Self-Defense Expert Meredith Gold: 2003 Woman of the Year
Self-Defense Expert Meredith Gold: 2003 Woman of the YearBy Sara Fogan |
“He was like, ‘Hey, that’s you!’ ” recalls Gold, who was working as an assistant film editor on Rush Hour 2 at the time. “For a second, he was having trouble making the connection.” That story is more than an amusing anecdote; it also parallels Gold’s often doled-out admonitions not to let your opponent know you possess fighting skills. The element of surprise almost always works to your advantage on the street—or in a chance encounter with a movie star. Gold is passionate about teaching people how to protect themselves. Her drive grew out of an incident that took place when she was a teenager. She narrowly escaped being abducted in broad daylight while walking down the street. Although she didn’t sign up for self-defense lessons until many years afterward, she has since immersed herself in the field. She’s worked as a personal-protection instructor since 1989. In 1992 she was certified to teach the program offered by the Los Angeles-based Impact Personal Safety group. She also studied under reality-fighting expert Peyton Quinn at the Rocky Mountain Combat Application Training headquarters in Lake George, Colorado. When teaching, Gold emphasizes the importance of being aware of your surroundings as well as listening to your instincts. Her students, primarily women, are constantly advised to set a clear verbal boundary to stop the altercation before it gets out of hand. “I definitely encourage them to do what is often counterintuitive,” she says. That frequently means standing firm and saying “No” in the early stages of the encounter, and saying it convincingly. Avoidance, she says, is the best defense, and because most assailants don’t expect their victim to fight back, verbal resistance is often enough to halt an attacker in his tracks. But when it doesn’t succeed, devastating techniques are called for. And make no mistake about it: Gold has plenty of them in her arsenal. In that respect, she embodies the martial arts ideal of avoiding violence when you can and running away if you must. But when you have no alternative, fight like an animal. In recent years, she’s dedicated her life to spreading her message to an even greater slice of the public. She quit her job as a film editor so she could plunge full time into teaching self-defense. She now travels the country with her husband, jujutsu and kali expert Mike Belzer, to conduct seminars. And as a contributing editor for Black Belt and a writer for Self Defense for Women, she addresses the topics that lie at the heart of self-preservation, from rape awareness and child safety to the effects adrenaline can have on a person’s ability to function under stress. And America is a safer place because of it. In recognition of her commitment to helping women learn how to protect themselves, Meredith Gold has been named Black Belt’s Woman of the Year for 2003. (This profile originally appeared in the January 2004 issue of Black Belt.) 
Black Belt Hall of Fame Inductee Directory Beyond Technique - Vol 43 No 9 BEYOND TECHNIQUE - June 2005 |
