The Power of One

Sunday, October 2 marks both the United Nations' International Day of Non-Violence and the birthday of one of its biggest proponents: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This video pays tribute to the concept and the man and is called the "Power of One."

Here at SKS, we honor the values and practice of the nonviolent civil actions that changed a nation -- and indeed, the world.

Video from KarmaTube

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

Columbia, SC 29229

803-462-9425

samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Domestic Violence Extremely High In South Carolina

Posted by Jasmine Williams on September 16, 2011 5:23 AM

Domestic violence has left over 500 women in South Carolina dead since 2005.

On Aug. 28, Jennifer Wilson, a professor at the University of South Carolina, died in her home following multiple stab wounds. Police arrested her ex-boyfriend, Hank Hawkes, for her death.

It was early morning when neighbors called to report a loud argument, including Wilson screaming, "No, no, no!" But since it was quiet in the home when police drove by, they did not check on the woman. She was found dead later that day, Yahoo News reported.

For the rest of the story, please click HERE.


Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425

9-11 Tribute

I visited Ground Zero 3 months after the attack on the twin towers and the emotion was just as raw then as it was today, watching the memorials on television.  I had friends who had loved ones that perished that day. It's so hard to imagine the horror of it all and the pain of the survivors and their family's.

And we can not forget the magnificent men and women in our military who work hard every day to keep us safe and especially, those fallen soldiers that made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our freedom.

This is a very powerful tribute to the victims of the 9-11 attack.

Let us celebrate the memories of their lives and continue the good work that we are all capable of!







Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Attack Points

The human body is a wonderful living, breathing machine and comes in all shapes and sizes.  Unfortunately, someone who is about to commit an assault, is usually looking for a person that is smaller and weaker; that will put up little resistance.

In order to "level the playing field", and I am thinking of a small women versus a large man, we use specific attack points on the body to defend ourselves.

For beginner karate students, I like to focus on 5 key attack points that will help you in most self defense scenarios.  In class we covered these points in a lot more detail, so I will just briefly describe them here.

The Eyes

Slap, stab, punch or gouge.  This is one of my favorite attack points because it can be used in so many different assault scenario's, whether standing or even in a lying down position.  When you strike the eyes, they usually water, which temporarily inhibits vision, giving you time to escape.  In very dangerous situations, I would give the impression of caressing the head, only to line up the eyes for a thumb gouge.

The Nose

A strike to the nose with the back of your head, or the heal of your palm can break the nose fairly easy, resulting in watery eyes and quite a bit of pain.  Even pressing the upper lip at the base of the nose can cause your attacker to release you.  Of course, tearing nose rings and jamming a pen up a nostril are other examples of attacking the nose.

The Groin

While most men are "hardwired" to protect the groin from a strike, it can be attacked with a punch, an elbow or grabbed with the hand(s) and twisted.  Kicing the groin is an option, but it's much harder to make good contact.  Instead, I like to apply a torquing action (twisting) which is quite painful and often more effective then kicking or striking.

The Knees

Many times, I will direct my smaller stature students to consider a strike to the knees, from the front or from the sides; as a first line of defense; particularly a women who is smaller than her attacker. The strongest muscle in the women's body, is usually the leg and a strike to the knee can do a lot of damage, while helping to keep some distance from the attacker.

The Toes

The toes can be a particularly effective attack point when someone has already grabbed you, either in a bear hug or by the arms.  You want to target your heels on the toes when you stomp them.  When you stomp, you need to bring your knee up, so that gravity will help put some energy behind the strike.

You can also grind your heel on the top of the foot and that is painful as well.

Examples of Kyusho Strike Points on the Head

Aside from these 5 targets, I also like the throat, the sides of the neck and the temples.

The reason I pick these 5 is I think they are the easiest to remember and they cover the human body from head to toe.

The reality is, there are over 500 attack points, but the point of karate and self defense, is to keep it simple.  If you focus on these 5 attack points, I feel confident that you will give yourself an opportunity to escape and seek immediate help.

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

Columbia, SC 29229

803-462-9425

samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

RoundUp RoundUp everywhere...

Ground Truth

Tuesday, 20-9-6

By Margaret Reeves

Like many people, I once believed in the safety of RoundUp. Back in the 1980s when I was a young graduate student in ecology, it was the “safe” herbicide of choice for clearing weeds from study plots.

Monsanto would like us to continue to believe their flagship product is safe, but the data are increasingly saying otherwise. The latest? Widespread exposure is a near certainty, since RoundUp — now linked to birth defects — shows up regularly in our water and air.

Glyphosate, RoundUp’s active ingredient, was found in every stream studied and in most air samples taken in a recent study conducted by government researchers in Mississippi and Iowa. And it's undoubtedly in other states too. Across the U.S. it's used commonly on corn, soybeans, cotton and rice, to the tune of 180-185 millions of pounds in 2007 — more tonnage than any other pesticide.

And that's only use on farms. RoundUp is also the second most commonly used pesticide in homes and gardens across the country.

Scientists bust Monsanto's safety myth

Glyphosate is now known to cause birth defects, and at extremely low levels it can kill placental cells and disrupt the human hormone system. Yet regulatory authorities still only formally recognize its potential to contaminate groundwater. 

SafeLawns recently pointed out that while glyphosate is not listed by EPA as highly toxic when inhaled, it may become highly toxic in the human digestive system where it is metabolized to N-nitrosoglyphosate — a chemical known to cause tumors.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.co
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The Wrong Kind Of Love

 

By Susan Murphy-Milano

At what cost to ourselves do we remain in a relationship? Likely this is not a question we ever ask ourselves. But, why not?

Could it be that in our lives we settle? Are we too embarrassed to admit when the individual we have chosen to spend our lives with is not who they were at the beginning of the relationship? The answer is yes.

The wrong kind of love includes emotional warfare. A destructive game played in a relationship when a person chips away at the very foundation of another individual. Emotional warfare is an invisible dagger to the heart. You don't see it coming when confronted. Below are some examples of :

Emotional Abuse

• Name calling: “you’re a bitch, a whore, fat, ugly, stupid, slut, trash”.
• You are constantly told that you are crazy, that you need a psychiatrist; they threaten to have you committed. They tell your children that you are crazy and make them believe that they are not safe with you. They hide personal items in an attempt to convince you or others that, “you are losing it.”
• They intentionally say things to embarrass you in front of others. They make remarks about your appearance or belittle you. They talk over you if you are engaged in conversation, or consistently contradict you in an effort to discredit you, or make you feel stupid.

You can read the rest of this very important article at Times Up!




Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Sexual Violence and the Spectrum of Prevention

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, sexual violence is preventable.

"Communities are vital in the development of effective sexual violence prevention strategies. Local initiatives are in a good position to respond to the needs of their community and involve participation of community members. This fact sheet provides information about the Spectrum of Prevention, a tool developed by the Prevention Institute and tailored by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, to assist communities in developing comprehensive sexual violence prevention initiatives. Designed for broad scale change, it focuses not just on individuals, but also on the environment, including systems and norms that contribute to sexual violence. An outline of the six levels of the Spectrum follows.

By working at all six levels simultaneously, communities can design an effective plan that
promotes confidence that their relationships, homes, neighborhoods, schools, places of
worship, and workplaces are safer."

To learn more about sexual violence and prevention, please go HERE to download a fact sheet.