7 months ago
LORTON, Virginia (WUSA)--One out of six women will become a victim of assault. Would you know what to do if someone came after you?
9NEWS NOW anchor, Anita Brikman, spent three days at the Krav Maga Northern Virginia studios in Lorton, Virginia learning a few simple principles and techniques which are supposed to help stop an attacker.
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In a real world situation, an attack is usually over within a few short seconds. Anita quickly learned those seconds are filled with panic, chaos and confusion.
"Just take that fear and channel it into your aggression," explains Peter Giannetti, chief instructor at Krav Maga Northern Virginia.Krav Maga is an Israeli form of self defense. Krav Maga means "combat contact." It's based on human instinctive movements says Giannetti. "It's a defense system. It's not a martial art. It's a martial system."
In other words, this is self defense that goes for the jugular. It's about controlling fear and fighting back. This isn't about playing "nice."
"I think what we need to do is try to remind ourselves that bad things happen to good people and we need to be vigilant," says Giannetti. "And you need to keep your eyes open and your ears open and be prepared."
The first thing you learn in one of Giannetti's classes is the number one weapon you have for fighting off an attacker is your voice.
" A lot of peole say what do I say? It's not necessarily what you say. It's how you say it. And you want to keep your language simple," says Giannetti.
He likes screaming the words, "Stop, get back, leave me alone." And screaming them often. Not only does it send a clear message to the attacker you mean business, but it will also signal to bystanders what is going on.
You also need to pair these words with a fighting stance. A stance that says, "Don't mess with me." Giannetti shows students how to position their legs and throw their hands in front of their faces, palms out, in an almost "stop sign" symbol.
"This in a way is a universal stop sign. I don't care what country I'm in. If I did this to you you would probably get the point that I don't want to talk with you, deal with you, want you near me."
However, what happens if words and setting physical boundaries don't work? Friday night at 11pm on 9NEWS NOW Anita learns the kicks and the hits to protect herself. Plus what areas of a body you should apply these techniques to for the biggest impact to protect your life.
