Saturday, January 26, 2013

Krav Class and Women Warriors


As humbling and heart-warming as all of the support from the men has been (I have some very, VERY badass brothers out there), the support from my fellow female warriors is what really keeps me going. You dudes have no idea how snarky and vicious women can be with other women, especially if they sense weakness. You know the phrase "pecking party"? Where it originates? If a chicken in a pen is wounded or weak, the other chickens will peck it to death. It's ugly, and so appropriate for some females.

But the last few days has shown me how strong Patriot women are. You III dudes, y'all are tough, don't get me wrong. But never underestimate the power of a good woman. MissK, doubletrouble2, MissV, Maura,  Holly and so many more (I know your names, I'm just lousy at remembering) have proven that strong women lift up women. We are Sisters in Arms. And God bless you all.

Krav class was good, going over things we learned last week, starting new experiences fending off knife attacks. The bad was attrition. About 10 people, mostly women, dropped out. After two classes. My two ladies that I've been hanging with both made it back. Not patting myself on the back, but a support system works. Reaching out and making sure the women in your world know they are strong enough and worthy enough to fight back is imperative. Shirley, the oldest of the two at 57, came back with the Eye of the Tiger. Last weekend, her son, DIL, and two granddaughters were in Dallas for a little vacation. Her DIL ran down to the car, at night, in a hotel parking lot in a city, BY HERSELF, to get something. Situational Awareness: FAIL. Short story, she was mugged, cut on her scalp where she was whacked with a pipe, and multiple bumps and bruises. She was lucky, damned lucky.

When questioned why she did it, her responses were: it was a well-lit parking lot in an upper-scale hotel with security cameras. Um yeah. So the frameable 8x10 black and white glossies of your attack come out clearer. Great. Asked why she didn't flee, scream, fight back, anything, she said it happened so fast, she didn't have time to think or react. Shirley told me that she was shocked when her DIL declined her offer to take self-defense classes or get a handgun. "I couldn't do anything that would hurt another person, it would kill me." So dead if you do, dead if you don't. Seriously? You value your life less than that of a scumbag that has no value for yours? Don't give me that bullshit about lowering yourself to their level; if you aren't prepared to fight for your life, they'll lower you. ALL THE WAY DOWN. You mean NOTHING to your attackers. They don't care about  the people who would mourn you; do you care enough about them to fight for your life? Shirley decided with her son, and with the grudging acceptance of DIL, to pay for self-defense classes for her granddaughters, 10 and 12. And her offer to her DIL still stands. Shirley is one of my Woman Warrior heroes. Might have to make her an honorary WarriorAngel.

So my prayer to all women who are reading this: Love yourselves, value yourselves, enough to fight for your right to Life, Liberty and Happiness. Don't think for a minute that being able to protect yourself makes you any less of a woman, any less feminine. Don't think for a minute that you have to wait for Prince Charming to come save your happy ass. Sometime, perhaps in the coming future, Prince Charming is going to be fighting the enemy and the last thing he needs is to be worried about the woman he loves and his kids. It's your right and responsibility as a grown-ass woman to learn how to protect yourself and your brood.

Men, my guys, my dudes. Y'all rock in your respect for women (in spite of milfs and fripples and camel toes, oh my!) and your desire to protect them from the evils of the World. But you know as well as I do that you can't be there 24/7. At some point in your lives, the women you love may be faced with a danger you can't fight for her. Love her enough to support and encourage her to learn self-defense. In whatever way you can. Take her to the range, teach her how to handle your weapons (all of them, stop giggling), encourage her to take whatever classes are available. Talk to her about situational awareness. It's best to not ever BE in a bad situation (i.e. a hotel parking lot, alone, at night, sheesh).

So enough babbling, with the 2-hour workout and the week I've had, I'm celebrating tonight with a medium rare steak and an Old Fashioned. Because I'm worth it.

16 comments:

Blue said...

"You dudes have no idea how snarky and viscious women can be with other women, especially if they sense weakness"

Angel, I've been married to the same ornery woman for 6 months shy of forty years. I KNOW how women can be...

:) LOL

Good post!

Anonymous said...

Uh huh. ;)
Miss V

Anonymous said...

Very good post and timely. I constantly worry about the women in my life and have encouraged them all to practice situational awareness, and have taken Mom,Sis,Wife to the range as often as I can (Mom is 80 but she can still handle a .38!) I've given out pepper spray, stun guns and hideaway knives (hideawayknives.com) and due to my former career I am able to teach them what to look for (eg.surroundings,gangsters,thugs,mannerisms etc.) One time my wife was accosted by an a**hole in a parking lot as she sat in her car. She reached under the seat where I had accidently left my "odg." She held it in her lap and when sh*thead saw it, his eyes got big and ran away, yelling "shes got a gun, shes got a gun." Bet he never did that again...Strong willed, able to take care of herself woman good! Go! Go! Go! Warrior Angels!

Boarshide

hiswiserangel said...

I'm going to have to get someone to draw me up a WarriorAngel graphic and make some t-shirts. :-)

Anonymous said...

Nice post. BTW, I've raised chickens and I've known some women. You ain't telling me anything new! Now enjoy that reward that you earned, and then get back to work!
Rpm

Keads said...

Glad to see you back out here! I did not think it would take long.

tripseven said...

How is it one cock can keep many hens in line while one woman can control an entire army of cocks?

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, because we are that GOOD.;)
Miss V

hiswiserangel said...

damn skippy, Miss V.

Steve said...

What Blue said. Our marriage is going on 36 years, and I DO NOT get on the bad side of the little woman.

Anonymous said...

Well! That didn't take long, glad you're back.

In regards to that KRAV class and the women's support group there, I hope you don't limit yourself to female practice partners. In the real world you need to look out for the OTG (Other Than Gentleman) male, so do practice with the guys and practice with those better than you to up your game.

hbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kalifornistan

tripseven said...

Miss V is not just "that GOOD"...she's clairvoyant!

hiswiserangel said...

hbbill,
The instructor makes sure we rotate sparring partners, so that we have a variety of sizes, heights, weights, male/female, etc. The support comes before (so glad you're back), break time (you're doing great), and after when you're nursing your bumps and bruises (hang in there, it's worth it).

Wraith said...

Angel, I gotta say my piece to Shirley's DIL. If you consider this too inflammatory, then just shitcan it.

"I couldn't do anything that would hurt another person, it would kill me." So dead if you do, dead if you don't. Seriously? You value your life less than that of a scumbag that has no value for yours?

OK, some people are like that. It's their funeral. But...

...the people who would mourn you; do you care enough about them to fight for your life? Shirley decided with her son, and with the grudging acceptance of DIL, to pay for self-defense classes for her granddaughters, 10 and 12.

She has children. Daughters. That's a different story altogether.

I'm going to say this loud and clear: If you will not do WHATEVER it takes to defend the lives and safety of your children, no matter how distasteful, traumatic or horrific, YOU ARE AN UNFIT PARENT. Period. Full stop. Blanket statement.

Now, I'm not saying that you should be a helicopter parent, trying to protect them from any hardship or inconvenience. But if someone approaches those girls with intent to do them harm, it is your duty as a parent and a civilized human being to step up and defend them however you must. Any other path is nothing more than the most craven and despicable cowardice, no matter how you may rationalize it.

Good grief, if someone tries to harm my cats, I'm willing to reach down their throat and pull out their heart. Can you really think of doing any less for your own children?

(Like I said, Angel. if this is going to cause you problems, then just toss it down the memory hole. But I had to say it. JMNSHO.)

hiswiserangel said...

the point I was making is that you should care enough about the people who love you to fight for your own life. You don't want your loved ones to suffer and grieve over you because you didn't value yourself enough to fight for your life.

Your point never even entered my mind because I can't imagine not wading in the blood and guts of any animal that tried to harm my girls. Or anyone I love for that matter, but especially those who can't defend themselves.

You make a very valid point, though. If you are so squeamish and cowardly that you won't harm someone attacking you, then the briefest hesitation as you weigh your conscience against the lives of your kids could mean their deaths. Anyone that isn't willing to defend themselves isn't going to have the skills needed to defend their loved ones.

And when have I ever shied away from the tough, controversial discussions? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Been teach KM in Dallas for over 12 years. I tell my students that if you don't learn anything else, you should learn to be aware of your surroundings. What Wraith said is exactly right.

And the points you made about "you should care enough about the people who love you to fight for your own life. You don't want your loved ones to suffer and grieve over you because you didn't value yourself enough to fight for your life" sound like they came right out of our instructor training points.

Love your blog. Keep it up.