by Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
Quanwu Aikido Instructor. From left: Elaine Chang, Matt McDevitt, Master Chae Un Kim and Scott Games. (Photo by Kay Curry)
Crime and violence against Asians increased in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 scapegoating and long-standing bias. In 2021, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported 112 racial crimes against Asian Americans in King County. Between March 2020 and March 2022, Stop AAPI Hate received reports of nearly 11,500 hate-motivated incidents across the country. The battle is far from over. A few days ago, Michael John Allen was charged with a fourth-degree assault on an Asian woman in downtown Seattle. He also attacked two Chinese tourists. These types of incidents have prompted many people to seek advice on how to protect themselves.
We “always want to play the ‘what if’ game. What if the ball gets hit by me?” said Lauren Barter, a patrolman in Seattle’s North District. Mental preparation is as important as physical ability.
“Imagine what you would do in a situation…and physically. It’s another layer of movement programming that will help solidify the training. Do it with other people, and now you have a team.”
Balter and SPD crime prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner are part of the team. They and other SPD members teach mixed-gender personal safety courses that are available online, mixed and in-person. Similar related self-defense classes are offered by the Seattle Parks Department. Also, on today’s phones, there are many apps, such as Life360, that can help you when you’re in danger.
When we think of self-preservation, most of us think of two kinds of security. There’s how to stay safe around our homes and environment, keep poisons away from children and pets, have an escape plan in the event of a fire, bring enough water when we’re hiking, and so on. Then, if we are attacked, we think of self-defense. Today, the latter is a top concern for many.
Chae Un Kim, the guru of Kwon Moo Hapkido in Burien, has been teaching self-defense to ordinary citizens and civil servants for many years. At his school, martial arts was not a sport.
“There are two different types of martial arts…there are sports martial arts and real martial arts. Karate, taekwondo, these are good sports for kickboxing…Aikido style is for self-defense. It’s not kicking. It’s punching and kicking. And using Pressure points and twists. More defensive.”
“Many people come here for different reasons,” explains Elaine Chang, Kwon Moo Aikido Instructor and 3rd Black Belt. “The Grandmaster doesn’t call it a sport…it’s a martial art, it’s applicable, but hopefully you never need to…you have to be comfortable with the concept of violence, but hopefully you never have to do something like that. Prepare… I would say situational awareness is the most important thing.”
Your mental preparation that you may have to hurt someone to protect yourself — but hopefully never — is key. A lot of what they teach at Kwon Moo Hapkido is practical, like learning how to fall without getting seriously injured – but it’s also important for head-to-head confrontation.
“Violence, hopefully you never use it. But we try to make people happy with it,” said Matt McDevitt, 3rd black belt, coach and husband of Chang. They do get violent in class, that’s why they don’t play. Their actions could seriously hurt someone.
“That’s really how it hurts someone,” McDevitt added. [Grandmaster’s] The flag is the fist. “Every class is spent punching, twisting knuckles, and McDevitt likes to add falls.
“Hopefully we never hit anyone, but gravity always grabs us.”
What would you do if someone was hostile to you? First, watch yourself. The SPD suggested shouting: “Help!” although others felt this would make bystanders run away. The point is to make noise and let the attacker know that you might be in for more trouble than it’s worth.
“It can remind ourselves that we can speak up,” said Barter, who recommends practicing yelling in the car.
“It’s not an interesting topic, but it’s something we have to think about… You should never feel guilty about having to fight back. You have every right to protect yourself.”
During their personal safety class, SPD representatives noted cultural and gender differences. They took a slideshow about self-confidence and presented how women in particular are being taught not to say no.
“You’re setting boundaries. You’re exercising your autonomy, and you’re entitled to it,” Barter cautioned.
“Embrace the boundary setting. It’s all you have in terms of personal safety. It applies to every aspect of your life.” It’s not always strangers who threaten us. People can make us feel unsafe at home or at work. In these cases, setting boundaries serves as a “touchstone” of personal intent. “A normal person would respect that,” Barthes continued. “The person who intends to harm you may pressure you or question you or disrespect those boundaries. This gives you more information about what they may be intending to do.”
Master Jin demonstrates how to use a car key as a weapon. (Photo by Kay Curry)
How do you protect yourself if it’s not just yelling, but the other person isn’t feeling well? One thing is to pay attention to everyday items that can be used as weapons, and items that can be placed between you, especially in the case of “de-escalation” – a buzzword today due to the increase in public outrage incidents. Master Jin recommends using car keys as weapons, making sure you hold them properly so you don’t injure yourself in the process, and target the weakest parts of the body. He stressed that this is the best defense for those who have no training in martial arts.
“If someone grabs you, you can stab them in vulnerable parts like their ribcage, neck, etc. with the key. It’s a good weapon.” In general, he says leave the keys outside on the way to the car . Don’t stare at your phone and pay attention to what’s around you.
Danner emphasizes listening to our intuitions and cites a book by Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear:
“‘It’s okay to know if you don’t know why.’ I felt scared, stupid or ashamed and tried to explain it. Don’t do that.
Fear is our gift. It’s our body’s way of telling us there’s a problem before our brain can handle it. Learn to listen to these feelings. “
It’s hard to face the idea that danger may come to us, but confronting that idea is the first step in surviving right now. In stressful situations, we want to avoid losing the ability to think rationally — and to help others recover — which is why practicing ahead of time can be helpful. “When you’re reacting and performing, you’re always one step behind,” Barthes said. “Have a plan and it will help you catch up.” Chang warned that we can do everything within our control to ensure safety, “If someone is going to attack you, they will attack you anyway, so be prepared. “
For more information on Master Jin’s Quanwu Aikido, please visit: hapkidokwonmoo.com.
The SPD’s personal safety rating can be accessed by:
seattle.gov/police/crime-prevention/personal-safety-training.
Kay can reach info@nwasianweekly.com.
