Misty Zaugg's Blog - Posts Tagged "practice"

Hi friends,

Thanks to everyone who grabbed copies of Aftermath during the sale last week! We hope you enjoy it and are so excited to hear what you think.

If you read reviews when choosing something new to read, like I do, would to take a moment to leave one for Searching for Shelter? It really helps new readers find the books and we're really close to 500 reviews! No biggie if you can't. Thanks!!

Click here and scroll down to the review https://amzn.to/37oLxdm

It's time for another simple self-defense tip. Chances are you've been doing this one without even knowing it.

Knee Strikes are Powerful! Self-Defense Tip #21

Have you ever had to high-step to get over an obstacle, a small child or something rolling down the driveway at you?

Then you know how to do a knee strike! :D

It's probably one of the more common defensive moves, because a strike to the groin is pretty quick way to end a confrontation.

Because of this, however, many men have learned to protect that vulnerable area.

So, is it still useful?

Yes! It turns out the thigh is almost as good of a target. A knee slamming into the leg muscles is powerful enough to cause a very painful muscle spasm. This accomplishes two very useful things to help you get away from an attacker.
1. Cause sudden, intense pain to distract your attacker and make them let go.
2. Injures the leg so chasing after you is much harder = you can get away.

Keys to a powerful knee strike:
1. Stay level or low to the ground, keeping the supporting leg slightly bent, to maintain balance and increase your power
2. Tuck your leg and drive your knee forward with as much speed as possible.
3. Keep your hands raised to protect your face, especially if the attacker bends forward in pain when your knee lands.
4. Exhale sharply or yell out something short like "Stop", "Back off" or "Jerk". Feel free to bust out a karate yell, too, if you'd like. The yell will tighten your core muscles, focus your energy, make you hit hard and might even make the attacker think twice about sticking around for more. :D

And um . . . that's pretty much it. If you can high-step over an obstacle, just do it with more intention and speed, and you've got a powerful knee strike.

The secret is to practice!

Have a friend hold a couple of sleeping bags rolled tightly together, an old couch cushion, or get a punching/kicking bag to practice on.

It really just takes a handful of tries before you'll get a feel for this simple, yet powerful strike and be better prepared to defend yourself.

Have any of you used a knee strike to defend yourself? How did it go? Any tips? Please share.

Good luck and keep safe out there!

______________________

Misty's Writing Update:

So, the final chapter is done, but . . . not the epilogue! LOL.

My best author friend, Stephanie Mylchreest, read the beginning of the book and gave me some feedback. She has perfect timing. She commented on a senior mage being a fun character she liked, and I'd almost forgotten about the lady.

Steph's comment was just in time for me to add the imperious mage with all her attitude to the final chapters.

And then Steph commented about chapter 10, which I'd almost forgotten about. It's a bit mysterious and you're not really sure what's going on because it doesn't have anything to do with the current story. Turns out it's a little clue to a fun plotline that will unfold over the whole series.

Thanks again, Steph!

So, now I've got a bit of an epilogue to write with a few more clues to this mysterious situation before the next book comes up.

I enjoy these little "Easter Eggs" myself in longer series, so hopefully the readers will, too.

Then it'll be on to my very long to-do list and all of the things I marked to fix later.

My procrastination is coming hope to roost - lol.

Thanks again and enjoy reading this week!

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Hi friends,

I hope you're enjoying your summer if you're on my side of the world. Those of you in the other hemisphere will cool weather . . . we're jealous!! :)

I've been loving my time with my daughter before we leave on a family trip next week. After a couple of weeks together, we'll have to drop her off at college again. I love seeing her grow as an adult, but miss her a ton, too.

Thinking of her off at school reminded me of a simple idea for safety that is helpful for single adults living or traveling on their own . . .

Tell someone where you're going and have a check-in buddy.

Remember when you were a kid and got lectured about telling your mom where you were going?

Well, a few years back, my youngest sister graduated from college and moved out on her own. This was her first time living without roommates, and at some point she realized that something could happen to her and no one would probably notice or send help for days.

So, we chatted together and decided on a nightly check-in, which made both of us feel safer. Every night before bed, she'd text or call me that she was home safe.

Occasionally she'd forget and I'd call her. Thankfully, she always answered and nothing dangerous happened to her. But with this simple plan, we both felt much better about her safety.

Tips when living alone:
• Find a friend or loved one who is willing to do a daily check-in with you. Pick a time or method that makes this as simple and easy as possible.
• Decide on a clear set of instructions of steps to take if you don't check in.

Example instructions:
• I will text you every night before 8 pm. Pick a time that would be reasonable to get someone else involved if you don't pick up.
• If I don't text, call me in case I forgot.
• If I don't answer wait X minutes and try again.
• If I don't answer again, call Person 1 (someone who lives close enough to check on me like a neighbor. Or if you live in a complex, perhaps the office, just make sure to check office hours and adjust your check-in time accordingly).
• If they don't answer, call Person 2.
• If they don't answer, call Person 3.
• The police might be the next step, but check your local regulations for reporting missing persons and welfare checks.

Tips when traveling alone:
• Send your travel plans, including flights, hotels, convention centers, phone numbers, etc. to one or more friends or loved ones.
• Ask if they would mind a text/call check-in each day at a specific time. Again give them simple instructions of who to call and what to do if they don't hear from you.

Ideas for safety while living with roommates:
• Sit down together and make a check-in plan.
• Agree on a nightly time that a call should go out if someone isn't home
• Collect everyone's emergency contact numbers (who to call and what to do) in a centrally located place for when someone can't be reached or doesn't return as expected.
• Post a calendar or whiteboard by the door to jot down plans for others to know - days someone is gone, staying out late or overnight somewhere, locations they'll be, etc.
• Brainstorm a couple of scenarios and run through how everyone might respond. Repeat until you work out any kinks and everyone is comfortable with what will happen when they don't check in, their phone dies, they can't be reached after a certain time at night, etc.

Working together to keep each other safe doesn't take much time or work, just a little planning ahead.

Let me know if I missed anything or you have some good tips or stories on the topic.

Stay safe out there! All the best and thanks so much for your support!

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Hi friends,

I was made aware that a lot of my new newsletter followers haven't read all my books and so I'm adding an excerpt section to the newsletter: See if something catches your eye that you'd like to read.

And just an FYI - all my Amazon books are in the Kindle Unlimited program. So, for those who are on a budget, you can get a free trial and, depending on how fast you read, read all of my books for free. Or, again, the cost of the KU program is $9.99 a month, so if you can read all my books in a month, it's the cost-savings way to go.

And for those who worry about supporting me, I get paid by the number of pages you read if you check my books out in the KU program. Win-win!

Here's an excerpt from Combat Origin, the first in my YA Dystopian 5 book series - or as I like to say, Hunger Games but with karate instead of a archery. :)

"The blow rocked Kiriai's head and the familiar copper taste filled her mouth. She staggered back a step and shook her head to clear her thoughts. This wasn't the birthday present she'd been hoping for when she woke up this morning"

Check out how Kiriai manages to join the fighters who decide every important decision in her world: a new series to binge:



Combat Origin: World of Combat Book 1

And now, how about a tried and true self-defense technique that is so simple, everyone has already done it?

The Stomp:
A simple, effective self-defense move

I've mentioned this one before, but it's been ages and is so easy and effective, it bears a second look.

Imagine you're being grabbed and your attacker is really close, either behind you or in front, either works.

Instead of struggling to pull away from their grip, a simple concept works much more reliably to get them to let go in a hurry:

Pain!

Sudden pain can make an attacker flinch back, let go, and feel disoriented for the crucial few seconds it takes you to escape.

And a sudden stomp to the top of the foot fits that bill!

Just think about how much it hurt, the last time you dropped something heavy on the top of your foot or toe. Yep! Ouch!

As soon as they let go, you're out of there. A bonus to the stomping attack is that their foot now hurts, and it's hard for them to chase after you.

No real need to actually practice this one on a person to cement it in your mind. It's so easy that simple visualization will work.

So, next time you find yourself with a minute of quiet time, close your eyes, visualize an attacker grabbing you around the waist and trying to haul you off. Stomp as hard as you can on his foot and take off as soon as he lets go.

Easy, peasy!

I hope you have a safe week and discover a good book!

— Misty :)
p.s. See all my books on Amazon here: Misty Zaugg Amazon Page
p.p.s My website here: Misty Zaugg Website