Talking Dirty(10)

Joe moves in beside me and I point to him. “The eyes are a great place to attack because they’re sensitive. And if he can’t see you, chances are he isn’t going to follow when you run.

“Poke, jab, gouge, scratch the eyes. Do any damage you possibly can.”

“What if you can’t reach the eyes?” a woman asks. It’s her first time here, and I can tell she’s nervous. I smile, attempting to put her at ease. She drops her gaze, not returning the gesture. This simple act leads me to believe she may have already been attacked or possibly been in an abusive relationship. I make a mental note before I answer her question.

She’s another reason why I teach these classes.

“That’s a good question. If your attacker is too tall or wearing some form of eye protection such as glasses, go for another body part.”

I turn to Joe and lift my foot as if I’m going to kick his knee. I slow just as my foot makes contact, landing the blow softly. He feigns injury, falling to the ground. “The knees are perfect for smaller women. They’re within reach and low enough that the attacker will most likely not be able to grab your foot when you strike. Plus, any angle of the knee will work. So if you go blank on the moves you learn here, which is likely during an attack, you can just kick away at the knee and cause injury.”

Joe stands, taking an attacker stance. I kick out again, this time applying a small amount of pressure on the side of his knee. It gives easily and he falls again.

“I suggest the side because it will knock him off balance quickly, giving you the opportunity to run.”

I glance over at Rocky, making sure she’s still with me before I move on. She’s watching with rapt interest. Like the thought of sending a man to the ground in pain is something she’d like to do. Good.

“Ears are another good place. Clap your palms flat against the eardrums as hard as you can. This will bring the strongest man to his knees. And this is where you can double up moves. Clap to the ears and a gouge to the eyes.” I act it out in slow motion on Joe who plays along, collapsing to his knees, and then to the floor.

“My personal favorite is the neck,” I continue. “The carotid artery and the jugular are both located in the side of the neck.” I run my finger up the length of Joe’s neck, showing the class exactly where to aim. “Hit quick and hit hard, with either the palm of your hand, or a karate chop motion. This is where the saying, ‘go for the jugular’ stems from. This vein returns blood from the head to the heart, so imagine what will happen if you cause damage to it.

“Also keep in mind, if it ever comes to it, severe injury to the jugular can bleed a man out within a minute or so. But we’re here to keep it from getting to that point.”

I lose my train of thought for a moment, surprised that I offered that information to the class like that. I’ve never done that before. Slipped like that. Some of these women are here to prevent an attack, but I know some of them are here to ensure it never happens again. I shouldn’t give information out like that. It was a reckless slip on my part. I don’t need to be responsible for the spilling of more blood.

“The nose,” I say, trying to move on quickly, “is another point to concentrate on.” Joe steps into position and I raise my hand to his face. “Use the heel of your hand and hit the bottom of the nose in an upward motion.” We act it out twice, Joe going for an award in dramatics as he falls to the ground in imaginary agony.

“This hurts, trust me,” I say, chuckling as Joe writhes on the floor. “I’ve been hit several times in the nose and any blow stings. It also makes the eyes water, which will make it a little harder for an attacker to see you. Take the opening and run.”

I hold my hand out, helping Joe back to his feet. He grins at me, proud of himself. “I think we covered the head, so onto the body. We already talked about the knees. The shins and thighs are good areas to kick as well, but watch with a thigh kick because your foot can be caught easily at that height.”

“What about a foot stomp?” one of the regulars asks. “You never really talk about that, but I see that all the time on shows,” she continues.

“Can I?” Joe asks.

I nod, gesturing for him to go right ahead. He served in the Marines. His firsthand knowledge beats mine any day.

“Stomping is okay,” he begins, “it can hurt, but it’s not often effective. The guy could be wearing steel-toed shoes. But more commonly, when you’re being attacked, the guy’s moving around. Trying to stomp on his feet is like playing a game of Whack-A-Mole.”