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Turyna - Ovarian Cancer Survivor
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Empower Self Defense In The
News
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Classes teach women self-defense
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By Sara Michael
Examiner Staff Writer
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Friday, November 24, 2006
baltimore.examiner.com
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Carol Hobelmann of Ellicott City delivers a blow to
'Hank' the hitting pad, held by instructor Katie Turyna with "Women
Fighting Back," during a self-defense class at Slayton House in
Columbia Wednesday.-Photo by Chris Ammann/Examiner
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Visualize poking an attacker's eyes or elbowing him in the stomach.
Katie Turyna taught these and other techniques at a basic self-defense class in Wilde Lake in Columbia.
"There are shockers and stoppers," Turyna said, referring to the ways to stun and stall an attack,like
shining a flashlight in his eyes, and halt an attack with a jab. "That can give you just enought time
to get away."
Turyna co-founded Women Fighting Back, an organization in Howard and Harford counties that teaches physical
moves and confidence-building techniques to empower women against attackers.
Turyna, an assault victim, first started taking self-defense at Towson University and has taught classes for
almost two years.
"If I can help one woman not get assaulted, not get attacked, then I've made a difference," Turyna said.
The first drill in the recent class involved using their voices to ward off a potential attack. The women
partnered up, one posing as an over-aggressive saleswoman or surveyor, the other practicing to shout "no" and
hold her hands up.
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Some women said they often hesitate to yell since women are often taught to be polite.
"That is part of how we are socialized as women, to be nice and kind and say, 'No, thank you,' instead of
saying, 'No! Get away!'" said Jodi Finkelstein, executive director of the Domestic Violence Center of Howard
County.
The lesson continued with learning about handy weapons such as keys, a pen and a credit card. The women
practiced kicking, hitting and yelling at a giant blue pad, nick-named Hank, and partnered up to practice moves
on each other. "All the things I thought I couldn't do, I can," said Kathy
Verheul, of Columbia.
smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com
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