Last week I promised you all a summer reading list. I have a lot of homework to do myself over the summer as well. That includes conducting an evaluation more recent literature in this subject area. Until I get more up to speed, here are some “oldies but goodies” for your enjoyment.
Since the early ’90s when I discovered it, the book “Her Wits About Her: Self-Defense Success Stories by Women,” edited by Denise Caignon and Gail Groves, is still at the top of my list. The collection serves as a goldmine of after action reviews of all sorts of assaults and near-assaults in which women use every conceivable type of defensive strategy to solve their violence problems. The 1987 book is, sadly, long out of print, but there are a few copies available at Amazon.com for less than 20 bucks, and you should be able to borrow a copy from the library. The reader will find descriptions of pre-assault cues, mental and physical effects of the adrenaline dump, after effects of violence and the thoughts and feelings of the women involved. It is as valuable for men to read as it is for women. This book deserves to be reprinted.
“Strong on Defense (1996),” by ex-police officer Sanford Strong, epitomizes the hardcore training philosophy that characterized the old PAES 172 program. This book is heavy on mind-setting to prepare for violence. Echoing Feminist Karate Union founder Py Bateman’s book title, “Fear Into Anger,” as well as the combative community’s exhortation to “hit with hate,” Strong covers the steps to replace fear with rage. Strong’s four rules of “react immediately, resist, never go to crime scene number two and never give up” are a pretty good start to understanding how to react when threatened with violence. Are these rules for you? Don’t argue with me – read it and find out.
I chose “Defensive Living,” by Ed Lovette and Dave Spaulding, for my textbook when I taught the PAES Advanced Self-Defense course in Spring 2001. Though the first editions of this book featured a handgun on the cover, it primarily addressed defensive mental aspects such as awareness and what the authors identified as willingness. The authors go more deeply into the color code of awareness than I have done in my articles, plus they cover Col. Boyd’s “OODA loop” and other mental aspects rarely talked about in general issue self-defense books. Their emphasis is on avoiding the use of deadly force. The second edition came out in 2005.
Martha McCaughey’s book “Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women’s Self-Defense (1997),” is a longer, scholarly look at this subject. I include it here mainly for those who wish to delve into the cultural – as well as practical – issues of women and violence. McCaughey began by taking a self-defense course because “Take Back the Night” rallies left her “feeling hopeless.” “Women’s embrace of their aggressive potential prompts a reexamination of our understandings of violence and resistance to it, of ideologies of gender, and of feminist theory itself,” she said. This book would be an excellent companion to those who have read such works as “Reviving Ophelia” and “The Body Project.” This is one I’ll have to reread over the summer.
If you’re too lazy to go read a book, perhaps a few mouse clicks will encourage you to do some extra homework. One excellent site is realfighting.com. There you will find various articles written by a who’s who of self-defense, police and martial arts trainers. I’d recommend starting with the first issue and looking for works by, or interviews of, Rich Dmitri, Geoff Thompson, Meredith Gold, Peyton Quinn, “RMCAT,” Darren Laur, Kelly McCann, Don Rearic, Mas Ayoob, Matt Thornton, Lee Aldridge, Fran Joseph, Melissa Soalt, Jason Winkle, Bill Langlois, Mark Tripp and Lyn Bates. Be advised that I don’t necessarily agree with everything you will read in these articles or the books I recommended. Some of this material will be contradictory; I’m not trying to confine you to any particular viewpoint (yet).
Karl Spaulding is a non-degree graduate student of violence and can be reached for comment at [email protected].
