As a woman, I am a strong advocate for the importance of knowing self-defense. As a woman working in the real estate industry, working for KRK Realty and Management, I believe that self-defense is a necessity. Being in this industry often requires traveling alone to vacant properties, and showing these properties to diverse groups of people. Generally, prior to showing the home, you do not know who these people are, that sometimes makes for a feeling of unease amongst female agents. However, knowing how to defend one self may eliminate this feeling altogether. There are many benefits to learning self-defense; these may include fitness, increased confidence, and the overall ability to protect oneself. At the age of 12, my mother enrolled my sister and I into Karate classes for our after school activity. After reaching the level of a purple belt, I decided to take a seven-year break from martial arts. Upon entering my sophomore year at Arizona State University, and more than half of my classes occurring during the evening, I felt that I needed to learn to protect myself with something other than the pepper spray in the bottom of my purse. I enrolled myself into a form of martial arts called Muay Thai. Muay Thai stems from Thailand, and involves various techniques of striking and kicking to effectively defend yourself. I immediately felt safer walking around campus in the evening.
After a year of Muay Thai training, I wanted to learn more styles of martial arts, the next art that I discovered was Krav Maga. Krav Maga is one of the most deadly of the martial arts. This art comes from Israel, and involves being aware of your surroundings, and using the most efficient of moves to take down an attacker.
Real estate is generally a safe industry, but there are times when being an agent puts you at risk. There have been many cases as of recent where female agents have been abducted, and unfortunately, have not been seen alive again. My backround in Karate, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga make me a harder target for attackers to get to. Though I have fortunately never had to use my training, I feel much safer knowing that if I have to, I am able to defend myself.
http://eastvalleykravmaga.com/
