11.01.06
Model Mugging: a self-defense course for women
Model Mugging is an interesting and effective (in practice—that is, in actual real-life attack situations) self-defense technique for women.
I attended a graduation exercise in a Model Mugging course in Santa Cruz some years back, and I was impressed. The (male) instructors are suited in full defensive regalia—not just a cup, but thick padding on arms and legs and a full padded helmet. The reason: so that the students can learn to hit with the actual force they will use should they be attacked. Even with all the protection, an instructor can expect to be knocked unconscious once or twice every course.
The students during the course move through a variety of attack scenarios, from direct frontal attacks through walk-by attacks (the assailant approaches and then passes the victim to attack from behind), attacks made on a seated victim, and even attacks on victims lying down covered with bedclothes (as an attack by an intruder on a sleeping victim). Students learn how to use their legs—their strongest muscles—in fighting back, how to fight back should they be knocked to the ground, and so on.
It’s a demanding course in emotional terms. Some of the students came to learn defensive techniques after having been attacked, and during the graduation exercise, some students fought back successfully and then burst into tears. The other students crowded around to comfort them, and it is the clear that the course also has a therapeutic component.
One interesting statistic: We were told that the average assailant has done 17 attacks, so that the victim is totally outclassed just on the basis of experience. The victim is going through something for the first time, trying to work out a response on the fly, while the attacker has the advantage of experience and knows what to expect and how to deal with it.
But during the 12-week course, the students go through 54 very realistic simulated attacks, with full force. So if a student later faces an assailant, the experience tables are turned. The assailant just doesn’t have the depth of experience in dealing with physical assault that this particular victim does, and he finds himself out of his depth.
One graduate was attacked when she was alone on a Boston subway platform late at night. She successfully resisted the attack and in the process broke the assailant’s arm and a couple of his ribs. He tried to sue, but the disparity in their sizes made his contention that she had attacked him ridiculous.
It’s a course well worth Googling. You can usually find it in major cities, though it started on the West Coast. There’s some evidence that people who truly know how to defend themselves carry themselves differently, and that attackers shy away from such people, preferring those who carry themselves like victims: fearful, tentative, etc.
Andrew Hammond said,
19 March 2007 at 4:35 pm
I’m generally pretty positive about this kind of training however I suggest that what you’re hitting on in your last paragraph is absolutely key. People who know how to defend themselves not only believe that they can, they also believe that they’re worth defending. I believe that is this more than any other factor that sends out a message to potential attackers along the lines of “hey, this one just isn’t gonna be easy pickings”.
For those who want to go further with this, Aikido offers a wealth of both physical exercise and meditation aspects as well as very practical self defense techniques, especially considering the litigious nature of our modern society. It does not emphasize or, to any great degree, rely on physical size or strength which makes it an excellent choice for women, who rarely have the advantage in those areas.
LeisureGuy said,
20 March 2007 at 3:52 pm
Another benefit of Aikido: it is like Model Mugging in that all moves are actually carried through to completion, unlike (say) in karate, where the strike or kick must not actually land with full force. In Aikido, if you are throwing the partner, you actually throw him or her. (A good part of Aikido is practicing the moves that you use when thrown—e.g., a kind of roll that puts you back on your feet.) When you bring the partner down and apply a shoulder lock (painful), you have really completed the move: the partner will slap the mat to stop the pressure, but with the position you’re in, you could (in real life) increase the pressure readily. So as you advance in Aikido, you learn quite well how to avoid fights but also have plenty of practice in actual fighting.
Erik said,
23 April 2007 at 8:45 am
For those interested in learning more about mental and emotional components of self-defense, please visit http://www.not-me.org.
Not-Me! is a non-profit dedicated to provide self-defense instruction to at-risk populations.
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