So you took self defense

You’ve taken a self-defense course, are a self-defense instructor or a martial artist. It is not uncommon for others to challenge you.

Joanne Factor of Strategic Living shares a story she heard from Jan Parker, a martial artist, about being challenged and using “disarming” self-defense.

. . . [A] young man heard from someone else that I was a martial artist. Boldly, he came up to me to make sure what he heard was true. “So, you’re a martial artist?” I nodded, noticing the drink in his hand. He continued, “Soooooo . . . What would you do if I just hauled off and hit you in the face?”

Jan responded:

“I would charge you with assault. What do you think I would do?” “For crying out loud,” I said, “we’re at a party, why in the world would you hit me in the face?”

Surprised, at my answer, he walked away.

Joanne says: “She assessed his intent, decided this silliness was not a situation to escalate, and gave a response he was so totally not expecting. Perfectly disarming self-defense.”

For more from Joanne Factor, check out http://www.strategicliving.org/. For more from Jan Parker, visit her blog at http://janjimjam.com/.

Donors make an IMPACT!

Tuition covers about 65% of the costs of the Core Program and IMPACT for Middle School Girls. Volunteers and donors cover the rest. It is not too late to donate. Please send a check to IMPACT Chicago, 4770 N. Lincoln Ave #6, Chicago IL 60625 or contact Tara at info@impactchicago.org if you would prefer to pay by credit card. 

Thank you to all those who financially supported IMPACT Chicago in 2013!

Jeanne Adams in honor of 5-year old Ainsley Jeanne

Susan Alberts

Janet and David Altman

Lisa Amoroso and Phil Tracy

Anonymous (5)

Anonymous (3) in honor of Molly Norris and Kelly Van Eaton

Robert Babcock

Dolores and Glenn Bjorkman

Jill Britton and Henry Borcyk in honor of Hannah Thompson

Bruce Brio

Patricia Broughton in honor of Martha Thompson

Nancy and Ira Cohen

Christina Collins

Maury Collins

Dianna Costanzo in memory of Adrian Costanzo

Tammy and James DeBoer

Cheri Erdman

Carol Ference

Tamurla J. Fletcher

Laurie Fuller

David Lieb and Anne Gendler

Therese Given

Grainger

Katherine Gumpertz

Milca Gunderson in honor of David Gunderson

Margit and John Henderson

Hewlett Packard

IBM

Naomi Love

Deb Mier and Sheila Hickey in honor of IMPACT’s amazing instructor team

HSBC

Loretta Jackson

Jim and Valerie Jenkins

Carol Jennings

Pam Jurkowski

Julia Kaminski

Melanie and Stephen Kelley in honor of Margaret Vimont's mother

June Kirk

Mary Komparda in honor of Dee Costanzo

Susan Landwer

Ruth Lipschutz in honor of Peggy Lipschutz

Susan McConnell

McDonalds

Margaret McGrath

Marianne Merola

Dorothy Meyer

Teresa Neurauter

Mark Nessel

Molly Norris

Northwestern University’s Panhellenic Association

Clara Orban

Lauren Perez

Liz Pfau

Rachel Pildis

Ben Ruiz

Theo Pintzuk in honor of Elaine Stocker

Donald and Judith Rosedale in honor of Katie Skibbe

Loriann and Roger Safian

Tess Schmieg

Katie Skibbe

Linda Stawicki in honor of Jill Britton and Henry Borcyk

Lou Sutton

Kathy Tank in honor of IMPACT grad Alissa Tank

Martha Thompson

Margaret Vimont

Mary Ann Wilkens

Nat Wilson

Stopping Rape: IMPACT Chicago Instructors Reflect on Anti-Rape Underwear

The internet is abuzz with news and reactions to a new product: anti-rape underwear. Two designers put their concerns for women’s safety into an underwear design that prevents a rapist from being able to remove a woman’s underwear and raised the funds to start production. 

Is anti-rape underwear for you? The situations people encounter are so varied that we suggest the following criteria to help you assess the effectiveness of any tool, not just anti-rape underwear, for preventing, minimizing, or stopping rape.

1.      Can you access the tool any time you need it, do you know how to use it, and are you willing to use it?

At IMPACT Chicago, we focus on encouraging people to learn to use their own bodies for keeping themselves safe but we do not discourage people from using any tool that increases their feelings of confidence. Instructor Rob Babcock says, “if a weapon (e.g. pepper spray) or wearing particular clothing  makes you more confident (and is legal), then by all means go for it because we know that projecting confidence is a key self-defense tool.” 

Instructor Margaret Vimont says that the effectiveness of any tool (including our own voice, hands, feet, and legs) depends upon “having it available, knowing how to use it, and a willingness to use it.” We extend that recommendation to anti-rape underwear—just like compliance, mace or an elbow strike, for anti-rape underwear to be a viable option to reduce, minimize, or interrupt rape, you have to have it available, know how to use it, and be willing to use it.  

Anti-rape underwear was developed to increase women’s safety in the bar scene. Given that the majority of perpetrators know the women they rape (78%) and are more likely to rape a woman in her own home or the home of someone known to the victim (67%), it seems unlikely that anti-rape underwear will be an effective tool for most women.

2.      Do you have other tools available if one tool is not effective for a particular situation?

We encourage people to have many tools and to choose tools mindfully. Instructor Mark Nessel says, “No matter how effective a tool can potentially be, we recommend you minimize your risks by maintaining awareness and using your judgment skills. No single tool is going to work for every situation. If you are going into a situation where your awareness and judgment are likely to be impaired (e.g. drinking or drugs) and you are relying on only one tool (e.g. anti-rape underwear, pepper spray, or a knee to the groin),  then you are at greater risk than when your awareness and judgment are unimpaired and you have a range of tools in your toolbox.”

Instructor Nat Wilson says: “At first glance, I thought anti-rape underwear was ridiculous; it looks uncomfortable and reminds me of the chastity belt of yore. From an attacker’s perspective, it would not deter attacks in some situations, however, it could in others. For instance it might deter an attack where 1) the attacker is easily discouraged by complications or 2) the woman would be able to escape or fight back if given a little more time to act. So though anti-rape underwear would not be something we would incorporate into our self-defense courses, I would avoid saying that it would never work to stop rape.”

So, even if anti-rape underwear is useful in some circumstances, we would recommend that women have other tools available to them so that they are not solely reliant upon it.

3.      Does the tool enhance your feelings of self-worth and empowerment?

Another consideration is whether or not a tool enhances or restricts an individual’s sense of empowerment.  Instructor Molly Norris emphasizes the importance of having a variety of tools to underscore the message that you are worth protecting: “In IMPACT we emphasize using your awareness, leaving situations, and your voice to avoiding physical altercations if you can, but knowing your body can be there for you if you are in danger adds much weight to the message that you are worth taking care of.”

Instructor Katie Skibbe asks people to consider: “Even though anti-rape underwear might enhance some women’s feeling of safety, how might unlocking one’s underwear to go to the bathroom or to engage in consensual sex affect women’s feelings of strength and empowerment? How might such underwear reinforce the idea that women are second-class citizens? I believe the most effective tools are those that increase your feelings of strength and empowerment.” 

In conclusion, IMPACT Chicago encourages people to assess all tools—whether ones you have within you or those external to you—do you have it available at all times and are you willing to use it? Do you have more than one tool? Do the tools you have—whether or not you need to use them--enhance your feelings of self-worth and empowerment?

Martha Thompson, IMPACT Chicago Senior Instructor

Thanks to feedback from Rob Babcock, Karen Chasen, Brett Stockdill, and Nat Wilson.

Thank you to our 2013 Volunteers

IMPACT Chicago is primarily a volunteer-run organization. With the exception of office management/registration and instructional class time, all other work from publicity to outreach to social media is done by volunteers. Thank you to all the volunteers who keep IMPACT going!

Consider volunteering in 2014!

Please let us know (info@impactchicago.org) if we have, inadvertently, left your name off the list.

Lisa Amoroso
Michael Armato
Rob Babcock
Angie Betancourt
Lili Betancourt
Nilda Betancourt
Ann Botz
Tara Brinkman
Bruce Brio
Courtney Childs
Julie Curtis
Tracie Dahlke
Tammy DeBoer
Kaitlin Decero
Nicole DeVito
Maureen Dunn
Leslie Eto
Patti Fievoli
Ann Gerbin
Eliat Goldberg
Debborah Harp
Sheila Hickey
Jesse Holzman
Carol Jungman
Felicia Kamradt
Katie Kramer
Diane Long
Naomi Love
Jim Lucas
Deb Mier
Emily Moreno
Rose Naegele
Mark Nessel
Stan Nevin
M. Sophia Newman
Molly Norris
Jennifer Norton
Clara Orban
Chemley Paola
Sharlyn Pech
Lisa Pines
AC Racette
Jamie Rice
Regina Rodríguez-Martin
Megan Royster
Ashley Ruiz
Ben Ruiz
Deanna Rutherford
Clariza Saint George
Janette Scott
Arden Schuman
Katie Skibbe
Martha Thompson
Heidi Tehilla Newman
Allison Tolman
Linda Tran
Carrie Villa
Margaret Vimont
Nat Wilson
Amy Winston
Steve Wright
Shu-Ju Yang

IMPACT and Parenting – A helpful book and a useful article

As a very experienced IMPACT instructor, and a very inexperienced parent of two young children, I find myself naturally gravitating towards my IMPACT background when I look at parenting dilemmas. The big dilemma (obviously, at least to me) is when is it time to teach my children the physical tools of self-defense? The only answer I have so far is not yet.

For other self-defense tools, we’ve already started. Martha [Note: Martha Thompson, IMPACT Instructor] gave us a wonderful book entitled Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. The pigeon tries to convince the reader to allow him to drive the bus. We found reading this book with our son to be a great way to get him to start saying “No!” to things. Of course, children learn to say “No!” pretty quickly anyhow, and we’ve found that when we encourage our children to say “No” they say it to us a lot, and that can be really frustrating. My wife recently came upon this wonderful article that explains why we need to support our children’s “No!”

I read the article and was so impressed I shared it on my Facebook page (I rarely do that). Now I just need to work on remembering its importance when my son tells me “No!” when I ask him to put on his pants…

Mark Nessel, IMPACT Suited Instructor

2014 IMPACT Chicago Schedule

Core

Jan 31, Feb 1, 2
Namaste
6337 W. Cornelia,
Chicago IL 60634
Fri 5:30-9:30; Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Michigan Core

Feb 21, 22, 23
UMich Ann Arbor
Fri 5:30-9:30
Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Core Skills (register through Northeastern)

Feb 28, March 7, 14
Northeastern PEC
Foster Avenue Fridays
9 am – 1:15 pm

Middle School
March 1, 2
Namaste
6337 W. Cornelia
Chicago IL 60634
Sat/Sun 10 am – 2 pm

Core
Mar 29, 30, April 5, 6
Marillac
212 S Francisco Ave
Chicago, IL 60612
Sat/Sun 10 am - 4 pm

Core
May 16, 17, 18
Namaste
6337 W. Cornelia
Chicago IL 60634
Fri 5:30-9:30
Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Ontario Core

May 16, 17, 18
Ontario Canada
Fri 5:30-9:30
Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Core
June 27, 28, 29
Knapp
3145 W. Pratt Blvd
Chicago IL 60645
Fri 5:30-9:30
Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Middle School

August 9, 10
Knapp
3145 W. Pratt Blvd
Chicago IL 60645
Sat/Sun 10 am – 2 pm

Core
September 12, 13, 14
Knapp
3145 W. Pratt Blvd
Chicago IL 60645
Fri 5:30-9:30
Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Michigan Core

September 19, 20, 21
UMich Ann Arbor
Fri 5:30-9:30
Sat/Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Core

Oct 18, 19, 25, 26
Marillac
212 S Francisco Ave
Chicago, IL 60612
Sat/Sun 10 am – 4 pm

DAAR Nov 22, 23
Namaste
6337 W. Cornelia
Chicago IL 60634
Sat/Sun 11 am – 5 pm

Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Sonya Chemaly (2013) offers her assessment of recent incidents and research on sexual assault on college campus in “5 ways sexual assault is really about entitlement.” The highlights:

1. Sexual assault occurs in setting where there is tolerance of discriminatory double standards.

2. Sexual assault is related to rates of other types of violence, for example, intimate partner violence and stalking.

3. White kids from higher-income families were more likely to sexually assault a peer than others.

4. Male athletes are about 3 % of the US college population, but commit 19% of sexual assaults and 37% of intimate partner violence.

5. Almost ¾ of parents with children under 18 have never discussed sexual assault or domestic violence with their children.

Chemaly, Sonya. 2013. “5 ways sexual assault is really about entitlement.” Salon. Retrieved October 24, 2013