Ageless Optimization

My name is Sally Arsenault and I’m the women’s jiu jitsu instructor at Titans MMA in Halifax, NS. Brazilian jiu jitsu is the best martial art for women’s self-defense for many reasons:

• It uses leverage and strategy to defeat much larger opponents.
• It focuses on joint locks and chokes (in many cases, a smaller woman may not have the power to defeat a male attacker with strikes).
• It turns having someone between your legs from a weak position for a woman being attacked, to a dominant position with multiple options.
• It helps you to become comfortable in uncomfortable positions.
• Live sparring gets you into the kind of physical shape that can help you to outwork your opponent and escape.
• Sparring at 100% resistance gives you the confidence that your technique will actually work during an attack. Repeating techniques make it more likely that you will remember them under pressure.

​What if a man was put into the same position a woman is in every day of her life? You may have forgotten, there are men who are in the same danger as we are. Men like Brock Turner who had a bright future swimming from one end of the pool to the other until he was sent to prison for six months for dragging an unconscious woman across the ground to the romantic shelter of a dumpster, pulling her dress up to her neck, inserting his fingers into her anus and vagina and humping her until he was seen and stopped by two passersby.

​So what can a guy like Brock do to prevent fingers and more from being inserted into his body against his will?

1. Rapes are most likely to happen within the first few days. Be cautious but try to have fun and enjoy settling into your new home.
2. Men with short hair are less likely to be raped. When interviewed, men said they looked for victims with long hair that was easy to grab and hold. Don’t let this stop you from wearing your man bun, just know that you are in danger.
3. Don’t grow a goatee. It might be mistaken for a vagina.
4. Don’t dress provocatively. Keep your shirt on at all times. Don’t allow your underwear waistband to show over the waist of your pants. It will make attackers think about your underwear and what’s under them (your bum).
5. Use the buddy system. Don’t go to the bathroom or walk the yard alone. If you are alone, walk with confidence and purpose. Don’t dilly dally or daydream.
6. Don’t carry a shiv. It may be taken from you and used against you.
7. If you are attacked, yell, shout and draw attention to yourself. I recommend saying, “Call 911 now!”
8. Be assertive. If you feel threatened tell the person to back off. Don’t worry about being polite. Trust your gut.
9. Don’t leave your drink unattended.
10. Consider not being a rapist next time. Only you can prevent going to jail.

I hope these tips will serve you well as you serve your time but if you do happen to get raped anyway, I recommend that you contemplate the situation and ensure it wasn’t your fault before you even think about reporting it. You could ruin someone’s life.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your new home!