They learned moves such as the hammer fist which is when someone makes their hand into a fist and punches an attacker in the face. In addition they learned the cat scratch, making a hand into a claw and scratching the face of an attacker.
The instructors, trainers from Focus Martial Arts and Fitness in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, get beaten up so much that they take Motrin for up to two days after their lesson plans.
Marnstein provided me with a list of statistics that he believes are some of the worst. Some of the statistics include 48 percent of rape victims are raped by a friend or acquaintance, 30 percent by a stranger, 16 percent by an intimate, two percent by another relative, and in four percent of cases the relationship is unknown. In addition, 86 percent of rape victims reported the use of physical force as the only weapon used during the attack.
“The statistics are pretty startling when you start to look at them,” Marnstein said.
The main reason that Marnstein wanted to do the program however was because he wanted a way to expose self defense other than just in his martial arts class.
“As teachers we are supposed to teach,” Marnstein said. “These are skills students need but I hope they never have to use them.”
Marnstein said that this is not the only time this year that Fight Like A Girl will go on, he is also organizing another class for sometime in May of 2012.
Fight Like A Girl is a $40.00 fee but both Kruse and McKay think the experience is worth the money.
“It could be anyone at any time,” Kruse said. “Rape is about power, not always sex…you don’t want to end up in a situation like, ‘Damn, I wish I took that class,” Kruse said.
