Diamond Defense Podcast: Ep. 07 – Demystifying Self-Defense Training

Think self-defense is only for the strong or the fearless? Think again. In this episode, Lisa breaks down reality-based training, martial arts options, and the truth about awareness, boundaries, and using your voice as your first weapon. Perfect for anyone ready to feel safer, more grounded, and more confident — no matter your size, age, or starting point.

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Show Notes
Co-Host and Co-Producer: Lisa
Co-Host and Co-Producer: Kellie

Special Thanks
Ann Cobb, Kelley Ogden

Music
Music courtesy of Melodie Music.
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Title: Fighter; Composer: Christy Panchal
https://melod.ie/track-details/3300-fighter 

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Transcript

Theme Music: I am a fighter. Checking my armor. I'm marching onward. Hey Hey. I am a fighter, storming the desert…

Kellie: Welcome back to the Diamond Defense Podcast. I'm Kellie.

Lisa: And I'm Lisa.

Kellie: And Lisa, I've been looking forward to this episode. You are a self-defense expert, and you are going to give us insight into kind of behind the scenes in different self-defense training, right?

Lisa: Yeah, I think, uh, I hear a lot of folks talk about wanting to do self-defense training and not really knowing where to start. 'Cause there's just so many different options. It can be a little bit overwhelming, um, between, you know, all the different types of martial arts, uh, boxing gyms, kickboxing classes, workshops, seminars, um, there's a lot out there. So I thought we would just, uh, take an episode and kind of try and just talk through some of it, demystify it a little bit, make it a little more accessible for folks to understand, uh, what maybe is right for them, uh, and how to, how to, um, sort of approach that.

Lisa: All right. Um, girl, let's get into it. So, you know, I think that there's so many options out there. Uh, I think that, uh, so many women get overwhelmed by all of the options. I hear a lot of women basically say. Eh, I don't, I don't know if I belong in that world. I am not... I don't think I'm fit enough to do self-defense training. I don't think I'm strong enough. I don't think I'm aggressive enough. I am, you know, maybe I'm a peaceful person. I like, that's my paradigm, that's my vibe. I... I don't know if I wanna hit things. All of that sorts of stuff. And it's all incredibly valid. And I'm here to just talk it through with everybody and sort of, like I said, demystify what self-defense really means.

Lisa: How to find what's right for you. You know, we're gonna talk about who self-defense is for, and hint, it's for everyone. You know, even the women who, I'll say, I hear from students a lot, like, I didn't think I belonged in this world. I didn't think that there was a place for me, this is, uh, an arena that I've never felt like I was entitled to be a part of, or able to be a part of or, or could engage with.

Lisa: And I get it, you know, I felt the same way until I got into it. You know, power looks a certain way, it sounds a certain way. Maybe you don't see yourself in it. Maybe, maybe you've taken, uh, like one of those 90 minute self-defense seminars and maybe the instructor rubbed you wrong, or maybe it was a little too aggressive for you.

Lisa: Maybe it felt like a male space, and you didn't feel comfortable there. And everything is incredibly valid and I get it. But the truth is you do belong here. You have, if you have a voice, you have instincts, you have inner power. Self-defense is just the space where those parts of you get to come home.

Lisa: They get to come out; they get to be looked at and talked to and engaged with for that time. When you are in that training space, we all have those things within us, so it's just a matter of discovering that, right? You don't have to change who you are to fit into a self-defense space. It's about discovering that you already have everything that you need to belong here in your own power.

Kellie: I like that. You used the word engaged and the one class I took from you, it's really about engaging with taking over, controlling your personal safety. That really kind of starts that process, at least in my experience. So, engagement I think is in key in protecting yourself.

Lisa: Absolutely. It's really easy for us to look the other way, right? And it's the same thing that I talked about in a previous episode where the idea that if I don't look at danger, danger won't see me. And that just couldn't be farther from the truth. So, it's a matter of looking at it and saying, you know, it's a terrible fact. This shit does happen to women. Women get attacked all the time.

Lisa: And just because I maybe don't wanna believe that that sort of thing could ever happen to me, I don't wanna give that energy, which is another thing I hear a lot. Um. Especially students say, I... I didn't wanna give it that energy. I felt that if I came into a self-defense space and I, and I engaged with self-defense training, that I was putting energy towards that and maybe something would happen.

Lisa: And what they find when they engage in that space is that now I just feel so much more empowered. Like I have options. Like I don't have to hide my head in the sand. Like I don't have to look the other way. I don't have to pretend that these things would never happen to me. God forbid. We hope it never does.

Lisa: It's the same reason we wear seatbelt. You never wanna be in a car accident, but if you are, you better fucking have that seatbelt on. Right. So, I think there's, all of that is incredibly valid. I recently, just as a perfect exemplification of this, I just recently taught a class to a, um, a widow support group.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: And this was a group of widows who had, um, just sort of come together. There was a, a, a couple of few of them who had lost their husbands. They came together to commiserate. And that has, and it has grown. And one of them had mentioned that she was interested in doing some self-defense training. And she somehow found her way to me and they booked me to come in and teach a class.

So, the group is probably about, I'm gonna guesstimate about 20, 20 people and about half of them were willing to take the class and the other half was not for their own reasons, all valid. So, we're... I'm working with these 10 women who decided to take the class and there is a space of vulnerability that we exist in when we are in grief or we are in loss, that is so incredibly deep and so disempowering, right?

Lisa: You don't feel like you have any control over anything when that sort of stuff happens. And I could see it and I could feel it from them and I could see it in their faces, and I could see it in their hesitancy and as I worked with them because I kind of specialize in working with women who have never had any training before.

Lisa: And so, as I started to work with them, the initial strikes that we did were very tentative. You know, I'm standing on the other side of that pad, I'm holding that pad for them. And what's coming at... at that pad is a tap. Okay. It's like a tap. At best, they're just making contact with the pad, and sometimes that's exactly where we have to start.

Lisa: Your body just has to understand what it's like to make a fist and connect that fist with another object. Okay. And so that's where we started. Now, a lot happened in the three hours that we were together. A lot of... of mutual support, a lot of rooting for each other, a lot of empowerment, lots of learning, lots of engagement.

Lisa: And there was one of them, and she was this tiny little thing. I mean, I, you know, I'm not, I'm a short woman. I'm, and she was, uh, smaller than me. And she was, again, she was the, the tap. You know, she was like just trying to connect her fist with a thing, and she said to me, "I, I've never hit anything before. I don't, I don't know what to do."

Lisa: By the end of that class, Kellie, she was punching that pad and yelling, "No," and feeling her power. And it was just the most amazing experience, I think for myself, for sure. For her, absolutely. For every other woman in that class to watch her journey and to see her get to that place where she was. I mean, it was amazing.

Lisa: It was so beautiful to watch, and these are women who did not feel like they had a place in this world. And they found out that they do.

Kellie: Wow. I love that. So, there is a place for each one of us in, well, I think of the world, but in self-defense specifically, and you're gonna demystify that. And it sounds like, at least for this group, demystifying the self-defense started with a tap and it started with just starting.

Kellie: When people think of self-defense, some people think punching and kicking, other people think weaponry.

Lisa: Mm-hmm.

Kellie: Other people think, oh, that's just not for me. This is part of what we're talking about, demystifying it. So, where's the first step?

Lisa: I think the first step is the mindset, the understanding that self-defense is not about fighting. Self-defense is about options. We all, every single one of us, no matter our size, our age, our ability or what have you, we all have options that we can use in our self-defense. And it's really a matter of just discovering which options are right for you. Right? Because self-defense is about, I mean, it... it starts with the awareness.

Lisa: Just like we started with this podcast. First episode is on awareness, right? And so, it starts with awareness. Talking about boundary setting, um, talking about assertiveness. Physical defense is actually the last resort of self-defense. And we train in physical defense, of course we do. But if you are only training physical defense, you're missing 90% of what self-defense really is.

Lisa: It's that, like I said, it's the awareness, it's the understanding of your situation. It's the having the confidence to go forth confidently in the world, or if you don't have the confidence, fake it until you make it. It's about understanding how you present to the world, understanding what red flags you can look for when you're dealing with other people.

Lisa: We went through a lot of red flags in our last episode. We talked a lot about, about your dating experiences and some of those red flags along the way. That's self-defense. Learning those things and knowing how to deal with them and knowing how to address them. You know, the first course that I teach at my studio is a prevention course.

Lisa: It's called risk reduction.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: Because nine times outta 10 Kellie, if we can recognize and avoid the threat, then we never have to fight. We never have to use that physical defense. So that's where it starts. I think it's just understanding that by saying, I wanna do self-defense training. You, you know, you don't have to be like Ms. Incredibly Fit who goes to the gym, you know, every day or three times a week even, or you know, any of that. You just have to want to understand what your options are.

Kellie: I like that you said risk reduction. And it reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from my youth, from "Karate Kid" when Mr. Miyagi is teaching his young pupil and the young pupil's like, "Well, why do you do karate if it's not to fight?"

Kellie: And I think Mr. Miyagi says something like, "So I don't have to fight."

Lisa: That's exactly right.

Kellie: So, the risk reduction eliminates, not eliminates, but maybe mitigates some need to do some of that.

Lisa: Yeah. Now Mr. Miyagi was a badass and so he just knew that he had all those skills. He wouldn't have to use 'em. Yeah.

Kellie: Well, you're a badass, too.

Lisa: Well, you're... you're sweet.

Kellie: You're a badass. too, and you're gonna share some of your badassery with us and knowledge so we don't maybe have to fight.

Lisa: I'm gonna give it a shot. You know, I think that it's a really enlightening thing to think about the first weapon that we have. So, we talk about the weapons and targets of the body. The self-defense, um, program that I teach focuses on weapon-to-target mindsets. We all have weapons on our body. We all have targets on our body. It's all about how to get a weapon into a target. But the very first weapon that we teach, and we talk about and we use is our voice. And I think people don't sometimes understand how effective a tool that is, how accessible that is.

Lisa: I could tell two dozen stories plus of students who have used their voices successfully. And so, your first weapon being your voice is a really important thing to learn and to think about as well, again, right? It's not about fighting; it's about deterring an attack. It's about stopping it before it starts, before it becomes something that you have to deal with.

Lisa: I just had a student the other day who had only taken the risk reduction course. She had not taken the physical defense yet, and she had come back to take the physical defense course. But she told me, you know, "I thought that risk reduction course. I thought, oh, this is just a prereq that I've gotta get through, you know, so that I can take the physical defense."

Lisa: But that, you know, that's where the real meat is, right? So, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna take this hour class, I'm gonna get through this, and then, you know, I'll learn the real stuff. Well, she says, you know, last weekend, uh, her, her husband travels a lot for work, and he was gone and there was a knock at her door and there were two men standing at the door.

Lisa: And they basically told her that, uh, they were there to deal with the... I think it was a water issue or a... or a gas issue, something like that, was like a utility situation. And she said, well, I didn't. I didn't call that in. I didn't, you know, and they didn't initially start by saying, Hey, your landlord contacted us and asked us to come over here and take a look at this situation.

Lisa: They just said, Hey, we're here to look at the... I think it was the gas, you know, we're here to look at this. She said, oh, well I didn't, I didn't call that in. I didn't, there's, you know, we're fine. We don't have any issues. Then they may move to, oh, well you, your landlord called that in. Your landlord called that in.

Lisa: She said, and red flags were going off. You know, all the stuff we had talked about in class sort of started coming up for me in this moment. And she says, and I'm a very accommodating type of person and I don't like to say no, and I don't like conflict. She said, but in that moment, I kept remembering what we talked about in class, how my voice is a weapon, how I can ask for what I need, and how I can assert myself and how a lot of times that's gonna stop anything from happening, from going further to a place where you do have to use the physical defense.

Lisa: And she says, you know, I'm looking at these guys and I'm thinking about this. And I said, you know, I don't, I don't know what my landlord called in about, but I don't have any problem. You know, so we're good. And just as I did that, they both started to step their feet into my doorway and said, well, we'll just go ahead and come in and take a look then.

Lisa: And she said me two weeks ago, before I had taken that class, would've stood aside and let them walk in that door because I didn't wanna say no, I didn't understand my power, I didn't want conflict. And she said, I looked at them both and I stood my ground and I said, “NO, you will NOT come into my house.”

Lisa: She said, and I think it kind of startled all of us for a second, and I closed the door. I watched them walk away.

Kellie: Good.

Lisa: And she's like, and you know, then of course I talked, I called my landlord and my landlord said, absolutely not. I didn't call anything in, she says, so I don't know what I just avoided, but it was some trouble that I was not interested in.

Lisa: And because she had taken that one class and learned about her voice being her tool, she was able to do that. So, I wanna start there. That's where we're, that's where I'm starting, is with that sentiment to let folks know that, you know, this stuff is 90% awareness, risk reduction, not physical defense.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: Okay. But for that one-time outta 10.

Kellie: Oh no.

Lisa: That we do have to use the physical defense. We're gonna talk about what's out there.

Kellie: So how many different kinds of physical defense are there?

Lisa: A ton. So many. It's a wonderful, it's wonderful that there's so much, but it is a little overwhelming, right? So once someone kinda understands that they are interested in doing physical defense. Once you get to that place, whether you've taken, uh, an awareness or a risk reduction seminar, what have you, you wanna jump right in, whatever it is. Once you kind of get to that place you have to determine what's right for you. Right? So, we're gonna talk about some of the different options out there.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: And so, the first thing I wanna start with, Kellie, is the class that you have taken, which is a reality based system.

Kellie: It was reality based? I know I said no a lot, and I yelled.

Lisa: You did.

Kellie: And I did some physical moves, like with, I backed up, put my hands up, and I yelled, no.

Lisa: Yes, you did. Because why? You were using your voice as your first weapon.

Kellie: Yeah.

Lisa: Right? So, reality based systems, that's what I teach. These are systems that are rooted in real world scenarios, like being followed, being grabbed, being cornered. They don't utilize sport or tradition. Like some of the other things that I'm gonna talk about.

Lisa: Um, the, what I teach in love is called R.A.D. R.A.D., it stands for Rape, Aggression, Defense. It's kind of evolved far beyond that. So, we focus on safety, awareness, empowerment, and physical defense. It's, uh, sort of all encompassing, you know, systems like this and, and others are usually, like I said, influenced by multiple martial arts.

Lisa: So, my system is influenced a lot by Judo. And there's others that are influenced by boxing or Jiu Jitsu and they're simplified for real life use. So, the system that I teach was developed by a gentleman named Lawrence Nadeau. He's out of Virginia. He was a campus police officer, got really sick and tired of seeing women on his campus getting assaulted, tried to get them to take martial arts 'cause he's a martial artist, wanted to teach them what he knew. Quickly realized that they didn't have the time to do that. Um, you know, we're busy people and a lot of us, unless you are a practicing martial artist, don't have time or ability or energy to devote to learning an entire art form like that. Uh, and so what he decided to do was try to develop a system for women that could be taught easily, that the techniques were easily employable and that they were appropriate for all bodies and abilities, right?

Lisa: That there were options for everybody in there. So maybe this particular strike doesn't feel good to your body, but this other strike does. Maybe somebody else really likes that first strike and they don't like the second strike. There are different options for different people. And so, he developed this system called R.A.D., um, and he brought in, uh, a woman named Kathy Wright, who still is, uh, the program director. And she, uh, does just amazing work with this program around the country. It's the most accessible women's self-defense program in the country. And so, I took this class myself and I fell in love with it immediately, and I, because I did not, I was a theater artist. I didn't think I had a place in the self-defense world.

Kellie: You got a voice as a theater artist, you have a voice in self-defense, so...

Lisa: that's right! Exactly. And I just took a class 'cause it was accessible to me through my workplace. And so, I fell in love with it, with the empowerment that not only I got, but that I watched all of my female coworkers get as well along the way.

Lisa: Like that super lit me up. And so, I just kept taking the class over and over until I decided to teach it. 'Cause my instructor was like, you could teach this by now. So, um, so I got certified to teach that and that's what I work in. It's trauma informed, it's research backed, it's designed specifically for women.

Lisa: Like I said, all bodies, all abilities. You don't need any prior experience. You don't, there's no fitness requirement. Um, it's very emotionally safe. It's self-paced learning. And it's empowerment based, not aggression based. Right. Which I think is very important. If you have a body and you can move, you can do this, and there are gonna be options here for you.

Lisa: And there are some schools of thought that I honor, I understand where they come from. I disagree respectfully. There are some folks who say that women's self-defense seminars, uh, are bad.

Kellie: Why are they bad?

Lisa: Because they, and a lot of the folks who feel this way, and again, I, I honor their experience and I understand where they're coming from, but a lot of the folks who feel this way are people who are actually either martial artists themselves or have, have had some sort of, or are involved in a tactical self-defense training arena. Okay. They've got military training; they've got law enforcement training. They, they, they live in this arena. And their... their, from what I understand, their position on this is that if you take a woman and you put her in a self-defense seminar, whether it's 90 minutes, three hours, three days, whatever it is, uh, and, and she takes that seminar and then she goes away, that there's a false sense of confidence, okay?

Lisa: That you have taken this seminar. And so then you just think you know everything about how to defend yourself, and you go out into the world and you make stupid choices or you get into bad situations or what have you because you just think that you have these skills now and you can just fight back and defend yourself.

Lisa: And again, respectfully disagree with that. I think that these programs are incredibly important for women because what happens. Is that we understand that we have power when we do those things. Now, whether we can we, I encourage and require of my students that they practice, some programs do not. You can go into a martial art studio, you can go into a Taekwondo studio or a Karate studio or what have you, and you might have somebody who says, I'm gonna do a, you know, a two hour women's self-defense seminar on a Saturday.

Lisa: And then you go to that seminar, and you take that seminar and then you walk away and you never practice. You just think, I learned how to do these things that afternoon, so now my body knows how to do these things, so I'm good. Right? Absolutely not. You'll have to continue to engage with it. It's just like a sport.

Lisa: You can't walk onto a basketball court, shoot some baskets, leave, and then forever always be able to think you can walk onto that court and make baskets. You have to practice, you have to get it in your body. You have to build muscle memory. All of that is super important. And to me, places like this, like these reality-based systems or women's self-defense seminars, they, that's where you start, that's where that fire can get lit.

Lisa: That's where you start to understand that you have options. That's a place of discovery, not a finality. You don't go to that and then you stop. You go to that and then you engage. And as I say, that's... that's the start of your self-defense journey. And our self-defense journey is lifelong. And we can take any number of different types of classes or seminars or what have you, but we should always be engaged in that.

Lisa: I think they are a place of discovery. I think they open doors for people, and I think that they're super important.

Kellie: Even if for some reason, that's the only time somebody engages with self-defense, knowledge, and practice, they know more than they did before.

Lisa: That's exactly right. Just because you are not an incredibly accomplished martial artist or that that's not what you're seeking when you walk outta that class, doesn't mean that you didn't learn things that aren't gonna serve you well.

Kellie: Exactly. I took a gun safety class not too long ago with friends.

Lisa: Mm-hmm.

Kellie: And it was one time. I plan to go back. Now, do I think I'm a marksman shooter or whatever you wanna say. No, but I understand enough about gun safety on definitely don't do this. Definitely don't do this. And how to handle it even more safely than I did before I took it. So that was one class. I have some knowledge, I know that I'm not gonna go out and, you know, handle a gun easily.

Lisa: Yeah. But you know more than you did when you walked in. Any, any knowledge is good knowledge in my book. So, what I do at, at my studio is I've created, I always, I've been telling my students for years to practice, practice, practice, you gotta build muscle memory. You gotta, you know, keep your skills brushed up. And what I finally realized is if you leave that to them and you don't provide a space for that; the chances are less that that's actually gonna happen. So, what I think we're getting right, hopefully, a little bit over at Diamond Defense, is that we created a class. Now, it's called the Defend: Ready class, and you have to have taken the physical defense classes. But what we do in our Defend: Ready class is drill. We take your techniques, we put... put them into combos, we drill those combos, so it becomes more real-world scenario. You know, when you're taking a... a reality-based system, you learn how to do a hand strike, or you learn how to do a palm strike or a knee strike, or a sweep kick, or what have you.

Lisa: You learn that technique and you drill that technique in class to make sure you're doing it right. But what we don't have the opportunity to do in class is like take those techniques and put them together and drill them in combos so that your body knows what it's like to go from one thing to another, because that's what real life is.

Lisa: You know, you can't just keep doing the same strike on somebody if you're in a real-world scenario, right? So, we do a hand strike and then a block and then a kick or what have you. We put 'em together in combos. We put 'em together in drills. I've got... I hold several of those classes a week. Uh, my students come in, and they keep their skills brushed up, they keep 'em strong.

Lisa: They understand more each time how their body works. Most importantly, they are building that muscle memory. 'Cause it's just like a sport, just like playing an instrument. When we have that muscle memory, we have to think less about it, should we have our need to use it. And so that to me is probably the most important class I teach.

Lisa: I mean, obviously teaching, you know, teaching the techniques is important, but the women who come and take the Defend: Ready class understand the building of that muscle memory. I think we're getting that right and I encourage everyone to, to do that. But say you've taken that or maybe you want something a little different, uh, you wanna kind of know what's out there.

Lisa: We are gonna talk about, like I said, this reality-based systems, like the one I teach, they pull from things, right? So, my system was developed a lot with Judo, a little bit with Hapkido. Um, so I kind of roll Hapkido into it 'cause that's what I trained as a martial artist. Um, so they pull from different things.

Lisa: So, I wanted to kind of talk about all the, the source material here, right? What are, what are the things that they pull from? Um, how do we know what's right for us? What, what do all of these things mean? What do they teach? What are the philosophies behind them? We, we don't, we don't have time to do, uh, an entire episode about each of them.

Lisa: Unfortunately. Anybody wants that, let us know. Happy to do that. So, we're gonna talk a little bit about a lot of things. Okay. And just sort of demystify things just a bit.

Kellie: So, I'm excited. Okay. Tell us, tell us about the other kinds.

Lisa: What we're gonna start with, uh, we're gonna start with the grappling, arts.

Kellie: Grappling?

Lisa: Grappling arts. So those are things like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Hapkido, kind of Aikido as well. Then we're gonna go into the striking arts. We're gonna look at some of the traditional forms like Karate and Taekwondo, and we're gonna look at sort of the more modern sport versions of those things like Muay Thai and kickboxing.

Lisa: We're gonna talk about good old-fashioned boxing. Um, so we're gonna look at all these things. All right. So, these are the styles that people most think of when they picture a martial art. We're just gonna start, like I said, with the grappling arts. So, let's talk about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: Just also known as BJJ.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: For those who don't wanna, who can or don't wanna spell it. And uh, and that's a funny acronym, but

Kellie: I'm giggling right now for those who can't see. I'm visually giggling for Lisa.

Lisa: She is. She is. Because–

Kellie: I have the mind of a 14-year-old boy and other people may too, but we will just get past that and we'll own it. So, tell us about BJJ.

Lisa: BJJ. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. So, uh, like I said, it's a grappling art. It's basically ground grappling. Okay. As compared to Judo, which we'll talk about in a second, which is what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu derived from, which is more of a standing grappling. Um, BJJ is a ground grappling form, so it teaches you how to control or escape from someone who's same size or bigger than you using things like leverage, angles, timing, it means “The Gentle Art”. All right? So, so many assaults do end up on the ground. And so that's where this comes in handy, right? Because it does teach you how to deal with ground, uh, conflict. I guess if we're talking about whether this is right for you, who might be interested in this, who might engage with this, it is very physically demanding.

Lisa: This particular one. Um, you know, it's a lot of, um, sort of like I said, that ground grappling, that close contact with partners. You're gonna sweat, you're gonna, um, engage your body, every muscle of your body in these scenarios, so, so it is physically demanding, but the great thing about it is that you learn firsthand that size and strength can absolutely be overcome by knowledge and skill.

Kellie: Nice.

Lisa: Though, one of the people that I know and love that practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my Master, my martial arts Master. She's a Hapkido master, um, specifically Kuk Sool Mu Ye. Uh, and she also is, she's training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with a local team called Team Maxwell. Um, I'm not gonna shout a lot of people out because if I, if I don't know you or haven't met you, I haven't engaged in your studio or your classes, I'm not shouting anyone out.

Lisa: But the fact that my Master trains with these folks means they're good people and they're doing good work. So, Team Maxwell, for anybody in Sacramento, Team Maxwell, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it's on Sutterville, it's part of the Sacramento Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Martial Arts Academy. Uh, they're wonderful. So, if you're interested in that, feel free to... to hit them up.

Lisa: Uh, you know, the, the great thing about this stuff is that it's, it's of the knowledge beats muscle mindset, right? So, my master is four, she's not five foot, she's maybe 4'10", 4'11". She's a tiny woman. And... I, and she takes down six foot plus 200-pound men.

Kellie: Hell yeah.

Lisa: This is a great form. It does require dedication in order to master the skills. This is something you cannot go into one time or two times or three times and learn some moves and then be done. A lot of these martial arts are exactly that way. But this one specifically requires, uh–

Kellie: Commitment, dedication, and commitment.

Lisa: Dedication, time. Commitment. Yeah, exactly. All right. But if you like a physical challenge and you wanna get into something, this is great.

Lisa: So, if that is the ground game, if the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the ground game, what it came from, which is Judo is all about balance and throws. So, Judo is Japanese and it means “The Gentle Way”. And it focuses on throws and balance. So how to off-center your opponent, how to use their own force to your advantage.

Lisa: It's you learn how to fall, which is great. That's one of the great things about Judo because surprisingly we need that in everyday life as well. You learn how to fall; it is a full body workout. You do engage all of your muscles, but it's definitely more structured and little less intense than Jiu Jitsu. In terms of the, the groundwork that happens there, it's for women who wanna understand movement, momentum, redirection of power without strength. It's great. It's perfect.

Kellie: I wish I had taken this, so I knew how to fall when I broke my arm. So.

Lisa: Aw, yes.

Kellie: Maybe that would've helped me. But also, you think about self-defense situations that might require you to use something like this, knowing how to fall, because that might come into play in a situation like this. So, I think that's just a interesting detail that I had never thought about in self-defense training.

Lisa: Yeah, you get taken to the ground, you don't wanna hurt yourself going down.

Kellie: No. You wanna hurt them, but.

Lisa: That's right. So, Judo is wonderful and it does require structured practice, but like I said, it's a little less intense than Jiu Jitsu. It's great for under just understanding body mechanics and control. And, um, so it's a fitness level would be moderate. Moving on from Japan, let's hop over to Korea.

Kellie: I love that we're traveling while we're doing this, too.

Lisa: We're gonna travel. Absolutely. So, a similar philosophy evolved in a... a bit more dynamic way with Hapkido. So Hapkido is a Korean art that means “The Way of Coordinating Energy”.

Kellie: Ooh, I like that.

Lisa: Yeah. And this is what I trained, so I'm a little bit partial to it. It blends, uh, strikes, joint locks, and throws. So, you do learn how to fall here as well. But it's super adaptable. Like I said, I train Kuk Sool Mu Ye there are different types of ha... Hapkido disciplines. Um, some focus more on self-defense, some focus more on traditional and where I trained, uh, sorry. Absolutely gonna shout them out 'cause I think they're just the best dojang in the area, which is KSMY, KSMY Martial Arts. They are sort of a perfect blending of the two I think in terms of the, the self-defense and the traditional, it, it's really well integrated in the dojang and the way that, that they teach.

Lisa: You know, Hapkido, the great thing about Hapkido is that it's a, it's a little bit of everything, and so it's kind of encompasses all of Korea's traditional fighting arts. Um, specifically at KSMY, they're teaching about things like health and fitness. Right. How does using these techniques training in this discipline help keep your body fit and help keep your mind healthy?

Lisa: Uh, they teach traditional forms. It teaches balance and flexibility, right? So, we've got to learn balance if we need to be able to defend ourselves, that's our first line of defense is being able to have good balance. Um. They teach confidence, right? And the confidence that learning this stuff can impart in us is absolutely invaluable.

Lisa: They're teaching self-discipline, making sure that you are practicing your techniques, um, making time for that. I talked about they do grappling and throwing as well, right? Um, self-defense, practical self-defense. They're gonna be addressing that. You've got tumbling and falling. Like I said, we learn how to fall here as well.

Lisa: They also, the great thing about Hapkido is that they teach traditional weapons, right? So, things like staff and fans and, um, all sorts of those, those traditional fighting weapons. When you get to a certain belt level, uh, you get to participate in that, and you get to train with those. The joint locking is sort of the mainstay, uh, of Hapkido and it is fabulous in terms of, like I said, being able to use leverage. Pressure point techniques, a lot of those joint locks do also encompass the pressure point techniques. They also teach things like Ki Breathing, which is wonderful to integrate the, the breath and the body and sort of center ourselves and, and understand our, our energy and where that's at. Um, and then of course, kicking and hand striking.

Lisa: It's all about circular motion. Okay. And it was kind of influenced by Aikido, which we'll talk about in a second as well. But instead of meeting force with force, it's all about redirecting the force, which makes it super great for small people like me, like my Master who runs that dojang. And like I said, is not five foot and could take down pretty much anyone she wanted to.

Kellie: I love that.

Lisa: It's pretty badass. She's, she's the, you've called me a badass. She's the true badass. She is the badass that we all aspire to be.

Kellie: You're the chip off the badass.

Lisa: I... I love her. So, her name is Ma'am My Callison. And again, she runs KSMY martial arts. Uh, so Hapkido in terms of fitness, uh, needs. It can range from gentle to intense. It depends on how you wanna engage with it. The joint locks definitely are gonna require some precision and some control, but not necessarily muscle. Right? You don't have to be muscle bound to do these throws. That's why she can do these throws on much larger people.

Lisa: Um, because it's all about the, the, the lock itself and the leverage, right? And it... so if you want like a little bit of everything, it's got the strikes. So you learn hand strikes, you learn kicks. It's got the grappling, it's got, um, a full range of techniques that are used to either lock or throw people. So, it's adaptable.

Lisa: And schools are gonna vary on this one, like I said, from traditional to practical self-defense. So, it's just kind of about finding the right place for you. Um, and yeah, it's, it's, it's my favorite. Where, all right, so. I'm a little biased there. Yeah.

Kellie: That is so cool. I will shout out. I actually, the self-defense class I took from you was out of that studio that you mentioned.

Lisa: That's right.

Kellie: And it's a pretty cool studio. So, if you're in the area and you're looking for something that's really cool and a really beautiful area of town, I, I shout it out, too.

Lisa: Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. I love that studio. It's... it's a beautiful place with wonderful energy. So that circular motion, redirection-based approach that we talked about with Hapkido is also the heart of Aikido.

Lisa: Okay. And these are the, the parts that actually inspired some of Hapkido, so Aikido is also Japanese. And it means the way of harmonious spirit, which I love as well. So, Aikido emphasizes things like harmony and control using smooth circular motions. And it's all about redirecting an attacker's energy. Aikido is not necessarily a quote unquote self-defense discipline.

Lisa: Okay. It's very graceful. In a lot of schools, it can be deeply philosophical. So, depending on how or where you train it, it may not translate directly into self-defense. Um, because a lot of Aikido does focus on forms. Rather than resistance. But it is an excellent way to just build body awareness, work on your balance, work on staying calm, under pressure, things like that.

Lisa: It can be a really empowering gateway into other things. So, if you are someone who thinks, you know, I'm a gentle soul, I don't know that I belong in this, in this world, Aikido might be a great place for you to start.

Kellie: I like that.

Lisa: You know, it's great entry point for people who maybe are seeking mindfulness connection to movement if they kind of wanna start there to just get in touch with their body.

Lisa: So, from Aikido’s flow and philosophy, we're gonna take a little left turn into the striking arts.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: So, systems like, um, like Karate. Like, like Karate Kid.

Kellie: Mr. Miyagi.

Lisa: Exactly. Karate, Taekwondo, uh, things like that that emphasize form, discipline and striking. Usually so often, these are the most visible options when people start searching for classes, you know, they're gonna find Karate schools, they're gonna find Taekwondo schools, things like that.

Lisa: So, we're just gonna say a quick word about each of these disciplines. So, Karate is also Japanese. It means empty hand, right? Because it was developed during a time when weapons were forbidden. It's one of the... obviously most well-known martial arts. It focuses on strikes, punches, blocks, kicks, and it's all taught in a very structured way.

Lisa: It's like strong fundamentals. Um, you know, in terms of just building things like balance, coordination, discipline, that sort of stuff. You're gonna learn how to move with intention. You're gonna learn how to generate power, how to stay calm under pressure. And, uh, a lot of schools are gonna teach you. And now most martial arts schools have an aspect of this, but they're gonna teach respect. They're gonna teach focus, um, you know, personal development, these sorts of things, as we all saw in Karate Kid.

Kellie: Right.

Lisa: Can be transformative, especially for kids and teens. Uh, but it's great for adults, too. And the only limitation to Karate, I would say, is that it, in terms of it being a self-defense option, is that it usually is taught as a traditional art form or a sport as not always, uh, as modern self-defense or as we think about it now, some dojos are definitely gonna adapt their training to real world application. But some are gonna focus more on the traditional things like forms or katas, belt progression, you know, stuff like that, which is really fun. But belt progressions are really fun. Um, but it may be... it's not going to be a sort of immediate, practical self-defense option. Um, fitness-wise, it's super adaptable.

Lisa: All levels really. Anybody can walk into a dojo and find something, you are gonna be able to find something. Now, are you gonna be able to advance all the way to a, a black belt? Maybe, maybe not. But are you gonna learn if you do a belt progression, if you go from a white belt and maybe you get two belt progressions, are you gonna learn a lot?

] Lisa: Yeah, you are. Is your body gonna change? Are your body mechanics gonna change? Is the way you move, gonna change and engage with the world gonna change? Yeah, absolutely it is.

Kellie: Well, it's gonna be beneficial? I, I just on so many levels, just as a human being, let alone any self-defense benefits.

Lisa: Yeah. And I think a lot of people get really, um, daunted by Karate because they're like, well, I'm not a, you know, I can't be a black belt. That's okay. Most of us can't.

Kellie: You don't know until you try.

Lisa: That's true. That's exactly right. So, let's move over. So, from Karate, let's move over to another sort of traditional martial art that we hear a lot about, which is Taekwondo. So, Taekwondo is, uh, Korean. It's another striking art. Uh, it's really known for its kicks.

Lisa: Uh, the kicks are amazing. Watching somebody, you know, um, kick something directly in front of them, but four feet in the air is really cool to watch. Really cool to be able to do. But Taekwondo literally means the art of kicking and punching.

Kellie: I did not know that.

Lisa: It's fast paced usually. Lots of energy, great cardio, great for flexibility, right? Because you have to build your flexibility to be able to do those kicks, so you're building legs, strength, you know, it's also because it's a traditional martial art. You're also gonna have the same stuff in karate in terms of it's gonna teach you discipline, respect, um, the self-development, the perseverance. It's usually a really supportive environment. Now, the reason it's usually a super supportive environment is also a reason why some people might not wanna engage with it, but it's a consideration. It's just very sport oriented. Okay, so. If you're not into it as a sport and uh, you kind of just want to practice it, that's okay.

Lisa: You just would have to sort of find an instructor who emphasizes the practical application alongside the athletic side. So, if you don't wanna go to a tournament, if you don't wanna compete, you're just gonna look for a place that doesn't emphasize that as much. That also teaches that real world

Kellie: Nice.

Lisa: But for things like confidence, coordination, body awareness, body mechanics, Taekwondo is super fun, super empowering.

Kellie: So, is there any benefit or not benefit to dabbling in all of these and taking a little bit from each and incorporating them? Or should we prescribe ourselves to one system for continuity? I mean, I don't know how, is there any kind of thought on that?

Lisa: There is only benefit from engaging in any martial art, whether you decide to take, if you're someone who wants to sort of take a sample and take one class here, take one class there, see what fits, what works for you. That's a great idea. Like I said, my Hapkido Master is going to a Jiu Jitsu studio and learning Jiu Jitsu, so absolutely no limitations on that. Engage with multiple of these if you want.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: If, if they speak to you.

Kellie: So, you don't have to be a purist like, oh, I started in Taekwondo and that's all I can do to be really good.

Lisa: No.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: You know what? Some people are, some people are, some people are super dedicated to their specific art form, and that's great for them, but there's literally no downside to engaging with multiple art forms, yeah.

Kellie: Okay. So, it's not gonna like hurt form or anything like that. Okay. Good to know.

Lisa: No, no. All right. So, we talked about some, the traditional Karate, Taekwondo that might not always be self-defense focus, but can be fantastic foundations, especially if you're looking to sort of, like you said, build that confidence, that strength, body mechanics, coordination, all that sort of stuff.

Lisa: Um, if we take that structure of Karate and Taekwondo and we strip it down into something that's a little more raw, a little more athletic. We kind of go deeper into the striking arts, and we're gonna go into Muay Thai.

Kellie: More athletic than Taekwondo. Okay. Okay.

Lisa: Yes, yes. Yes. So Muay Thai is an amazing art form. It's basically kickboxing. Okay.

Kellie: Oh, no.

Lisa: It, it is known as “The Art of Eight Limbs”.

Kellie: That is so poetic.

Lisa: Well, and it's because we don't just use our two hands and our two feet. We also use our two knees and our two elbows.

Kellie: Oh, so they're considered limbs within the, the art of eight limbs.

Lisa: Yeah.

Kellie: So, when my knees, uh, with their arthritis are, are they just arthritic limbs? I don't know. But interesting. I did not know that.

Lisa: You can do a knee strike. I've seen you do a knee strike.

Kellie: Well.

Lisa: So, you've already used your knees. Yeah. So Muay Thai is a lot, it's a lot of kickboxing. It's mostly kicks, definitely punches, definitely some elbows, but they use their knees and their feet quite a lot. Okay. It's super-efficient and it is. It does require endurance, but it builds a lot of confidence. It's fast-paced, it's rhythmic, it's very empowering. But this also like Taekwondo is definitely focused on as a sport and um, doesn't cover things like situational awareness.

Kellie: Okay.

Lisa: A lot of these martial arts are not gonna cover that sort of stuff, that a reality-based self-defense program is gonna cover. Just a word on that. It's worth engaging with that. And this Muay Thai is sort of a compliment to self-defense training. Okay. So, if you get into a reality-based self-defense program and you just find like you wanna engage a little bit more. Um, maybe you find that your body's really sort of taking to this and you wanna stretch it a little bit, kind of take it to the next level. Muay Thai is a great place to do that.

Kellie: You'll literally stretch your body probably more because you're kicking and punching and very physical. Okay.

Lisa: Absolutely. It is. It is. Fitness level is, would be moderate to high, it is high intensity, but it's... it's certainly scalable. You know, for those who just want a workout and a little empowerment. Uh, Muay Thai is a wonderful place to engage.

Kellie: Cool.

Lisa: If you prefer something simpler, one of the most accessible starting points, boxing.

Kellie: Boxing!

Lisa: Right?

Kellie: Like Laila Ali, is that her name? Laila Ali.

Lisa: Yes. So, it's one of the simplest, most effective arts for anyone to start with. Okay. You learn how to move; you learn how to protect your face. Super important. You learn how to strike with precision. With power. It's great cardio, great conditioning, great stress relief, if you just wanna go punch shit after work, go take a boxing class.

Kellie: You know, during COVID, I used my Wii system and there was a boxing Wii game. And let me tell you, that was a workout, just air punching.

Lisa: Absolutely. It is. It's a great workout. And you are conditioning your body, you're conditioning your muscles to, to do those strikes and to understand that, um, it's totally scalable to your fitness level.

Kellie: Nice. Okay. Boxing.

Lisa: And you can, like you just pointed out, you can train without sparring. You don't have to be hit, and you don't have to hit people to engage with the art of boxing.

Kellie: Well, I was imaginary hitting people. There's a few, I'm not gonna lie that I would like to imaginary box.

Lisa: Well, absolutely. But, personally, I'm someone who I don't wanna be hit in the face. That's not my bag. Some people, that's their bag. They wanna get into it, they wanna get in that ring, they wanna spar, they wanna do that. You do not have to feel like you have to hit people or be hit to engage with boxing. You can use the bag, you can use the mitts, and you can still gain all of the benefits.

Kellie: That's a great point. Thank you for that.

Lisa: So, um, that's a lot.

Kellie: That's a lot.

Lisa: That's a lot of options. Right? There I'm sure a dozen more that we're not covering that. Again, if people are listening to this and they take to a certain thing and they didn't hear us talk about it, let us know. Happy to cover it.

Kellie: Yeah, engage with us.

Lisa: Anyways, those are the sort of the top-level forms and options that we wanted to talk about. So now it's like, well, I don't know what's right for me.

Kellie: What is the one thing or class or type of activity that's gonna give me the fastest, most immediate kind of results as far as in self-defense training and impact?

Lisa: Well, the most immediate, most real, realistic skills are gonna come from something like a reality-based self-defense class.

Kellie: Which is what you teach.

Lisa: You know, those things are going to, they, like I said, they've distilled things from the other martial arts to make them very accessible to all people, all bodies, all abilities. It's all about taking those things and giving you options and figuring out what's right for your body and allowing you to engage with those things.

Lisa: In my Defense Ready Class. I don't make every student drill every move or use every technique in a combo. Each student, we go, what are your go-tos? What are the things your body likes? What are the things you do well? What do you enjoy? And we use those techniques and that's how we build their combos so that you are doing things that are right for your body and you're not changing yourself to try and fit in with something else. In those, it's about figuring, discovering what's right for you, what you already have, what you can already use. So immediate skills, that's where you're going to, that's gonna be your go-to.

Kellie: Good.

Lisa: Now, if you want something a little deeper in the different options here, in terms of like we talked about sort of leverage and control systems that are good for smaller women or smaller people because they deal a lot with leverage, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Hapkido. If you are interested in building strength, building confidence through striking, then you wanna look at more Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, boxing. And if you are a gentle soul or you are drawn to a mindfulness sort of way of being something that's a little more gentle, something that feels like it has a bit of a flow to it, something just allows you an introduction to body mechanics and just sort of being in touch with your physical self, Aikido is a great place for that.

Kellie: Nice.

Lisa: Yeah. Yeah. So, like I said, I know that there are a million different things we didn't talk about, but the most important thing from any program that you're gonna engage with is to find a place where you feel safe, where you feel respected, and where you feel supported.

Lisa: Don't let anybody tell you that you have to be, you know, super strong or aggressive or fearless or you know, into fighting or conflict in order to train in self-defense, training is what sort of builds qualities. You don't have to come from that place.

Kellie: And I will personally attest to that because I took your class and I'm not the most fit person, the most agile person. And there were things that you taught me how to modify or to be able to do based on the limitations or the strengths of my body. So, I found that super accessible that there are things I can do, even not being the most fit, agile, superhuman out there.

Lisa: Absolutely. And that's my philosophy. And I'll say it a million times over. We all have options. Every fucking one of us has options that we can use in our self-defense and it's just about discovering which are right for you. Because if you were ever in a situation, God forbid, Kellie, Wolf Man hadn't left your house, for whoever listened to the last episode, and that would've gotten physical, at least you knew things like how to break a wrist grab, how to get out of a choke hold, you know, those things are just so important and they're things we can all learn. Every one of us. Everyone has options. This world is right for you. It's right for me. It's right for anyone who wants to engage in it.

Kellie: Thank you so much. You shared so much and there's so much out there, and I love that there is an option for everyone and you don't have to be tied to one option, and you can just kind of sample and see what works best for you.

Lisa: Yeah, yeah. The most important thing is just taking that first step to go, you know what? I think this is something I wanna, I wanna engage in. And then you do it and you owe it to yourself and it's the best self-care out there, right? There's no better self-care than training your body how to defend yourself, it’s kind of the penultimate in self-care.

Kellie: Right?

Lisa: So, I think, you know what's important is that we remember, like we talked about at the beginning of this episode, self-defense is very personal. And it's not about violence, it's about choice, right? Once we understand what options are right for us, then we have the ability to choose how and where we engage with those things.

Lisa: We get to walk through the world with a little less fear and a little more confidence and sort of reconnect to our own strength and power. That's already there that we haven't even tapped into yet, that we don't even know we have. Sometimes the hardest part of class for some of my students is getting them to just yell, "No."

Lisa: And once they unlock that, once they unleash that, once they understand what it's like to hit a pad, and then they do it over and they do it over and they do it over again and they start to unlock their own power, it's the most beautiful thing. Just like, um, the group that I talked about at the beginning. It's the most beautiful thing for me. It's the most beautiful thing for them. It's. It's a brilliant process to watch unfold, and I just think that whatever path you choose, whether that's martial-arts, a self-defense workshop, combination of the two, you just make sure that it feels good in your body, that it makes you feel capable and not intimidated. And like I said, that you feel respected and supported because that is what real empowerment looks like. And I think that's what... what I want everybody to take away here.

Kellie: I love that. I love the empowerment that you are giving to us in these conversations.

Lisa: Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for talking this all through with me. Thank you, listeners for, uh, continuing to tune in.

Kellie: And listeners help us get the podcast to more ears. We want women like you to be safe out there. That's why we're doing this podcast. So please like and subscribe and share it with a friend. Share it with a neighbor, your aunt, your sister, whoever you want to be safe. And if you have a story to share, email us at DiamondDefensePodcast@gmail.com. We want to share your story. Some of our episodes have stories, some are more information based, but all of them have the end goal of watching out for your safety. And speaking of watching out, watch out for motherfuckers.

Lisa: And shine on, Diamonds.

Theme Music: I am a fighter. Checking my armor. I'm marching onward. Hey Hey. I am a fighter, storming the desert…