DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With the holiday shopping season in full swing, it's a good time to think about personal safety. Frazzled, distracted shoppers can easily become target. If you were suddenly the target of an attacker, would you know how to react? If you've had any training, would you remember what to do? A self-defense duo in Daytona Beach has made it their mission to teach the moves they say every woman needs to know.
For the past six years, Tracy and Charley Vega have been in front of countless audiences.
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"We call ourselves the Sonny and Cher of self-defense. She can't sing and I'm a lot taller, but women get a kick out of it. Women get it, they like it," said Tracy and Charley.
The approach may be lighthearted. The subject matter is not. As many as 238,000 people over the age of 12 are sexually assaulted every year.
Tracy and Charley developed a program that is easy to learn and remember. The single most important move is the one finger fight. It's used when someone grabs another person by the arm.
"It's the most common way that somebodies grabbed," Tracy explained.
Instead of pulling away, the Vegas instruct women to move their arm in
the direction of the attacker's thumb, this automatically breaks his grip.
"See if you do it slow, watch what happens if she follows the thumb. He can't hold on. She can't hang on," Tracy and Charley added.
The Vegas call this the "pay it forward" move. They ask everyone who learns it to teach it to at least one person.
Bissy Holden took the Vegas' self-defense class three years ago. Not only can she still remember the move, but Bissy convinced her employer to offer the workshop to colleagues.
The Vegas also say if an attacker approaches from behind, try something they call the peel.
"Instead of fighting, the way to escape is you grab a single finger, and you peel the finger off of that person and the finger is going to break," the duo explained.
The peel and the
one finger fight.
"We can't get to everybody, but if we show you, and you show somebody else and they show somebody else, then we have a chance to really save lives on a massive scale," they added.
The Vegas also suggest leaving ten feet between yourself and a stranger. If someone gets too close, put your hand up in a stopping motion and yell for him to go away. It will startle him and also attract attention from onlookers who may be able to come to your aid.
To learn more about their program you can go to www.simpleselfdefenseforwomen.com.