FEATURED AUTHOR
MELISSA SOALT

“It’s not the size of the woman in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the woman!”

Having earned a "tops-in-her-field" reputation as a self-defense expert, Melissa Soalt has been featured and cited in more than two dozen publications, including The Wall Street Journal, SELF, Woman’s Day, Walking, Newsweek Japan and Germany’s Stern Magazine. She has appeared on "The VIEW," "Access Hollywood," NBC Nightly News, and National Public Radio (NPR) and co-hosted "From Fear to Power," her weekly personal safety and self-defense radio show. Melissa has also written for Black Belt ("Women and the Killer Instinct") and has an article on "armored assailant training" scheduled for its May 2001 publication. In January, she made her cinematic debut with the original Paladin video production Fierce and Female (a two-tape set), which has been extremely well received. In the following article and interview, Melissa reveals how she came to be called "Dr. Ruthless" and what makes her method of self-defense so formidable.

Born in 1955, one of three daughters, I wasn’t always in touch with my feral nature. Growing up in the ’60s (first June Cleaver, then peaceniks), I was all too blissfully ignorant of the killer instinct. Mine lay quietly dormant . . . that is, until my maiden voyage into the world – a ’70s grunge-style sojourn (not exactly Gidget goes abroad) through the Middle East and across the Asian continent, replete with close encounters of the wrong kind. While my friends back home were dancing the Frug and sucking down Diet Cokes, there I was swatting away cat-sized rats . . . and men! There was the rape attempt in Israel perpetuated by my not-so-kosher kibbutz father; a violent knockdown street attack by a Pakistani government official who ambushed me from behind; and the knife and stick assault on me and my companion by a crazed Afghani whose offer to trade me for his prized camel we had politely refused. Although I had no training, I successfully struck back and escaped numerous times. Good instincts, luck, and a strong fighting spirit rallied to my defense.

But it was the lower-level violations – the grabbing and groping in crowded markets and such – that were far more insidious. On overnight trains I often awoke to hands stealing pieces of me in the darkness. To my budding feminist ideals, these indignities were a painful awakening. On one such occasion when a pervert posing as Mr. Niceguy attempted to force himself on me, I went off: I slammed him about the face and head, driving him back, then I busted his hand – little bones crunched beneath the fury of my fist. I remember the look on his face; how he suddenly deflated, appearing smaller and vacuous; and how I felt larger than he. Power radiated from my body like jungle heat; a home-run grin peeked through my fury.

In my moment of epiphany, time and space swung their doors wide open and I was, or so it felt, beamed back through evolution and deposited into the skin of a much earlier (and hairier) predecessor. Neander-Babe, I call her. In that one presto! moment, an ancient part of myself unearthed and popped back into place like a rippling muscle. I had a dawning recognition: that my body was a tool and instrument of power and that with this tool, I, too, could be dangerous. This experience of retrieving power and summoning the beast within would later form the core of my women’s self-defense philosophy.

Before I adopted more practical, down-and-dirty self-defense methods, my original martial arts training was in aikido. Its strong emphasis on “entering,” preemption, and lowering your center of gravity (not to mention the beauty of slams and throws or, as I prefer to say, “how to hit ’em with the planet”) provided an excellent base of training that would later prove particularly valuable in helping women learn to “enter” when fleeing is not an option.

In 1985, a terrifying home-alone encounter with a would-be rapist and stalker further propelled me onto this path. My intruder had already cut off the electric power and phone lines when I saw his shadowy figure approaching from down my hallway at 4 A.M. I thwarted his attack by using my voice – one of women’s first lines of defense – and he opted to flee. But then came phone calls saying he would get me, hunt me down. Although I was working as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma and understood everything that was happening to me on an intellectual level, I was a wreck emotionally. And I was acutely aware that in all my martial arts training I had never learned how to fight from a lying-down position, nor had I struck anyone full force. Auspiciously, two weeks later I heard about a women’s self-defense course called Model Mugging, in which I would get to practice standing and rape-specific techniques against a fully padded mock attacker whom I could slam – no-holds-barred! – in the head and groin. It sounded too good to be true, so I promptly signed up.

What can I say . . . it was love at first blow! After undergoing extensive instructor training, I brought this scenario-based, adrenaline-state training method to the East Coast and set up shop in Boston. My school, Model Mugging of Boston Inc., soon emerged as one of the largest and most successful schools of its kind nationwide, with ongoing training programs for women, teens, and, later, men. It was in 1990, while consulting for Harvard University, that I first developed “STREETSMARTS,” an on-site seminar for the college and corporate sectors. Distilling essential principles of prevention and defense enabled me to provide critical information and skills to much larger audiences. My corporate clients include Polaroid, UPS, Hewlett Packard, Reebok, Motorola, Proctor & Gamble, and the Miami Herald to name a few.

In 1991, after I’d read Peyton Quinn’s Bouncer’s Guide to Barroom Brawling, my then codirector, Mark Morris, and I attended the first Rocky Mountain Combat Applications Training (RMCAT), introducing Quinn and RMCAT cofounder Michael Haynack to the armored assailant method that quickly became integrated into their curriculum. I then trained Michael in the art of “mugging,” and he implemented my men’s programs and soon became my partner – my armored amour.

My school demanded all of me, and I eventually closed my psychotherapy practice. However, it was never really a matter of switching professions. On the contrary, all of the tools I had called upon as a psychotherapist – the perceptual and communication skills, insights into the female psyche, and keen understanding of the many ways in which fear and internal conflict manifest themselves--had direct applications to teaching women self-defense. I firmly believe that my psychotherapy background and understanding of how to unearth the “fighter within” are part of what makes my approach so effective.

After selling my school in 1994, I spent considerable time teaching overseas, primarily in Germany, as well as in various locales throughout the United States. Not being tied to a single location has enabled me to reach a broader audience, and being free from the orthodoxy of any particular system has enabled me to incorporate other practical combat and “applied self-defense” methods into my toolbox of techniques.

In addition to teaching no-nonsense self-defense skills, part of my mission is to redress myths about women. Both age-old and New Age beliefs paint a dangerously lopsided picture of women as all-nurturing do-no-harmers, devoid of aggressive nature or killer instinct. Not only is this view bogus, it keeps women tethered to a victim role. That’s why I love the title of my Fierce and Female video set, released by Paladin Press in January. It conveys perfectly what the tapes demonstrate in very graphic terms: that women can be both feminine and dangerous – a vibrant and formidable mélange of beauty and beast.

A top future priority for me is to finish writing my book, and I am very eager to make more videos. I would also like to produce a line of practical self-defense and personal safety tapes for women and kids. In addition, Michael and I plan to open another school and will be training more instructors in scenario-based, adrenaline-state methods of self-defense.

Q & A

Paladin: What are some of the strategies and techniques you teach to women?
Soalt: I'm a firm believer in teaching uncomplicated gross motor skills that are less likely to go POOF under the pressure of a real attack. The techniques I teach reflect the most common scenarios women are likely to encounter from both stand-up and lying-down rape attacks. Because a predator's initial tactics typically involve pinning, choking, engulfing, grabbing, or immobilizing (his goal is to get close in order to dominate and control his prey), explosive in-fighting techniques driven from the hips and legs are required to counter them. Prime strategies include attacking vulnerabilities and not contesting strength, exploiting openings and the element of surprise, using the environment, and delivering simple throws and assorted "slams." My ground-fighting methods combine reversals with striking and gouging, plus wielding the legs like battering rams and axes to vulnerable regions. But equally crucial is the internal, emotional preparedness. I teach women how to manage terror and adrenaline – how to remain focused, "coil up," and, as soon as it is advantageous, hit the "on switch" and go primal.

Paladin: How do you address the viewpoint that women aren't strong enough or that if women fight back they'll only get hurt worse?
Soalt: Go figure: No animal species in nature, except homo sapiens, would ever teach its females (or its young) not to resist if attacked! Not possessing fighting skill is what is injurious to women, perpetuating a mind-set of "learned helplessness" that further enables victimization. Besides, this viewpoint is simply not valid, which is precisely why I felt it was important to cite actual research on my tapes affirming that "forceful resistance strategies" are effective in thwarting assaults and do not lead to further injury (as though being raped or beaten doesn't constitute injury???). Many sexual assaults quickly escalate into far more brutal and life-threatening attacks; therefore, fighting back is often a woman's only chance at escape and survival. Having said that, given men's greater strength and size, to be effective and not escalate an aggressor's attack, women need to be armed with proper training and possess a keen understanding of timing and strategy. If a woman chooses to fight back, she has to know how to fight smart and be willing to go no-holds-barred.

Paladin: Do you also recommend and instruct women in the use of pepper sprays or weapons?
Soalt: The more tools the better. Why fight empty-handed if you don't have to? However, I never encourage women to be solely weapon dependent. A determined pepper-sprayed attacker may be able to continue his attack for seconds or longer--long enough to do serious damage. Bear in mind, women are often attacked when they least expect it and by people whom they know and trust, and therefore their hands aren't poised on their weapons. Your body and whatever's within arm's reach are all you can count on initially. As a professional, I like to stay within the bounds of what I unequivocally know and am best at; that is, unarmed defense and improvised weapons. I also teach defense against weapons but refer women to others who specialize in the use of chemical deterrents, firearms, or knives.

Paladin: How did you get the name "Dr. Ruthless"?
Soalt: My beloved (and federally trademarked!) name was given to me many years ago by Mark Morris – one of the founders of the Model Mugging program. It's a testament to my no-nonsense style plus the fact that, like Dr. Ruth, I offer good reasons why women should love their hips! Far more than womanly contours or shelter for the unborn, a woman's hips are her hub of power! "Your hips are like the motor in a Cuisinart that drives the slice-'n'-dice attachments," I explain to my students. "Unless they're turned on, there's no whip, chop, or frappé!"

Paladin: Traditionally, few women are trained as fighters. Do all women have "it" in them?
Soalt: Survival is hard-wired. All creatures, big and small, possess innate fighting instincts. It's as much a part of the female inheritance as our maternal nature. But it often lies buried beneath layers of fear and socialization and therefore needs to be liberated. Margaret Mead said it best: "When women disengage from their traditional role, they become more ruthless and savage than men. Men will fight to show off their prowess and impress females, but when women fight it is fierce and to the death . . . ." Women need to see this ferocity in others; we need the role modeling. That's why the dramatic slow-motion replays in Fierce and Female are so powerful and compelling. Once women own their capacity for aggressive self-protection, it shows, and it is a natural deterrent to would-be victimizers. They perceive, "This one bites."

Do you have questions of your own for Dr. Ruthless? E-mail her at fear2power@aol.com. Or, for more in-depth information on her philosophy and work, visit her Web site.

PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

"Dr. Ruthless is on the mark! . . . These tapes give women the plan of action they need and the know-how to rally their forces. The quality is as professional as the material. . . . With the demonstration scenarios mingled with instruction, the learning experience is enhanced. With the techniques filmed from various angles, the student is always in the heat of the battle. Outstanding work. . . ."

"Melissa pulls no punches. Her methods are mean, dirty, and nasty and, of course, that is what one wants when in a deadly situation. . . . Melissa gives women the confidence they need and the methods to use their usually smaller frames to great advantage against men. This video should be a must for all teen-age girls."

"Compelling and effective; excellent material from a woman whose passion for this subject shines like a guiding star. Melissa's emphasis on timing, remaining focused, and fueling one's counterattack is excellent. . . . Fierce and Female will change a woman's view of self-defense from the facade of Karate Kid and belt ranking to "I AM THE WEAPON!"

"I am so impressed with Melissa's passion for helping women tap into their strength in times of danger or threat. Melissa's honest and realistic focus on what really happens inside the body and brain during an assault is something long overdue on the martial arts scene. I heartily endorse her Fierce and Female message, method, and motivation."

"With her tiny frame but powerful survival spirit, Melissa shows women how to use their bodies in effective, forceful, and very woman-specific ways. Her clear, colorful language; unambiguous technique demonstrations; and full-power scenarios allow you to witness terror and shock transform into the explosive responses women need to marshal. . . . More than technique, Fierce and Female shows women how to harness the forces of adrenaline, fear, and anger. A multi-practical tool box. . . . Arm yourself with these tapes!"

"These tapes are not only an excellent catalog of common situations facing women . . . and appropriate self-defense techniques, but they provide an excellent discussion of the aggressive mind-set necessary to defend oneself, correctly stressing how mind-set is key. An excellent contribution. . . . I highly recommend these tapes."

"Two thumbs up! Excellent methods and clear instruction that hit all the important points. . . . The frank talk about rape and dramatic slow-motion replays add a compelling edge. By mixing a little humor into her no-nonsense style, Melissa makes it easier to absorb potentially life-saving lessons. I highly recommend this program."

"This is the best self-defense video I have ever seen. Both the production value and material are excellent; it is a pleasure to watch. Fierce and Female leaves the viewer with an amazingly comprehensive array of responses to violent attacks. The padded attackers were so believable that it made my adrenaline flow. . . . If you are a woman, buy this tape for yourself. If there is a woman you care about, buy this tape for her."

"These tapes are awesome! The techniques are very clearly explained and demonstrated, but the most emotionally powerful parts are the scenarios that take place among ordinary people in ordinary settings--hallways, offices, public restrooms. They show unequivocally how effective these simple techniques are! Every woman should learn to defend herself with moves like these."

FIERCE AND FEMALE:
Practical Rape Defense Tactics for Every Woman