· Web viewEd Haines:Welcome everyone to Seminars at Hadley. My name is Ed Haines, I'm an instructor at the Hadley Institute, and we are really happy today to be hosting Stephen

1Touch Project Vision Impairment and Self-Defense

Hadley1Touch Project Vision Impairment and Self-DefenseDate: 4-20-2017

Speaker 1: You are listening to Seminars at Hadley. This seminar is Low Vision Focus at Hadley Presents: 1Touch Project, Vision Impairment, and Self-Defense. Presented by Stephen Nicholls. Moderated by Ed Haines.Ed Haines: Welcome everyone to Seminars at Hadley. My name is Ed Haines, I'm an instructor at the Hadley Institute, and we are really happy today to be hosting Stephen Nicholls, the director and founder of the 1Touch Project. 1Touch Project is a hands-on self-defense technique for dealing with assaults, aggressive behavior and bullying. Its mission is to provide ongoing self-development and rehabilitation courses specifically for people who are visually impaired and those considered to be vulnerable members of society. Please join us today as Stephen Nicholls, the founder and director of 1Touch, will explain how to program works, the benefits of self-defense to the individual and

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community, and how anyone of any age can learn skills to minimize risk, maximize independence, and increase safety. It's now my pleasure to hand the microphone over to Stephen.Mr. Nicholls: Beautiful. Thank you very, very much. I'd like to start with a very, very short preamble, a very small one as to why this program has become so incredibly popular. When I first started teaching people who were blind or visually impaired, you can choose your terminology of course as you wish, I thought that I was relatively prepared for this through my own experiences as an instructor in self-defense, conflict resolution, et cetera, so forth. And, I stood in front of 20 people who couldn't see me, and had a complete meltdown, in a nutshell. I was interviewed by the BBC very shortly afterwards, BBC In Touch Radio 4, and the lady who interviewed me said, "Presumably, Mr. Nicholls, this is a program," quote-unquote, "that you want throughout Britain," which is where I was living at the time.

I had never thought of this as being a program. I've worked in the field for approximately 30 years as a student and instructor, which is to say, self-defense, conflict management, as I say, physical intervention techniques. And, this really piqued my


curiosity, and I went back to the computer, Ed, and started to look for different programs that were out there, which I assumed there were, for people who were visually impaired, blind, or any other way viewed legally ... I would never call anyone vulnerable, but viewed legally as a vulnerable member of society, and I came up with nothing. I mean, nothing. There was absolutely nothing out there. So, for me it was a very, very strong learning curve. I didn't know that there was a field called adapted physical activity. I had no idea really about anything in terms of any kind of self-defense programs out there whatsoever, and the reason being is there weren't any.

So, this is how the program started. This is actually how it began. One thing which I did come across was let's say there was somebody who was a practitioner of, I don't know, some kind of martial art ... judo, of course, is the most accessible, and the Paralympics are beyond belief with technicians, beyond belief. But the only thing that I came across in terms of practical self defense were the occasional little pockets. For example ... I mean I'm just making this up ... but in Montreal, or Colorado, or Texas, there would be a news article on a person who is blind who got their black belt in karate, or TaeKwonDo, or what have you. And this was


glamorized to a very high extent, and I thought, why? Why is this the case? And the real reason I'm saying this is there might be the undercurrent of, why would there be a program specifically designed for people who are blind? There might be a backhanded suggestion that someone who is blind couldn't do what anyone else could do, which is, of course, absolutely not the case. However, when we look at self-defense per se, we really need to study context. In order to study that, forensically, in order to really examine what someone's situation may or may not be, we have to look at how they're perceived.

Let me explain that for a moment. When I teach self-defense, when somebody teaches self-defense to a child, it is clearly very different from what they teach to somebody who is over the age of 18. I think that should be self-explanatory. By the same token, I think that anyone can understand that what a bodyguard needs to know is very different than what a doorman or a bouncer needs to know. Which is very, very different from women's self-defense. So, when we actually start looking at this entire topic, it is the perception, it is the perception of the would-be perpetrator which determines how the assault is conducted. And, when we start discussing self-defense in these


terms, what we're really looking at is preconception or public preconception in conflict with personal perception.

Now, I don't know who is on the line on the moment, but most people have a strong view of what self-defense is. And that's absolutely valid, because we've all been frightened at some point in our life. But when we actually start breaking it down to how people perceive us, and that is in conjunction with how we defend ourselves, cross-referenced with how an assault might take place based upon that perception, now we're talking on a pretty broad level, Ed, if that makes any sense. Ed Haines: Yup, absolutely. Mr. Nicholls: So, this is the overwhelming background which I'm laying the foundation for, for our conversation. So, the 1Touch Project, what it has done is it has looked at the situations regarding self-defense for those people who are blind and visually impaired, conducted studies with those people who were willing to participate in terms of: has there been a situation, has there been a circumstance, are there any patterns? For example, we know, Ed, that using a cane frequently is a very serious decision for a lot of people. It is, because it comes with what someone


might perceive as a label. And, when somebody is looking at somebody else who is using a cane, and by that I mean a sighted aggressive person, what is it they see? What kind of conflict is there with the way that the person who is using the cane or perhaps a service animal actually perceives themselves?

And, what the 1Touch has done, as I said, has gone into this quite profoundly. The physical techniques are approximately, I would suppose, 20% of the program itself. The program itself, when looking at the demographics across ... we'll just start with the United States, it's very clear that one person couldn't possibly serve the population of people who are visually impaired in the US. It's not possible. If someone were to set up a self-defense school, say, wherever in the US, how many people could attend? How many people could be served? How could it be funded? I mean, this is a very real point, of course, for all of us in the field. Everyone. So, what came absolutely crucial was that the 1Touch had to be a program for distribution. It had to be a program whereby people could learn this in their locality, in their own community.


And therefore, what became mandatory was to train the trainer's program. So, as the 1Touch progressed, as ... aside from the physical techniques which are extremely effective, there's no question about that. The practice itself is very, very empowering. Very empowering. But what became absolutely clear is that without creating instructors who could go and teach within their local communities, the actual population couldn't be served. Does that make any sense?Ed Haines: Yes, perfect sense. And I'm sorry if there's a bit of a delay, while you're speaking, I usually have my mic turned off so I don't interrupt inadvertently.Mr. Nicholls: No, not at all. Not at all. Not at all. So, let's skip ahead. At the moment, we have ... I believe around 40 registered coaches in the United States, something like 40 probate coaches. These are people who've undergone a very thorough training. In 2015 alone, we served 2,800 people across the United States, which, I think you'll agree, is a phenomenal number. That means 2,800 people had the opportunity to practice, to train, to attend seminars, to have the option of becoming instructors themselves and working in their local communities. And by the same token, ongoing


schools, and that's really quite an accomplishment for those instructors who took on that mantle. 50% of our instructors are themselves blind, or visually impaired, as you wish. And, I suppose the bolt-on for orientation and mobility, and the bolt-on for travel skills, should be self-evident.

What I would really like to emphasize is that the rehabilitative process through this training is paramount, paramount when working with the Veterans Administration. Those men and women who have served ... excuse me, got a bit of a chest cough at the moment. For those men and women who have served and come back, they have an opportunity now to work within their local community, to actually take every single skill which they had originally, everything they've worked so hard for, and work with people who really, really appreciate that. Very much so. Ed, do you have any questions for me? Because I can go on.Ed Haines: Okay, I'm looking at the text box. No questions from folks yet, but I did neglect to tell you that actually, I'm the only one who can speak during this webinar, everyone one else is listening and has the capacity to text questions which I will read, but in terms of a verbal response, I'm the only one who can give you that, just so you know.


But, no, I don't see any questions yet, so go right ahead.Mr. Nicholls: I will continue. So, the program started in London, England, where I was living. And, it is a 501c3, it is a non-profit, of course. We are working extensively with numerous, numerous organizations across the US. We're also intending exchange programs. I mean, with the Veterans Administrations in Britain and in America, setting up exchange programs under this umbrella is, in my opinion, again, a no-brainer. It's just something that is going to happen. It's not if or when, it is going to happen.

The coaching certification courses, for example, they are three day courses, and one might say, "How is it possible?" It's a very reasonable question, I might add. How would it be possible for someone to become a licensed instructor in three days? And the answer is, of course, it's not. It's three days of intensive training followed by a six-month probationary period. The six-month probationary period, the 1Touch offers all kinds of technical support, back up, there's instructional DVDs, it's actually the first instructional DVD on self-defense with a full audio description attached to it. We're very proud of it.


We're working on a second one, but we're very proud of the one that we have. All the information and technological support is available in braille, large print, or electronic format, and there's been a study by Dr. Tessa McCarthy from the University of Pittsburgh, or Pittsburgh University ... Tessa, my apologies, I can never remember that correctly, which is going to print and the actual study conducted was how much retention of the information did someone get after three days? In other words, after three days of intensive training, with a conclusive study, it turned out to be 84%. An 84% retention rate of the material is extremely high, Ed. Anyone knows anything about stats in regards to coaching modules or trainer modules, an 84% is very, very high.

But that still doesn't answer the real question, is after someone becomes the coach, how much information do they retain? In any train the trainer's program, this is a paramount concern. I mean, it could be aerobics, it could be, I don't know, any kind of Les Mills practice? Body pump, body this. How do we maintain the standard of trainers? The study, again, came out with an 89% retention rate after six months. Well, if you look at that, that means that the retention rate has actually gone up by five percent after six months of


independent training with the material. So, we're extremely proud, we're extremely proud of the standard which we produce.

Additionally, we are ACVREP accredited, so we give continued education units to anybody who is in the field. Anybody who takes a coaching certification course, who is an orientation mobility instructor, [inaudible 00:14:15], as I say, or within the field of working with those people who are blind or visually impaired, gets 19.5 continued education units. Again, looking at the statistics and looking at what people normally get, this is very, very, very high.

So, what the 1Touch has aimed to do, and is doing, is reaching out to absolutely any organization or individual who is interested in not only becoming an instructor, but is interested in being safer, feeling safer, and not as a placebo. We have a couple of statistics, unfortunately, in as much as I wish that we didn't have these stats, because it shows that people were, in fact, assaulted. I'm not going to go into the statistics of assaults on people who are blind or visually impaired. I'm not going to go into that. I find it very highly manipulative. Anyone could look that up on the internet themselves. But, two students of the


1Touch have been, in fact, attacked, and have very successfully defended themselves. In fact, to such an extent, that both of their assailants were sent back to prison.

So, the best way I can put it is self-defense is a bit like swimming. If someone enjoys swimming ... they like to go to the pool, they like to go to the beach, they like to splash around with their friends, but you never want to have to know how to swim. You never want to have to know how to swim as much as the yacht goes down a mile off of St. Tropez and you have to swim a mile. Well, it's too late to learn. You need that in your back pocket at that time.

So, as far as the 1Touch is concerned, as being a non-profit, as being a program for distribution, as being a program which has been endorsed by many, many organizations, there really is no limit as to where we can go with this. The application to children, with regards to basic health and wellness, confidence, willingness to travel, willingness to use their orientation device, cane or service animal, their seeing-eye dog. The application to anti-bullying, with that. The horrific situation of child diabetes in this country, which, again, I'm not going to really go into at the moment, it's too


upsetting. The application to those students of transition age, those students who are now going out, dating, going to university, just starting to get out a little bit more. The application to those people who want to work in the field.

The 1Touch is not a franchise. If somebody becomes a licensed coach, they're perfectly capable of working and charging for that work. There's nothing wrong with that. They don't have to, that's entirely up to them. If someone wanted to volunteer at their local Veterans Administration, that's absolutely valid. But if someone did want to charge and set up a class, which many people have done, then it's also a vocational opportunity.

So, then, if we start looking at the Veterans Administration, I mean, with regards to our work, we also have a mobility impaired curriculum, impairment curriculum. Those people who do use wheelchairs, those people who do have prosthetics, those people who perhaps need a support cane or use a walker. So, it is an entirely inclusive program. We've worked with, of course, people who are blind and visually impaired, half-blind, deaf, and of course those people who have come back from the actual military circuit.


Ed Haines: And I have a bunch of questions, I might interrupt you briefly, is that okay?Mr. Nicholls: Please do. Ed Haines: Before we get a backlog of questions here. So, let me read them to you.

Jessica has two questions. The first is, "Are there any parts of your program available in Michigan?" and she would also like to know how to get a copy of the DVD. Maybe that will give you a chance to explain how that coach's training works.

And then, someone named M.M. is in Canada and is interested in getting the DVDs as well.

And then, Erica just has a comment that her support group had someone come and teach a four hour class out of Nashville. He teaches 1Touch, so I'm assuming that was a positive experience.

The main questions are, "What about Michigan?", "How do they get a copy of the DVD?" Mr. Nicholls: Okay, the DVD is not for sale. My financial woes would be over if it was for sale, but it is not for sale. The reason being, and to Jessica as well, and to M.M., as well, of course, is that any kind of self-defense requires training. Selling a DVD, and many people do, and that is their choice to do so, but selling a DVD on self-defense, in my


opinion, is equivalent, as I said, to selling a DVD on how to swim. It takes training. It's not possible to see a DVD and have that be enough. Again, that is a personal choice. That is my choice, to not sell it. It is considered instructional material for those coaches.

With regards to Michigan, the best thing that anyone could do, and Ed, is it okay with you if I give our email contact?Ed Haines: Yes, absolutely.Mr. Nicholls: Anyone who is curious after listening to this podcast and, again, many thanks to the Hadleys, can contact us at [email protected]. That's the digit 1, not o-n-e. [email protected]. Anybody who is curious about ongoing classes, how to become a coach, what's going on, a list of events which are coming up, can contact us in that sense.

I hope ... I'm sure that the presentation in Nashville was successful. I'm sure it was, because I haven't heard to the contrary. I do hope they enjoyed it.

The DVD in itself is an interesting subject though, because I can't express how many times I've been asked to distribute it. The level which we


strive to work to wouldn't really allow me to do that, and I hope that people would understand it. It really wouldn't. It might be ... I suppose the word is informational, but it wouldn't be successful with regards to training, if that makes any sense to the questions.Ed Haines: And Stephen, I have a couple questions myself, actually. I just wonder, for the listeners, if you could describe what a ... I attended an hour long workshop with you, which was fantastic. If you could describe what goes on when a coach goes out and does trainings, and then, also, at some point, I think folks might be interested a little bit in your martial arts background and career as well. So, just wanted to get those questions in there. Mr. Nicholls: Okay, sure. So, coach training and my bio. Okay, no problem. No problem whatsoever.

We have several options with presentation with the 1Touch as ... you and I have met several years ago. It's possible for an instructor to go in, for a coach to go in and give a lecture on self-defense. I did that very recently in Illinois for an hour and a half. It's possible to do a two hour, four hour, six hour, eight hour seminar. It's possible to do a day and a half seminar, and it's also possible to have a three day coaching certification course. So, what


someone gets out of that, if you think about it, if one thinks about it rather, is either top tips on safety, basic principles on safety, a hands-on experience to a greater or lesser degree, or actually a far greater understanding to the depth which we're working to. Meaning, whenever, as I said earlier, whenever somebody speaks about self-defense, the emphasis seems to be on the physicality of it.

Well, most martial artists, most policemen, most bodyguards and hopefully most soldiers don't actually use that. What tends to be the case, as I say, it's based upon perceptions. We'll leave the military out of it, because that's a different arena, but if I were to see a sleeping Bengal tiger in the middle of the room, I wouldn't run up and kick it in the head, for the obvious reason that it would destroy me. So, every kind of view or perception of vulnerability actually gauges how likely an assault is to take place. So, back to the original question in regards to what someone gets out of seminar, well, it's either basic information, it's a hands-on experience, or it's the possibility to learn where they could learn more. I really believe that that's the bottom line, because if someone were to hear a Shakespeare sonnet, if someone were to read a poem, they'd say, "Oh, that's really, really nice."


But then it would open the field of poetry or then it would open the field of theater or something to that effect, where they could truly explore what that's about.

Being an actual instructor is a completely different story. Being an instructor means that the training has gone to a completely different level. So, if anyone's curious about that, once again, we can address that question later. With regards to myself, my interests in self-defense and ... I don't usually talk about myself, so this is a new touch, Ed. My interest in self-defense is purely utilitarian. I did not enter the field as sport, I entered the field after being attacked when I was 13 years old. I wouldn't call it a fight by any stretch of the imagination, and one thing that someone can absolutely, categorically agree to is anyone who lives through a situation like that or comparable situation of assault, of course, is that you don't want to have it happen again. That's very clear. It's a very character-developing experience.

And so, my background ... not knowing where to begin, I went to boxing, wrestling, fencing. At this time, my father who was a professor at Stanford University was on sabbatical in London. We moved back to California, and after dabbling in


these different practices, a friend of mine said, "Well, if you enjoy that, why don't you try martial arts?" And, that was pretty much it. I walked into a school. I met my instructor, who was my instructor for 22 years, Professor Sig Kufferath. The rest is kind of a corny kids story. This was something I decided I really, really wanted to do. I saw the benefits, I saw how it affected people, I saw how it changed people's lives, I saw how it changed my life. I saw how it was an extraordinary community, which is exactly what the 1Touch is, I might add. It's just an amazing community with the listserv questions that we have, and the coach conferences that we have, people comparing ideas.

So, my background was really ... when I started studying the situation, and again I'm speaking in very neutral terms because to speak otherwise, as I say, is quite manipulative. When I started studying the situation about some people who were perceived as vulnerable members of society, legally, legally viewed as vulnerable members of society, again, I would not call anyone vulnerable. Then I had the opportunity with the conflict management skills that I have and the physical intervention skills that I've been given to transfer this to a different population.


A lot of people may not be aware of what that means, physical intervention. If three prison guards have to go into a cell where someone has stabbed his cellmate and has a knife and has absolutely nothing to lose, and that cell is six feet by ten feet with one person bleeding in a corner, God forbid, and three guards have to go in unarmed to take that person down ... well, this is a very specific set of circumstances. This requires analysis. And, being trained in that gave me the opportunity to actually conduct studies to a certain extent, or very limited extent, we have many more to do, many more to conduct, that is, rather, on how people who are perceived as being blind, visually impaired, AKA perhaps very thick glasses, perhaps using a cane, perhaps using a service animal. Was there a pattern in terms of assault? And the answer was, yes, there actually is.

So, in terms of my background, it was simply a transferal of my regular work with police, bodyguards, women and children, et cetera, so forth ... doormen, bouncers, whatever you call it. Everyday people who just want to be safer. To actually transfer that and do a forensic analysis. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can put it. I've been teaching and training now for 37 years. The different ranks I hold are


really secondary to this conversation regarding the 1Touch. I've been the director of four different international organizations. I think that's probably enough on that point.Ed Haines: I was wondering if you could outline for us some of the philosophy or history behind the actual physical techniques that you teach, and I'm saying that just because I think we discussed, I've had some training in TaeKwonDo, and that's obviously a striking discipline. So, I wonder if you could just go back a little bit and touch on the theory behind the physical techniques that you teach and where those are coming from. Does that make sense?Mr. Nicholls: Absolutely, it makes great sense. Thank you very much for the question. Well, the question is really the physicality of what techniques are used, why they are used, and how does that work with the philosophy. First thing I would like to say is that anybody worth their salt within the field abhors violence. Violence is to be avoided at any possible circumstance. The techniques which are used actually reflect this, but with a very strong understanding, sometimes violence cannot be avoided. I mean, self-defense is a legal term. It exists for a reason. Self-defense


programs exist exactly the same way medicine exists. We do not want to get ill, but if we do, we need an answer. We need to find one, keep working towards greater answers.

So, the techniques themselves are very much built into philosophy, in as much as when somebody is perceived as being blind or visually impaired, or identified as such, using a cane ... again, a very, very hot topic, or a service animal, guide dog, the actual range of assault has a pattern. In other words, most people, myself included about six years ago, if they saw somebody using a cane, they didn't believe that that person could see anything. I mean, it's just a gross misconception. If somebody is using a cane or a guide dog or working a guide dog, they don't believe that that person can see anything whatsoever.

Therefore, if one starts really breaking down an analysis, there's no point in doing all that very typical masculine posturing of standing out and trying to look big and shouting and screaming. Shouting does happen, there's no question about that, but the actual physicality tends to be very, very close, usually from a grab or a push. Now, this being said, the actual self-defense techniques, for


this reason, if one looks at it, are very similar to another demographic. In other words, if somebody feels they can get very close to somebody else, the perpetrator feels they can get very close to their purported, supposed target without any fear of repercussion, this is very similar, as I say, to another demographic, which is in fact, women's self-defense.

Most of the assaults tend to be from up close, personal from a grab or a push. So, as you say, Ed, coming from a striking background, I'm not saying that somebody couldn't receive a rank or they couldn't enjoy working a heavy bag or boxing, but I think we can agree that we don't get many blind professional boxers. You don't see a lot of visually impaired TaeKwonDo or karate. So, when we actually talk about striking, we need a new navigation system. We need a new different kind of sonar so to speak, pardon the term, but some kind of way of actually locating the person if we are striking.

Additionally, we have to look at escalation, we have to look at the fact that most people who grab, usually are actually trying to help but don't have the manners to do so. Usually, people are trying to grab someone to say, "Oh, do you want to go


across the street?" or what have you. That Mother Teresa who's trying to drag someone across the road or that boy scout getting his wings, trying to help someone to a chair when they don't need any help. A very good friend of mine was actually placed in a chair, and he said, "Thank you, I've never sat down by myself before." I thought it was a very witty, funny moment. But this would happen all the time. So, this is what someone might consider a benign intrusion. But that benign intrusion might go all the way to aggravated assault.

So, the philosophy of the 1Touch actually matches, and the physicality of the 1Touch matches benign intrusion with whatever techniques we have, including verbalization, such as doing a very simple release from a grab or what have you, and saying, "No thanks, I really don't need any help. By the way, please ask next time," in terms of educating the population. Okay, well that's all well and good, but, if we take the full spectrum, then we're also talking about really, really ugly conversations.

Now, I'm not going to upset you on this podcast, I hope, but let's say somebody, male or female, doesn't make a difference, totally blind in


an unfamiliar area, say a wedding has gone on, people are drinking, dancing ... perhaps not drinking, it doesn't matter. But, there's been a celebration, and they go, "Oh! I've left my jacket or my wallet or my purse," whatever it may be, "in the dance hall." They navigate the way there with their skills or their service animal, they get back there, pick up whatever item they had forgotten, and bang! They're grabbed by the throat and thrown against the wall. Well, we now have a very, very different situation and it raises some very, very important points. What the 1Touch does is it goes into a very profound look at the legalities of self-defense, what constitutes self-defense, what can one do? What can someone do under the umbrella of reasonable force, which is so, so important. In other words, if we have to use our skills, if we have to use them in a conflict situation, we want to be on the correct side of the law. This is, again, a very, very important point.

So, if we take that person's been thrown up against the wall, they now have to leave that area safely and not be followed. Well, clearly, that's quite a large order of a pizza. They have to leave that area, unfamiliar area safely, after presumably retrieving the cane which they perhaps dropped in the melee, if it's that serious, or potentially calming


a hysterical guide dog in an unfamiliar area, tables, chairs, everything. How quickly can that person leave that area safely? And if that's the case, how quickly that person can leave that area safely in a totally unfamiliar area, what constitutes reasonable force?

So, Ed, what I'm trying to lay out for you here is the spectrum which the 1Touch embraces, and the philosophy, and the techniques. So, we have five points of physicality. One touch, someone touches us? We touch them back. This is for orientation, this is to get as much information as we possibly can, this is to find out which hand is touching us. One step, we do every single physical technique using one step only. Those techniques which we see in classical martial arts are beautiful, fantastic, and highly effective, but they presuppose [inaudible 00:35:29], they do. The reason why I say that is after 37 years of training, I have never once, or perhaps once as a joke, trained in an extremely cluttered, unfamiliar environment. Usually, it's a big, open training hall, whether it's a [inaudible 00:35:48], a dojo, whatever it may be.

So, everything we do is done with one step, and the reason being is that if we're in unfamiliar territory, which we have to suppose ... we have to


suppose that we're working totally blind and by the same token, in an unfamiliar territory. So there could be fire hydrants, curbs, I mean, who knows. I'm not knocking limitation of mobility skills whatsoever. What I am saying is the more steps someone takes, it is incrementally more dangerous. Five steps, five times more difficult, more dangerous. So, what we do, hopefully, to the best of our ability, takes one step.

We then get into the whole idea of getting control of somebody. Getting control of someone means we've crossed the barrier. We no longer feel safe just releasing. If someone grabs us and they're like, "Hey, did you need anything?" And we release from any of the numerous grips or holds, what have you, all different sorts of techniques for that, if we release, it means we're not frightened. It's like, no, no, there's no perception of threat. "No, I'm absolutely fine. By the way, please ask next time." When we take control of someone, it means we're controlling the situation. That means we're moving in and controlling the situation. All different sorts of joint manipulations, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. With regards to your question about striking, of course, you know, it would be ridiculous to say that someone who is visually impaired can't strike. That would be absurd. But


the question is, how do we target? How do we locate our striking areas? Which striking areas are, pardon the term, accessible? Which are the ones which we're really going to be able to land on?

So, after one touch, one step, feeding, we also have contouring. Contouring is following the lines of the arm, either up to the neck or the rib cage. This is very, very useful, because everyone has a neck above their shoulder. Everyone has ribs underneath their armpit, so this is another aspect of striking, which leads us to touch strike. Touch strike is the fifth point of the 1Touch Project. So again, one touch, one step, feeding, contouring, touch strike. Those are the five points, the umbrella of physicality. Touch strike is very simply using proprioception, and the development of proprioception, and the development of reaction time and balance. If someone would take their left hand, put it out directly in front of them, arms straight, take their right hand and punch their hand, as you probably heard I just did, they're not going to miss. They're simply not going to miss. That is what proprioception is all about. So, if that left hand was behind somebody's head, clearly the right hand isn't going to miss. And we have many, many drills for all of these techniques. Many, many drills in order to hone and develop them.


Through this process of five points, working on those five points with all different sorts of drills involving the locking of joints, movement, et cetera, et cetera, it actually develops spacial awareness, proprioception, balance, and the most important point, a real sense of confidence. Not a sugar-coated pill. A real sense of confidence, because when one feels these techniques, when one experiences them, when one executes them ... I mean my wrist was nearly broken by a 92 year old lady. No joke. She just piled on this technique and I dropped to the ground, and she was just giggling like a schoolgirl. It was ridiculous. She's like, "Are you faking that?" "No, no I'm not. That was well done. I'll just get some tape now."

So, that's the bottom line then, as far as that's concerned. Ed Haines: Well, thank you Stephen, I think that's really valuable, because I think you've heard this before, it's very common for folks to go to an hour long workshop somewhere and be taught some things that they really don't remember and don't retain later. And, in terms of conventional martial arts, there really are few practical applications for up close fighting, particularly for the striking martial arts. So, I think what you're offering is


really valuable, and it is important to be able to differentiate the different kinds of physical intervention that people are attempting. So you're right, something could be benign, how do we know that? In conventional martial arts, the immediate response is supposed to be all out war when someone touches you, well, that's not always appropriate, so that's what I like about your approach.

I've got some questions here, and so I'll get off my soapbox. Cinnamon is saying she's really looking forward to seeing where she can take the class soon. She travels with her sighted husband all across the States and he's always concerned, even with what she already knows, and she has a dog, she's concerned to let her out of his site. So, this would be an added sense of security for him. I like that she's doing this for her husband, not necessarily for herself. She already feels secure, I'm inferring.

And then, William is asking, "As a low vision veteran, legally blind, how do I go about getting to instructor school? Who pays and where are these trainings conducted?"


Mr. Nicholls: Okay. Those are excellent questions, and thank you Cinnamon, and thank you Mr. Cinnamon, and thank you William.

Starting at the top. Cinnamon, first of all, I am extremely pleased to hear that you feel secure and confident in travel. At no point would I ever someone to feel insecure. I would never say, "Take this course or else." That's, as I mentioned so many times in this podcast, that's very manipulative. And that is not what the 1Touch is about. Calling someone vulnerable is so detrimental, so ridiculous, so counterproductive, it's crazy. With regards to where you could take the course, Cinnamon, for your husband's sake for example, I'm going to touch on that for a second. Once again, [email protected]. Very simple. If you shoot us an email, we'll let you know what classes are going around, or the nearest ones. We do have a chicken and egg situation with that, because in order to have classes, we need instructors. Well, not everybody wants to be an instructor, but many people want to take courses. So, that's why we have a real emphasis on creating instructors and offering that opportunity in their community.

With regards to your husband, this is another point. This is something you guys could practice


together. This is something which regards to him feeling secure about your travel, and again, this is your business, not mine, but when somebody actually sees the effectiveness of these techniques, for you to work with your husband on that, that is something which is very, very common. Very common. A husband or wife or both will be visually impaired and they'll work together or have a better understanding of actually how safe someone can be. So that is, that is very important. That's extremely important.

Needless to say, as I mentioned before, I am sighted, or if I hadn't mentioned it, I am sighted, and working with many people who are visually impaired or blind, pick your terminology as you will, there frequently is a sense of insecurity. And I'm not saying there should be, but there frequently is. And there's also a frequent sense of insecurity with somebody's partner if they are sighted. Sometimes, overly so, sometimes, eh, they'll be fine. But that's again a very personal question. My absolute advice would be for you to contact us. We have a head office, you'll get a response almost certainly within an hour. I can't guarantee that due to the travel, we have an extensive travel circuit going on, and I'll read that


out later if I have the permission to say so about upcoming events.

William, veteran, sir. Thank you very much for calling in. Again, [email protected]. In terms of payment, we have worked to take the coaching certification course, CCC ... we've worked extensively with the Veterans Administration in the US and I mean extensively. Let me get my glasses on here, okay. The VA is funding for veterans to take this course. Fully funded, including travel, including hotel, including food, including the course. That's the Adaptive Sports grant from the VA, who we have an excellent working relationship with. So, again, if you were to contact us at [email protected], so that's info @ 1Touch Project, that's the numeral 1, not o-n-e, [email protected], you could get all of that information.

In the meantime, April 26th to 28th, we're working at Charlotte Veterans, coaching certification course. May 1st to 3rd, Atlanta Veterans, coaching certification course. Blinded Veterans Association, August 15th-16th, and several others coming up as we just put in a recent grant proposal. So, William, it's all there. It's all there waiting. It is absolutely all there waiting, if


you would, again, write [email protected], that's the numeral 1, then we could get all that information to you.

Anything else, Ed?Ed Haines: I'm looking at the chat text box, and we've got one question about martial arts, and a couple others about your program particularly. Brad is saying he's been considering wing chun lessons. 1Touch isn't in his area. Would this be a benefit to future 1Touch lessons?

Erica is saying it's great to know that VA will pay for the class. Most of the members in her vision support group are seniors and then Jessica is saying she wants to take the class. Are there any in Michigan?Mr. Nicholls: Right. Did we have Jessica earlier, Michigan? We did speak to Jessica. Jessica was asking about the DVD. Hello Jessica, again. Jessica, again, I do not have that information in front of me. That would be an email or a telephone call, actually. To be honest, an email is best if you use email, which would be again, [email protected]. I apologize for not having that information in front of me. That would be going to Miranda Brown, who is the assistant for the 1Touch Project, and she could let you know


about what is happening with that. I would love to support you with this idea. I would love to get a class going if there is not one happening, and I would like to open a dialogue with anybody else who you may know who might want to have a class there. Again, that would be information you'd have to email in, I'm afraid, at the moment I just simply don't have that in front of me.

Brad, wing chun. Wing chun kung fu is very, very good. They're all good. The thing about wing chun which is excellent is, of course, it has this thing called sticky hands. Sticky hands is maintaining contact, so on and so forth. I think you would enjoy it very, very much. I think that all skills are transferrable. I think if someone were to take judo, for example, let's take someone who is extremely well known, Lisa Maria Martinez. Lisa Maria conducted the sports and rec for the National Federation of the Blind. She was a Paralympian and Judoka, and she's also become a 1Touch coach. Her movement is extraordinary. Her movement is just extraordinary because, of course, her physicality and exercise background and her judo practice.

Are the techniques the same? No. They are not. One of the reasons being, Brad, is that the


wing chun presupposes a center line idea. Now, I'm getting a little far out there perhaps for some of our listeners, but it involves the hands being exactly in the center of the body facing forward. I am not aware of how much vision you have, and that is entirely your business, not mine, but not having peripheral vision potentially ... I would question the hand position of wing chun. Not the practice itself. I'm talking about this very specific set of circumstances.

So, if one where to take a standard boxing stance, and let me explain that to those people who may not have seen a boxing stance. If one's right hand is by the corner of the right side of their mouth, and if the left hand was out at about ... as if one were pushing open a door, not at chest height but at face height, on either side of one's head, that's basically forming a box, if you will. Palms forward, of course, not making fists, palms forward as a matter of self-defense. Boxers, of course, fists, gloves, but we're talking about self-defense. But if the arms are to either side of one's head, they will intercept a vast majority of circular strikes. Not 100%, of course. Anyone who says that anything works 100% is selling something. That's not accurate. As opposed to having the hands at the center of the body, that's a different story. Brad, if


you ever want to speak to me, shoot an email in and I will talk to you to death about that. I don't think I can go into it further at the moment. I think you would enjoy wing chun. I think it's a beautiful, fantastic art, and whatever you learn from it would certainly be transferable to the 1Touch. I hope that answers your question.

Was there a point on ... yeah, Brad, I just saw that text. Thank you very much. Honestly, do feel free to contact me. Erica ... what was the question from Erica, may I ask again?Ed Haines: Let me read it here. She says it's just good to know that the VA will pay for the class for veterans. Most of the members in her vision support group are seniors. So, I don't know if she's asking if this is appropriate for seniors, but I'm assuming she is, so you might want to just- [crosstalk 00:50:32].Mr. Nicholls: [inaudible 00:50:32] I'll touch on it.Ed Haines: We are just a few minutes away from the conclusion of the seminar, too, just letting you know.Mr. Nicholls: Thank you, Ed. Thank you, thank you. As you know, we've known each other for a while. I will not stop unless told. I appreciate it.


What is the definition of a fanatic? Someone who won't change the subject and won't change their mind.

Okay, so I'll wrap this up to a certain extent. Yes, the VA is funding. The VA is funding. They've come across, they've accepted our grant application. It is absolutely appropriate for seniors, Erica. Absolutely. We have an entire curriculum laid out for seniors. For example, if someone has ... and I'm not saying all seniors do, of course, but if someone has a hip replacement, bursitis, arthritis, perhaps secondary situations, lack of stability, then that's a very important thing to take into account. I'd like to mention at this point that the 1Touch does not involve a lot of different aspects of combat. It is a self-defense program. The principle is to examine self-defense as to the proportion of the person who is being perceived as a victim, and why does that perception exist, and what can we do with it, and what techniques therefore are appropriate from benign intervention, to genuine assault. So, yes it's absolutely appropriate for seniors, there's no question about that.Ed Haines: Okay, we have just a few minutes to go. Does anyone have a final question for Stephen before we wrap things up? And I'm looking at the


text, and I don't see any new texts. Jessica had wondered about a phone number, but I think if she emails as you said, you can give her a phone number that would be appropriate, Stephen?Mr. Nicholls: Absolutely. Absolutely. That is no problem at all. Ed Haines: Fantastic.Mr. Nicholls: There is absolutely problem there. I should have that to hand of course, but I do apologize.Ed Haines: I should have it too, but I don't have it in front of me.Mr. Nicholls: Ed, I do.Ed Haines: Oh, okay. [crosstalk 00:52:37]. Mr. Nicholls: Office number. 319-208-1683. That's 319-208-1683.Ed Haines: Okay, and I put that up in the text box as well, so people will have it there. Fantastic.

Stephen, thank you very, very much for coming today. It just really was a big treat. I've been looking forward to this. As we know, we tried to schedule this last year and were unsuccessful, so I'm so glad that we finally can have you on seminars at Hadley. I think the program is fantastic


and I appreciate what you're doing, so thank you very much, but I'll go ahead and let you go, if you just want to say a couple final words of farewell.Mr. Nicholls: My couple final words are, of course, a huge, huge, huge thank you to the Hadley Institute. A huge thank you to Ed. I do hope that people take advantage of the resources that are out there, and for any further information, please don't hesitate to contact us. Ed, thank you very, very much.Ed Haines: Okay, Stephen. Thanks a whole lot, you are free to sign off. I appreciate your patience with the computer stuff, but you did great. So, thank you.Mr. Nicholls: Alright.Ed Haines: Alright, folks. We are going to close the seminar now. This seminar recording will be archived one the Low Vision Focus website at www.lowvisionfocus.org as well as the Hadley Institute website, www.hadley.edu. And the recordings will be available 24/7. Each of our popular seminars at Hadley is, of course, available as a podcast, which you can download and listen to on your computer or mobile device, and for those of you on Twitter, Hadley's Twitter hashtag is #seminars@Hadley. So, thanks everyone for


participating today. We had a really great crowd, some great questions and I certainly hope this has been valuable to you. We do value your feedback, so please let us know what you thought of this seminar and suggest future seminar topics by sending an email to [email protected]. So, thanks everyone once again for participating, and have a great rest of the day.


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· Web viewEd Haines:Welcome everyone to Seminars at Hadley. My name is Ed Haines, I'm an instructor at the Hadley Institute, and we are really happy today to be hosting Stephen