SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A woman, in a dark mall parking lot - a target for a predator. Too many women are victimized by violence every day in Utah. ABC 4’s “Crime Tracker” data (crimereports.com) shows 262 assaults in the past 30 days in Salt Lake County. Violence in a South Jordan neighborhood has spawned a school for self defense.It was July of 2009. A shooting police called gang related ruptured the quiet of the neighborhood. Residents were frightened. Josh Lyman decided to take action.
"It really started to hit home that I needed to improve my safety,” he says, walking down the street where he has lived since he was born.
This 22 year-old is a martial artist and a National Rifle Association certified firearms instructor. He and two partners turned their passion and their expertise into a school called “Discreet Tactical.” They teach people – mostly women -- what they call a practical, user friendly form of self defense. Whatever they call it, it may not be for everyone. Watching a class, it’s clear these guys expect their students to be proactive and aggressive.
“You change the way you live your lifestyle, to better your defensive mentality," explains instructor Jordan Simons.
Class sessions can happen in parking lots, where students get hands-on, real-time training on how to walk, how to project confidence, how to carry self defense weapons, and how to use them, if necessary.
"Stop! Stop!" their student screams as she reaches into her handbag and whips out a “Star Wars light saber-styled” nightstick.
“This can be the most effective weapon a woman can carry,” says Simons. “Studies show an assailant on drugs is more likely to stop when he sees a nightstick than when he sees a gun.”
Whether that’s true or not, the tactic these men teach their nightstick wielding students is obviously an effective deterrent.
"Move faster!” Lyman shouts as he runs his student through the drill a dozen times. “You're not going to have time to decide whether your attacker is a threat. You have to assume he’s a threat and show your weapon.”
Lyman and Simons call it the 21-foot bubble. They teach their clients that when they’re alone in a parking lot or other secluded place, they should never let anyone get within 21 feet of them without pulling a self-defense weapon and preparing to use it.
“She has approximately a second and a half,” says Simon. “She has to be able to execute her defensive maneuver in that amount of time.
What they teach is that the best defense is a good offense.
"Survivors take action, “says Simons. “They're not afraid to take action, versus standing there waiting for something to happen, hoping that it doesn't go too bad and someone will help you out."
Their classes begin with being prepared. By that, they mean being armed, with anything from a firearm to a flashlight. They also teach people how to use a specially designed hairbrush as a weapon, or an ink pen that converts into a dagger.
"It's made out of aluminum,” explains Lyman. “Now it's strong enough to defend myself with."
And then there's hand-to-hand combat.
"You face your attacker. Twist the shoulders and break away the arms," Lyman instructs his student.
Over and over again, students break the hold of their instructors. To make certain they weren’t faking it, I tested one student’s ability to break my hold on her arm. With a twist and a jerk and a “Stop!” little 5’ 1” Dianna Tran broke out of my grip on her arm in les than one second. A 6’5”, 200 pound man could not hold her. These self defense strategies appear to be useful and effective at making ordinary people a hard target.
It’s easy to find self-defense classes near you. Search “self defense training” on-line and you’ll be led to these listings and others:
http://www.discreettactical.com
http://www.eliteperformancegym.com
http://www.jaguarsportkarate.net
selfdefensesolutions.com
