Paul McCallum

Learning self-defense is a lot easier than you might imagine. You don't have to be in terrific physical shape and you don't need great strength to be able to defend yourself competently. In fact, relying on physical strength can be a handicap. No matter how strong you are, there is always someone who is stronger-particularly if you are a woman.

The obious motive to learing self-defense is to acquire the ability to overcome hoodlums, rapists, and other antagonists. That, and the confidence that ability gives you, is probably enought to justify your taking the time and making the effort to develop the necessary skills. You don't have to look any further than the 1990 statistics from one large American city-over 54,000 assaults, including 51,492 robberies, more than 2000 reported cases of rape, almost 1000 murders-to know that having the ability to defend yourself makes sense.

But there are other benefits. Practicing martial arts enables you to stay physically fit in addition to teaching you a clearly useful skill. Your muscle tone is improved and your hand to eye and overall body coordination are greatly enhanced. Instead of doing boring exercises at home or in the health club of your choice, you are doing something useful; something that could, when you might least expect it, have a very positive effect on yourlife.

Readers will find this a very useful book, in part because more that 600 photographs illustrate the defensive moves described in the text. Basic hand and kick moves are explained first; then the auhor shows women how to defend themelves in many different situations. Women (of all ages) with no training in martial arts are shown in the photographs, performing effective self-defense moves. Older women, as well as those younger, do not have to feel defenseless if they learn how to apply these basic techniques.

Holder of a black belt in karate, Paul McCallum has been a martial arts instructor for years. Author of the The Scuba Diving Handbook, he and his wife Christine live in Los Angeles.

Contents

Introduction
1 Learning self-defense
2 Tactics
3 Stretching
4 Basic kicks
5 Basic hand moves
6 In the street
7 When someone grabs you
8 In close quarters
9 Sitting down
10 Against a weapon
11 Using weapons
12 Guns
13 Advanced techniques
14 The aftermath
15 How to pick a martial arts school
Index… (lisätietoja)