wtf is a "rape kitty"? ;-)

No I haven't read anything on that program, but I do know about the facts around rape. As for your question about how to defend against someone you know? What's the difference? If you know the person or not shouldn't matter, the defense is always the same. Someone you know may have an advantage of surprize, or that they can get in your house, or even that they are able to get in close. None of that changes your defense, at the most it should be a phsycological effect you need to over come, the fact that someone you know is actually doing this to you. Once you over come that, you should hurt them............BADLY!

That most women are assaulted by someone they know is a fact I'm personally familiar with unfortunately.

Here's my thought on why I like the idea of this kind of seminar:

1) Men get in fights, but more times than not it's a liquor-induced bar fight. I'm NOT saying guys don't have to fight for their lives at one point or another ~ it all depends on the situation naturally. But the guys I know have had to deal with bar fights, parking lot fights and (rarely) muggings.

As you know, rape is very different. I obviously don't have to go into graphic details here, but rape certainly presents specific issues. I want those exact scenarios played out in my training so I can learn them and work on them. I love Krav and will continue to train, but I don't get nor do I expect my classes to be emphasized in this way. I learn to punch, elbow and kick ~ that's very cool. But if my instructor offered a specific class or two on how girls can fight against a guy specifically (especially if she's pinned, and there's almost always a huge weight difference), I'd be thrilled.

I'm sure our instructor will touch on that at one point in class, but it's been 2 months, and I haven't seen it yet.

2) Most women I know would never so much as walk into a Krav Maga class. They think it's over-the-top, testosterone driven guy stuff, and they're totally turned off. They're even less likely to stomach a grappling lesson. But they WILL take an all-girl rape prevention course (even if it's the same stuff offered in Krav) simply because it's a less threatening environment. I know it's silly, but I understand the emotion behind it.

As for the stuff on Rape Escape's website, some of it does sound scary. But again, most women I know don't think twice about this stuff. It's the kind of thing that happens to someone else, not them. Example: When I told my mother I was taking Krav, her exact response was, "I don't know any of that stuff, and I've been fine all these years." Both she and my father think I'm ridiculous. My sisters, cousins and nieces won't come to *any* of this stuff (not even the all-girl IMPACT course). They think it's a waste of time. Go figure, eh?

Ah well. I'll let you guys know if it was worth the time and money.

"But they WILL take an all-girl rape prevention course (even if it's the same stuff offered in Krav) simply because it's a less threatening environment. I know it's silly, but I understand the emotion behind it."

I think that only gives false security. If you want to know how to fight against a guy, you have to fight against a guy. You have to learn how to deal with their strength, their smell, their size, their will to kill... would the average woman hit another woman as hard as she's supposed to during training?

As for your experience with other women's opinion of Krav - I've told my female colleagues about KM and *everyone* wants in on the action! :-)

If the word 'rape' was replaced by the word 'assault' I might have half an interest.

This is why I prefer our particular school over others in the area. We get to see everything from beginning to around blue belt within 8 weeks, including ground grappling.

Have patience grashopper

Fascinating...

I can never find my mobile in my purse, even when it's vibrating and ringing Schnappi das Kleine Krokodil at full blast. I'd never be able to dig out one of those kitties. I think I'll stick to some of the stuff I learned in KM class if anyone is ever so unfortunate to get that close to me (I'm into the avoidance thing

Tuxette, all-girl meaning a *class* of all girls. The instructors include men, who are the attackers in any scenario. So you get to fight off men, usually heavily padded men. Sorry if I wasn't clear earlier.

I wish the women of my family were as enthusiastic as your colleagues. Instead they have lulled themselves with the "it-can't-happen-to-me" mantra.

I actually think that these are good things. I don't think that rape should be treated just like another self defence scenario, there is very specific biology involved that can be addressed specifically. I have heard of women being completly overpowered by a man, but of keep ing from being raped, because they were able to divert his attention in the right way.