Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    What is this class?  Is it like karate for woman or to teach woman
    self defense?  It sounds really interesting.  Could you tell me
    more about the class it self.  I would be interested to know about
    it.  I was taking karate for awhile and would really like to get
    back into it heavily once again.
    
    Thanks in advance
    

    re .1:
    
    There is an extensive discussion of the Model Mugging program in
    volume 1 of WOMANNOTES. The title is either the same as this note
    or "Model Muggers"
    
                                                   
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Seeing real women use real violence to 'defend' themselves was an incredible
experience (I'm the other mystery woman that signed up at Sunday's graduation).
For a while I've been thinking about how different the female/male experience
can be. I never learned to defend myself physically, and I might have had it
socialized out of me (haven't had a chance to find out, thank the goddess). Joe
has enough experience to know what he could do (he was drafted). Extensive
notes in =wn= v1 talked about attitude in tight spots; if you know you're
tough, you can sometimes make it out free. Sounds good to me.

I started crying early on, and continued off and on. For the middle scenario
(the bedroom scenario) something really clicked for one of the women. You could
tell she was taking back her life, learning to defend herself in a controlled
manor. Everyone was sobbing and stomping after she took her assilant out. We
found out later that she was an insest survivor.

I highly recommend the graduations as a way to figure out where you are in
relationship to physical, unarmed violence, and self defense. They stress
options (one can chose not to fight, having the choice), knocking the opponent
out as quickly as possible, and calling 911 as soon as you're out of the danger
zone, just in case.

It was wonderful.
	Mez

Hi all,
    I am one of the other people who attended the graduation.  I'm going
    to try to take the first-come-first-served class that will be held in
    Watertown in January.  If I can't get in, I'll be on the waiting list
    with the other 300+ women in Boston.
    
    So you ask, why would I do this?  The short simple answer is that I'm
    tired of being scared.  I want options.  By taking this intensive 25
    hour class (in 5 sessions) I will learn how to assess potentially
    dangerous situations, and have a menu of options to defend myself if
    the situation becomes life threatening.
    
    I've done lots of traveling alone for Digital, and of course have
    traveled on vacations myself.  I'm tired of not taking full advantage
    of each new city's sights due to fear of being out alone.  I'm also
    tired of working late at a poorly lighted site and having that scary
    walk to the car.  [Please people, at every site, the security officers
    offer escorts to your car, so just ASK.]
    
    The class teaches participants how to assess potentially dangerous
    situations, and how to respond if things take a turn for the worse.
    All this is done in a highly supportive environment where team spirit
    and caring are paramount.  We were told that some women who have been
    attacked after having had the course, can hear their co-warriors
    cheering them on as they defended themselves from their attacker.

    So enough about why I want to take it.  Let me try to say more about
    the graduation.
    
    We were greeted by head of the Boston Chapter of Model Mugging,
    Melissa Soalt.  She is one of the women instructors -- all 5 feet, 106
    lbs of her.  She told us some about the program and what we would see
    when we joined the warriors.
    
    Then she introduced Matt Thomas, designer of the course.  Matt talked
    about how the class has evolved in the past 17 years.  He designed the
    class when a fellow black belt martial artist was unable to defend
    herself from a brutal rapist.
    
    He emphasized that this is not a man-hating class; this is an empower-
    ment class for women against violence!  Just the care in his voice and
    his dedication brought me to tears.
    
    One of the stories that particularly got me was about a recent
    graduate and her cousin who was 8 months pregnant.  They were entering
    a video store through four men who were plotting no good.  As they
    prepared to leave the graduate told her cousin that no matter what
    happened, she should call the police.  As the hassling started the
    graduate convinced the four to take her rather than her cousin because
    she was so pregnant.  To convince them, she walked down a dark alley
    with the four of them.  [Now mind you the first class just teaches
    defense against one attacker.]  Down the alley they went and she saw
    her opportunity.  She elbowed one of the attackers so hard he lost his
    breath, and kneed another in the groin so hard that he was finished.
    The other two ran away.  Luckily the muscle training and assessment
    skills she received saved her life.  And she protected her cousin and
    her unborn child.

    Her selfless-ness, strength and power was incredible.  Matt said there
    is no animal more feared in nature than the mother of a child -- the
    mother of a child, a woman protecting her friend, or protecting the
    child within herself.  The course teaches every graduate how to unleash
    that force for life preservation.  And choose to be a victor rather
    than a victim!
    
    So, we went down to the gym to watch the warriors go through the three
    scenarios.  The warriors cheered on the warrior on the mat with the
    model mugger and we joined in.  Every warrior coped with all the
    muggers (2) could dish out.  The adrenalin rushed, the warrior
    defended herself, the warriors and their supporters cheered and
    shouted, the model mugger gave the knocked-out sign, the warrior
    assured that the mugger was knocked-out by moving to his head and
    looking into his eyes, shouting 'NO', and running away from the danger
    and shouting '911' --  a demand that any on-looker call the police.
    
    The reason for the 'NO' and the assessment procedure is that one past
    graduate did not do the assessment, and the real mugger chased her
    down the street and she had to fight again.

    What we saw for fighting techniques was not pretty.  Its street
    fighting -- scratching, biting, kicking.  Mostly from the floor
    because the woman's legs are so much stronger than her arms; and most
    women are thrown to the ground early on in an attack.

    I had a really tough time with the graduation because of the reality
    of scenarios.  I get very upset when I see violence of any kind.  My
    response was to draw into myself.  Tears of fear and anger were ever
    present.  But I was so proud of the warriors, and envious that they
    could channel the typical freezing and flailing responses into self-
    protection and emerge the Victor.  Each warrior reclaimed her life and
    freedom yesterday.  I can't wait to become one too.
					-Leslie

ps. Whatcha bet this is my
longest note yet?!?  And I
promise to re-intro myself
this week.  ;-)

    	An alternative for those of you who are interested in learning
    this kind of defense but can't get into model mugging because of
    the long waiting lists or who wish to study something on a continuing
    basis....
                            
    	I study Nihon Goshin Aikido.  Unlike many arts its one that
    is designed to, among other things, equip the "ordinary" person
    with effective self defense skills.  Ordinary means every one from
    Skip who is 6'4", 260lbs, and *blind*, to me at 5'1", 130lbs, and
    Susan at 5'3", <100lbs.  
    
    	In addition to the more traditional Aikido techniques (which
    can be/are devastatingly effective and offer you an amazing range
    of options from escape to restraint to kill) we learn techinques
    that our Sensei teaches in his Rape Prevention classes.  These are
    the down and dirty techniques that are taught in classes like Model
    Mugging.  We have occasional classes in street clothes to learn
    the limitations that exist when you are not wearing a gi (those
    white pajamas for those who aren't familiar with the term :-) ).
    We have occasional mat classes.  These are the ones in which you
    are attacked, often from behind, and immediately thrown to the mat.
    
    	Despite the fact that I've been attacked by strangers twice
    (once an attempted purse-snatching, once an attempted rape), I've
    not been particularly fearful about being out by myself.  However,
    there had always been a feeling that my two escapes had an element
    of luck about them, that they were flukes and that I might not be
    so "lucky" the next time.  One of the things that mat classes have
    taught me that that no matter how big the attacker, I have enough
    options that I can keep myself from being raped.  I found that with
    all attackers, for them to keep me from escaping they physically
    could not rape me.  (It's hard to pull down your pants or even unzip
    them when you got to use both your hands and your entire body weight
    to keep this little scrap of a woman on the floor.)  The minute
    they made a move to do anything other than hold me down, I was free!
    Even for me this was a powerful experience.  
            
    	One thing I find about Aikido that I think is particularly good
    is that they teach you NOT to rely on your adrenaline.  (Learn to
    control it and USE it, yes. Rely on it, No.)  (Since I've not been
    to MM I can't say how they are on this.)  
    
    	Aikido classes tend to have a higher concentration of women
    than other arts because a) many of the techniques are *highly*
    effective for women (some are easier for women to do than men because
    of their lower center of gravity) and b) the classes tend to be
    close-knit, supportive and non-competitive.  (Only one style of
    the 17 that I know about participate in competitions and the founder
    of that style broke with the founding master of the art of Aikido
    over the issue.)  In my dojo, the makeup of the class changes over
    time, but it not unusual for there to be more women than men.  It's
    generally about half and half.  
    
    	If you are fearful of being out and about alone, I strongly
    urge you to look up your local Aikido school.  (The Nihon Goshin
    School of Aikido is particurlarly good about self defense.)  Even
    if you are not interested in studying the art,  they may have rape
    prevention course like the one my Sensei teaches.  (Other schools
    and art forms do this too, of course, it's just that I can't vouch
    for their effectiveness or tone having not attended them.)
    
    	If anyone is interested in Aikido, I can go on for hours about
    it, but I gotta get back to work now. 
    
    tlh
    

    Can someone give me info on what sort of men are needed to play
    the "muggers"?  I have two friends who have taken several years
    of karate and they're interested in helping.
    

    -Jody
    

RE:.6 by LEZAH::BOBBITT

    The end of Maggie's note (.0) explains some of what is looked for in
    the male instructors for the Model Mugging course.  There is extensive
    screening and training done to get exceptional people.  The best way
    to find out more is to contact Melissa Soalt, Boston Model Mugging
    Chapter, at:
    		Model Mugging
		P.O. Box 31
		Boston, Ma 02199
		617-730-4129

*************************************************************************
< Note 284.5 by STC::HEFFELFINGER "Tracey Heffelfinger, Tech Support" >

    	Despite the fact that I've been attacked by strangers twice
    (once an attempted purse-snatching, once an attempted rape), I've
    not been particularly fearful about being out by myself.  However,
    there had always been a feeling that my two escapes had an element
    of luck about them, that they were flukes and that I might not be
    so "lucky" the next time.  One of the things that mat classes have
    taught me that that no matter how big the attacker, I have enough
    options that I can keep myself from being raped.  I found that with
    all attackers, for them to keep me from escaping they physically
    could not rape me.  (It's hard to pull down your pants or even unzip
    them when you got to use both your hands and your entire body weight
    to keep this little scrap of a woman on the floor.)  The minute
    they made a move to do anything other than hold me down, I was free!
    Even for me this was a powerful experience.  
   
***********************************************************************


    TO ALL NOTERS.....

    Please note well......if you are in a situation where you DO GET
    RAPED, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT!!!  No one can prevent all attacks!!
    This also applies to the men of our world who have been raped!!!

    There are many RAPE CRISIS HOTLINES available for post-rape 
    counseling.  Please, please whether it is a recent rape, long ago
    past rape, or suspected rape that has occured to you.....this type
    of counseling is there for you to empower the person within you
    that was taken from you at the time of the rape.  

    justme....jacqui     

	re:.8
    
    	Oops!
    
    	It was in no way my intention to make anyone who had been raped
    to feel as if she were reponsible for the rape.  My apologies if
    anyone perceived it so.  
    
    	I was also unclear about the parameters in which I feel I could
    not be raped.  My understanding is that the Model Mugging course
    only deals with one attacker unarmed situations.  I was dicussing
    a similar situation.  I personally feel that I could not be raped by 
    one unarmed attacker.  This does not mean I could not be raped.  More
    than one attacker and armed attackers are a whole 'nother ball game.  I
    may or may not be able to defend myself in those situations.  Either
    way, either situation, it's not my fault that anyone a) tried or 
    b) succeeded to rape me.  It's just nice, to put it mildly, to have
    some additional options to *try* to fend off an unpleasant, again
    to put it very mildly, situation. 
    
    tlh
    

>My understanding is that the Model Mugging course
>    only deals with one attacker unarmed situations. 
...
> More
>    than one attacker and armed attackers are a whole 'nother ball game. 

The beginning class deals with a single unarmed attacker at a time (though in
the 3rd scenario in the graduation, because it was the 'surprise' scenario, at
least one woman was attacked twice, in succession).

Intermediate class deals with two unarmed attackers.

Advanced deals with an armed attacker (knife?).
	Mez

Re: .9, .10

> Advanced deals with an armed attacker (knife?)

  I think the advanced course is defense against knives and guns, but I could
  be wrong....

  Refresher courses for graduates are also provided periodically.

    	BTW, Aikido does also teach multiple attackers and weapons defenses
    (knife, gun, and club as well as some more exotic weapons).
    I have studied some of these defenses.  But those are much more risky 
    situations and I'll need to study a while longer before I begin
    to feel anywhere near confident with that kind of attack.
    
    	Gun defenses are tricky things.  They require lots of speed,
    clear thinking, and the gun must be very close to/touching you.  If the 
    attacker is a few feet away and pointing a gun at you, the advice
    of our 1st Dan instructor and his 3rd Dan instructor (with > 9 years
    experience with the Police force) is if you don't want to die, offer
    'em your wallet and put your hands above your head.        
    
    tlh
    

    
    
    First of all, I'm the mystery graduate that Maggie, Mez, Leslie,
    and one other womannoter went to see.  (Thanks again, y'all, for
    your support!)
    
    Secondly, I want to point out that there are lots of different
    self-defense courses available to women, and each course has its
    own benefits.  Maybe in this string we could focus on what makes 
    Model Mugging effective and special and discuss other types of
    self-defense someplace else.
    
    The basic Model Mugging class which I just completed is designed
    to deal with over 80% (it may even be over 90%, I forget) of the
    assaults that women face.  Police statistics suggest that most of
    the assaults against women involve a lone, unarmed male assailant.  
    One of the things that MM points out is that a woman always has a 
    choice not to fight, but MM wants to make sure that the woman really 
    has a choice.  In other words, if I'm attacked, and I feel that I
    *can't* fight, I'm not really making a choice; I'm being controlled 
    by the situation.  This course really has helped me find and accept 
    my power and my right to fight back if I am ever attacked.
                                                     
    Justine

    RE: guns and wallets - .12
    
    Isn't being robbed at gunpoint different than being physically
    attacked? Seems to me MM is addressing the latter issue, not armed
    robbery.  IF the person with the gun is close enough to touch you,
    or is touching you, then we're in a different ball park. (Dojo,
    if you will) :-)
    
    --DE
    
    

    	I'm in agreement with you.  But even in the close up situation
    that is the focus of MM and other rape prevention type courses,
    Gun defenses are *tricky*.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't learn
    them, (I am) it just means you need to factor that into the decision
    making that Justine mentiona reply or so back.  
    
    	I'll shut up about Aikido now.  I just brought it up because
    there seems to be a large demand and small supply for the MM courses.
    And they seem to have similar (not identical) focuses and goals
    and tones.  
    
    tlh
     

    More about martial arts... I was involved for about 2 1/2 years
    in Tae Kwon Do - I achieved the rank of blue belt, which is about
    halfway to black.  As opposed to Aikido, TKD is a very "hard" style
    with explosive punches and kicks, and bloodcurdling kiais (the yells).
    
    I think the best thing that came out of my martial arts training
    experience was the feeling of confidence in my body and its power.
    We were taught to use any part of our body that we could as a defense.
    I think women are conditioned to believe that they are "weak", and
    many times lack the confidence to try to defend themselves because
    they can't "win" against a bigger and stronger man.  But you _can_
    fight back and at least inflict enough damage or pain to _discourage_
    some assailants.
    
    The first time I splintered three boards with my bare hand, the
    feeling of empowerment was overwhelming.  I still have these broken
    boards - to me they are a reminder of the power of all women.  I
    could go on for pages about the benefits of martial arts or a group
    like Model Muggers, but I'll stop here and just encourage every
    woman to try it!
    
                        ...Lisa V...
                                                                      

    
    
    Another reason why I am so impressed with Model Mugging is that
    it doesn't require that you be in excellent physical condition to
    take it.  You know, you don't have to be able to kick over your
    head or anything to deliver a knock-out blow to a mugger.
    
    The basic premise behind model mugging is that usually when a woman
    is attacked, she is pulled or pushed to the ground.  So the most
    effective techniques are those that teach her how to fight from
    the ground.  I have never felt physically strong in my life, and
    in just a few weeks I've learned enough to be confident that
    if someone jumped me, I could knock him out.
    
    I strongly encourage every woman to think about this program.  There's
    another graduation coming up in December, and I'd love for a bunch
    of us from this file to go.  I'll post more info soon.
    
    Justine
                                                  
    
    

    RE: .17
    
    I'd love to go to a graduation!
    
    Justine, if having taken the training means you're going to be
    getting info about future trainings, general info, etc. I for
    one would be delighted if you'd post it here for us.
    
    Thanks for the info up til now (and congratulations!)
    
    --DE
    

I'm the 4th person who attended Justine's graduation on Sunday. I'm 
also a graduate of the course. I've tried to write about my 
experiences with Model Mugging several times, and always have 
difficulties with it. Participating in the course was a very profound 
experience for me, and everything I wrote seemed to trivialize it. 

When I took the course, it was very empowering, both physically and 
emotionally. Besides discovering physical strength I didn't know I had, 
I also found (or developed?) a great deal of emotional strength. Two 
things that came up for me in the course were boundaries and anger. I 
find now that when someone invades my boundaries, I am much more 
likely to feel angry or annoyed than to feel guilty or scared. (My old 
reactions.) This is one of the best things I've gotten from it so far. 

I had never really "done" anger before, and mm helped me to identify 
and release some of my anger. Particularly social/political anger, for 
example, anger at a society that still tends to blame the victim, like 
in rape. I never found myself expressing anger at individuals while 
trying to hurt the mugger physically. 

Another thing that was emphasized was moving towards the problem, not 
away from it. Only if you were close enough to the assailant could you 
get a good kick in. This is something else I carried into other areas 
of my life. 

I'd also like to emphasize that anyone can take this course, even if 
you're not in the greatest physical condition. Before taking this course, 
I had never hit anyone in my entire life. And I was really scared that I 
wouldn't be able to do it. There were several women who were not in good 
physical shape. They worried about not being fit enough. Well, we all 
completed the course successfully. And I think any one in that class is 
capable of defending herself. (A funny thing was that I found it much 
easier to attack the assailant physically than to yell at him or to 
respond when he just yelled at me.)
    
Attending the graduation on Sunday brought it all back, and it was 
upsetting and wonderful. I had been thinking that maybe I forgot 
everything I learned. But watching all those powerful women defend 
themselves made me remember not only in my mind, but in my body and my 
heart as well. The energy and strength and emotion in the room was 
awe-inspiring. I hope to take a refresher course in December. And I'd 
really like to continue to attend graduations. You just have to see it 
to understand. 

If anyone wants to contact me via mail to talk about this further, 
please feel free. I have 5 (count 'em, *5*) books due on Friday, so I 
may not get back to you until next week. It's difficult for me to talk 
about this in such a public forum. (Which you'd never know, by all the 
words I wrote above.) 

Jenny

    
    
    More thoughts on my experience with MM... (though I agree, Jenny,
    it is hard to do justice to it with words.)
    
    Another reason that I'm really glad I took this class is that I
    got a chance to meet some really lovely, feminist men.  These men
    did not personalize the anger that we women in the class feel toward
    individual men who have hurt us and that some of us feel toward 
    male-dominated society, but instead, these men encouraged us to
    let our anger out and focus it on stopping the attack.  This meant
    that they had to take on (although with padding) our full-force
    kicks, and they had to listen to us explode with rage; we really 
    yelled at them - even though *they* never did anything to hurt us!  
    I expected that I would grow close to the women in my class, and 
    I did, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was also deeply 
    moved by the real love and respect that these fine men have for women.
    
    If any of you women in this file think you might be interested in
    learning more about this course, I strongly encourage you to attend
    a graduation.  For those of you in the Boston area, there's going
    to be a graduation on December 18.  If you send me mail, I'll send
    you more information.  There are also MM chapters in Colorado Springs,
    Chicago, and a bunch in California.  I'll see if I can find phone
    numbers for those chapters and post that info here. 
                                                         
    Justine                            

    The phone number for the Chicago Model Mugging is 312-338-4545
    
    Ange

I got a note from the model mugging folks. They say I still haven't moved to
the top of the waiting list, but I can find out if there's space in the next
couple classes by calling 625-4215 on or after:
	March 10 for the April classes
	April 10 for the May classes

I probably won't 'cause I"m still chicken. But you might.

Also, the next graduations are:
	Friday, April 21
	Sunday, April 23
	Wednesday, May 24

They're also promising to offer classes more regularly, starting in the spring.
	Mez

    Model Mugging Course at Interface:
    
    Sunday,    Jan  7, 12-5 PM
    Wednesday, Jan 10, 6-10:30 PM
    Saturday,  Jan 13, 12-6 PM
    Wednesday, Jan 17, 6-10 PM
    Saturday,  Jan 20, 6-11 PM
    
    $425
    
    
    Interface, (617) 924-1100
    
    Visa & Mastercard