Free: "Self-Defense for Seniors"

If you're a senior who happens to live in West Windsor, NJ, or thereabouts, you can take part in two free "Self-Defense for Seniors" classes offered on August 8th and 10th by the West Windsor Senior Center.  Each session will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. 
   Since I'll be teaching the classes myself, the self-defense techniques you'll learn are those associated with Taekwondo, the Korean art of self-defense.  I learned my Taekwondo under Grand Master Bobby Kim, a former Taekwondo champion and martial-arts film star.  I believe that Taekwondo is the ideal martial art for seniors, since it relies heavily on kicking techniques.  And since your legs are longer and stronger than your arms, they give you the best chance to defend yourself against a younger, larger attacker.
   Will most seniors ever be assaulted?  Not if they avoid being in the wrong places at the wrong times.  If, let's say, you're riding a subway in Manhattan at 3:00 a.m., you're asking for trouble.  So you can greatly reduce your chances of becoming an assault victim by being smart about where you go and when.  But an attack can take place in a grocery store parking lot at noon if you happen to encounter the wrong individual.  The odds are greatly against this, but why not be prepared to handle the situation just the same?
   In my two upcoming classes you'll learn that the first response to an impending attack is to talk.  If there's any way you can talk your way out of the attack, do so.  Plead, beg, or be sweet.  If that fails, scream for help.  If you're in a busy parking lot, there's a good chance that someone will come to your aid.  But if help doesn't arrive quickly enough, you need to be prepared to keep from, let's say, getting punched in the face.  So in the two West Windsor Senior Center sessions you'll learn basic blocking techniques as well as follow-up strikes that can help buy you precious time.  And time is what you're after: time to turn and get away from the attacker and to dial 911.
   Should you consider taking a couple of basic self-defense classes?  If you're in reasonably good physical condition and don't have serious balance problems, why not?  Naturally, if you haven't been physically active for some time you absolutely should consult your physician before embarking on any sort of fitness-related program.  This just makes good sense.
    If you take a short self-defense class and find it stimulating, then by all means consider enrolling in a senior-friendly martial arts school near you.  In this blog I am happy to help publicize senior-friendly schools, so if you know of one, just tell me something about it.
    It's never too late to take self-defense seriously.  And since I've spent the last 40 years of my life studying Taekwondo, I know that this is a martial art that is perhaps ideally suited to those of us who are 60 and older.
   For more information about the West Windsor Senior Center self-defense program, call 609-799-9068.