A topic that will be discussed in my upcoming self-defense workshop for women and teenage girls on 1/17/2015 at DinotoKarateCenter in Mount Laurel NJ.
How strong is YOUR “NO”?
Self-defense Tip: Stop Being Too Nice
Practice the un-apologetically strong unconditional “NO”.
This being “too nice” aspect has other ramifications for
self-defense. Too often we, especially women and
teen girls, are taught to be nice, to not offend, to not
potentially hurt others’ feelings. This can cause issues
that can actually put you in danger.
In a parking lot, or when someone comes to your
door, you might ignore intuition or let someone get
closer than you should, because you are being too
nice. It is hard work to undo this lifetime of training.
Do you know that you don’t have to open the door
just because someone knocks on it?
This is similar to the weak no. People who like to
control people look for the weak “no.” They push the
limit to override your decision.
Saying “No” is an aspect of self-defense that is
completely mental and can be trained with practice
just like physical self-defense.
This is covered nicely in The Gift of Fear by Gavin de
Becker (page 205) and should complement physical
self-defense training.
##
