NYU Women's Self Defense

**Telum** · Posted On: 10/15/2008 11:14pm

I got invited via facebook to a self defense seminar hosted by a sorority here at NYU.

It says: "
~ Self Defense Instructor, Tim Marmo, will be teaching all attendees how to defend themselves in the big bad city."

I google him, and he is the fucking NYU taekwando coach.

So we have a taekwando coach teaching women's self defense to girls who wander the city while drunk. Even if 720 tornado kicks were of any use, I doubt that anyone could do one while inebriated and in high heels.

Im torn between going and being an ass, and just not wasting my time with it.

**Sam Browning** · Posted On: 10/15/2008 11:39pm

Originally Posted by Telum

I got invited via facebook to a self defense seminar hosted by a sorority here at NYU.

It says: "
~ Self Defense Instructor, Tim Marmo, will be teaching all attendees how to defend themselves in the big bad city."

I google him, and he is the fucking NYU taekwando coach.

So we have a taekwando coach teaching women's self defense to girls who wander the city while drunk. Even if 720 tornado kicks were of any use, I doubt that anyone could do one while inebriated and in high heels.

Im torn between going and being an ass, and just not wasting my time with it.

Go, take notes, and if the class warrants it, write a snarky letter to the student newspaper. :)

**Rivington** · Posted On: 10/15/2008 11:39pm

He's probably not going to teach 720 degree kicks, but the usual footstomping, eye-clawing stuff, plus some useful situational awareness material.

Are going and being an ass and not going truly your only two choices?

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 10/15/2008 11:47pm

You're an arrogant prick. I hope that you act like an ass & then get the **** beat out of you.

Every time I read a post like yours, it makes me ponder whether this site is actually worth posting on.

**ChickenBeakFist** · Posted On: 10/15/2008 11:51pm

Originally Posted by Telum

Im torn between going and being an ass, and just not wasting my time with it.

Your mother and I are very proud of you

**DKJr** · Posted On: 10/15/2008 11:59pm

Or option C= 1. Go 2. Grabs lulz 3. ??? 4. Profit/Sex with sorostitutes.

**Telum** · Posted On: 10/16/2008 12:05am

Obviously im not actually going to go. Im not going to waste my Friday night just to muck up a bullshit women's SD seminar.

Anyway, some background:
At NYU we have 2 (2!) TKD clubs (sport and regular).

My sister goes to one of them (she knows its not good MA. But she has some elbow problems that make it pretty hard to do anything else. She cant even punch without hurting it. She goes for the exercise.) Every time she goes, she comes back with hilarious stories. They dont even let her spar, because the "kicks are too dangerous for girls."

**DdlR** · Posted On: 10/16/2008 12:20am

According to Tim Marmo's student profile:

A black belt in Tae kwon do, I spend most of my free time training for competition, practicing yoga, bicycling, reading, cooking and taking interest in the world around me. I also spend weekends working with Habitat for Humanity, and spend 2-3 nights a month on call as a Rape Crisis and Domestic Violence Counselor, assisting survivors whom are brought to the emergency departments at St Luke's and Roosevelt hospitals.

On that basis it sounds as if he'd at least have a realistic perspective on some of the issues surrounding women's self defense, probably more so than many male instructors.

The fact that he's a TKD coach doesn't necessarily have any bearing on what he teaches as women's self defense, either. When I started teaching women's SD back in the mid-80s, my only formal martial arts rank was a TKD black belt, but I sure as hell wasn't about to teach my students TKD.

Personally, I'd be more interested in how much training time will actually be offered in the seminar. Sometimes young instructors agree to "teach them some moves" in a one-off class, with the thought that every little bit helps; the risk, of course, is that naive students assume that they're covered by having run through some basic scenarios and watched a few demonstrations.

**vinhthekid** · Posted On: 10/16/2008 12:40am

you realize that NYU has a BJJ club? I'm one of the assistant instructors.

you should go to the women's self defence class and get them to all come to the NYU BJJ club, we have a few girls but we could always use more.

it'd also be nice to see you there telum.