M.A.M.A. Self-Defense

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) – to raise awareness about sexual violence and how to prevent it. As a mom of two, safety is a top priority whenever we leave our home. But I have to admit, its not easy for me to be constantly aware of my surroundings – especially if one of boys decides to throw a tantrum!

So it was important for me to put together a self-defense seminar that was MOM focused with Jarret Arthur, the creator of M.A.M.A Self-Defense at Systems Training Center. M.A.M.A. (Mothers Against Malicious Acts) is the first self-defense system of its kind, designed exclusively for mothers as well as all women responsible for the care of children, from infants to teens. The empowering seminar taught us techniques, tips, and lessons to protect ourselves and our kids.

During the seminar we also talked about Systems Training Center owners: MMA fighter Marcus Kowal and Mishel Eder’s non-profit organization, Liam’s Life – in honor of their son, Liam Kowal. I hope you will take a moment to visit www.liamslife.org to learn how you can help spread awareness about the dangers of drunk driving and the gift of organ donation.

Here’s a summary of what we learned and I hope it encourages you to take a self-defense class!

Pre-Fight

Prevention – Avoidance, awareness, common sense, gut instinct and the importance of reducing opportunity. You can download the FREE monster list of quick and easy safety tips by clicking this link.
Higher-Risk Boundary Setting – Get into your stance with your palms forward, make eye contact, and use short concise action words such as “stop,” “back up,” and “leave now,” in a loud, deep, authoritative voice. Maintain that stance and repeat your action words until he leaves, or until you have the time and space to run to safety.
Position children behind you when boundary setting in order to shield them and keep them as far away from the threat as possible.
Important lessons to teach kids:

Gut Instinct
Safe Places & Safe People
“Stay” position (arm’s length behind you and holding onto your waistband, belt, or shit)
“Stay & Run Game”
Guest blog on 5 easy ways to build confidence in kids

Fight

Fighting back should be used as a last resort.
Stance – A balanced, strong, and grounded stance allows you to best stay on your feet, generate power in your strikes, and be prepared to move quickly in the direction of escape. Your dominant leg goes in the back and feet should be wide left to right and front to back.
What to strike with – knuckles, heel of the palm, pinky side of the fist, thumb side of the fist, fingers and thumbs, elbow, knee, shin, heel, ball of the foot, whole foot, top of the head, teeth, and nails can all be used to strike aggressively with.
Areas to strike first – eyes, nose, throat, groin.