|
|
|
Retirement Planning for the Stay-At-Home Mom
When you first plan on staying home with your children, probably the first thing you do is take a look and see if you can afford it. You cut back on cable TV, buy older cars, lose retirement benefits… Whoops! Most moms don't seem to be thinking...
Scrapbooking Teen Memories
By the time your teen is in high school, you probably aren't taking as many pictures of them as you used to. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have a couple of years left and no time to waste trying to capture fleeing teenage memories....
The 7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms
Feng shui is a very popular and intriguing concept in home design today. In addition to the life benefits it provides, it also offers a roadmap, so to speak, of not just how to decorate... but why. In short, it offers you, the homeowner,...
Tips for Choosing Log Furniture
Tips for Choosing Log Furniture If you just love that rustic look, and are finally ready to finally buy log furniture for your home, there are a number of “rules of thumb” that can help you in making good choices. Begin by considering the overall...
Use Party Favors To Brighten Up All Kinds Of Parties
Many times, when you attend a party, you receive a party favor. This is usually something small that you can take home with you to remind you of the party for years to come. In most instances, party favors are only given to women or children as a...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kubotans and Yawara Sticks
Kubotans and
Yawara Sticks
The kubotan or yawara is basically a small piece of wood, bone,
PVC, or metal. They usually run about 5 1/2 inches give or take
a 1/2 inch. There are many who claim to have "developed",
"discovered", or created the Yawara or Kubotan. That is a
subject of two long articles and not germane to our discussion
here. It is certainly not a threatening weapon, in terms of
appearance, but getting hit correctly by one is possibly the
last thing one would want to experience.
Having discussed more benign approaches to thwarting attackers,
such as a keychain alarm, or pepper spray, they pale in
comparison to the destructive power of the tiny kubotan. Sure,
no assailant wants the sound and lights flashing from a personal
alarm, they would rather work silently and in the darkness. We
know that some mentally disturbed attackers, and some drunken or
doped up assailant walk right through a cloud of pepper spray,
only to complete a vicious assault on the person who sprayed
them. True? Well, yes it is true, but not ordinarily.
The configuration of a kubotan or yawara is generally: long
enough to fill the hand, with a bit protruding above the hand,
and below it. These ends are sometimes round "knobs", flat, or
pointed on one (the new keychain models), or both ends. I prefer
the pointed end and have a beautiful hand milled, checkered
grip, dual pointed stick made from aircraft aluminum. It feels
like your hand is empty if not for the checkered grip, and the
scenarios I can employ it in, are almost as limitless as the
places available to strike my opponent. Trust me, they add
thunder to your fists!
I'll share a couple of "carries" for the kubotan, and some
strikes you can employ immediately upon purchasing one. Use the
empty space of air, and imagination as your training partner,
but I prefer a heavy bag or a rubber training dummy, which is a
lifelike simulation of a man from the waist up. There are
several choices available.
The first is closed fist, and using the downward protruding tip,
like the end
Meghan McCain Plays 'Not My Job'
John McCain's daughter describes life on the campaign trail in her new book, <em>Dirty, Sexy Politics.</em> We've invited her to play a game called: "For dessert, how about a defibrillator-on-a-stick?" Three questions about State Fair food.
These Roller Skating Women Get 'Down And Derby'
Alex Cohen may be a public radio reporter by day, but by night she goes by her roller derby name -- Axles of Evil. Cohen has joined forces with fellow L.A. Derby Doll Jennifer "Kasey Bomber" Barbee to write <em>Down and Derby,</em> an insider's guide to a rough-and-tumble sport.
Hey, America: What Do You Have In Your Trunk?
People love to make lists. And when <em>Morning Edition</em> asked our Facebook and Twitter followers to tell us what they keep in the trunk of their cars, the response was huge.
of a hammer striking a nail. Grip your weapon
tightly and drive down into the shoulder - near the neck - on
either side! And you thought the "Vulcan Nerve Pinch" was bad
huh? Also it can be driven into the orbital areas of the eye
area and will blind an opponent, or crush the fine bones
surrounding the eyeball - a real show stopper! If you're a woman
pitted against a man, it can still be hammered down and into the
attacker's throat, or his chest, just below the sternum (maximum
effect) or into the pectoral muscles (extreme pain).
Another way I like to hold and use my Yawara is to use the
portion sticking out above the clenched fist (above the thumb).
This is excellent for thrusting or stabbing strikes, to the
solar plexus, or rising to the throat, under the chin in the
soft area of the neck. Just behind the point of the jaw, is a
concealed major nerve. It can also be thrust into the bladder,
or rising to impact under the armpits, and into the major nerve
centers located there. It will be an unforgettable experience
for your assailant.
There are hundreds of strikes and many variations of the
"carry". In fact they are so affordable, I would sincerely
recommend purchasing a few of them at about $5 each at most
online retailers. Keep one handy in the house, in your vehicle,
or wherever needed. Go ahead and spring for one of those karate
"pressure point" charts, and a training manual too. Practice
driving the kubotan into those marked areas, as you do
repetitions and drills with your new weapon. You have my word
that after only a week or two of practice with imagination and a
sincere desire to employ this weapon, and you'll be amazed at
how quickly you will rely on it, and not shy away in the least,
from using your kubotan for self defense. Dynamite comes in
small packages!
About the author:
Tom Fredrick is an accomplished martial arts practitioner with
over 30 yrs. of active training and teaching Okinawan Karate,
Yang Tai Chi Chuan, and Escrima. He served in the USMC, and has
also worked in law enforcement, undercover airport security, and
as a personal bodyguard.
|
|
|
|
|
|