Students got a chance to learn ways to defend themselves and even take out some pent up aggression at Tuesday’s “Teach Me Tuesday” event, focusing on self-defense.

The event was held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union and was co-sponsored by University Board and Alpha Phi Alpha as part of Women’s History and Awareness month.

The crowd was a mixture of men and women who were led through self-defense techniques by Chief Adam Due and Lt. Phillip Lung from the University Police Department.

Due began the program by informing the participants on why self-defense is important to be familiar with.

“The important thing about self-defense is using it to stay out of trouble,” Due said. “A lot of the techniques we teach today seem simple, but I want everyone to focus on the practice of those techniques.”

Some of the best targets to aim for on the body are the groin, chin, chest, shin and foot. Due talked about how, if the thigh area hit – specifically, the nerve that usually triggers “Charlie Horses” – this impact will trigger a synthetic reflex.

“Hitting that nerve in the thigh will take out not only that leg, but the other leg as well, causing a synthetic reflect,” Due said.

Both Due and Lung emphasized how one should never underestimate their opponent.

“In all of the classes on self-defense we have taught, it is always surprising because some of the smallest people have the most force behind their kicks and punches,” Lung said.

Due showed everyone how to deliver a punch that could be used as a good defense.

“The right punch means thumb on the outside of the fist, not on the inside, where it could get broken,” Due said. “Punch with your strong arm while your other leg comes forward pushing your weight into the punch.”

The punch is the most common form of self-defense, but Due said kicks are actually more damaging to an opponent because the legs are usually stronger than the arms.

Due brought up Brittany Staten, a sophomore sociology major, to demonstrate kicking techniques to the rest of the class.

Staten, who saw a flyer for the event and decided to come, enjoyed the lessons she learned from the program.

“I learned different ways to stand and posture myself, and to block certain areas that I didn’t know how to before,” Staten said. “I’m definitely going to apply what I learned to my everyday life and focus on keeping my punches strong.”

A technique of kicking with the ball of the foot, as well as a sweep kick, were taught for everyone to practice on pads held by Due and Lung. Some of the participants screamed as they punched the pads, getting out pent up stress and aggression.

Erin Bennett, an art graduate student, came to the self-defense program because she felt it would be fun and she even left with a personal goal.

“I’ve learned from the program that I’ve gotta be more assertive and confident in my abilities to defend myself,” Bennett said.

Darius White, president of APA, joined in on the program, and brought along several members from his fraternity.

“We just came out tonight to add some guys to the mix in case they do need some more instructors and mostly just to put out the awareness for self-defense,” White said.

White, a junior family service and sciences major, and his fraternity brothers are familiar with self-defense after having taken classes, and he feels that being able to defend against the unknown is very important.

“A lot of people take it for granted that we’re safe because we’re on a college campus, when, by all means, anybody can attack at anytime,” White said.

The members of APA took a group photo with all of the participants in the program and everyone received a whistle and a keychain for attending.

Megan Tkacy can be reached at 581-7942 or metkacy@eiu.edu.

Sophomore sociology major Brittany Staten learns the proper way to kick in order to defend herself during the “Teach Me Tuesday” self-defense class Tuesday afternoon in the Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.(Audrey Sawyer/The D

(more…)