Armed and Elderly
A swift cane to the groin keeps thugs at bay.
A couple dozen residents of the Seville retirement home in Orem gathered for an hour-long "Combat Cane" self-defense class Saturday afternoon.
It is important for seniors to remember they can defend themselves, said Cheryl Nyman, who manages the Seville with her husband, Greg.
"We thought it was a great idea to bring this to our residents," she said. "These are all vital seniors. A lot of them still drive their own cars and we have an active walking group and I worry about them."
Any senior with a cane also has a weapon against thugs and muggers, said Rod Carmichael, physical therapist and self-defense enthusiast who teaches Combat Cane classes across Utah.
The key is to strike decisively the first time.
"If you have to defend yourself with a cane, do as much damage as you can do because it may be your only chance," he said.
A sturdy cane with a shepherd's crook is preferable because it can be used not only to strike but to grapple, pulling a neck or a knee to throw an assailant off balance, he said.
"I can use any part of this for self defense," he said, holding up such a cane. "If you have a straight cane, a staff, you have two poking ends. If it's got a flat end, it's a striking cane."
Holding a cane in two hands, "you can redirect or block a punch," he said, demonstrating. "The assailant now knows I'm not going to take whatever he gives me."
Over and over, Carmichael told those gathered that a strike to the groin is their best defense.
"There are vital targets on the body that are easily damaged," he said. "The groin is one. Strike the groin whenever you can with whatever you can -- your cane, your knee or your fist."
The side of the knee, trachea and solar plexus are also good targets when trying to quickly debilitate an attacker, he said.
"What is another delicate area?" Carmichael called out to the audience.
"Eyes," shouted a resident without missing a beat.
"Very good," said Carmichael. "Martial artist Bruce Lee was once asked if he could only do one punch in a fight, what would it be, and he said poke out the eyes."
At this suggestion of violence, there were disapproving murmurs from a couple of residents.
When an attacker tries to choke you, the natural response is to try to pull their hands away -- a mistake, Carmichael said. Instead, "make two claws and pluck," he said, demonstrating a swift yanking motion using sharply cupped fingers to knock an assailant's hands away.
"Have you ever had to do all this?" called out one resident in a determined but wobbly voice.
"With a cane? No," he said. "But some of my students have."
One 60-year-old dentist at an ATM grew nervous when a young man began acting strangely behind him, he said.
"He felt threatened," Carmichael said. "He hit him in the groin. The kid went away. Now the kid may not have threatened him but he knew he wasn't going to take that."
A woman walking on the street was twice touched inappropriately by a stranger and when she turned around, the man grabbed her throat, Carmichael said.
"She plucked and kneed him until he went to the ground," he said. "She broke two of his ribs and his nose. There was a policeman across the street who was not able to get there fast enough. She took care of herself."
When Carmichael asked for a volunteer from the audience to practice cane combat, a staffer put her hands on the shoulders of 90-year-old Mae Hickman.
"I've got one," said the staffer.
"For what?" said an alarmed Hickman from her chair.
"We'll take up a collection for you," jested one man in the audience.
When Carmichael explained he wanted Hickman to demonstrate a block with a cane, Hickman smiled, straightened up to her full height and got in Carmichael's face.
"I want you to tell me how to remember all this stuff," she said to laughs and applause. "We're old folks."
Carmichael instructed Hickman to block him as he pretended to strike her.
"I don't have two good arms," she said jovially.
"How high can you lift the cane?" Carmichael asked.
With a wide smile, Hickman held the cane up to her lower chest.
When Carmichael pretended to strike her, Hickman blocked and the room erupted in cheers.
A couple dozen residents of the Seville retirement home in Orem gathered for an hour-long "Combat Cane" self-defense class Saturday afternoon.
It is important for seniors to remember they can defend themselves, said Cheryl Nyman, who manages the Seville with her husband, Greg.
"We thought it was a great idea to bring this to our residents," she said. "These are all vital seniors. A lot of them still drive their own cars and we have an active walking group and I worry about them."
Any senior with a cane also has a weapon against thugs and muggers, said Rod Carmichael, physical therapist and self-defense enthusiast who teaches Combat Cane classes across Utah.
The key is to strike decisively the first time.
"If you have to defend yourself with a cane, do as much damage as you can do because it may be your only chance," he said.
A sturdy cane with a shepherd's crook is preferable because it can be used not only to strike but to grapple, pulling a neck or a knee to throw an assailant off balance, he said.
"I can use any part of this for self defense," he said, holding up such a cane. "If you have a straight cane, a staff, you have two poking ends. If it's got a flat end, it's a striking cane."
Holding a cane in two hands, "you can redirect or block a punch," he said, demonstrating. "The assailant now knows I'm not going to take whatever he gives me."
Over and over, Carmichael told those gathered that a strike to the groin is their best defense.
"There are vital targets on the body that are easily damaged," he said. "The groin is one. Strike the groin whenever you can with whatever you can -- your cane, your knee or your fist."
The side of the knee, trachea and solar plexus are also good targets when trying to quickly debilitate an attacker, he said.
"What is another delicate area?" Carmichael called out to the audience.
"Eyes," shouted a resident without missing a beat.
"Very good," said Carmichael. "Martial artist Bruce Lee was once asked if he could only do one punch in a fight, what would it be, and he said poke out the eyes."
At this suggestion of violence, there were disapproving murmurs from a couple of residents.
When an attacker tries to choke you, the natural response is to try to pull their hands away -- a mistake, Carmichael said. Instead, "make two claws and pluck," he said, demonstrating a swift yanking motion using sharply cupped fingers to knock an assailant's hands away.
"Have you ever had to do all this?" called out one resident in a determined but wobbly voice.
"With a cane? No," he said. "But some of my students have."
One 60-year-old dentist at an ATM grew nervous when a young man began acting strangely behind him, he said.
"He felt threatened," Carmichael said. "He hit him in the groin. The kid went away. Now the kid may not have threatened him but he knew he wasn't going to take that."
A woman walking on the street was twice touched inappropriately by a stranger and when she turned around, the man grabbed her throat, Carmichael said.
"She plucked and kneed him until he went to the ground," he said. "She broke two of his ribs and his nose. There was a policeman across the street who was not able to get there fast enough. She took care of herself."
When Carmichael asked for a volunteer from the audience to practice cane combat, a staffer put her hands on the shoulders of 90-year-old Mae Hickman.
"I've got one," said the staffer.
"For what?" said an alarmed Hickman from her chair.
"We'll take up a collection for you," jested one man in the audience.
When Carmichael explained he wanted Hickman to demonstrate a block with a cane, Hickman smiled, straightened up to her full height and got in Carmichael's face.
"I want you to tell me how to remember all this stuff," she said to laughs and applause. "We're old folks."
Carmichael instructed Hickman to block him as he pretended to strike her.
"I don't have two good arms," she said jovially.
"How high can you lift the cane?" Carmichael asked.
With a wide smile, Hickman held the cane up to her lower chest.
When Carmichael pretended to strike her, Hickman blocked and the room erupted in cheers.
posted by Mr Farnham at
12:53 AM
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