Where I Stand!

Q: Inquiring minds want to know-- "Does Dr. Ruthless suggest that learning to fight back IS the solution to violence against women?"

A: No. I don't suggest that fighting back IS the sole solution to violence against women -- of course not -- or that it's always effective or the best option. But what I am saying is this: when you boil it down, the answer to WHY men violate women may be simpler than we think: those who will do it because they can. When we discourage women from learning violent self defense we (inadvertently albeit) encourage them to submit to victimization -- not to mention suffering the traumatic aftermath.

The gig is up. To be safer and self possessed, and to pass power to our daughters, we MUST become literate in the strategies of combat. Until we know-- not just in our heads, but in our loins and limbs, in our sex and souls-- that we too can be dangerous creatures, and not just feel like the endangered ones, we will NEVER be safe or whole.

So here's my new rule: Instead of shunning aggression let us view it as a resource and learn to wield its tools.

GIRL POWER! "SOMEHOW I GATHERED COURAGE!"

Two fists pumping! 18 Year Old Kasmir Girl Fights Off Militants! (picture, mine.)

This is an awesome story full of real world Teaching - let alone victory. It speaks directly to the power of raw courage mixed with intent, martial spirit and primal instincts-- which often leads the body into action. It came to me, literally, while working on my group email, struggling on how to best capture my call for a NEW Female Dharma and Divinity that joins our higher and lower selves, closing the gap, the dangerous divide that cleaves Beauty From Beast...Voila!

This 18 year old girl fought back-- then pumped one attacker full of lead- against men who were beating her family, in part because she din't want to marry one of them. "I pounced on one of the militants while my brother hit him with an axe..." In terms of tactics and timing she did everything right: She grabbed him BY THE HAIR and banged his head against the wall. When he fell down she hit him with an axe, then snatched his rifle. "I had never touched a rifle before this, let alone fired one - but I had seen heroes firing in films.. "

Kashmir is fraught with danger. I only pray that her family will be properly protected. (LINK HERE AGAIN)

BE FEARSOME-- NOT FEARFUL!

Don't Be Fearful, Be Fearsome

THIS IS SO COOL! I discovered this on SCRIBD. A woman copied my entire web page entitled RUTHLESS RULES and illustrated it with GREAT drawings. Yes, it violates my copyright notice -- ahem, on the bottom of every page on my site-- but I absolutely love it. Have a look and read.

I've contacted this talented woman -- Hi Jessica!-- who posted and illustrated it to inquire about working together on self defense e-books targeted at KIDS.

Awesome! Don't you think?

Bedroom Scenario!

A big shout out to Phil Messina at Modern Warrior. This is a GREAT TV segment. KUDOS! Among other things, note how the woman ("fighter") drives her attacker BACK into and onto the bed, instead of resisting his force where she stands.

HERE'S THE TAKEAWAY: DON'T CONTEST A MAN'S SUPERIOR STRENGTH -- IN SITUATIONS SUCH AS THIS GO WITH THE FLOW! ADD MOMENTUM TO WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING AND USE YOUR ENVIRONMENT. THEN SEIZE THE MOMENT!

Fierce, Female, & Fighting Back - Dr. Ruthless Dishes on Self-Defense

Fierce, Female, & Fighting Back - Dr. Ruthless Dishes on Self-Defense

Shared via AddThis Click link above.

Listen up ya'all! (Might take a minute to load but it's worth it.) This dynamic interview with yours truly and my partner Michael Haynack is chockfull of practical info including moves-you-can-use in different stand up and rape scenarios, and straight-talking scoop (spiked with humor) that could literally save your life: from "does size matter" (and how so) to female brain wiring, to PRINCIPLES of explosivity, timing, and role of adrenaline, to why you MUST overcome the fear of injury (ask: what will happen if I don't fight back). Also addresses the emotional content-- how to effectively harness fear and "female animal" rage-- plus info on our training and methods and why all women (and girls) need to be armed with practical, smart and realistic skills. Tune in and take a WALK ON YOUR WILD SIDE!

Book Slam! Hardcover Edition

I'm a HUGE Fan of teaching women to use their enviromnent and weapons of opportunity. That said, you still need good technique, focus and understanding of how to best wield and maximize the functionality and power of THAT PARTICULAR WEAPON. I disagree with-- OK flip my finger at-- so called women's self defense experts who spout cute partyline soundbites ("use what's in your purse as a weapon!") but DON'T really get or understand the classification and purpose of objects as weapons-- for example, some bludgeon, some cut, some can be used to slash etc. The result is oversimplification that ill conveys what it takes, and how to best COMBINE weapons of opportunity with solid bodily mechanics to produce results. In other words, how to make your shit work!

So when I see somthing like this... I go all mimsy, OK?

Sensei Ronald Ducan is the Man. In addition to his pioneering badass skills, he's a SMALL man -- so he can righteously address issues that speak to women's realities. Not only is this a GREAT, wisely-worded demo of using improvised weapons but note how once the attacker's knife comes out, Sensei Duncan's TOTAL focus shifts to disabling that weapon hand. Burn this Knowledge Into Your Survival Consciousness!

Watch this video numerous times until you "get it" in body and soul. Then watch it again. Word.

Don't You Love A Happy Ending?

... He grabbed the eighteeen-year-old from behind and put her in a chokehold.... (Oh My God! Holy Shit!)

"Then she stabbed him in the neck with a ballpoint pen before getting away," authorities said. (Woo-hoo!)

Talk about the spirit of reversal. Atta girl!

One woman's victory is EVERY woman's victory.

(Thanks to Erin Weed for passing along this story.)

Catch Up with Me On Facebook!

.... where I'm posting like a fiend!

Don't miss the action! My Dr. Ruthless (Fan) Page is a platterfull of meaty morsels and nuggets to satisfy every girl's need-to-know hunger. From practical self defense how-to, to whacky and hilarious WTFs, to real accounts of Fightin' Babes from all corners of the globe, to my unvarnished views (and occasional rants) to news you can use. Plus more great pics, all refreshingly free from party line soundbites.

Come over and be my FAN!

Go here: Dr. Ruthless Face Book Page

PS. I'll keep blogging on this page too, serving up the meatier dishes -- including vintage takes and tales--marinated in the juices of all things Down, Dirty & Divine.

Time To Wake Up: KALI is calling!

This one of my all time favorite passages and quotes. Although it's about India (yes, I'm smitten) and the need for self defense-- and more specifically about the legacy of the Divine Warrior Goddess Kali; a lusty creator and destructress with multiple avenging limbs --it's really about All Of Us. It speaks to the urgency and power of WHY women across the globe need to re-inflame their innate capacity for self protection. Make that aggressive self protection.

The author of this passage is an Indian-American MALE, a writer and blogger named Suman Palit. (Written in 2002 but still relevant.) Read it. Everywhere you see "India" or "subcontinent" simply insert your own town /city/ zip code / land.

Open your mind, feast your eyes and mainline this wisdom:

"Giving women the tools of self-defense is quite possibly, the only solution that will work. It will not be easy, after all, any misogynistic male will shiver at the thought of facing an angry, possibly armed woman unwilling to submit to his violence. I believe it must happen...

Women empowered to defend themselves are their own best hope while the
subcontinent smolders under centuries of repressed cultural warfare. The hope
for this region rests on the effectiveness with which they can participate in civil society. The first step towards that is to make their uncivil husbands and fathers a little more careful of employing tactics of thuggery against them. Martial wisdom must be reseeded in their consciousness, their world-view. They must become stronger, more vocal, less ashamed of their gender, less fearful of the world. Then, and only then, will more generations of little boys grow to be men accustomed to women conducting themselves as equals....

India is a land where its people have chosen to forget, ignore or otherwise denigrate the powerful legacy of Kali, with her hands bristling with weapons, her garland of severed heads of tyrants and butchers, her fearless, growling rage born of innocence defiled. She is woman, she is earth, she is the fire that burns through the rotting brush of our societies. She rampages naked in all her primal innocence, her feminity, her sexuality, her raw, deep-bellied power for all of us to see, fear and to revere. There is a Kali in every Indian woman, just sleeping, drugged by centuries of patriarchal propaganda. It's time for her to wake up, put her foot down, and draw her weapons from their scabbards."

Own Your World! Be the Creature!

Dr. Ruthless is prepping for another radio show: Here's one of my TOP FIVE RUTHLESS RULES: "Use your environment! Are there walls you can crash an attacker into then flee? A handy cast iron pot to slam into the head or face and knock your man out? A sharp or heavy object to bust an offending, knife-wielding hand? Whaddya got? Use it!"