KID STUFF : Teaching Kids Self-Defense

There’s more to a good education these days than the three Rs.

Add self-defense, say a former L.A. physical education teacher and her brother, a karate black belt.

Rape Hot Line statistics for Los Angeles County indicate that one out of three girls and one out of five boys will be raped by age 18.

So Becky and Bill Valentine have published a self-defense book that can be used as a classroom guide for teachers.

Becky, who wrote and illustrated “Self-Defense for Life” ($10; Self-Defense Publishing, (818) 243-1635) with Bill, a Glendale optician, says their goal is to develop more self-confidence in children and adults and to teach them to avoid threatening situations by being more aware of their surroundings.

It’s typical for children to feel powerless, Becky says, but “the knowledge of how to protect yourself gives a person power.”

Training includes games that are “fun and get the kids used to physical contact.” While boys are typically involved in contact sports and are used to reacting, girls aren’t, she says.

“A lot of girls freeze when grabbed--they’re in shock and don’t know what to do. If they get used to contact in games . . . hopefully they’ll react faster.”

Techniques include using the hands, elbows, knees and head for close encounters; using leg kicks on joints, groin and ankles at medium distances and, if on the ground, crossing the legs or poking an attacker in the eyes.