Hi friends,
First off – a couple of you wrote some amazing reviews for our Aftermath books. And Steph and I are so excited! Your enjoyment of our stories is what motivates us to write in the first place. 😀
Laurie Harmon said, “Best series Ever read. I could not put down the first 3 books. The writers of these books are genius. If you love post apocalyptic books with real life scenarios you will love this. Great characters action packed. You will not be able to put the book down. I read 3 books in 16 hours. I’m also a speed reader so there you go. Can’t wait to read the final 3 books coming in may july and August of 2021. Thank you for writing my favorite #1 best read series yet.”
Scott said, “This was a great series starter, it hooked me right from the first chapters. From strong character development and backstories to the action scenes; it made for an intense read. And for a series to follow. Well done.”
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to write a little something for new readers browsing for a book to read!
______________________
Taking a hit – Self-defense Tip #13
I’ll start this tip with a story:
While serving on a mission trip to Germany in my 20s, I volunteered to teach a self-defense seminar to a group of church women. Helping women and girls learn to protect themselves has always been important to me.
Part way through the seminar, a middle-aged woman shyly raised her hand and asked if there was a way to keep from freezing when scared. She’d been out for a walk along a river in a deserted area. She recounted hearing pounding footsteps behind her. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw a man running directly at her. She described a wave of fear that was so overwhelming it made her completely freeze.
She couldn’t move her arms or legs and could barely breathe as she waited for the attack to come . . . and then the man ran on by, a harmless jogger.
But she never forgot that helpless feeling, which motivated her to come to my self-defense class that day.
While freezing like this might sound foreign to many, it is probably eerily familiar to others, especially among women.
It’s a simple defensive response, especially when you realize that in the animal world, quick movement can attract predators, while they may not notice prey that doesn’t move. It just doesn’t work very well against human predators.
So, what lesson do you think I taught in the class that day?
I hit her.
Not like you’re thinking 😀
I gave her a punching shield and showed her how to stand to brace her body against incoming force. Then, starting with an easy strike, I began hitting the punching shield.
At the start, her eyes widened in shock and fear at even the lightest hit. Pretty soon, though, she narrowed her eyes, looked determined and was able to handle powerful blows.
Once I saw her awesome, new confidence, we put the pad away and moved on to simple punches aimed at her chest. Again, her tentative blocks quickly improved.
She walked out of that class beaming with a new belief in herself, knowing that getting hit wasn’t that big a deal, and she could easily fight back in the future.
Many people engage in horseplay and physical sports as they grow up, and have taken plenty of accidental blows, so they know how to shake it off and keep fighting.
But if you’re someone who hasn’t, and it scares you, it’s an easy fear to overcome safely.
Learn to take a hit:
- Find something dense and soft you can hold. If you don’t have a traditional kicking shield or punching bag, roll a few blankets into a tight roll, duct tape old couch cushions together, etc.
- Put one foot back, turn partially sideways, bend your knees slightly and hold the padding tightly against to your body with your hands out of the way.
- Get someone you trust to hit the padding. Start easy and slow. Work your way up to force that makes you rock back. You’ll learn to adjust your feet and posture to keep from being knocked over.
Next steps:
- Learn a basic inward block and have your friend reaching out to grab your shirt while you practice a slow block. Advance to blocking slow punches as you get a feel for it and gain confidence.
- Enroll in a local self-defense class. Even a one-month introductory class would make a big difference
I hope this helps and feel free to send me questions!
Good luck and stay safe out there,
______________________
Misty’s Writing Update:
New words! I keep using the same words all the time in my writing.
So now, I watch for new words when I’m reading other books or listening to audiobooks.
Because really, how many ways can you say “she sighed”?
huffed out a breath,
exhaled slowly,
leaned back and let out a slow breath . . .
. . . and then pretty soon, I’m re-using the same phrases again, because people pause a lot during conversations and action when they’re trying to decide what to do.
Funny thing, I heard another audiobook use “ragged breathing” while on a run last week, and I got all excited to jot it down when I got home for the next fighting scene that challenged my character.
Feel free to shoot me some new ways to describe and of the following: sighing, pulse pounding, ragged breathing . . . and the one that gets me all the time . . . smiling! LOL.
Happy reading out there!
— Misty 🙂
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