Self Defense Tip #16
Selecting a self-defense system—Part III

by Thomas Kurz, co-author of Basic Instincts of Self-Defense and author of Stretching Scientifically, Secrets of Stretching, and Science of Sports Training.

To read the previous installment click here.

In the previous self-defense tip I discussed benefits and gave a warning about the limitations of self-defense instruction from a full-contact sports system, such as boxing, judo, or wrestling. In this issue you will learn about some alternative to these systems from Mr. Ron Beaubien, editor of “The Martial Arts Consumer Protection Site” (http://www2.crosswinds.net/japan/~consumer/).

Here is what he says: “I believe there are also some private self-defense schools in the states and courses offered at community centers teaching self-defense. These would be the best choice in my opinion. `Model Mugging' is one of these systems for rape prevention, and it has apparently received some recognition. (See: Defend Yourself!: Every Woman's Guide to Safeguarding Her Life by Matt Thomas, Larry Strauss, Denise Loveday. New York: Avon Books, 1995.) Many of these private schools and community centers do provide full-contact training. There are problems with these kind of schools and self-defense courses as well, however. Some instructors of these schools may be very good and highly qualified. Others may be teachers of karate or a similar art just looking for a way to make extra money, who don't really have the experience of other systems needed to teach an effective self-defense class. There are also those who always wanted to run a martial arts school but never became proficient enough in any art to be allowed to teach and open up their own school and so had to resort to opening a `self-defense' school instead. I have met people in all three categories.

“There are some qualities that I thought should be included in self-defense courses (i.e., personal awareness, mental training, physical training, muscle development, full contact experience, techniques geared for modern combat on the streets, weapons training, a concern for what works over any kind of tradition, and legal advice.) When you are looking for a self-defense instructor, [look for] certification that covers these. An instructor who has been trained and certified by many different well-known groups that teach self-defense would be best. (Maybe the Lethal Force Institute for the use of guns, Executive Security International for their bodyguard training to learn awareness and how to escape, maybe Model Mugging for rape prevention.) I am not specifically vouching for any of these organizations, but they are well-known programs.”

Here are addresses for Model Mugging, Lethal Force Institute, and Executive Security International:

Model Mugging/BAMM/Impact Self-Defense
629 Bair Island Road, Suite 104
Redwood City, CA 94063
(800) 77-FIGHT
http://www.bamm.org

Lethal Force Institute
PO Box 122
Concord, NH 03302-0122
603-224-6814

Executive Security International
Gun Barrel Square
2128 Railroad Ave.
Rifle, Colorado 81650
800-874-0888
http://www.esi-lifeforce.com

There are other reputable organizations in the United States that run self-defense courses. Many of these organizations are listed at: http://www.aware.org.

“In general, some schools are better than others in my opinion. I think it is pretty safe to assume that a school that specializes in training people for self-defense would be better than, say, a course taught at a small local martial arts school. By this I mean that a large national nonprofit group has more resources available than Kim's Taekwondo school on the corner.”

To read the next tip click here.

This article is based on the video Basic Instincts of Self-Defense.
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