May 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41

External tools can be useful with practice
but are far from required and may even
be counter-productive to maintaining
our safety without proper training.
options we have available to us to
get ourselves to safety as quickly
as possible, says Snell. " [Selfdefense]
is not mutual combat. It
isn't a sports fight. It's not a boxing
match. It is trying to protect yourself
as quickly as possible so you
can get to safety. "
According to Snell, what this
boils down to is identifying which
spots on our body are the strongest,
and which on the assailant's body
are weakest. " When we understand
that we actually have all the
tools available on our bodies right
now to be able to protect ourselves,
it can change how we walk through
the world and how we interact with
people, " she says.
Additionally, Snell says, external
tools can be useful with practice
but are far from required and
may even be counter-productive
to maintaining our safety without
proper training. " If you want to
carry something externally, like a
self-defense tool or weapon, you
have to train with it and you have
to train with it often, because when
you are faced with a dangerous or
threatening situation in which your
stress levels increase and adrenaline
is released in your body, your
fine motor skills are reduced, your
logic and reasoning are reduced,
and your gross motor skills are
increased, " she explains. " So, unless
you're practicing with this
tool consistently, there is a chance
it may not respond the way you're
expecting it to. " Additionally, this
creates the possibility that the tool
could be used against you.
That's why Snell advocates for
other methods first. " Your body
and your brain are always going to
be your primary tools. I want to encourage
people to avoid relying on
external things and instead shift the
focus back to themselves and put
that focus and empowerment back
in themselves. You are going to have
the tools on your body all the time,
24/7, even in places where you can't
bring something external. "
Overcoming Stereotypes
Beyond
teaching
holistic
selfdefense
tactics, Snell shares that it's
crucial that we overcome stereotypes
and understand that everyone
has the means to navigate park
and recreation spaces safely and
confidently.
" There's a lot of stereotypes out
there - and I'm going to speak in
the binary because a lot of what
we hear happens to be in the binary.
Stereotypes say that women are
weak, that we are helpless, that if
we were to go up against a man we
would lose - these are false. And
then there's this assumption, too,
that men just know how to fight
because they're men. " But many
You are going to have the tools
on your body all the time, 24/7,
even in places where you can't
bring something external.
times, this isn't the case, says Snell.
" So, I try to break down those stereotypes
and instead give all people
skills they can use - to reconnect
women with our power and teach
men ways they can use their bodies,
and how to de-escalate situations.
" Whether
it's women, whether
it's people like me who are Black,
or those who are Indigenous, or
people of color, or people who are
from the LGBTQIA+ community
and may be worried about who
they may encounter in the outdoors
- if I can give people the skills to
alleviate that fear, then we can get
more people in the outdoors. We
can get more people enjoying the
benefits of nature. "
Lindsay Collins is Managing Editor of Parks
& Recreation magazine (lcollins@nrpa.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | MAY 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
41
May 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2023 - Parks & Recreation
