Women learn that simple techniques can be useful in defending yourself

Women learn that simple techniques can be useful in defending yourself

BY CHUCK TUCK | JOURNAL REPORTER Whether you are a man, woman, or child, knowing how to protect yourself and how to recognize danger is a priority that many people have undertaken.

Master Dong-il, Shin, who founded and instructs at his Tigers Black Belt Academy in Lake Stevens is a certified Master Level Instructor with the World Taekwondo Federation “WTF” with over 30 years experience.

“I want our school to become a great asset to our community,” he said.

Shin held his first women’s self defense seminar last Saturday afternoon to a room full of enthusiastic women, some with experience in martial arts, and others with no experience at all.

He said that he received many emails from women who were interested in learning how to defend themselves but couldn’t make it for one reason or another; but regardless, a couple dozen women showed up to take part in an informational, hands-on experience which proved to be beneficial to all who attended.

Kim with Man Power in Everett attended the seminar saying that she had always wanted to take a self defense class.

Cathy, a real estate agent, felt it was important for her to learn self defense because of the field she works in.

“I have to take clients and show them houses,” she said, adding that you never know what to expect when you’re out there alone showing a property.

Jokingly, J.J. Corbett said that her bullet proof sheets are no longer working.

Nearly all of the attending women agreed that being single or a single parent was perhaps the most important reason to learn self defense.

At the start of the seminar, Shin gave his first and most important set of instructions.

“Do not go where you are not supposed to be,” he said.

In other words, don’t walk down an alley, or walk through trails that are unsafe or take any unnecessary chances.

Once the class had that basic understanding, Shin showed the women several different techniques that were very simple to use if confronted with an awkward situation.

As an example, during a handshake both people have control, “I got you, you got me,” he called this.

If the handshake becomes more than just that, a simple technique was used to gain control to remove the unwanted shake or advancement.

The women paired-up and took turns practicing the technique of removing the unwanted grasp of the other.

He showed the women another simple technique using pressure points to inflict a little bit of pain allowing one to escape the grasp of an attacker

The instructions seemed useful and simple to the women as they quickly learned how to use the basic techniques.