Don't Try To Throw Off A Punch

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 24th Sep 2018

I grew up with Judo - my Dad practiced Judo; his nickname in the shipyard where he worked was “Judo”, and when his younger brother started working there, he became known as “Young Judo” – I’ve practiced it since I was eight, and my son now trains in the art; I love Judo. Judo is a linear art, in that it develops skills and abilities in one direction only, like boxing; Judokas are good at grappling and boxers are good at punching, etc. Striking has been removed from Judo (accept in the Katas), so that the focus is on grappling,...Click To Read More

The Other End Of The Aggression Spectrum

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 17th Sep 2018

Most violence and aggression that we face day-to-day is low-level. This doesn’t mean that such incidents can’t and won’t escalate, but on the whole, uncomfortable as they may be to experience, they are pretty benign e.g. people are more likely to experience aggressive, verbal confrontations than they are to experience physical ones – and most physical acts of aggression, at least initially, are relatively minor; moving/bumping/pushing into somebody, grabbing, finger-jabbing at the chest, etc. Obviously, such behaviors and actions aren’t insignificant, and can’t/shouldn’t be ignored – and when contact is made, legally constitute battery – but there may be more...Click To Read More

The Dangers Of Being Polite

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 10th Sep 2018

I know a lot of people who have given pan-handlers who hassle them money, so that they can avoid an awkward situation; if somebody tells you that they need the money to by a train/bus ticket so that they can visit a sick or dying relative (I’ve lost track of the times I’ve heard this story both in the US and the UK), by not giving them something, you would either be calling them a liar, letting them know you don’t care enough about their situation to help them, or pretending that you don’t have any money on you (which...Click To Read More

What Were You Wearing?

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 3rd Sep 2018

Several weeks ago, I wrote an article on campus safety for young women preparing to go to college for the first time – and in preparation for a free annual campus safety seminar that my school puts on. The accompanying meme/picture came from a photo shoot, that we did awhile back, which was set at a college style party, and featured a female student in a crop-top (we asked her to bring the type of clothes she’d where to such a party). One notable self-defense instructor made a comment that she shouldn’t be “dressing that way”, and that she should,...Click To Read More