Notes From the NWMAF Chair2020 Conference Cancelled Due to Virusby Cathy Chapaty, NWMAF Board Chair

Greetings from my shelter-at-home living room in Austin, Texas. On a beautiful spring day, I’m sadly mindful that it’s a tough time for so many of our members due to the spread of COVID-19. The National Women’s Martial Arts Federation (NWMAF) Board offers its condolences to those who have lost family, friends, and colleagues to this virus.

As a result of the continued spread of COVID-19, in the interest of the health of its members, the NWMAF Board voted at its March 29 meeting to cancel the 2020 conference at Daemen College in Amherst, New York. It was not an easy decision—and at the same time, very simple and obvious: Our members’ health comes first.

We are disappointed; I’m sure you are as well. We will miss seeing our friends and colleagues, sharing meals, exploring different martial arts and healing art styles, learning new self-defense skills, and discovering the latest Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) research. However, this was the right decision in this dire, uncertain time.

How will we proceed after this cancellation?• Refunds: Members who have already registered for the 2020

conference will have a variety of refund options. If you have already registered for this year’s conference, expect an email from Treasurer Cheryl VanHoosen (treasurer@nwmaf.org) or Events Coordinator Natalie DeMaioribus (events@nwmaf.org) to discuss your options.

NWMAF Update April 2020News for Our Members, Friends, and Supporters

“Empowering women and girls to achieve personal and collective strength, safety, and well being through martial arts, healing arts, and self-defense education”

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We will break through our obstacles and again have triumphant moments, as did these participants in Cathy Chapaty’s board breaking class during 2019 Camp BE BRAVE. Photo by Tih Penfil.

• NWMAF Deposit with Deamen College: Deamen College has agreed to apply the NWMAF’s $10,000 deposit toward its 2021 conference—without penalties.

• Virtual Training: Board members are exploring virtual train-ing sessions in lieu of in-person conference classes. Stay tuned for details.

• Trainers: We’ll be in touch soon about contracts and options.

• Raffle Items: Development Coordinator Lindsey Ross is exploring online auction options for raffle donations the Federation has already received. All funds will still go to our General Scholarship Fund.

• Memberships: Many members renew memberships to qualify for a discount on our conference. We expect that this will be a tough year for most members to afford memberships. But a few months ago, the NWMAF began offering a $25 Low-Cost Membership option. This option was created for times just like this: when you’re out of work or on a fixed income but still want to support the Federation. We invite you to take advantage of this option, especially this year.

We will announce the date for the 2021 conference in the coming months. For now, know that the NWMAF Board sends its best wishes for the health and well-being of its members and their families and friends around the world.

Send comments to chair@nwmaf.org.

If the Dojo is Closed, Keep Training!by Tih Penfil, NWMAF Photographer

Dojo closed or workout/training time being effected by the current health crisis? Get innovative! Take that same time frame you would’ve spent at the dojo and utilize it at home. Revisit some old forms that need to have the cobwebs shaken out of them. Try watching videos for some new ideas. Use yard work creatively—that rake can be swung, the shovel too. Look online for some creative ways to work out using household items. Experiment!

One of my first workshops attended at my first Special Training was

Tih Penfil using her golf umbrella on Sensei Heather Turnbull at our 2012 Camp.

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NWMAF Chair Cathy Chapaty and everyone at the opening ceremony for 2019 Camp BE BRAVE. Let’s have faith that we will all be together in person again in the future.

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with Sensei Heather Turnbull on using home items as a needed weapon. I used my golf umbrella very effectively and have contin-ued to practice with it.

Climb stairs. Practice balance techniques. When I lead our aero-bics class, I have the group go up and down the floor doing tech-niques in slow motion, such as alternating horse stances. It gives one a new perspective on the technique and how the muscles work. These are just a few ideas. Post your own in our Facebook group for others to share. Keep training—it’s a good thing!

Tih Penfil is a black belt at Mejishi Martial Arts in Ferndale, Mich.

Mindful Living in a Chaotic World by Kyren Epperson, co-owner of Culture of Safety

I’m someone who lives with a lot of anxiety more generally. As I half-jokingly tell my beginning students, it’s why I started meditating. It’s also why I started training in martial arts. But that’s not why I keep meditating; why I keep training.

My experience is most people do not seek out a meditation practice or a martial arts practice because their life is already full and happy and all is well. That’s not generally how humans work. We hate change. Change is uncomfortable and often painful. We seek change only when we’re in enough suffering that the discomfort of change feels better than the discomfort (or pain) of the status quo. Suffering is a catalyst for change—some for the better and some for the worse.

But what often happens as we continue in these practices—mind-fulness, meditation, martial arts, yoga, psychotherapy, and so

Kyren Epperson

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Jessica Ponce performs a solo form in the 2019 Camp BE BRAVE demo. Photo by Tih Penfil.

forth—is our lives get better. We start to feel better. Sometimes we take that as a sign that we no longer need these nourishing practices. We’ve somehow “outgrown” them.

As someone who has spent decades noticing, feeling, and responding to my own anxiety through mindfulness practices—with varying success in the mindful bit—I suggest that we never really “outgrow” mindful practices. Like a wheel, suffering and pleasure alternate throughout the world and throughout our lives. Whether we are living in either a personal or a global moment of peace, or a personal or global moment of suffering, the mindfulness practices we’ve cultivated remain an important source of warmth, strength, and support.

In some ways it’s much easier to practice mindfulness, and to train, when we already feel happy. Mindfulness is often—though not always—inherently pleasant and can feel like a reward in and of itself. But when we’re suffering, either individually or collectively, that is when mindful practices are hardest, and when they are the most important. It can be easy to forget that. When we practice in times of suffering, we may not experience the same rewarding positive feelings we remember from the past and this can feel disheartening.

As fellow meditation teacher Chris Murray-Jones said recently,“[In moments of chaos], when we sit to meditate, we can hardly expect our minds to be undisturbed by feelings of anxiety, perhaps even anger, and stress. The advice is sometimes given that we should let such feelings go. This is good advice but, in my experience, we have to let them come first [emphasis added]. Trying to fight or resist those feelings only reinforces our attach-ment to them, and so makes them even stronger than before.

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Nancy Rothenberg performs her solo form in the 2019 BE BRAVE demo. Photo by Tih Penfil.

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to wash over and pass through us like a giant wave…. We don’t expect them to go away forever, of course. At least, not for a long time yet. But if we pay close attention, we begin to see that deep within this process—in the very middle of the in- and out-breath—there is a point or place of quiet, peace, and stillness…”

So I’m here to urge you, whatever practice you do—be it meditation, yoga, karate, tai chi, aikido, jujitsu, shiatsu, and so forth—during times of chaos, keep practicing. Find a way to practice at home. Even if you

have to find more creative ways to explore your practice, this is what our practice is for. We train vigorously during the easy times to sustain us during the hard times.

Just as important, we need to reframe our goals of our practices during times of chaos. If we expect to feel as happy or relieved as we do in times of peace, we set ourselves up for disappointment. Believe that your practice itself—whatever it is—will be sustaining in some way, and that even if you don’t immediately feel better, it is still worth it, and it will make a difference. Maybe your anxiety or panic won’t completely subside. But at the very least, you will be more mindful of it. And with mindfulness of our emotions, we have the capacity to change our responses to our emotions. And that becomes the basis for being kinder, more compassionate people in the world.

One last thought: If you have a mindfulness practice, consider sharing it with others. Whether remote classes or in-person classes seem most appropriate for the moment, consider finding a way to share what you know. Remember that not everyone has access to practices that empower, sustain, and nourish them in times of chaos. We’re all in this chaotic world together. Let’s practice mindfully and kindfully living together, as well.

Kyren Epperson teaches meditation in Chicago and online. They teach Empowerment Self-Defense with their partner Amy Jones, through their business, Culture of Safety. This article is edited and shared with permission by Culture of Safety.

Jen Para teaches use of Malay weapons during 2019 BE BRAVE. Photo by Tih Penfil.

Cynthia Decastro teaches a yang style tai chi form at 2019 Camp BE BRAVE. Photo by Tih Penfil.

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Celebrating MilestonesThe following NWMAF members celebrated recent milestones in their practice and in their lives:

Shifu/Sensei Koré Grate was recently promoted to eighth-degree black belt in Wu Chien Pai.

The Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors (AWMAI) inducted three women into its Hall of Fame during its February conference in Safety Harbor, Florida:

• Jamie Leno Zimron, a sixth-degree black belt in Aikido who began training in 1976, was honored for more than 40 years of study.

• Lisa Frazer, a fifth-degree black belt in Jujitsu who began training in 1974, was honored for more than 40 years of study.

• Silvia Smart, a sixth-degree black belt in Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen who began training in 1987, was honored for more than 30 years of study.

Congratulations, everyone!

Have you celebrated a milestone? Promotion, marriage, school anniversary? The NWMAF wants to amplify your good news! Send “Celebrating Milestones” submissions to secretary@NWMAF.org.

Shifu/Sensei Koré Grate, 8th dan.

Newly inducted AWMAI Hall of Fame members, from left: Lisa Frazer, Jamie Leno Zimron, and Silvia Smart. Photo by Sheila Haddad.

AmazonSmile Will Donate to NWMAFIf you shop on Amazon.com, make sure to access the site through smile.amazon.com and select National Women’s Martial Arts Federation as your designated charity. If you do this, the NWMAF will receive a donation from Amazon of a small percentage of your purchase. Every little bit helps!

Member Spotlight

NWMAF Wonder Women: Our Origin StoriesJaye SpiroThis month, we’re spotlighting Sensei Jaye Spiro, head instruc-tor of Mejishi Martial Arts in Michigan, a founding member and the first chair of the NWMAF. She is a seventh-degree black belt in Ai Mute Shotokan Karate under Shihan Bobby Peeler, a sixth-degree black belt in Modern Arnis under the late Professor Remy Presas and Professor Dan Anderson, and an original student of Manong Ted Buot in Balintawak Escrima.

In 1971, I trained in a Korean style with a young man who lived in our communal household near the Wayne State University campus in downtown Detroit. It was the height of the anti–Vietnam War movement. The men in our commune fantasized revolution in the streets, and my first teacher began to prepare them with karate. These were community classes, without traditional rituals and customs. I was no earth mother, so I joined their classes to prove that women could fight too.

My superficial motives weren’t strong enough to withstand an atmosphere of sexual promiscuity prevalent in our community, where males in the club pursued extramarital relationships with female students. I became rebellious. The leadership decided to bring the club into the fold of a local Korean school by adopting traditional rituals and customs. I refused to turn around and face the wall when ordered to tie my belt. So I got myself thrown out.

A few months later, I was involved in an altercation that changed my life. A friend, Carrie, who lived two blocks from the house where I was living in the inner city, burst in one night. Sam, her roommate Pauline’s “boyfriend,” was slamming Pauline’s head into the wall. This was before the term “domestic violence” was coined. In those days calling the police would have been useless, and as young “hippies” that option was against our values. So, Bryce, Elaine, and I ran over to stop the assault. I kicked open the door, and before I could think, Sam had stuck his two fingers in my eyes. He tried the same move on Elaine, but she backed up, and Bryce, a football-player-size guy, tackled Sam and pinned him to the floor. Holding my injured eyes, I heard Bryce angrily scold Sam. Sam promised to stop hurting Pauline. Bryce let him up. Sam’s promise was a ploy, and he brandished a chair. With Pauline yelling, “Leave. You don’t understand,” we started to leave. I heard Sam point at me and say, “I’m gonna get you, b----.”

Sensei Jaye Spiro teaching a shield and sword form during 2018 Camp Unity.

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Those words were a worse wound than my two black eyes—which healed except for a small floater. I began to know fear. I would jump whenever an African American man was behind me. I wouldn’t walk down Pauline’s street or the street where Sam worked. His face and words haunted me everywhere I went. I hated living with this fear.

So I looked for a new teacher and found Bobby Peeler, a brown belt of Sensei Larry Berkley. I felt afraid but desperate for help, entering the basement of Sensei Peeler’s home on Neal Street on Detroit’s east side. I was one of a few Caucasians that first night. But the moment I saw Bobby move and sensed his spirit, I was hypnotized. I wanted to move like that and to be like that. I no longer cared what traditional rituals were required. I had fallen in love with the art of Karate and saw a path of empowerment leading away from the fear that held me captive. These African American training partners and teacher helped me heal and regain my spirit.

Want to share your origin story? Email it to Lauren Bailey at members@nwmaf.org. And, as our sisters at ESD Global say, always remember that #YouAreTheSuperPower!

Sensei Jaye wards off an attack from NWMAF Treasurer Cheryl VanHoosen during Heather Turnbull’s Blade Defense class at 2019 Camp.

Sensei Jaye assists her student and first-time NWMAF trainer Corrina Callahan (left), as Corrina teaches Modern Arnis to Young Martial Artists.

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NWMAF Welcomes New Board MembersAt its March 29 meeting, the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation (NWMAF) Board of Directors formally ratified the election of four members to the Board of Directors. Since all candidates ran unopposed, no ballots were mailed to the membership per Board Bylaws 5.05. All newly elected Board positions begin August 1, 2020, and end July 31, 2022.

The Board is still seeking a replacement for Healing Arts Coordinator Sahnya Thom, who resigned in February. The Healing Arts Coordinator, who represents the interests of NWMAF members who practice solely or primarily healing arts, must have been a member of the NWMAF for at least one year. Members interested in serving as Healing Arts Coordinator should send an email to chair@nwmaf.org.

The following members will begin or continue their Board service in August.

Corrin Eckert-Chu, Incoming SecretaryCorrin has been studying martial arts for nearly 30 years, since her first self-defense class. She began training in Goju Karate at Brooklyn Women’s Martial Arts (BWMA) in 2000, and knew immediately that she found a home in the martial arts. Today she teaches karate at Brooklyn Goju, the successor school to BWMA, and has spent five years teaching empowerment self-defense through the Center for Anti-Violence Education.

After her first Special Training [the NWMAF’s annual confer-ence] in 2002, Corrin became interested in other styles and started training at the Wu Tang Physical Culture Association, learning Northern Wu-style Tai Chi sword and saber, Sun-style tai chi, Chen-style open hands and the Xing Yi Quan sword and linking forms. Since then, she has attended many Special Trainings and loves connecting with other martial artists and learning new styles.

“After last year’s camp, I started thinking about how I could get involved more with the organization, and when the Board positions were announced, I thought I saw a way that I could give back effectively. The responsibilities of the Board Secretary are right in line with my professional experience in publishing as an editor and copy editor, as well as a project manager—so organiz-ing other folks’ to-do lists, staying on top of deadlines, and yes, sending post-meeting minutes and recaps is literally my day job.

Corrin Eckert-Chu

Upcoming Board MeetingThe next NWMAF Board meeting is April 26. Board meet-ings typically take place on Sundays at 2 pm central time, via an online meeting site. If you are a member interested in attending, contact Cathy, chair@nwmaf.org, and she will provide you with log-in instructions.

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I’d love to give back to the organization that I’ve enjoyed for more than 20 years.”

Martha Thompson, Incoming Self-Defense CoordinatorMartha started training at Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense in Chicago in the fall of 1991 and now holds a fifth-degree black belt in Seido karate. She attended her first NWMAF conference in July 1991 when Thousand Waves founders Nancy Lanoue and Sarah Ludden opened Special Training to self-defense instruc-tors. Martha had already been a certified IMPACT/Model Mugging self-defense instructor for three years when her friend Theo, a black belt in aikido, encouraged her to go to Special Training. She says she never regretted listening to Theo!

Martha became an NWMAF Certified Self-Defense Instructor and an IMPACT Instructor trainer, has served as the IMPACT Chicago Director, was a member of the IMPACT International Board of Directors, co-founded the Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance, and has co-coordinated the ESDA Global Research Committee. She is retired from Northeastern Illinois as Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies and has published articles about self-defense, such as “The Power of No” in Feminist Teacher and “Empowering Self-Defense Training” in Violence Against Women. She has also been the editor and organizer for the IMPACT Chicago blog, where she’s published the thoughtful and compelling work of Empowerment Self-Defense instructors.

Martha has three goals:

1. Give back to NWMAF. “I cannot emphasize enough how important the NWMAF has been to my development as a self-defense instructor and martial artist and I want to do the work needed to provide that opportunity to as many others as possible.”

2. Support, nurture, and continue the excellent and ongoing work of those who have served as Self-Defense Coordinator, coordinated and planned the Self-Defense Instructor’s Conference, and coordinated and mentored others through the NWMAF certification process.

3. Increase the reach of NWMAF and Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) through strategic planning within NWMAF and in collaboration with other ESD organizations.

Cathy Chapaty, ChairCathy has served as Board Chair since August 2018. She is a fourth-degree Taekwondo black belt with more than 25 years of martial arts training. An NWMAF member since the mid-1990s, Cathy has been a trainer at two NWMAF Special Training camps; she was named NWMAF Member of the Year in 2011.

Martha Thompson

Cathy Chapaty

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In 2006, Chapaty founded Tao of Texas Martial Arts Institute in Austin, Texas, where she specialized in teaching a character development-focused children’s program. She is currently on a teaching sabbatical.

She is the author of No Pouting in the Dojo: Life Lessons through Martial Arts, Sports Planet: Sports Played Around the World, and Searching for Grasshopper: A Martial Artist’s Quest for Peace. In 2012, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea honored Chapaty for her essay on the transformational power of Taekwondo. She has also had dozens of essays and articles published in newspa-pers, magazines, and newsletters on topics as integrity in sports, anger management, and mentorship through martial arts.

Natalie DeMaioribus, Events CoordinatorNatalie has served as Events Coordinator on the NWMAF Board since August 2018. Her primary practice is Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD). Natalie found the NWMAF a few years ago. She has prac-ticed mixed martial arts including muay thai, kali, and panantukan with Minnesota Kali Group schools in two states. In 2015 she became an instructor with Chimera Self-Defense in Madison, Wisconsin, and has developed curri-cula for a variety of audiences including teen survivors of sexual violence, English language learner tutors, and Human Resources professionals.

The Board thanks Election Committee members Carrie Slack and Nikki Smith for their work.

Meet the BoardLindsey Ross: Development Coordinator and Fundraiser(Serving 2019–2021)

Primary Practice: Brazilian JiujitsuHome: Cincinnati, OHPersonal pronouns: she, her, hers

Lindsey is a 90-degree black belt and a master street fighter, and she dabbles in 15,000 different forms of martial arts. When Lindsey is not making jokes, you will find her rolling around on the floor with friends. (She thinks they call it jiujitsu.) Off the mats, she has a background in working with adults with developmental disabili-ties and children recovering from trauma.

Lindsey has a huge passion for teaching self-defense and empow-ering women. This led her to co-found Thrive Empowerment Center, which offers Empowerment Self-Defense classes in the metro Cincinnati area.

Do you have an idea for raising money for the scholarship, archives, or general operating funds? Have questions about merchandise availability and suggestions for new merchandise? Please send to fundraiser@nwmaf.org.

Natalie DeMaioribus

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Self-Defense in ActionSelf-Defense stories collected by Darla Bolon, NWMAF Board Member at Large for Self-Defense

Iranian Woman Beaten for Wearing Loose Hijab Fights Back, Goes ViralFrom March 12, 2020 thenational.ae post by Aya Iskandarani

Wearing the veil is compulsory in Iran, and activists who dare to speak up face long prison sentences. Iranian authorities have maintained that the hijab should be compulsory, even for non-Muslim and non-practising women.

A video of an unknown Iranian woman defending herself against a man who attacked her on the streets has gone viral. She has allegedly been assaulted by a vigilante for wearing a loose hijab.

The footage shows a woman crossing path with a man, who then follows her down the street and appears to threaten her. He then grabs her by the arm and kicks her in the stomach twice, propel-ling her onto the road.

During the remaining minute and a half of the video, the woman fights back against her assailant, throwing punches and kicks his way, before walkers-by intervene.

The footage has garnered 2.6 million views in less than 24 hours.

You can read the rest of this article and a link to the video here.

U.S.-based Iranian journalist and political activist Masih Alinejad tweeted that she has been in touch with the 42-year-old woman in the video. Alinejad, who last month wrote a column in The National about a boycott movement in Iran ahead of the parlia-mentary elections, says the police refused to arrest the attacker as he claimed to be “voluntarily enforcing morality codes”.

Wearing a hijab in public is mandatory in Iran. Women who fail to cover their hair can face up to ten years in prison, on charges of “inciting corruption and prostitution.”

Odette Russell demonstrates a head lock during one of her classes at 2019 Camp BE BRAVE. Photo by Tih Penfil.

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The country’s dresscode law has been decried by women’s rights activists for providing legal justification to take away the rights of women, and subjecting them to constant harassment. Yet authorities have maintained that the hijab should be compulsory, even for non-Muslim and non-practising women. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has even insisted that the hijab is the answer to end sexual violence against women.

“Next time they tell you compulsory hijab is a small issue, show them this video,” Ms. Alinejad tweeted. “Many Iranian women face this.”

We invite you to contribute your own self-defense stories, either to Darla at selfdefense@nwmaf.org or directly to the newsletter at secretary@nwmaf.org.

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Friendly practice of grab releases prepares these friends for less friendly situations. ESD model class at 2019 Camp BE BRAVE. Photo by Tih Penfil.

Have News and Information to Share with the NWMAF Community?We welcome your submissions of news, opinion pieces, fiction, or other writing related to our practices of martial arts, healing arts, and self-defense. We also accept art, photos, and comics! Our editorial board reserves the right to edit for space or content considerations. The deadline for the next issue is May 7, and will be approximately every six weeks thereafter. Send contributions to secretary@nwmaf.org.

A moment of levity at the end of Giovanna Follo’s class in Commando Krav Maga Gun Disarming at 2019 Camp BE BRAVE. Photo by Tih Penfil.