would like to see that smile erased. Casey herself felt no animosity toward the woman, but it didn’t take a great stretch of her imagination to see why others would.
“Okay, so we’ll talk about two things,” she said. “The first is what you do with your hands.”
“Hit ‘em in the face!” someone shouted.
Casey laughed. “Good guess, but what might be the problem with that?”
It was silent for a few moments until Andrea said, “You can’t reach it?”
“Exactly. There will be exceptions, but for the most part, a man is going to be larger than you. If he’s got you—” she trotted to the wall, grabbed a step, set it behind Krystal, then stood on top of it and grabbed Krystal around the shoulders. “—there’s not much chance to reach his nose or eyes. Try it, Krystal.”
Krystal twisted around, trying to hit Casey’s face, or any part of her head. She couldn’t get close.
“So where can she reach?” Casey asked.
“Stomach!” someone said.
“Right.” She reached forward and grabbed Krystal’s elbow, bringing it slowly toward her diaphragm. “She’s got me right here, in the solar plexus. The gut. That’s going to knock my breath out, and it’s going to hurt, giving her a chance to run away when my grip loosens. Where else can she reach?”
“Balls.”
“Right. Curl your hand into a fist, Krystal.”
She did.
“Now take the side of your fist and swing it up behind.” She guided Krystal’s hand toward her crotch. “That’s called a hammer fist. It protects your fingers, and gets that solid mass of your hand hitting him where it hurts.” She let go of Krystal and spun her around. “Now, if you’re facing him?”
Krystal tried to reach Casey’s face with her fingers, but Casey dodged the strike and grabbed Krystal’s arm, twisting it behind her. “Not gonna work. Try again.” She let Krystal go. Krystal balled her hand into a fist and aimed for Casey’s nose. Again, Casey grabbed her arm and spun her. “Even if Krystal did connect, she’s going to run the chance of breaking her fingers, or her thumb. Try this instead.” Casey cocked her wrist, fingers and thumb spread back. “Hit him with the heel of your hand.” She guided Krystal’s hand first toward her throat, and then her stomach. “Either place would work.”
“That’s not really going to hurt him,” Krystal said.
“But it’s going to stun him. Remember what I said? You want to surprise him enough that you can run away.”
Andrea was studying the situation. “Could she kick you?”
Casey let go of Krystal and pushed her gently back to her spot in the front row. “Come here, Andrea. Now, you’ve all just done a kickboxing class. Remember how you strike forward with your heel, your toes pulled back? You feel it in your calf, and your hamstrings? That’s exactly what you’re going to do here. Get him in the groin. Get him in the knee. The ankle.” She pointed at herself, and Andrea aimed slow kicks toward those spots. “Anything to give you that jump on him. Anything to get away. To get help.”
“What about screaming?” Sissy asked.
Casey smiled. “Scream as much as you can. Anything to get someone else’s attention, or to distract your aggressor. The louder, then better.” Although she couldn’t remember making any noise when she fought that thug in Ohio. She was too busy trying to stay alive. “Okay, everyone partner up. Let’s practice what we just talked about. Grab a step if you want, to simulate a height difference.”
The women paired off, and Casey walked around the room, correcting mistakes and helping them to focus. While most could manage the moves, Casey could see their hearts weren’t really in it. They were tired, or unfocused, or simply sure they would never have to use the skills to actually defend themselves. Casey wasn’t sure how to deal with that. How do you make women attentive enough, without putting the fear of God in them?
After each woman had a chance to be both aggressor and defender, Casey stood on the step and raised her voice. “Okay! Good work, women. Can I have your attention one more time?” They quieted, and turned toward her. “We’ll have a more formal class tomorrow evening. We’ll practice these skills again, and add on a few more. Until then, what are the three most important things to remember?”
“Be smart!” someone yelled.
“Right. Common sense. Prevention. Don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation. Another one?”
“Stay alert,” Sissy said, clapping her hands like a schoolgirl.