Read the papers. It happens around us. You can’t seem to not see at least one story of a child abduction. This book is needed to help give your child a way to fight back. If they can keep from being removed from the area they are in by being able to execute a few self-defense releases they have a chance to run and get help.
This small book is needed by all parents and should be taught diligently to children. Author Janet Goliger is a second-degree black belt and a physical education teacher in the Sherman Oaks area, so she is the person you would use to transmit this information. She is concerned that children are safe. She shares some self-defense techniques that can help your child if properly executed. The tools are here. The first step is to be aware. The second strep is if grabbed, you must know how to escape and get help.
It is easy to be too paranoid. That is not the purpose for this publication. There is a healthy level of caution that needs to be evident. This book leans toward the caution end of the equation.
There are eight chapters in this 136-page small booklet.
Subtitled “How to Protect your Child from Danger” it has great suggestions. It covers both being followed by foot and by vehicle and offers “what to do.” The main point is to not put yourself in a situation where you are defenseless. But if through no fault of your own you should find yourself confronted by a grownup, or youth, who grabs you, it is nice to have the moves to get away.
For those who find themselves being grabbed there is a whole section in chapter eight showing you in real photographs the releases you should practice until they are second nature. The techniques are not given so that you can be the neighborhood “bully.” They are shown so that you will be prepared. It is better to over practice then to be helpless if the situation presents itself where you will need to use one of the releases. The pictures are explicit and detailed. Goliger has used herself in some of the pictures as the assailant. Viewing these photos makes me feel that the assailant will be in no condition to follow through with a threat after the defensive move.
The section on identifying strangers and what to look for so you can help the police is good. “”It is extremely important to remember as much as possible about this person,” Goliger writes in chapter three. “The most important features to remember are ones that cannot change quickly.”
Another good idea is to have a family code word. “The purpose of a code word is to keep your children safe from strangers.” It should be one that is easy to remember. One suggestion is to use the color words, red, green or yellow. But at the same time it should not be one that the stranger can figure out. “As with all other self-defense techniques, the code word needs to be practiced regularly so that children know how to listen for them and when they should not join in the conversation you are having with a stranger.”
This book can be purchased from the Web site www.classeducation.org where other material can be obtained to help in this area.
Information is vital. Books can supplement face to face instruction. Feel free to contact the best looking book reviewer in Santa Monica at smdp_review@yahoo.com. Let’s keep the conversation going.
