Protect yourself
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Bending back fingers is very painful, as Amy Spurley (at right) knows. Amy Lau, at left, once used a finger lock to free herself from a bouncer at a York bar who grabbed her.
By MELISSA NANN BURKE
For Smart
Inside a gray-carpeted karate studio in Red Lion, six women lined up after work to practice hurting their instructors.
They were just practicing, but the contorted looks on the instructors’ faces proved the students had picked up this self-defense thing.
The youngest, a blond 16-year-old, reacted swiftly when an attacker lunged and gripped her forearm.
With the same arm, the teen flicked her wrist upward, grabbed the offensive arm and twisted until the attacker relented.
“Ohhh, OK. OK. OK — ow!” gasped Amy Spurley, 34, the teen’s instructor.
Katie Stearn, a junior at Dallastown Area High School, giggled but didn’t apologize. Spurley’s also her aunt.
“Good job. OK, let’s do another one. Whatever you remember?” Spurley said.
Down the line, the women reviewed the moves they’d learned during a four-week self-defense course earlier this year.
They escaped from choke holds, hair pulls, torso grabs and other mock attacks.
The class was led by teachers at the U.T.A Karate School in Red Lion who wanted the women to learn they don’t need a black belt or vigorous training to know how to get out of threatening situations.
The moves taught require little force or strength on the women’s behalf.
Instead, the karate experts advised how to, for example, twist or hyperextend an attacker’s joints to cause pain — enough pain to prompt the assailant to release them.
“It’s about not letting them hold on,” Spurley explained.
By the end of the four weeks, the women knew the pressure points between finger bones, where to kick to make it count and tips such as having keys out and ready before entering a parking lot.
“Women who fight back fair better than those who don’t,” said master John Maddux, 51, a class instructor.
“Fight, try to get loose, break free and get away.”
A student, Kay Krout, 39, of York, said she feels more prepared to drive and travel alone with her new skills.
She decided to try the class after hearing news of a man posing as a police officer in York County.
“I’m always preoccupied with my receipts when I leave the store, and I’m not looking in the parking lot for people,” said Krout, a hospital imaging technician.
“I will now look around more. I will clutch up my purse and have my keys in hand before I walk outside.”
The story of Amy Lau, 28, an 11th-grade chemistry teacher from Windsor, is proof that knowing simple self-defense tactics can come in handy.
Lau, who helped teach the self-defense class, once used the “finger lock” to temporarily immobilize a man. Unprovoked, a bouncer grabbed her around the waist from behind at a York bar two years ago.
“I just got one of his fingers and bent it back,” said Lau, now a third-degree black belt.
The man cried out in pain and begged her to let go. His finger made a snapping sound, and Lau was able to leave.
“I was pretty timid before I started training,” she said. “Now I feel more confident walking down the street.”
THE CLASSSelf-Defense for Women
Where: U.T.A. Karate School, 41 W. Broadway in Red Lion
Details: Four-week course
teaches basic self-defense moves for nonmartial-arts studentsContact: 246-0273
SAFETY TIPS
Parking lots, shopping centers, the street
• Walk with purpose and appear confident.
• If carrying a purse, choose one with a shoulder strap. Rest a hand on the purse and keep the other hand free if possible.
• Park in a well-lit area in the open. When returning to the car, have keys ready before entering the lot or parking structure.
• Keep focused on where you’re headed — don’t fumble with receipts or gawk like a tourist.
• Don’t be afraid to ask a security guard to escort you if you’re uncomfortable.
If approached
• Shout early, back away and gesture for him to keep his distance (“Back off,” or “Leave me alone. I don’t know you.”)
• Attract attention. Let witnesses know this isn’t a significant other (people are less likely to intervene in domestic disputes).
• Call out for help and make it personal. It’s hard for people to ignore, “You in the pink coat, help!”
Attempted rape, carjacking
• Fight, make noise and resist. Avoid leaving the area with the attacker. Tell rapists you have HIV/AIDS.
• If a tailgater is following you, go to a public place, pull over and use a cell phone (or pretend to use one).
• If car-jacked, purposely crash into something, such as a parked car or anything that might gain the attention of witnesses.
Hotels, motels
• Choose hotels with a monitored entrance and restricted access.
• Use the deadbolt and chain lock, as well as the door-handle lock.
• Call the front desk if someone knocks at your door.
• Check the peephole before opening the door to anyone.
• Take note of the fire escape location.
Home safety
• Dogs are good deterrents. Even if you don’t have a pet, buy a dog dish and leave it outside.
• Lock your doors when taking a shower, doing housework and entertaining or when you go outside and lose sight of your door.
• High shrubs and perimeter fences can be better hiding places than deterrents.
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