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Senior Citizens Learn to Stick Up for Selves
By Elsa K. Simcik, AJC.com
April 27, 2009
Two years ago as she walked to her car in a grocery store parking lot, Bernestene Betterson saw a man following her. As she approached her vehicle and the man got closer, “I clapped my hands on his ears and pulled his head down on the trunk of my car,” said Betterson, 73, of Lithonia. Passers-by came to her aid, but in the end, it was the would-be attacker who was begging for help.
Betterson credits her quick reflexes to self-defense class. She’s been taking the course through the Lou Walker Senior Center in Lithonia for about two and a half years. Her teacher, Sensei Frank Crawford, owner of Life Martial Arts (www.lifemartialarts.com), said his class is a mix of fitness (things such as push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks) and self-defense.
During the self-defense portion, Crawford said the senior citizens “learn how to deal with people —- with gang members, with youth. Most of [the seniors] are extremely fast and strong; a lot of them can deliver a good kick to the head. They basically learn how to use different parts of their bodies as basic weapons.”
He said that while some do push-ups on their knees or make modifications because of a disability, for the most part they can do anything that younger folks can do —- sometimes more.
“This was the thing that they told me to promise them,” Crawford said. “Whatever I teach them, teach them and grade them just like I would someone else.”
Crime a concern
“Now we hear more and more about seniors being attacked in parking lots and other areas where they are victims of petty theft,” said Suzanne Economopoulos, director of the Center for Positive Aging (www.centerforpositiveaging.org), a non-profit organization specializing in connecting seniors to area resources. “They become an easy target because they may not be aware of the threat and because they may seem fragile.
“Many lower income seniors … live in areas where crime is increasing,” Economopoulos said. “In some cases, they are unable to make changes to their homes that would make them safer —- such as alarms systems and better locks —- because of finances,” she said.
Economopoulos said that she’s been getting a lot of inquiries about cane classes, where seniors learn how to use canes as weapons.
While her organization doesn’t currently offer the classes, the Cane Masters Association has a DVD at
www.canemasters.com.
Cane Masters founder Mark Shuey calls his class Cane-Fu. His company sells canes made of harder, thicker wood and with wider crooks to fit around an attackers neck.
“Cane fighting may be trendy, but it’s also a useful skill,” said Leslie Quander Wooldridge, associate editor of AARP The Magazine. “Older adults who learn self-defense techniques can be better prepared for emergency situations, and they also may receive a confidence boost from knowing that they’re physically strong.”
Wooldridge said that because cane fighting and other self-defense classes include an exercise component, “instruction can have some real physical benefits.”
Confidence-builder
Gloria Sugars and Herbert Fox, a married couple who live in Smoke Rise, have been taking Crawford’s class for three years. The two have even gone beyond self-defense and now also practice taekwondo. They say the biggest thing they’ve gotten out of the class is confidence —- a trait that was put to the test during a confrontation at Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
“Some unruly individual decided he needed to knock a lot of people aside to get to the turnstile to pick up his bag,” said Fox, 67. “He did it to me also, and I didn’t appreciate it, so I pushed him aside. He started to get belligerent about it and I calmly stood there.”
Sugars, 61, added, “I said, ‘Sir, you do not want to do this.’ He saw that we didn’t seem to be afraid of him. So he decided to walk away.”
In addition to the confidence, Fox said, “You build stability, strength, endurance and balance.”
Betterson said of the class, “It teaches you to be aware of your surroundings —- certain ways to shake a hand, certain ways to look out for things, certain ways to be prepared.” And while the man she encountered in the parking lot later claimed he was “just playing,” Betterson is glad she was able to protect herself. She may have even helped to prevent future assaults from the same man. “He’ll never do that again!” she said.
Stay Safe Tips
Tony Aderhold, a crime prevention specialist and senior instructor at the Fulton County Police Academy, shares his favorite lessons in avoiding assaults and fighting back
> Instead of carrying a purse, put your ID and money in your pocket.
> If you have to carry a purse, don’t carry anything that you’re not willing to part with. If the person grabs the purse, let them have it.
> Go in the buddy system; shop with neighbors or friends.
> When someone asks “What time is it?” instead of dropping your head and looking at your wrist, “I teach them to hold their wrist up and keep your eye on that person,” Aderhold said.
> If you get in a situation and you have to hit the person, don’t necessarily kick below the belt. “Any man over 5 years old knows that’s what you’re gonna go for,” Aderhold said. “I show them how to do a palm strike. Strike with the base of your hand, fingers curled down.”
> Use verbal commands. Aderhold recommends shouting, “Stop. Leave me alone! Get away from me!” He said this not only draws attention, but it forces you to breathe.
> Replace pepper spray after a year. Instead of attaching it to your key chain, use a coil that you wear around your wrist. It will be easier to access if someone approaches you while you’re unlocking your door.
> Want some free hands-on self-defense training? Prince Karate Academy is holding a women’s self-defense seminar Saturday at 10 a.m. 3830 Princeton Lakes Parkway, Suite 200, Atlanta.
www.princekarateacademy.net.
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