By ANDREW BUNCOMBE in Washington
The tall man in the black fleece jacket is pointing a gun at the woman's head and demanding that she gives him all her money. He is about 1.9m and must weigh at least 100kg.
She steps inside the line of fire, takes the man's wrist with her own hand and twists it around. Suddenly she is holding the gun. "Wow, is it that easy?" she says. "It is," smiles the man.
The man in black is Jimmy Higgins, a fifth dan in tukong moosul, a martial art developed by the South Korean Army, incorporating elements of tae kwon do, hapkido and judo. The woman is Gwen Wood, a 51-year-old Washington broadcasting executive and one of the students at the Saturday morning self-defence classes Higgins runs for airline passengers.
In the aftermath of September 11, interest in such classes has soared in America. With recent incidents such as that involving the alleged shoe-bomber, Richard Reid, and an alleged assault on a cockpit last week, interest remains strong.
At the two-hour class, students are taught a series of basic techniques that could help them to survive a gun or knife attack.
They are also taught how to turn everyday items such as rolled-up newspapers, seat cushions and belts into weapons of self-defence.
"It is about taking the initiative, it is about being aggressive in that sort of situation," said Higgins, 39, who also teaches US Green Berets, Rangers, naval special forces and police officers. "We are not trying to teach people how to be like the special forces, but we are trying to keep them alive."
He confirmed that since September 11, interest in the classes had jumped.
The story is the same across America.
Among the new students at the Oriental Sports Academy in Falls Church, Virginia, is Fred Bieber, a 57-year-old American Airlines pilot. After he heard how the hijackers seized control of the jets using nothing more than craft knives, he signed up for hapkido classes. "I simply want to be able to defend myself, my flight attendants and my passengers."
- INDEPENDENT
Story archives:
Links: War against terrorism
Timeline: Major events since the Sept 11 attacks
Self defence classes for airline passengers on the rise in US
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