A LEG UP ON ATTACKERS Getting a kick out of self-defense

By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- My gut lurched as his hands came at me and wrapped around my neck.
I didn't hesitate. I dug the toe of my boot into his shin.
"Geez," he said, his body shifting backward.
I didn't think the short, small kick would hurt Sgt. Bob Magnuson. I hadn't tried to inflict pain. But I did.
And I couldn't help but smile.
Magnuson didn't mind. He and other Canfield police officers who teach self-defense tactics to women offer themselves up as human punching bags a few times each year. On a recent evening, they gathered with about 35 women and girls to show them how these tactics work.
Easy to learn: I was surprised at how simple many of the techniques were. A simple palm push to the hip can send an attacker off balance and give you some running time.
Even the most advanced technique taught -- involving a knee to the groin and three more to the abdomen -- could be mastered by just about anyone, even a woman wearing 2-inch heels and a skirt. (If you dress like Cher, hire a bodyguard.)
Youth and strength aren't criteria for mastering the techniques, said Officer Jim Conrad -- Magnuson was once knocked to his knees by an 86-year-old woman. And many can be used regardless of the direction from which your attacker approaches.
I was surprised when the officers demonstrated some of the techniques on me. That hip push sent me stumbling. And the push to the trachea -- that hurts.
Favorite technique: But the women had the most fun learning the groin slaps and kicks.
"Every time a woman does this, she's got a big grin on her face," Conrad said, holding a protective pad in front of his chest and pelvis.
Yep, he was right. The women grinned. So did I.
Most powerful was what the officers call the "four-step system." With this, you knee an attacker in the groin. When he doubles over, strike his neck with your forearms, grab his head and pull it down to your shoulder. Then step backward with one leg and knee his chest three times.
I practiced on Conrad. He told me I had it. I guess those Tae-Bo videos were worth something. I had an urge to hear some Aretha Franklin.
Avoiding danger: Magnuson didn't start the course by teaching slaps and kicks. First, he told women that the best way to defend themselves is to learn ways to avoid danger.
He gave tips on how a woman should carry herself when walking alone or in a potentially dangerous area.
Magnuson said we all had probably been followed in our cars at least once. We missed it because we weren't checking our rear-view mirrors.
He showed us how being aware can keep you from danger:
One woman was alert to a man following her in a local department store. She pointed at him and shouted, "You. What are you following me for?"
He also gave us an example of what not to do:
One female driver being chased on state Route 224 in Boardman Township made the bad choice to turn onto the dark Raccoon Road and then onto the dark Shields Road. Her assailant got to her through her unlocked door -- another mistake. She escaped only after using the meat cleaver stored under her passenger seat.
Magnuson debunked popular myths. My mother had always told me to stick an attacker in the eye with my finger. My stomach told me I'd never do it, even under the most extreme circumstances. That's why those techniques are useless, Magnuson said. It's the rare person who could gouge out an eye.
Why they attended: Women who attended were there because they realize the dangers of today's world.
Debbie Cooper of Canfield attended with her 14-year-old daughter Julie. They planned to share the advice with Debbie's other daughter, who is 20.
Angie Dunlap of Canfield is a stay-at-home mother of three.
"To me it's just a fact of life, of being a woman," Dunlap said. "You just always have to be on your guard as a woman in this society. ... They [the techniques] are ones you hope you don't have to use, but it's almost a matter of when."
I was imagining myself in frightening situations, wondering if I'd have the strength of mind to pull the techniques to the forefront, when I spoke to a courageous woman who told me that she wouldn't be here if not for Magnuson.
I asked her what she meant.
The woman first attended the courses about four years ago, after meeting Magnuson through her Canfield city job. Back then, she had been held hostage for 10 years in an abusive relationship. She used some of the defense techniques against her mate and eventually left the relationship. Now, she serves as a police officer in New Springfield.
She continues to attend the courses because she learns new things, because she always needs reminders and because she always introduces a new woman to the techniques.
I thought of her courage as I drove home that night. And I thought of the 21-year-old Boardman woman who was gang-raped about 10:30 one August night as she arrived early at her workplace on Youngstown's South Side. I thought about the beating and rape in November 2000 of the 30-year-old Poland woman who arrived at work in Canfield at 7 a.m.
And I thought of the chances I'd taken, like the time I ran out of gas on the freeway and took a ride from that nice-looking older couple in the minivan.
I thought about my mother, my nieces, my friends. I called my sister.
And, no, I didn't pop in my Aretha CD.
I was too busy looking in my rear-view mirror.
viviano@vindy.com