Dear Reader,
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How do you evaluate whether a tool is the right one to use for the task you have in mind?

This morning, I had to put a fresh battery in the keypad controller to my garage door. Now the little battery cover on this device has been weathered from exposure to the elements and has been increasingly difficult to remove. Instead of pushing in and sliding open the cover, as instructed by the manufacturer, I now have to use a flathead screwdriver to pry it open. I do it gently to avoid irreparably breaking the brittle plastic cover, but as you can see, the damage is amassing and I'm not sure how many more times I can keep prying it open before it breaks.

So I ask again, how do we know we are using the right tool for the job, especially for tasks that require improvisation in response to unexpected situations?

For me, the right tool is the one that gets the job done. I needed to put a battery in this controller so I could get into my garage, and prying with this hard metal object achieved my goal. Now there is probably a better tool for the job, but in the moment, when I needed to get into my garage in a hurry, prying was sufficient despite the damage to the cover that I might need to fix or pay for later.

Dive into the internet for self-defense videos and you will find multiple ways to achieve the same goal. Some techniques rely on inducing pain by biting or striking. Other techniques lean heavily on overwhelming the attacker with intensity, speed, and violence, and perhaps the use of a weapon. And if you go into the comment section, which I don't recommend, it won't take much scrolling to find people ridiculing the technique and pointing out all the ways it doesn't work.

When it comes to self-defense, whatever helps us survive and escape the situation IS the right way. It might not be pretty and might not have gone as planned or as we trained, but given the adrenaline-filled reality of the moment, the best we do is to live another day, even if we receive damage in the process. That is the unfortunate truth of any altercation. We can learn and drill to perfect our knowledge and techniques to minimize harm and maximize our chances of survival, but there is still the chance of injuries even if we escape.

My job as a personal safety instructor is to introduce and offer more tools for your toolbox, should you ever need to use the training in real life. No tool is intrinsically better than another, but there are ones that are better suited to your body, your attributes, your preferences, and your abilities. By introducing new techniques and different responses to you and practicing them, you get to decide what tool you are confident in deploying when you need it.

As for my garage door controller, I have good intel from the maintenance person that there's a replacement controller in my future, one that isn't vulnerable to water intrusion and near retirement. If someday my prying breaks the cover, I know I will get another one. I wish it worked that way with our bodies, which is why taking the time to find not just the right tool for the job, but one that works well for you before you need it is excellent preparation.

Thank you for reading! If you are ready to start building your personal safety toolbox, there are few way to work with me:

1) I hold monthly 2SLGBTQIA+ centered workshops at the ​​Flying Tortoise Kung Fu Academy​​ located at 4400 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97213. All workshops are on Sundays, from 11-1pm. Registration for the April 14th and the May 19th workshops are open. Cost is pay-what-you-want.

2) My Spring Cohort starts this Sunday, April 7th, and ends June 14th. Classes are twice a week on Friday, 6:30-7:30pm, and Sunday, 9-10am. I designed these cohort groups to make sure that those with little to no experience in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu have a comfortable environment to learn at a safe pace. This course teaches self-defense techniques using body-mechanics and leverage for close quarter situations both standing and on the ground. In order to focus on each cohort group's progress, I open registration for each cohort only at the beginning and middle of each term. For more information and to register, please click "Get it now" below. Free trial classes and half-term payment options available by request. Please email me for details.

$300.00 Spring 2024 Cohort Course April 7 - June 14, 2024 Learn self-defense techniques and mindset in a safe and inclusive environment. We focus on... Read more Get it now!

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Thank you for reading! I hope to see you this Sunday, at a future workshop, or in the Spring cohort course!

With gratitude,

Holly (she/they)
"Self-Defense for Every Body" | ​www.safetogether.space | IG: @hollyempowered​

$0.00 April 2024 Safe Together Workshop Personal Safety Foundations Spend two hours in a safe and inclusive environment learning how to make effective... Read more Get it now!

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$0.00 May 2024 Safe Together Workshop Personal Safety Foundations Spend two hours in a safe and inclusive environment learning how to make effective... Read more Get it now!

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Mark your calendars for upcoming workshops

• ​Sunday, April 14, 11-1pm​
• ​Sunday, May 19, 11-1pm​
• Sunday, June 9, 11-1pm

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