One-time SD seminars/short courses. A bit of a rant.

[RTKDCMB]

Also, on a cultural note, do you mean Football (Soccer in USA), or American Football. I'm assuming NOT American football, since as far as I know, their only kick is a punt, suitable for the groin, not the ribs, really. Can you explain what you mean by a Football kick that can attack the torso? I know NOTHING of sports, so I'm a bit out of my depth here.

Aussie rules

If you mean by cross kick, what I mean by stomp kick, we are completely in a agreement here. If physical self-defense is to be taught, that's probably the second best leg technique to include. Some might say that a blade-edge side kick to the knee is easier for the average newbie, but that's a more preference-based conversation. For several reasons, I am with you, and prefer the stompy-cross kick thing.

Yes I mean stomp cross kick.

Can we safely agree that the average aggressor does NOT feel intimidated and or cautious of his (or her) prey?

Yes - the element of surprise that the intended prey fights back is very useful.

 

[Koshiki]

As I stated before if a 4-8 hour course can teach someone to get out of a wrist grab and give them a swift kick in the you know where, then wouldn't it be a good use of your time to teach that.

Well, yes. Better than nothing, assuming you happen to get attacked with a wrist grab, and can actually get out of it with your technique. Not to be the pedant who says nothing will work here, but a man's big hand around a slim woman's wrist can exert a pretty determined, painful, crushing grip, which, even with the best technique, you can't necessarily get out of without a significant amount of strength. So then we get into softening techniques, like the groin kick (it's ok to say it!). Then we have to consider that a wrist grab is probably NOT the only attack that's going to come at you, so wrist grab breakaways have to be coupled with getting dragged, or maybe hit simultaneously, so then we need blocking and more practice, and basics of moving with/against an attacker in motion, dragging you, and, and, and. Suddenly, the chances of learning to defend yourself against whatever combination of attacks you might be presented with in your real life situation becomes even slimmer.

I'm not actually quite as hard-line, never teach physical self-defense courses as I am presenting myself, but I'm close. I'm presenting the opposition here.

Aussie rules.

I'll have to look that up. My interaction with sports has always been. "What do you mean I can't grab the basketball and run with it to the hoop, knocking people out of the way en route. It went in, didn't it?"

Yes I mean stomp cross kick.

Makes so much more sense. Might be my favourite kick...

Yes - the element of surprise that the intended prey fights back is very useful.

I've seen that surprise work both ways, either aggravating or deescalating the situation. The "fights" I got in as a younger teen were pretty much all de-escalated by me being cocky and jumping right in. Looking back, I was a lucky moron. I've heard from several women I know personally about how their attempts to fight back have certainly surprised the aggressor, but without going into detail, have generally have made the situation far, far worse.

A prime difference is likely, young guys tend to get in "fights" with other young guys, at least in my experience, something along the lines of either, "Let's beat on the dorky-looking pretty boy," or "dude, that's MY ****ing girlfriend, you wanna fight?" It's basically a testosterone game where people get bruised up. For women, it's not, "let's fight," it's more, "I'm going to hurt you and make you do what I want."

Perhaps below a certain level of commitment and intensity in the some aggressors, the surprise of "ow, my wrist," or, "ow, why am I sitting on the ground, suddenly," is enough to startle them out of their aggression; and perhaps above a certain level of commitment and intensity, a certain level of true emotional involvement in the assault, the surprise serves to take them from really mad, to boiling over angry. In other words, a bar fight is not at all comparable to domestic abuse, expect for that people get hurt.