Self-defense skills improve if they are practiced and degrade if they aren’t. There are several ways to insure that you keep your tools in working order.

Note: Included here are some schools, mostly in and around Portland, Oregon. This may change since martial arts and self defense schools go out of business even faster than do restaurants. Omission of a particular school should in now way be considered a reflection on it.

If you are the sort of person who can get up every day to practice something or go running, you may be able to keep your physical skills at a good level. Try to get access to a gym with a heavy bag, or get a kick-shield and have a friend hold it for you. It’s always good to work out with people with different skills and body types

The most important self-training tool you have is your imagination. Think your way through assault scenarios in your home, at your job, at school. Always picture yourself winning.

The old Motown song says "You better shop around". This applies to martial arts schools as well as boyfriends. Finding a good school where you are happy is more important than finding the "right style" of martial art or the best possible self-defense program. Don’t suspend your judgement just because this is an unfamiliar activity. Trust your instincts. Use common sense. Be courteous and expect the same from teachers and senior students.

Many teachers will say that what they teach is ‘the best’, ‘the most effective’ or similar lies. Leave immediately if the teacher claims that you will be invincible or completely safe after taking his or her course. Martial artists who claim that their style is thousands of years old should be treated with skepticism. Teachers who make grandiose claims about themselves can be crossed off the list. (Grandiose claims about their teachers are normal.)

The student-teacher relationship should not be materially different than it is in any other classroom. You should feel comfortable with the teachers. Ask whom they studied with and what sort of certification they received; legitimate instructors will be glad to tell you.

Not everyone can afford a modern school with lots of equipment. Some of the best schools are in the teacher's garage. A school should look like someone cares about it. It should be clean, tidy, and safely maintained (no exposed wiring, no sharp objects lying on the floor, etc.). Often the teachers' certifications will be displayed as will pictures of their teachers. A large number of trophies can indicate tbat the school concentrates on sport competition rather than self-defense or cultural matters.

Talk to students in the class. Ask why they do what they do. If they sound like advertising brochures or cultists leave quickly.

Self-defense classes vary widely but tend to fall into four rough categories:

These are usually introductory versions of whatever style is taught in the school and stress fighting. Some are very good, but many are simply promotions for the regular martial arts class.

One of the very best martial arts-affiliated schools is Modern Warrior (1-888-MWARRIOR or http://www.mwarior.com) in Lindenhurst, Long Island, NY

Many police and sheriff’s departments offer a self-defense program. These tend to be strong on prevention and avoidance, weak on deterrence and resistance. With few exceptions police take a condescending view of ‘civilians’, especially women’s’, ability to defend themselves. For liability reasons they do not like to teach dangerous techniques or recommend the use of weapons. They’re inexpensive and some offer periodic refresher courses.

The Portland Police Bureau offers a free course called Womenstrength. Much of the technique is outdated, and it is very conservative in what it teachers, but the price is right. There are refresher courses. And classes are taught often throughout the city.

The Women’s Movement brought self-defense into the modern age with the recognition of deterrence, verbal de-escalation, resistance (as opposed to fighting), survival, and political consciousness. Groups such as We are AWARE, FIST, and others offer a variety of courses. These are often strongest on avoidance and deterrence (assertiveness and verbal skills) and de-emphasize resistance.

Stacy Colter’s Open Hand self defense school is a very good feminist self defense school. It is located on NE 28th and Alberta in Portland. There are special programs for children, teenage girls, and adult women.

Model Mugging pioneered the use of the padded attacker in self-defense training. Any MM-type of program will be physically and emotionally intense. Programs are generally short, but many programs have advanced classes and refresher courses. MM is expensive.

Neither Model Mugging nor Impact has any instructors in Portland at the moment.

The very best short term padded attacker course is Dawn Callen’s Awakening the Warrior Within in the San Francisco Bay area. Even people who do not get along with her are quick to compliment her life-changing courses. There are several levels of instruction.

• Be wary of teachers from a purely military background. Their physical technique tends to rely on strength and athleticism. The training methods are carefully tailored for turning strong, aggressive, young men into soldiers. These methods are not completely applicable to the needs of women seeking self defense instruction.
• The same is true to a lesser extent of police defensive tactics. In addition the duties of a police officer — making contact, apprehending, restraint and arrest are different than the concerns of a private citizen defending herself.
• Watch out for tournament martial artists, especially martial-art based teachers whose claim to fame is the number of tournament trophies they’ve won: tournament fighting is not appropriate for self-defense.
• The physical content of a self-defense course should be simple, and there should be plenty of drill time. Elaborate techniques that rely on strength are generally not practical. It is a good sign if most of the striking is in the close range (knees, elbows, and such).
• As we said in the first class, Self-defense is not simply about physical resistance. A good course will touch on all of the areas we addressed earlier (time permitting).
• A padded attacker is a good part of a self-defense program but is not absolutely necessary. On the other hand, a course which only practices techniques slowly or in the air is not realistic.

Martial arts training differs from self-defense training in several important ways. There’s no time limit; you can continue for as long as your interest lasts. Many of the training methods and techniques are superb but only bear fruit after many years of practice. Goals of martial arts training can include self-defense, physical and mental improvement, competition, understanding of a foreign culture, or socializing with friends who share your interest.

While you are at the school you should watch a class. A martial arts teacher who will not let you observe should be viewed with suspicion. Who teaches the class, the instructor or senior students? Are they good teachers; do they demonstrate and explain techniques, answer questions, offer individual feedback? Do the students appear relaxed or are they uneasy or uncomfortable? Do they ask questions during class? How do they interact with each other and with seniors? Be sensitive to atmosphere.

All schools will say that what they teach effective self defense. However, each school emphasizes different things. Many schools (and we must be blunt here), especially Karate and Tae Kwon Do, are primarily geared towards competition. Tournament fighting is very different from self-defense. Skill at one does not necessarily give skill in the other. Paradoxically, many Judo dojos and boxing gyms make no bones about the fact that they teach a sport for competition, yet they are among the most street-tested martial arts around. Go figure.

Many schools take great pride in the number of techniques and forms they teach. While having a wide range of skills is good, it is less important than being able to use a few of them well. How much drill time does the class allow?

Forms (also known as katas, kuens, poomses or djurus) are a traditional part of many martial arts. However, forms just by themselves do not teach good martial art. A class where students do not practice their techniques on other students or with equipment such as pads, bags, or kick shields is not a good sign.

Sparring (or push hands in Tai Chi) is a useful and important phase of training. It is only a part. A firm foundation in basics is more important. Unsupervised sparring, especially by beginners, is not safe.

There is a wide range of business styles among martial arts schools. Some charge by the lesson, some by the month or year. Remember that you are comparison-shopping and may change your mind or move in the next couple of years. Most people stay with a martial arts school for less than a year. Pressure to sign up right away should be viewed much the same way as pressure to buy a used car. Long term contracts (more than about two or three months) should be avoided. There are a couple of franchised schools who sign all of their students up for contracts and programs sell the contracts to a collection agency. If a student quits he or she still has to pay for lessons.

Most places in the Portland metro area charge between 30 and 60 dollars a month. Two uniforms (so that you will always have a clean one), a mouthpiece, protective equipment such as boxing gloves and special items like practice weapons are standard.

There are often hidden costs to martial arts schools. Some require you to buy accident insurance. Some have expensive tests for rank.

Aikido is a very popular modern Japanese martial art. It stresses non-violence, avoidance, and harmony. Physical techniques are largely throws, joint locks, and pain compliance. Aikido is very spiritual and deeply connected with the Omoto religion. The attitudes and techniques of Aikido are about as far from what we have taught you as it is possible to get. Even its most fervent exponents say that it takes a long time to develop effective self-defense skills, but the wait can be worth it. Aikido is a very sophisticated martial art.

For better or worse, guns are part of the modern world. Even if you are not interested in learning to shoot it is a good idea to become familiar with firearms, their limitations, and the laws pertaining to self defense.

The National Rifle Association will send you a list of the half-dozen certified instructors closest to you upon request. They offer instruction in firearms safety, personal protection, and the correct use of guns of all sorts. Any good sporting goods store can put you in touch with the NRA. Some of their technique is outdated. Organizations such as LFI, Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, Chapman, and FAS are more current.

We would recommend that you steer clear of any teacher who believes that women can’t shoot every bit as well as men.

The Place to Shoot in Delta Park (Portland) is an good indoor range and offers classes at all levels. [Their regular page seems to be down. I've given the URL for the guy who handles their instruction]

Clyde Caceras is also very good. He teaches the defensive use of firearms, knives, and pepper spray and has an ad in the yellow pages.

The two best training facilities in the region are:

Firearms Academy of Seattle: Gila and Marty Hayes run this extensive and superb facility in Chehalis/Onalaska Washington. Their classes are exceptional and cover everything from basics for the complete beginner to advanced topics in police defensive tactics, precision rifle work, and competition shooting of many sorts. Gila teaches several courses for women only.

Public Safety Training Center: This is the newest and best equipped range in the immediate Portland area. They have three basic courses which carry college credit (PSTC is affiliated with the Portland Community College system), a number of special purpose courses in the use of specific weapons, advanced tactics and strategy, and a competition league. They also allow only Speer Clean Fire ammunition which puts no measurable amounts of dangerous heavy metals such as lead or bismuth into the air. PSTC is located just South of Clackamas Town Center across the street from Costco and next to the Sheriff's office.