Everything Self Defense discussion

There are good books on self defense.
There are bad books on self defense.
And then there are some gobblers that are so utterly bad that they actually detract from the sum of our knowledge on the subject.

I submit for your regurgitation possibly the worst book on women's self defense ever written. If you want to get robbed, raped and killed not necessarily in that order this is the one for you.

I have taught women's self defense for a very long time, done original academic research on the subject, worked in rape- and domestic violence-crisis, helped women learn to shoot and coached martial arts. So I think I can speak with a little bit of confidence on this book.

It is utter, unrelieved, 200 proof, 24 karat, board-certified, brass-plated garbage.

"How to Say No" was responsible for many of the worst rapist-empowering myths and misinformation out there. When pioneers like Pye Bateman wrote "Fear into Anger" and Bart and O'Brien were doing their groundbreaking research summarized in "Stopping Rape" they had to work twice as hard to dig the field out of the hole people like Storaska had helped put it into.

A complete critique would be longer than the book and dangerously raise my blood pressure. I'll only hit a couple of the low points.

First, he claimed to be the nation's foremost expert on rape. Was he a cop? Nope. A prosecutor? No. A criminologist? Not even. A psychologist working with offenders or survivors? Not a bit. He was a karate player and self-promoter. There was some real work at the time from early researchers like Wright and Rossi. He completely ignored it, citing not one single attributed source.

Next, just look at the bloody title. The best you can do is "survive". He sets the defender up to assume she can't win, can't escape, can't resist. The best she can possibly hope for is to remain breathing.

His advice was terrible. Women can't possibly fight off an attacker. If they do, said Storaska, they'll just get hurt worse. If they have guns they'll just be taken away and used against them. Right off the bat he tells them they can't possibly resist.

Next, he tells them what to do. It's the worst mass of untreated effluent I've ever seen. According to this twit screaming, playacting, conversation, urinating or vomiting on oneself and getting the rapist to see you as a person will help you survive. Just a hint or two here. Screaming is physically difficult under the influence of adrenaline. Yelling, yes. Screaming not so much. The other strategies actually increase the chance of a completed crime.

The self-humiliation stuff? If the rapist is at all motivated by power or sadism he'll probably get an extra thrill out of that sort of thing.

The physical technique he does deign to show is lousy. It's strength-based, especially upper body strength. It places a premium on reach. It isn't likely to cause enough damage to stop the attacker. In other words, it's precisely wrong for a smaller, weaker woman attacked by a larger, stronger man.

People I know who were active in the field at the time - cops, self defense instructors, researchers - said Storaska was despised by their sort. He was very popular with schools and church groups. His advice didn't challenge any myths. It kept women firmly in their place and made effective use of violence an entirely male power.

Run, do not walk away from this gobbler. It actually decreases the amount of knowledge in the world about self defense.

Todd, thank you SO much for letting us know about the flaws in this book. It definitely sounds as though we should all make sure we stay away from it. Your post easily gives us the reasons why & we can share those with out students & parents. Thank you!