Tapout for Tampons!

I know it’s not often you run into a guy who isn’t squeamish about buying a box of pads or tampons on an emergency run, much less a guy who puts his picture on an event saying “bring me tampons.”  Growing up with two older sisters...it just doesn’t bother me.  Nor should it really, it’s just a function of the body.  Sorry guys, but get over it.

What did bother me, however, was a video I watched that popped up on my Facebook feed one day.  It was a short documentary about the needs of homeless women.  In particular, it focused on the needs of women that weren’t being met in shelters or donation facilities.  The number one request that was not being met was hygiene products.


Women are not receiving the help they need and if they can’t find a way to make do, they have to suffer through their menstrual cycle without any personal hygiene products.  This Horizon event was put together with the intention of helping fill that need.  

Friday night we will focus specifically on joint locking techniques and chokes.  Joint locking is the method of controlling the body by rotating and aligning bones in the body in such a way that it limits motion or “locks” the body or joint.  Typically you can expect to see these techniques done on the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.  They can also be applied to the ankles, knees, and hips. These techniques can be used as way to immobilize someone or to move them to a place you want them to be.

Chokes are little bit different.  Simply by their nature they are an elevated threat response.  You don’t choke someone unconscious just because they annoy you...no matter how much you may want to!  Chokes can be classified into two categories: airway restriction and blood flow restriction.  Either can take only seconds to render a person unconscious.  If held too long even death can occur.        

So on Friday night we’ll be training some of the major joint locks and chokes found in the martial arts and their self defense applications.  There are a lot of details involved to make these work effectively and even more to train them safely.  Be ready to come make new friends….and then choke them!  

Train Hard!
-Sifu David Mitchell

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