It’s an unsettling experience—to find yourself alone and vulnerable and facing a dangerous situation. How you handle yourself can make all the difference. And for Scott Sheeley, owner of Ohio Fitness & Martial Arts Center, Bellefontaine, that difference centers around developing a specific skill that has nothing to do with physical strength.
On Friday, March 31, Sheeley told the group who attended a self-defense class sponsored by Women United of Logan County, part of United Way, what that skill is.
“Statistically,” he said, “the main reason attacks happen is a lack of confidence.”
To combat that, Sheeley — who’s also an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy instructor — showed attendees how to handle an aggressive stranger. According to Sheeley, that boils down to situational awareness, a quick, assured stride and maintaining eye contact. He then had each woman practice their reaction to such a confrontation.
Of course, a self-defense situation still might require a physical response, and Sheeley narrowed that down to two main techniques — poke them in the eye or hit them in the groin.
“Punch someone in the nose and they can keep fighting,” he explained. “But kick them in the groin and they fall down … Merry Christmas.”
Friday’s event was the first such class for Women United, but Melody Couchman, community engagement director for United Way of Logan County, hopes it’s just the beginning.
“We’d like to do this more often so people aren’t waiting until something bad happens,” she said. “They’ll get more out of it that way.”
This kind of training, Sheeley said, helps a person override their fear and be prepared by having the right mindset. He wants people to get to a place where they can hear and respond to their “inner alarm clock.”
Up next for Women United will be the Women’s Wisdom Speaker Series with Addy Passaro from Homegrown Yoga. The Friday, April 21, event will start at noon and include lunch. Reservations are required, so visit their website at uwlogan.org/women-united.