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Martial arts center offers women’s self defense class
  
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By ANNA SCHUMANN
If women took away only one lesson from a class in self defense, Tomball Police Officer Jamie Reeves hopes it is awareness.
“Never become complacent in your life,” she said. “Always be aware of what’s around you. Someone can be watching you or following you or hiding from you or waiting for you. Train yourself to quickly glance and remember everything you can and get into that habit.”
Reeves spoke to a group of women at Soo Bahk Do Karate for the center’s free women’s self defense class before the Soo Bahk Do master instructor shared tips and had the women practice moves.
Reeves shared sexual assault statistics with the group, “not to scare but to make aware,” she said. “Sexual assault can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.”
According to the web site of Rape Abuse Incest National Network, someone in America is sexually assaulted every two minutes. Though 73 percent of rape victims know their assailants, only 60 percent of rapes are reported to the police and only six percent of rapists ever spend time in jail, according to the site.
Reeves said many rapes go unreported because the victims convince themselves they weren’t raped.
“The minute that person touches you in any way, that is sexual assault and it needs to be reported,” she said.
Soo Bahk Do Master Instructor Travis Guinn said his goal in offering the class was to show women a few moves they could use on attackers so they could get away and avoid becoming a statistic.
He demonstrated and had the women act out scenarios with attackers coming from different angles and using the body and household items as weapons. The goal, he said, was not to fight but to survive.
“There’s no one magic thing we can teach you that will save your life,” he said. “Every scenario is different.”
Reeves’ last words to the group were words, she said, she never thought she would say.
“Sometimes compliance is the safest thing to do,” she said. “If you can get away by struggling, struggle. If it comes down to whether you’re going to live or die, live, and we’ll pick up the pieces tomorrow.”
“Never become complacent in your life,” she said. “Always be aware of what’s around you. Someone can be watching you or following you or hiding from you or waiting for you. Train yourself to quickly glance and remember everything you can and get into that habit.”
Reeves spoke to a group of women at Soo Bahk Do Karate for the center’s free women’s self defense class before the Soo Bahk Do master instructor shared tips and had the women practice moves.
Reeves shared sexual assault statistics with the group, “not to scare but to make aware,” she said. “Sexual assault can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.”
According to the web site of Rape Abuse Incest National Network, someone in America is sexually assaulted every two minutes. Though 73 percent of rape victims know their assailants, only 60 percent of rapes are reported to the police and only six percent of rapists ever spend time in jail, according to the site.
Reeves said many rapes go unreported because the victims convince themselves they weren’t raped.
“The minute that person touches you in any way, that is sexual assault and it needs to be reported,” she said.
Soo Bahk Do Master Instructor Travis Guinn said his goal in offering the class was to show women a few moves they could use on attackers so they could get away and avoid becoming a statistic.
He demonstrated and had the women act out scenarios with attackers coming from different angles and using the body and household items as weapons. The goal, he said, was not to fight but to survive.
“There’s no one magic thing we can teach you that will save your life,” he said. “Every scenario is different.”
Reeves’ last words to the group were words, she said, she never thought she would say.
“Sometimes compliance is the safest thing to do,” she said. “If you can get away by struggling, struggle. If it comes down to whether you’re going to live or die, live, and we’ll pick up the pieces tomorrow.”
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