Woman’s self-defense is a frequent subject of my books. Jen Bradley in Jungle Jen and the soon to be released Murder in the Amazon is a woman’s self-defense instructor. Other books like the Monroe Street Mangler sometimes has this in it. One might wonder why so many of my books involve woman’s self-defense?
That’s because my real-life wife is a former woman’s self defense instructor, and her young life was greatly shaped by it. My wife took a woman’s self defense class in high school and then in college to get her 1 credit hour a Phys Ed she needed for her associates degree. Little did she know what a wise choice this would be as the summer of her freshman year, she was viciously assaulted in an alley leaving a club, one she was too young to legally enter.
They’d seen her dancing, and one of them knew her from college. She was dressed in her own words rather scantily. But had firmly rebuffed their attempts to dance with and interact with her. These men though were used to having their way with a woman and didn’t intend to take no for an answer.
At barely 5 foot and 100 pounds, she was a mere whip of a girl. Following her out of the club, whatever they initially intended became a full-blown rape attempt, with my future bride fighting for her life. And fight she did! The picture is of my wife about the time of this assault.
The way she explained it, destroying and removing her attackers testicles became her primary goal. Using striking and grabbing techniques, her attackers were kind enough to remove there pants giving her hands access, she was able to deball two of the three, with the third finally fleeing to save his manhood when he saw his two comrades down.
It was not without cost to her, as she went back to the club bleeding and bruised to have the police called and get medical services for herself. Two of the three men were right where she left them and were sent to a hospital separate from her. She had a broken wrist and nose, to go along with her bruises.
At the trial it wasn’t easy to prove rape as no penetration had occurred. She at one point wasn’t completely sure her self-defense contention would stand, but ultimately it did and the men were sentenced too many years for multiple offenses.
This terrible assault changed the course of her life. She started helping in the same college class she had attended as a student. With each new semester, she’d recount that frightful night, an inspiration to the other girls. She started teaching in other places also and began to study the martial arts as some of the other female instructors did. She also began powerlifting.
By the time I met her, she was thirty. Thicker, stronger, more muscular. Weighing a full 120 pounds plus. We hadn’t been dating long when she invited me to one of her graduation classes. It would be one of dozens I’ve attended over the years. She was a bit concerned at what my reaction might be. She really liked me, but over the years she found many men didn’t like having a girlfriend who made it her life’s work to train other women to deball men, albeit bad men.
When I first saw her, I was somewhat speechless. It honestly seemed mean some of the things she taught and practiced! And she was so good at it! I hadn’t for many years ever been physically afraid of anyone, but watching my then girlfriend, I was really struck with the fact that this girl could seriously kill me if she wanted to. I’d never in my life looked at a woman like that, or considered any woman a threat like that, but here she was, right in front of me, making it look easy against these heavily padded men.
I had some thinking to do that night and the next day, but I decided I also really liked her and wanted to see where the relationship went. I am so glad I did because I have a loving wonderful wife whose given me three great children, one who just happen to have taught women’s self-defense.