We are all mechanics

We Are All Mechanics is an organization in Madison, WI that for over ten years has been teaching women-focused classes in bicycle maintenance. They believe that women can learn the technical skills required to maintain and repair a bicycle, despite the fact that such work is traditionally the province of men. If you’re going to own and ride a bicycle, knowing how to change tires and adjust gears and grease bearings is a good idea[1].

IMPACT Chicago feels the same way about the body that you walk around with every day. For women, simply walking around in the world involves a degree of unavoidable risk; just as it’s not possible to ride a bicycle without risking the occasional flat tire. While self-defense skills are traditionally thought of as men’s skills, women can learn those skills just as they can learn to change a bicycle tire. Graduates of our Core class report that IMPACT’s state-dependent learning approach to self-defense training makes the skills something that they remember when they need them, regardless of when they took the class – Just like riding a bicycle.

Mark Nessel, IMPACT Chicago Suited Instructor


[1] Learn more about We Are All Mechanics at www.weareallmechanics.com

That Next Woman Taking a Stand for a Cat Needs to Be Me

My friend Suzie measured just under five feet. She referred to her size often and joked about it. When we talked about the limitations and advantages of her height, she told me she had been anxious about it most of her life until she took IMPACT. IMPACT? That was the first time I heard mention of it.  Suzie cared about me and hoped I’d sign up for the class, but I had many reasons not to at the time: I was a cash-strapped student; I struggled to make ends meet after college; I worked on weekends.

One day, Suzie and I were out walking and talking. We heard a yowl and a yell, and some expletives. I shrank back. But Suzie became super alert. Her eyes searched the block. She seemed even more present and physical than usual.

We spotted the source of the commotion in the next front yard: someone was holding down a cat on its back, by its neck. “HEY! STOP THAT” This surprising voice, this call to interrupt came from Suzie. A force stood next to me! “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” Suzie wasn’t letting up. Shocked, the assailant paused to look at us. His fist hovered mid-air. He complained that the cat had bit and scratched him and someone had to teach it a lesson, and told us to mind our own business. Did I mention that Suzie never lets up? “Let the cat go” she calmly and firmly ordered. Sheepishly, the assailant sputtered one more excuse, then slowly got up. Suzie and the cat had prevailed.

I took note of what I’d seen: vigilance, a strong voice, absolute determination and that all beings deserve to live free of violence. I also learned that any woman can make a difference, no matter her size.  I wanted that next woman to be me. I let Suzie talk me into making IMPACT my next priority. Do you know a woman who wants to take a stand? Is the time right for you?

--AC Racette, 1995 Core Program graduate

Kids Will Grow Up Safer, if Enough Potential Predators Get Their @$$%$ Kicked

At his last checkup, around his third birthday, my son Sam's most excellent pediatrician asked for his permission to touch his penis before examining it. Since then, Kate and I periodically will discuss with him who gets to touch him there (he does, mommy and daddy do and the doctor does, with Sam’s permission), and what to do if someone else touches him there, or tries to or asks to. Did I mention? He's THREE!

This is our world.

I'm about to begin my 21st year working for IMPACT Chicago, where I work with some of the most amazing people there are, to teach full-contact women's self-defense and rape prevention classes. This relates to what Kate and I are teaching our son because we live in world where predatory sexual violence happens. It happens, I'm convinced, in large part because the predators believe it is a low-risk crime to commit (that's not the only reason, of course, but it's a big one).

For years, IMPACT has been graduating classes of 9 to 16 women who have learned to ramp up predators’ risk level astronomically. If we do enough of that, maybe my son and daughter won't have to worry so much about teaching my grandchildren about who gets to touch them when they're three years old.

I've been doing this a long time. I've never met a woman who couldn't learn to defend herself. Please, look at the website, consider signing up or encouraging women you know to sign up. If enough potential predators get their asses kicked enough times, all our kids will grow up safer for it.


Mark Nessel, IMPACT Chicago Instructor

It Should Be Dangerous to Attack a Woman

I grew up in northern California, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Bay Area. I grew up with liberal parents who encouraged me to do anything, because I could and should! The world was my oyster! I never considered myself to be anything but strong and empowered. Then I flew the coop, jumped ship, made a break for it…in other words: COLLEGE. This is when I learned that not everyone is raised to believe women are equal, that we are strong and entitled to everything that men are. I chalked it up to new experiences, but this new world view really seeped into me insidiously. I started to forget that being strong and sure of one’s opinions was acceptable and should be encouraged.


Fast forward 10 years through two master’s degrees from California and Upstate New York to this west coast girl settling into a cautious Midwestern existence in Chicago. I had connections to a few friends, one of whom was dating a guy who helped teach self-defense. I filed self-defense away as something that would be good to learn, but not necessarily needed. Then, I was followed home. It wasn’t a huge deal at the time…but I was frightened.


The next day I signed up for that self-defense class and…I woke up. In one weekend, I was reminded of that sassy and spirited gal who left California so long ago, and I was deeply saddened. If I was subconsciously being pushed down by the seemingly latent messages of female inferiority….what about the women who were experiencing it openly? Why was it still happening? What could I do? Well, I learned that what I can do is fight.


So five years later, I’ve become an instructor. It took two years of training and work, but in light of the statistics it didn’t feel like there was any other option for me. IMPACT Chicago teaches full-force, fully adrenalized self-defense for women and girls. We use padded male instructors so women can learn what it feels like to hit something and that they do have the strength and power to do it. We also provide an opportunity to learn and practice prevention, assessment, and verbal boundary setting because we emphasize that no one should engage in physical altercations if they can avoid it. But knowing your body can back it up if you’re in danger adds so much weight to the message. We teach women they are worth taking care of.


Consider how revolutionary it will be when it becomes a very dangerous thing to attack a woman. Consider how different the world will look, because right now, there are no consequences and the mentality that “she was asking for it” still exists and is tacitly approved by society. Even now. So we start with 15 women at a time and we teach their muscles how to remember what to do when that adrenaline rush hits and their fine motor skills go out the window, and if they feel empowered along the way to change the world a little bit themselves, then we’ve done our job.


Molly Norris, IMPACT Chicago Instructor

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

I am stepping way, way, way out of my comfort zone for the first weekend in May and taking this incredibly intense self-defense workshop that one of my besties, Molly, recently became certified to teach. I know they need help publicizing, so I'm taking it to the EffBEee. Listen up, Chicago area ladies:

So, IMPACT is different from lots of self-defense programs, because they have male instructors in full body gear in attendance. This means that the women in the class are able to punch, kick and hit at full-force, in order to see what it feels like to actually fight off an assailant. They don't pull any punches and neither do the male instructors. IMPACT believes that you need to be able to employ these skills, while under emotional duress, and not just in a homogenized classroom environment.  The trial altercations they engage in are realistic and upsetting. There isn't a guy in padded armor walking towards you, like carefully and slowly, so you can fake-kick his balls. There is a guy wearing a full suit of padding over every inch of his body, calling you names and pinning you to the floor until you kick him with enough force to knock him unconscious.

I have been to two of the graduation ceremonies for IMPACT [ed note: What is IMPACT?], in support of Molly, and it really shocked me how powerful they are. It's taken me a long time to work up the nerve to do the class, myself, because I was such a wreck just watching that I knew I was going to be an emotional basket case doing the class. The adrenaline of the scenarios, the rush of watching these women fight for themselves- despite being so afraid... it really is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. And for me, when I'm scared or angry, it falls infuriatingly out of my eyeballs.

Today on the bus there was a loud, crazy man. He was talking loudly, narrating things that others were doing (including a little girl with her mom which was uber-creepy), commenting on those around him and being a jackass. Not strictly insane, but maybe on drugs? I don't know. He got off at the same stop as me and a bunch of others at the Irving Park Brown Line, then called me an idiot when I didn't push the crosswalk button fast enough for his liking. I ignored him. I thought about Molly, and how she isn't just able to kick people’s asses if she had to, but how she also knows how to stand up for herself. I've seen her do it plenty of times just by using her words and taking up some space and standing her ground and saying, "Hey. Stop it."…to a persistent guy at a bar, or a mean drunk girl at a party or a pimp who was smacking some woman around while Molly was driving by one day.  And I know that is something IMPACT taught her. I thought about how I wanted to be able to do that and not be scared, because when someone is being a menace, someone else should be able to say "Cut that shit out". So, I decided it was time.

SO. I'm doing it! Finally!  And they are a small non-profit and they need participants or else the class gets canceled for this term, so I'm telling everyone I can think of to consider signing up. Find the info at http://www.IMPACTchicago.org/. The price is $395 and there are scholarships and payment plans available. They will work with you to do everything in their power to get you in attendance, if you want to be there.

Think it over. I'd love to have partners in crime for this crazy little journey and, if Molly is any example, I think the benefits will be well worth the cost.

Share, Repost, Tweet, etc. [ed note: Sign up for the May Core Program!]

Allison

Yes to Life

Linda Tran, interviewed October 14, IMPACT Chicago’s 25^th Anniversary Celebration

How did you find IMPACT, what brought you here?

I used to work for JCFS. Margaret V. [IMPACT Instructor] had a raffle and that’s how I found out about IMPACT. A year ago, I moved to the city from the suburbs. I felt unsafe because there were so many crime reports circulating about girls getting phones snatched from them or being hit from behind and possessions taken from them. Just 2 months ago, I heard about an armed rapist who broke into a girl’s second-floor apartment in my neighborhood at 3 am and raped her, then got away.
That boosted my alertness level. I was anxious and paranoid walking down the street. I have to walk through these tunnels. I’d be very scared, looking over my shoulder. I’d get upset when my boyfriend couldn’t stay over to take care of me. I had to alter my behavior. I didn’t feel good inside. So, I looked at this course again and I wanted to sign up my sister, but she couldn’t do it with me. Leslie [Registration Director] from IMPACT reached out again and that’s what helped me sign up for the course, and a scholarship made it possible.
I took it over two full weekends, Saturday and Sunday, and the graduation was two weeks ago. Even after the first day of taking it, I felt empowered. My paranoia went all the way down. I knew what to do with my body. They teach you to trust your gut instinct. Because we trained so hard, even over-trained, all I had to do was be present in my body. Always be aware and stay in your body. I learned how to trust my body more and to trust that it can protect me when I need it to.
What’s powerful about IMPACT were the circles. I met ten other wonderful women and everyone was very supportive. In the very last circle, we do this thing where you could prepare something special to present. I didn’t have time to present anything but if I did, it would have been a poem because I used to write poetry. It would have been along the lines of “Everyone has come to be very special and have a place in my heart, and no matter what happens in life--knock on wood--if anything were to happen to any of us, always remember that we’re there and to hear our voices on the sidelines.” We’re not in it alone, we’re all together, no matter what, no matter where.
In our circles, when we get together at the end of any scenario or any fight, we would hold hands and say a big “Yes!” As Martha Thompson said, we have so many "No’s" in our lives, but you have to say “Yes” to so many other things. You have to say “Yes” to life.
Compared to class, today [the 25^th Anniversary Celebration] was 4-5 times as much and that last circle that we just did felt very powerful with that big old "Yes". It leaves this feeling that I can do anything. I can go out there and not be afraid. We’re all worth fighting for, each of us, and we’re fighting for each other...we’re not alone.


Linda was interviewed by AC Racette

I Feel Like I’m Even More Powerful Now

Courtney Childs, interviewed October 14, 2012, IMPACT Chicago 25^th Anniversary

What brought you to IMPACT?
I was raped 4 years ago. I wanted to find a program that would help me encompass my own safety. I wanted to make myself feel safe rather than rely on other people to help me feel safe. I was looking for something very specific, I wasn’t even sure that it was out there. I wanted to practice self-defense as if it were a real scenario so that I’d have all the emotions that usually come with it. Luckily, I ran across IMPACT online. It was exactly what I was looking for.

What about IMPACT spoke to you, specifically?
I have a fear of not being able to inflict pain on other people. I liked that we got to practice hitting various muggers in IMPACT. I didn’t see any other programs that had the specialty of hitting full-force to different areas. I took the class in June 2012.

Tell me about the 3 months since your class.
I feel a lot better. I live downtown; I don’t have a car; I walk a lot. I couldn’t take public transit before.  I needed someone to ride it with me because when you’re on the train, you have to go down stairs and through dark tunnels and spaces. Sometimes you’re there with only one other person. When I walk home from work, it’s getting dark out. It made me uncomfortable. Since I graduated, I feel a lot more confident about what I can do if an attack does come at me. If someone is walking toward me and I feel like they might be a threat, I can practice it in my head, thinking of what I would do. Knowing that I’m prepared makes me feel more confident.
The experience of bonding with so many other females in class gives you this inspiration and makes you feel more confident about yourself as well.

Today was very different from class. What are your impressions?
It’s amazing. You’re not only working with other females who are new to the class, you get to see the IMPACT program in full. You’re meeting people from different graduation years who have been here since IMPACT started. You hear their stories about how it’s helped them throughout their life and what got them started. It’s truly inspiring. It encourages you to help out even more, to want to be part of it. After today, you’re hungry for more.
Today is an experience I will take with me always. Since, for some people, it’s been ten years since they’ve practiced it, hearing how they’ve kept it fresh in their minds is very helpful.

What is the most powerful moment so far today?
The first time I got back on the mat. I was nervous that I had forgotten or lost something. I got back out there and it’s all still with me. I feel like I’m even more powerful than when I first did it. My kicks are that much better in technique and my palm-heel strike is stronger. That was the best moment, the fear I had right before, then getting down on the mat and working it out. Courtney, you still have it, you’ll be able to do it if it ever happens in the future.

Courtney was interviewed by AC Racette