STRANGE BUT TRUE

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Five Folks tell us what they like best about fall

First Posted: 5/26/2014 One worst-case scenario for a woman is to be in imminent danger at the hands of an attacker who is stronger, heavier or taller.
Emma Hivner, 14, and Sarah Stevens, 36, were among a group of 10 women who took the first women&#8217;s only self-defense class offered at Pride Lands Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Clarks Summit on May 21.
The class was aimed at teaching women how to move their bodies in ways &#8220;they never thought they could,&#8221; black belt instructor Jason Ratchford said.
Hivner and Stevens have been practicing Jiu Jitsu for a few months and know their way around the mat.
&#8220;It gives me a lot of self-confidence because not a lot of girls can say they come down to the gym to train with the guys,&#8221; Hivner said. &#8220;It&#8217;s also self-motivating. For girls, it teaches you to stand up for yourself.&#8221;
In three months of training, Hivnerhas learned wrestling moves, submissions, choke holds and arm bars .
Stevens, who is a blue belt, believes self-defense classes provides a certain kind of strength for women.
&#8220;Knowing what I know gives me a peace of mind. I tell my daughter practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is something every girl should do,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s teaches a smaller person to defend themselves against a larger person. It&#8217;s all about technique over muscle.&#8221;
Stature and age seemed to have little bearing on the women&#8217;s objectives to partake in the class that began with a series of strength and conditioning exercises led by assistant coach, Robert Hivner. The warm up included forward rolls, push-ups and laps around the perimeter of the room, before Ratchford and Hivner demonstrated leverage and body positioning techniques that focused on building core body strength.
&#8220;If your core is weak, your whole body is weak,&#8221; Ratchford said.
The Clarks Summit resident is offering the class to give women a sense of empowerment, &#8220;to let them know they don&#8217;t have to become a victim. &#8230; That through proper use of technique and leverage they can overcome a stronger assailant. &#8230; My sister, Sarah, my daughter Makenna and my student, Kendra McHugh all have gained tremendous confidence and technique from Jiu-Jitsu.&#8221;
Ratchford said that while a lot of other martial arts focus on striking or overpowering a man, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu really &#8220;engages the inevitable.&#8221;
Pride Lands BJJ Academy is headed by brothers Jason and Matthew Ratchford, both black belts under the Legendary Alison &#8220;Jucao&#8221; Brites, according to the academy&#8217;s web site. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has its roots in the Japanese Jiu-Jitsu of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and found its way to Brazil in 1910, when Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Judo expert immigrated to the country. There he became friends with Gastao Gracie, an influential businessman who helped Maeda get established.
Ratchford, a certified IBJJF Black Belt has been a student of martial arts for more than 16 years. In 1994, he began training and competing in Judo and earned the rank of brown belt.
&#8220;The main thing that differentiates this program and school from every other school is it puts the girls in a real world situation,&#8221; Hivner said. &#8220;It&#8217;s very relevant to what an attacker would do. It&#8217;s very real, live, active and engaging.&#8221;

Getting defensive