Can cleaning your living room teach you self-defense? In this episode, Susie Kahlich walks us through everyday household tasks—throwing toys, dusting, vacuuming—and reveals how these ordinary movements are secretly self-defense techniques in disguise.

Highlights:

● How side-arm throws build reflexes for real-world defense

● Why feather dusters and vacuum handles are stealth training tools

● The martial arts wisdom hidden in “wax on, wax off”

Timestamps:

00:51 – Toy Tossing as Throwing Practice

03:41 – Why Side Throws Matter in Self-Defense

04:46 – Frisbees, Records, and Shuriken Energy

06:24 – Weaponizing Books and Magazines

07:57 – Dusting as Blade Training (Shuto Strikes)

11:02 – Wax On, Wax Off (Window Cleaning = Defensive Blocks)

12:16 – Vacuuming and Syncing Movement with Power

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📺 YouTube: Pretty Deadly Self Defense

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Have fun. Make friends. Kick ass. 💪💜

#SelfDefense #PrettyDeadly #WomensSelfDefense #SoloTravel #SelfDefenseTips

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What does The Karate Kid have to do with real-world self-defense? Everything. Continuing in the kitchen, this episode explores how wiping counters, kicking the fridge closed, and sweeping the floor are actually training your body for effective blocks, strikes, and takedowns.

● Wiping in circles = real block and redirect training

● Side-kicking your fridge builds striking mechanics

● Sweeping = elbow control and takedown practice

01:00 – Karate Kid and “wax on, wax off” explained

02:10 – Turning wiping motions into defense drills

04:10 – Side kick mechanics (using your fridge!)

05:52 – Wet dish towel = face strike practice

09:06 – Sweeping as a takedown

10:51 – How to strike with a broom like a hanbo

🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Acast

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrettyDeadlySelfDefense

📰 Substack: https://prettydeadlyselfdefense.substack.com

🔔 Follow Pretty Deadly Self Defense for more self-defense tips, solo travel advice, and badassery.

Have fun. Make friends. Kick ass. 💪💜

#SelfDefense #PrettyDeadly #WomensSelfDefense #SoloTravel #SelfDefenseTips

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you could train self-defense without adding anything to your schedule? In this episode, Susie Kahlich explains how everyday household tasks—like washing dishes or loading the dishwasher—can become effective training tools for self-defense. Learn how scrubbing, reaching, and bending can help you practice strikes, wrist locks, and escapes, using movements you already do every day. This isn't just about efficiency—it’s a feminist reframe of how and where self-defense happens.

Whether you’re a beginner or a longtime Pretty Deadly fan, this is where martial arts meet real life.

🔗 prettydeadlyselfdefense.com

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• How cleaning can train self-defense reflexes
• Why martial arts instruction often misses the mark for women
• How to train like elite athletes without the gym
• The origin of Pretty Deadly’s “kitchen sink” approach
• Strike, block, and escape techniques built into daily habits
• 
  

00:00 – Welcome & training mindset

00:36 – Train like elite athletes: everyday movement

01:46 – Gender bias in martial arts teaching

02:45 – Creating Pretty Deadly for real-world women

03:32 – Turning chores into training: the new series

04:46 – Scrubbing = claw strikes to remove grabs

05:58 – Washing pans = elbow strike practice

06:41 – Glassware = wrist locks for escapes

07:43 – “Shake the Water” = escape a two-hand choke

08:44 – Dishwasher tips: shuriken & bending safely

10:13 – Putting dishes away = palm strikes with follow-through

11:46 – Using your whole body in strikes

12:56 – Don’t train more. Train smarter.

🧽 Scrub with purpose

🧼 Load with awareness

🍽️ Strike with a plate

Because every move you make can be powerful.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible & more.

🎶 Theme: “Icarus Wish” by Dead Centuries. Used with permission.

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