North Bay Woman

S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 43 instructors at the time offered a year-long instructor training in self-defense. As de la Cruz recalls it, "I saw a fl yer for this training and had a wave of energy go through my body in a very strong intuition. I said to myself 'I'm going to do that.' There were some steps I had to go through to prove myself; it wasn't open to everybody. I applied, got in, trained for a year and started teaching self- defense in the fall of 1992. It just felt right." You don't have to be an athlete to be good at self-defense, de la Cruz explains in all her classes. It's very different than classic martial arts, which take years to learn, hundreds of hours of practice and are steeped in philosophy and form. With self- defense, you can learn basic techniques in an afternoon. Among these are how to pay attention to what's happening in your body when you are feeling unsafe, or sense that someone is out to hurt you. You learn to access the strength that comes when adrenalin (the fi ght or fl ight mechanism) kicks in. "I talk about how, as social beings, often we are afraid of screwing up or having people laugh at us, such as speaking in public, and how this can trigger our adrenalin response," de la Cruz explains. "That response is going to give you fi ve to 10 times more power than you have in class. When you are kicking or striking the mat, just keep that in mind. Here, you are completely safe." De la Cruz's classes are all hands-on. Students take turns wearing thick body armor-style mats as protective gear so they can play roles as both attacker and victim, learning to master a wide range of moves. In every class, regardless of the age range, de la Cruz invites the classmates to share if they have ever been assaulted or menaced in some way. "I assume I have survivors in the room," she says. "If they choose to share, that's their decision. I've had hundreds of students over the years share in class about being survivors of random violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment in school or a work setting, survivors of childhood abuse. When they hear each others' stories, it brings it home." A key technique in reacting from a place of empowerment rather than fear, is recognizing that a woman has the element of surprise to work with. "Typically a violent criminal is looking for someone they believe to be an easy target," de la Cruz outlines. "They don't want to get hurt, caught or be reported to the police. Sometimes we are selected as easy targets because we are female. Or because we are smaller. With self defense training, when we are able to access that fi erce determination, that anger, and yell really loud, start kicking and striking at the vulnerable places on an attacker's body, that's a shock to him. You strike eyes, nose, kick knees, stomp feet, grab groin. It's painful. It's a deterrent. It's a shock. When you show that you're not an easy target, the average attacker would rather run away than continue." The teacher has found that "Our biggest obstacles as females, in general, is being taught that you are relatively helpless or powerless if you are ever assaulted by someone. I have collected a lot of self defense success stories over the years and I always include some of those in my classes. They are really inspiring. They tell the students that, 'If that woman can do it, so can I.'" "Having a place to practice strategies for defending myself gave me so much more confidence to act in a real life situation instead of succumbing to fear and panic. I am aware of my options and strength to protect myself. Everyone should have a class like this!" – Maya, July 2015 is out to hurt you. You learn to access the strength that comes screwing up or having people laugh at us, such as speaking in Jade de la Cruz's classes use hands on techniques during their sessions. Students pair up and hold striking shields so they can practice striking and kicking full force. Students take turns wearing thick body armor-styles mats as protective gear so they can play roles as both attacker and victim, learning to master a wide range of moves. From top: practicing top upper arm strike and below knee to the groin. – Photos courtesy of Keene Hudson

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