daily at home things that you have learned in the course. 

Doing punches, kicks, knees, gouging eyes, and grabbing testicles regularly increase movement memory and are a good workout improving physical capabilities. Too lazy or tired for a day? Use the time to keep your grip strong by squeezing stress balls or fake testicles while watching Netflix or reading the news. You can also involve your partner in these activities. But be careful with his eyes and testicles, thou.  

I really liked the lectures and theory classes, how important are these?

We had a lot of fun during the classes

I am glad you liked it. Success stories, examples, and videos are another important part of my training; it makes self defense training less abstract and more relatable. Although I aim to rather keep a serious tone, it makes a lot of fun, girls love it. It is not uncommon that girls starting applauding when I read a story from a newspaper about a young girl who sent her attacker to a hospital with a ruptured testicle. A home video or an MMA match of some accidents involving men’s most sensitive parts is sometimes more convincing than 1000 words and helps with overcoming the psychological barriers I talked about before.

I have to say I learned a lot about male anatomy in the course. Can you explain why is it important?

Knowledge of the male anatomy is
 another important element of learning 
self defense

Yes, girls are really surprised by how much emphasis I put on the knowledge of the anatomy of the male body and particularly its most vulnerable spots. “Know your enemy from head to toe!” is another essential principle of my system. Physically but also psychologically. It means not only weak points on his body but also in his mind!  Girls say they learned more on this topic than in their sex-ed and biology classes. They are university freshwomen, not that sexually experienced yet, so it really counts. Most are amazed at how fragile and also variable male genitals are, and they learn what is the significance for self defense. Again, this topic should not be taught only theoretically but practically as well. That is why Bob and Peter and other male assistants come in so handy…

 to be continued….