They may not look frightening like Godzilla, the creatures from the Alien movies, or Stephen King’s IT. But make no mistake about it–monsters exist, and they are all around us.
- 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before they reach age 18 (1 in 7 girls, 1 in 25 boys).
- Over 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- An average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a single year.
- More than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner; 40.8% reported being raped by an acquaintance.
Many of these monsters are “regular” people whom the victim knows, not some random stranger lurking in a dark, deserted alley. A frustrated domestic partner who just lost their job. A lonely student hopped up on drugs at a college campus party. A drunken relative at a weekend barbeque. These are but a few examples.
As for all the monsters out there—no matter the attacker, they are NOT nearly indestructible like Friday the 13th’s Jason Vorhees or Halloween’s Michael Myers. There are parts of the human body (“soft targets”) which simply cannot be muscled-up/strengthened. Krav Maga Essentials understands this, and their system employs many self-defense strategies designed to exploit those weaknesses. Skills ranging from non-violent pain compliance “control” to more serious bodily injury. All of which can be effectively executed by people of differing sizes, genders, ages, or fitness levels.
My wish is that no one ever has a confrontation with a dangerous, potentially violent monster, but unfortunately this may be an unrealistic expectation in today’s unsettled, divisive world. I recommend you prepare yourself (and your loved ones) by getting on the mats with Gus Bottazzi and his instructor team at Krav Maga Essentials. Like learning how to swim, a smart Krav Maga self-defense plan can potentially save your life.
Dan Liu,
Krav Maga student
