Self-Defense Class Completed!

     Well, I just finished teaching my self-defense class.  We've been trying to schedule it for almost 3 months now and it's finally worked out.  It feels good having it done, although now I can't sleep because I'm thinking about what I said and what I forgot to say and how I could have done things better.  ;)

     It's been over 4 years since I've taught a self-defense class.  I felt a little rusty for the first 45 minutes or so even though I was prepared, but after that I felt more comfortable.  I had let my instructor certification for the R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) program expire a few years ago because I was in my childbearing time and I wasn't in a position to organize and teach classes.  So tonight I didn't teach from that manual or give the women the official R.A.D. student manual, but I did go over the research that I had done on my own and that I had gotten from different sources over the years, and I think most of the women enjoyed the class.

     Teaching this class tonight has reawakened my passion for teaching self-defense.  I'm considering getting my certification renewed and pursuing teaching these classes on a more regular basis.  I'll have to give it some more thought.

     If you don't have time for a self-defense class or you can't find one in your area but you're interested in reading about the subject, here are the books I recommend to my classes:

1. The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker.  This book teaches you about intuition and how to rely on and trust your intuition to keep you safe.
2. Talking Back to Sexual Pressure by Elizabeth Powell.  This book teaches you how to be assertive in expressing your wants and needs.  It applies to men and women because both men and women can be pressured sexually and they both need to know how to assert their rights and how to ask for what they want and how to reject what they don't want.  This book offers many scenarios and it provides times to practice for yourself and to come up with replies that feel natural to you.
3. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.  This book will help you learn to understand how you express and interpret love and affection.  It might seem a little out of place at first, but I recommend it for my self-defense class because if you understand how you receive and show love, it will help you understand people's gestures toward you.  For example, let's say someone tickles you or pokes you playfully.  If one of your top love languages is physical touch, you might interpret that as the person likes you and is interested in a relationship with you.  However, they might just be teasing and being playful.  If you understand that your love language is physical touch, you can be more aware of that in your relationships and your interactions with others and you might save yourself a lot of confusion and misunderstanding.

     If you have read these books or if you do read them in the future, let me know what you think of them.  :)