Attendees Page

This page is intended for past attendees of the Chain of Lakes Karate Club's Women's Self-Defense Classes.  This page contains some of the information that is covered during the actual classes, and the password protected area contains helpful video segments of many of the techniques covered in the hands on portion of the class.

Please enter your password given to you at the time of your class to view videos of many of the techniques covered during the class.

Safety Tips

A few reasons why some women are seemingly easy targets for "random" acts of violence:

1. Lack of awareness:  You must be fully aware of where you are and what is going on around you at all times.  In today’s world of ipods and cell-phones, it is sometimes easy to forget what is going on around you.

2. Body language:  Walk confidently.  Stand straight and keep your head up.  Do not act timid, shy, or cowardly.  Predators tend to seek out, and gravitate towards people that they suspect will be easy marks.

3. Wrong place, wrong time:  Many times being in the wrong place at the wrong time is a coincidence, but do everything you can to avoid getting into these situations.  Walking alone on a dark street or alley or driving through a bad neighborhood at night, are examples of things that can and should normally be avoided if possible.

Possible situations in different settings

Some things to think about when leaving your place of work or school:

 In most cases, it is better to take the elevator than the stairs.  Not only is there a better chance of other people being there, but there are also usually cameras in them as well.  Once you’re in the elevator, stand near the door, not in the very back or near the corner.
 If there is already a weirdo on the elevator, do not get on.  Wait for the next one.  On the same note, if the weirdo gets on while you are already on the elevator, get off and wait for the next one.

If you find yourself walking alone either to or from school or work, day or night, always remain aware of your surroundings.

If you find yourself in the situation where someone has pulled up or is following you on foot, there are a couple of things you can do:

Yell loudly to attract attention:  You can decide what it is you want to yell, but there is a growing body of evidence out there that it is not necessarily best to yell RAPE, even if that is what is going down.  Some people may be reluctant to get involved in that type of situation.  A better solution may be to yell something that nosey people might be a little more interested in like HELP or FIRE.

Call for help on your cell phone:  Many cell phones have reserved the “9” button for a speed dial which connects you to the nearest 911 call center.
Find an obstacle:  Put something in between yourself and the attacker.  This should preferably be something with a little size like a car or large tree, but if you can out-play him at ring around the Rosie, you may be able to frustrate him in to giving up and leaving.
 If a car is your obstacle, and the assailant is persistent, get under the car.  There are so many things under a car to hold on to that nobody should be able to forcibly remove you from underneath it.

Run:  If you think that you are able to outrun the assailant, or if there is a place where there are other people nearby, go for it.

Try to avoid being a “closer” at work, or leaving too late from school.  If you must do either of these things, try to either have someone else share the responsibility of closing, or have a friend meet you at the time when you are supposed to leave.

Some things to think about while in or around your car:

Park in a well lit area and lock your doors: This speaks for itself.

Have your keys ready: Too often, women (men too) are preoccupied with other things when they are on the way to their car. Often their minds are drifting or they are talking on the cell phone. When they get to the car, they then rummage through their pockets or purse to find their keys. Do not do this! Have your keys ready, in hand, and click the remote when you get within range. This way you won’t be caught by surprise fumbling for your keys.

Take notice of other vehicles: If there is a suspicious looking vehicle next to, or near your car, either get in on the other side or go back to get help.

Get in, lock the doors, and leave: Too often, women (after doing the previous “no-no's”) get in their cars and just sit there for awhile before they take off. Usually they are doing something very important like fixing their hair or touching up their makeup, but this, however, is another big “no-no”. This minute or two spent doing something else is all the time that is needed for someone to approach the car unnoticed and have the element of surprise.

What if you are forced into a vehicle?

If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being forced into an attackers car, van, or truck, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of survival.

There are some very important things to remember if you ever find yourself in this type of a situation. Number one, if the attacker is driving you somewhere else, he must focus at least some or most of his attention on the road. Number two, the attacker will probably not want to draw attention to his vehicle, for obvious reasons. Number three, the longer he is able to drive uninterrupted, the closer he gets to his destination, and the farther he gets away from other people (AKA help).

Using what we remember from No.1, when the attackers focus is on the road, it is not on you (even if there is a gun pointed at you). Take this opportunity to make your move. If you are in the cabin of the vehicle, and are within arms reach of the attacker, do something that will either impair his ability to drive, cause an accident, or create an opening for you to escape. An attack to the eyes (like what was practiced during the class) is one of the most effective ways to severely impair his ability to drive, and will most likely cause an accident or force him to stop the vehicle.

Another possible action would be to quickly grab the keys and turn the car off. In most vehicles, turning the keys off while driving will cause all of the power functions of the car to quit working. This includes headlights, interior lights, power steering, and power brakes. Once this is done, the only way to restart the moving car is by shifting the car into neutral and turning the keys, an action that will require the use of both of the attackers hands. This should buy you at least a few seconds to either attack, or exit the vehicle if you are moving at slow enough speeds (If you need to jump from a moving vehicle, cover your head with both arms and roll.)

Another possible action would be to shift the moving car into another gear, preferably reverse or park. While most cars with automatic transmissions require pressure on the brake to shift out of park, they do not normally require anything to shift gears while in motion (apart from maybe pressing the button on the lever). A good way to stop the car, or at least slow it down to a speed which would make an exit possible, would be to slam the shifter into reverse or park. This type of sudden change would be extremely damaging to the transmission of the vehicle, and would most likely cause the car to come to a screeching halt.

Using what we remember from No.2, let's first think about why attention is a bad thing. The attacker wants to be able to blend in to be invisible, and most certainly does not want to be pulled over. For the same reason, he will not want to be in an accident either. We could think of quite a few things that would draw attention to the vehicle (including all of the previous things): yanking on the steering wheel, pressing your foot on the gas or brake (if within reach), opening a door, breaking a window, and making a scene from within, are all things that would draw attention to the vehicle and could be attempted in the presence of other vehicles.

What if I'm in the trunk?  I'm glad you asked. Just because you are in the trunk, doesn't mean you are powerless to do anything. It is possible to draw attention to the vehicle and possibly get it pulled over if you are able to successfully disconnect or cause fault in the wires leading to the brake and tail-lights. These wires are usually only covered by a thin layer of cardboard like material covered with thin carpet. This material can usually be pulled out of the way without too much difficulty. Another option to think about is that many models of cars feature a small handle hanging inside the trunk that when pulled, pops the latch from the inside.

When people think of rape, they might think of a stranger jumping out of the shadows and sexually attacking someone. But it's not only strangers who rape. In fact, about half of all people who are raped know the person who attacked them.
Most friendships, acquaintances, and dates never lead to violence, of course. But, unfortunately, sometimes it happens. When forced sex occurs between two people who already know each other, it is known as date rape or acquaintance rape.
You may hear some people say that those who have been raped were somehow "asking for it" because of the clothes they wore or the way they acted. This could not be more wrong. The person who is raped is not to blame. Rape is always the fault of the rapist. This is also the case when two people are dating or already in an intimate relationship. One person never owes the other person sex. If sex is forced against someone's will, it is rape.
 This type of rape can happen at social gatherings or one-on-one dates. Things may be going fine for most of the night, and then suddenly take a turn for the worse. If this happens, the line has been drawn and you must do whatever is necessary to defend yourself. Once the line has been crossed, you must defend yourself with the same ferocity as you would if this man was a stranger.

 Date rape is very difficult to “see coming”, so there isn’t really one particular set of things we can do to guarantee that it will not happen, but there are precautions that you can take to help lessen the chances of being caught in that situation.

• This is probably the most difficult one to expound upon, but choose your boyfriends/casual dates carefully. Before dating someone, spend some time with him in social settings with other people so that you can attempt to get an accurate gauge of his character.

• If things begin to get uncomfortable at any time during a date, remember that you have the right to stop it. If you choose to end the date, do it sternly and seriously. Make it clear that the night’s events are over, and that it is not open to discussion. If things escalate from there, then it is time to physically defend yourself.

• Stay away from parties where there are “less than reputable” people.

• If you do end up at a party, and are drinking, get your own drinks and keep them in your possession at all times. Also, do not use illicit drugs of any kind. It is not uncommon for “Date Rape” drugs to be slipped into drinks unnoticed or laced into other drugs. There are several types of these drugs out there, but one of the most common effects found throughout most of them is that they tend to cause extreme drowsiness, unconsciousness, and loss of memory, especially when mixed with alcohol.

“Date Rape” drugs can technically be any drugs that are used to render someone incapable of saying “no” or physically defending themselves. A short list of the more common ones are:

Rohypnol (Ruffles, Roofies): This is a legitimate prescription drug that is in pill form, that when mixed with alcohol, often renders the subject unconscious for 8-12 hours.

GHB, gamma hydroxy butyrate (EZ Lay, Liquid X): This drug has been illegal in the US since 2000. It is now most commonly made in makeshift laboratories by amateur chemists. It is a clear odorless liquid that looks identical to water.

Ketamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin K, Special K, Super K): This is an anesthetic or veterinary sedative. It is sometimes in powder form and is easily mixed with drinks.

For more information, please continue on by entering the password you were given during the class, into the box at the top of the page.