When I started to write this article on the feminine perspective of Jai Yen Yen I thought well, this is just really my personal perspective. Yes, being female, it can be assumed that this is also a feminine perspective. "grin" To start from the beginning I think I should give a history of my own training and self- defense experiences before my training in Jai Yen Yen.

I never really had an interest in martial arts training during childhood. The martial arts schools in the U.S. were still not nearly as prominent and accessible as today. In High School, a boyfriend was taking Tae Kwon Do. At the time an especially rampant series of rapists were in our area. I was interested in learning some self-defense. I had observed his classes from time to time and they did have about 3 females in their classes. I was probably more interested in having more in common with my boyfriend, than seriously studying martial arts and adopting a new way of life at the age of 16 years old. The interest was there so I joined his school. We had a good Tae Kwon Do school with a good instructor but the classes were large and very little individual attention was given. I had earned my green belt with one blue chevron when I left to go to college.

While away at school I faced an attack situation. I had driven to downtown to meet a date. Mind you this is a small town in Texas. Not a place necessarily regarded as dangerous or violent. This just goes to prove you should never assume you are in a safe place. I was meeting my date in a local bar. I had parked across the street in a back lot parking area. It was dimly lit, but usually had foot traffic from the patrons of the bars on the square. As I left my car I had noticed a man walking behind me but across the lot area from me. I dismissed him and in the next 10 seconds he was directly behind me and had grabbed me in a bear hug and had one hand over my mouth. I was shocked, surprised and worst of all panicked! This was a scenario never practiced with me! He proceeded to drag me backward through the lot to the back row. He let go of me briefly to open a car door. He had unclasped my mouth and was holding me by one arm. I knew somehow, instinctively, that this was my one and perhaps my only chance at escape. As I turned to face him he looked up at me. I threw the hardest punch I could and it landed right on his nose. He immediately grabs his nose with both hands and I punch again to his nose. I then kicked him in the groin and he proceeded to hit the ground. I ran to my car and escaped. The man turned out to be a local rapist whose usual MO was to climb in open or unlocked windows of women’s apartments and rape them there. He just took what he thought might be good opportunity with me that night. He was never expecting me to fight back and was counting on the fact that I was too panicked to react as I did. Otherwise, I feel he would have never let go of his hold as he did when we approached his car. I won’t say the attack haunted me, but I did have nightmares from time to time and I did think about those events on occasion. I also felt very lucky to have escaped.

If I had not reacted when and how I did, no telling what would have happened to me. This event had kept my interest in finishing my martial arts training. I had no money to afford the expensive classes needed to do this so I did not succeed in finding a school to train with. At the age of 24 and after the birth of my first child, was my first opportunity in years to finish my training. I should really say I started over with my training. I had retained very little of what I had been taught in High School. A co-worker’s husband was teaching a self-defense system called Jai Yen Yen. I asked what his fees were and she said "Free." I was very excited about this opportunity but did not really know what to expect. Once I talked to her husband and had some discussions about my reasons for training and his philosophy of martial arts, I knew he could teach me what I wanted to know. This is when I met Danny Quevedo and Jai Yen Yen. We started working together three times a week. It was a small class at first with just two or three students. No other females but one who was there for a brief time. Before I knew it, six months had flown by and I had already surpassed my previous training. I also already knew that a black belt was what I wanted to achieve. I perhaps did not realize it then, but my goals were different. I was never into tournaments. That was just not motivation for me. The serious attack I had experienced was the true motivation. Self-defense was my true goal!
I became a very serious student. I wanted to be able to defend myself. I wanted to be able to protect my children and my family. I needed to feel secure and confident in a world that was so violent and unsafe. I knew I had gotten lucky with my survival of the attack in college. As I advanced in my training, I also became aware of just how fortunate I was! What would have happened if the attacker had a weapon? He was not expecting an attack, what if he had expected one? Would I have know what to do? Would I have been successful in escaping? I realized that there was so much more to learn! I guess the truth is, I never feel completely safe all the time. If I were to do that, it would mean that I would not be cautious. I am always aware that a violent attack could occur when I least expect it. That is what keeps me alert to my surroundings. As my training progressed so did my strength and confidence. My family was supportive, but unfortunately my husband at the time was somewhat stubborn about my being gone training. He had seen the changes in me, so he tolerated and I trained as much as I wanted. When the day came and I had earned and was rewarded the rank of Black Belt in Jai Yen Yen, it was the definitely one of the proudest moments in my life. Throughout my training and when I had achieved my brown belt ranking, I found I had a love of teaching. Very soon I would be teaching a class of my own students! I was very excited and enthusiastic. To this day I still hold that enthusiasm for Jai Yen Yen and hope I never lose it.

I have had three children, multiple injuries ( the most recent being a broken toe ), and some setbacks in training. I have never stopped coming back to my training. I have said many times that Jai Yen Yen is "My Center." It taught me just as my Sensei taught it to me. Life is valuable and everyone’s life is valuable. We are here to protect and love each other. Train hard in order to provide that protection. There are many other lessons too, but of course there would be such a long list, I could not possibly write that long! "grin" Besides, this is quite long-winded enough. I sure spilled my guts didn’t I! "grin"

Well that is my life’s story, well my life’s story in the martial arts. I will leave you with my final thoughts. For me, Jai Yen Yen is for a lifetime. No matter what else happens in my life, I will always return to my training! Wherever I can find students, I will be teaching! I will be training Jai Yen Yen until I can no longer, because I never want to lose "My Center."

Sincerely, Deanna Koelzer Chief Instructor Dallas Chapter

Me and my Sensei Danny Quevedo sparring. There is an ouch waiting for *me* out there somewhere. :-)

Angie Zang and I in black belt session.

Angie and I training knife defenses.