Linda Lackey (in red) drives from Evansville to Paducah and back for one simple reason: She wants to show women like Alisha Greenwell (in black) how to protect themselves against anyone who's up to no good.Linda Lackey is tiny. And totally cute. And super sweet. But come at her with a knife, gun or even your bare hands, and she'll kick your ass.
Well, actually, she won't kick your ass. There's really no kicking involved.
Instead, she'll surprise you just enough that before you know it, she's twirling you around her body, throwing you to the ground and running for help. And then your sorry ass will go to jail where it belongs. And you can fight off your own attackers. But we digress. A little.
Any Woman Can Do itLackey is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert, learning all her moves and techniques from the fabulously certified instructors at the Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy at 900 Broadway. She loves the sport so much that now she teaches Women's Self-Defense classes at the academy, which will move to the Livingwell Centre at Energy Fitness, 2343 New Holt Rd., on July 28. (The grand opening, by the way, is set for 5-7 p.m. All are welcome!)
In just three and a half years of study, Lackey is absolute proof that leverage and keeping your cool trumps brute strength any day – or night. Watch as she spars with academy owner (and also super cute) Jason Hawkins (above) and it's clear that she's perfectly capable of protecting herself.
And she says any woman can do it.
"The self-defense aspect of Jiu-Jitsu makes total sense to me," says Lackey, who works days as a nurse practitioner. "It doesn't rely on strength – it's all about leverage and using a person's energy that they're giving you against them. You're turning it around. Attackers aren't expecting you to throw them down on the ground. But you can, and once you do, you greatly increase your chance of getting away before you get hurt." And that's pretty much the point: Just get away.
"You can't expect a smaller person to hit a larger person or to expect that you can punch or kick your way out of a situation," Hawkins says. "In fact, it will just aggravate your attacker. This course is intended to arm women with simple, effective techniques – and the emotional presence of mind – for an escape."
Become the Queen of ConfidenceThe small class size ensures that Lackey can give her students quite a bit of one-on-one instruction. Student Alisha Greenwell has been so impressed that she plans to bring her six-year-old daughter to the classes.
"This has given me such self-confidence," Greenwell says. "I mean, you just never know. But if someone were to put a gun to my back and try to force me into a car, I know exactly what I need to do to get out of that situation. And that's something I want my little girl to know how to do, too."
While Lackey hasn't needed to whip out her skills in real-life, thank goodness, she's confident that her training – and the training she shares with other women – works.
"The important thing is to not panic," Lackey says. "When we panic, we don't think clearly, our heart rate increases, we hyper-ventilate and it drains our energy. We have to think clearly, reserve our energy for the appropriate time and protect ourselves until we wear our attacker out.
"Training at Three Rivers has given me the self-confidence to enter into any situation unafraid," Lackey adds. "It is a truly freeing experience to know that I am able to defend myself in a threatening situation."It's the confidence, really, that Hawkins says deters attackers in the first place.
"Predators look for easy victims," he says. "They're looking for a woman who walks with her head down. They're not looking for a confident, fit woman who walks with power and her head up. Linda's class can really change the way women carry themselves and take control of their own safety."
Check 'Em Out
Three Rivers Martial Arts offers mixed martial arts, G.R.A.C.I.E. for law enforcement, kids and adults Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino martial arts, Tai Chi and the women’s self-defense classes. The academy is open to all ages, offers flexible schedules, reasonable rates, group clinics and private lessons. 443.1829.
