Facing Abductor, Girls Proved Martial Arts Training {10 year olds whup teacher]

Washington Post ^ | October 4, 2005 | By Jamie Stockwell and Tom Jackman, Washington Post Staff Writers

[aculeus]

When the masked man attacked them inside their bedroom in the middle of the night Sunday, the twin 10-year-old girls responded just as they had been taught in their martial arts class: They fought back.

The commotion woke their parents, who rushed in and thought they recognized the tall, ponytailed intruder. The girls' father whacked him with the base of a table lamp and yanked off part of his mask. As the intruder ran from the Vienna townhouse, the parents were pretty sure it was "Andy," an instructor at Mountain Kim Martial Arts studio in Vienna, where their daughters take classes every week, the mother told police.

Hours later, Andrew Jacobs, 42, a part-time instructor at the studio who holds a black belt, was arrested at the brick house he shares with his sister, not far from the girls' home. Yesterday, he appeared in court, with a black eye and bruises on his face, on charges of assault, attempted abduction and burglary. A judge ordered him held without bond.

[Ghengis]

The story does not mention anywhere that the ten year old twins won the fight or "whupped" him. The story does say that the commotion and their screaming awoke their father who then whacked the creep with a lamp.

That's an important distinction for those who believe that ten year old blue belts could defeat an adult male.

However this story is important and serves as a reminder that martial arts schools are not required to run background checks.

Parents should not assume that their children are safe with their martial arts instructors.

Very, very true.  Never assume that a martial arts instructor is trustworthy or competent. 

As a student, or parent of a student, you need to conduct careful research.  Be cynical about grandiose claims of what you or your kids will accomplish as a student. 

I recommend that folks buy Melissa Soalt's self defense videos as a starting point and advance their study from there. What she teaches works for everyone from small females to big males. Much of the content will work for children. It is nothing new, but she has researched the topic well and presents it just as well. 

[AD from SpringBay]

He's got that David Carradine thing going on.

[chaosagent]

Riff-Raff

[MarineBrat]

To heck with a lamp, had it been my house, the only thing this guy would have got is both barrels of a Stevens 311A 12 gauge double barrel shotgun loaded with #4 buckshot in the face.

By the looks of the wierdo, it would have been an improvement.

[Enterprise]

[AnAmericanMother]

He looks like the male alien in "Rocky Horror Picture Show"

. . . ya got a point there. But O'Brien's a lot better looking (ain't sayin' much, but . . . )

BTW, my kudos to the dad for using a blunt object rather than a 12 ga. Pellets sometimes go awry in a panic in the dark.

I might have used the 4 cell Mag Lite that lives next to my Sig Sauer, though . . .

[Mr. Jazzy]

I KNEW I'd seen that forehead before


Job well done!

[gortklattu]

An evil person would do such a thing.

He knew the girls would fight and thought he could get the better of them.

[Uncle Joe Cannon]

The girls' father whacked him with the base of a table lamp and yanked off part of his mask.

Wow, this reminds me of the finale of a Scooby Doo episode.

[agrace]

Never trust a man with a pony tail.

HEY! I married a man with a ponytail and just pinged him to this post. 12 years later, we're still best friends.

It's in all the wedding photos! Of course, he's since traded it in for 3 kids, a mortgage and a job that keeps normal hours. :)

[Albion Wilde]

According to the mullet cultist, what that guy is working on is a "skirted eggshell" hairstyle, which only needs that he lose a little more hair on top to be complete.

For the true connoisseur of mullettude, go to MulletLovers.com. Here's just one sample:

[acad1228]

Ya beat me to that one!

[coydog]

The kind who buy their black belts from "I can make you a black belt in six months"-type operations by fly-by-night operators.

[lightingguy]

Just for reference, I DID lose the ponytail many years ago. I don't even know why I felt the need to clarify.

[lightingguy]

Just for reference, I DID lose the ponytail many years ago. I don't even know why I felt the need to clarify.

[TypeZoNegative]

Lol, I was just about to say that man probably got his "Black Belt" from a McDojo.

[Melas]

You're very wrong. A child is never going to win against an adult in a contest of strength, but there are myriad examples of children, small women, the elderly, etc etc, hurting larger, stronger opponents enough to make good their escape.

You don't have to be able to win a prolonged bout with an attacker to save your life. Being able to fight long enough to make a lot of noise and attract help can save your life. Being able to stun an opponent long enough to run to safety can save your life. Dealing damage to a soft spot like the eye can save your life. etc etc.

In my own experience, a crippling leg blow can give you all the distance you need from a 6'6" 300 pound monster. No way I could go toe to toe with the guy, but no way was he following me across the parking lot with his knee blown out.

[Melas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, all the guys wear high and tights in your little conformist utopia.

[Melas]

Disagree again. A very tall instructor is actually the guy that helped me develop my own fighting style that worked very well for me in tournaments and on the street. At 5'1", I have the ability to attack from unusual angles, that robs a fighter of recognition, 1 of the 3 R's of speed. I'm much more afraid of a fighter who's beefier than I am than one who's taller than I am.

[dsc]

Refraining from outlandish and eccentric dress is good manners, and good manners shows sanity and respect for others.