Insider's Guide: Get Your Kicks

Dojo Digest

Terri Giamartino isn’t the only local sensei teaching self-defense; the Bay Area has a plethora of dojos, training schools dedicated to the martial arts. Here are a few popular dojos in San Francisco, the Peninsula and the East Bay. Call or visit their Web sites for classes, locations and hours.

Aikido of Noe Valley
(San Francisco)
415.710.4415

East Bay Seido Karate
(Berkeley)
510.655.9446

The Hapkido Institute
(San Francisco)
415.956.0566

Quantum Martial Arts
(San Francisco)
415.671.3720

Twin Dragon Kung Fu Academy
(San Carlos)
650.591.1127

Martial arts can increase confidence, boost health and teach self-defense.

A dark alley. A sinister stranger. Calls for help met with only silence. These are common, but legitimate, fears that have men and women alike signing up for self-defense classes.

Working in high-risk areas 30 years ago, Terri Giamartino says she began studying martial arts to “be able to take better care of myself” and feel safer. In 1993, Giamartino started her company, Skills for Safe Living, to teach self-defense skills at her own dojo (martial arts school) in Emeryville. In 1999, she was voted Martial Artist of the Year by the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists. Here, the sixth-degree black belt discusses self-defense, as well as martial arts’ many other health benefits.

What are the first skills you teach a new student who's interested in self-defense?
The first thing I try to do is get people in touch with what it is they worry about, what brought them to the lesson in the first place. I want to get people clear right away about what’s real and what’s myth. Then I want to empower them to get them using their voice and learning quickly how to manage a situation verbally so they never have to use physical skills. Physically, you have to build someone up so they are willing and able to hurt somebody if necessary. But first you have to get them comfortable verbally and assertively for that mindset to develop.

What’s the feedback you get from students you’ve worked with in terms of how martial arts have benefited them?
I hear much less about people using their skills physically than I do about the verbal confidence martial arts has given them. It raises their awareness about how to control situations verbally with confidence so that a physical altercation doesn’t become necessary. Parents say their kids are doing better in school or not getting bullied, and that goes back to them just feeling better about themselves and having an improved sense of self-worth and confidence.

Aside from self-defense, what are other primary benefits of martial arts?
Stress management is a huge one. You’re also getting regular exercise that works your entire body. This is a more all-around form of exercise than individual sports that only use certain muscles, like tennis. You’re using your mind and also using and developing your body evenly. I also work with children who have disabilities and as I study more about disabilities, I’m learning how martial arts help connect neural pathways and improve ability to focus

Do particular styles of martial arts have different benefits?
From a purely health perspective, tai chi is probably the best because it moves slowly, promotes general well-being and controls blood pressure. There’s no heavy impact, so it gives you more longevity to practice. Judo is helpful because it teaches rolling and falling skills, and you’re often on the ground in a physical fight. You learn to fall with confidence to avoid injury. The hard styles — karate and kung fu, for example — will build your body faster and are very practical for real-world physical confrontation. Aikido, like tai chi, gives many health benefits, but the real fighting application only comes after time, whereas within a few years of starting something like kung fu you can become pretty powerful.

“ I recommend martial arts to pretty much anyone. The single most important factor of martial arts is confidence building. An assertiveness grows that you can hone to use in all walks of life. ” — Terri Giamartino, Skills for Safe Living