Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips — a martial artist of 29 years and a sixth-degree black belt in Korean martial arts — hosted a free one-hour self-defense course at Elmont Memorial Library on June 4.
A group of 15 attendees from Elmont and neighboring towns, many of whom were seniors, gathered in a meeting room at the back of the library, punching and kicking their way through an energetic introduction to basic self-defense skills.
“So, I’m the protector and watchdog of your taxes, but I also happen to have this skill set,” Phillips said, laughing.
Phillips began the class by instructing attendees to find their center, as she stood straight pretending an invisible string was pulling her upright from the top of her head. She quickly transitioned to a brief weight-bearing exercise demonstration, designed to build strength and retain mobility, particularly for older women at risk of osteoporosis.
Using simple movements, such as waving her hips in a figure-eight rotation and performing standing knee raises, she emphasized the importance of practicing them regularly during everyday tasks, such as talking on the phone.
After leading the class in a breathing exercise, Phillips began demonstrating her moves. With knees bent and back straight, she threw punches while shifting her entire body weight forward with each jab.
One of the first steps in protecting oneself, Phillips told the class, is being aware of one’s surroundings. The second step is using one’s voice—something she encouraged attendees to practice with conviction.
“Do you think an attacker wants to deal with crazy?” Phillips asked. “No, they want a quiet mouse. But that’s not us anymore.”
She abruptly began yelling, inviting the class to join her in demanding their imaginary attackers to “Stop!”
Phillips then spent about 20 minutes demonstrating different self-defense techniques, occasionally using her chief of staff, Elizabeth Liguori, to practice with. Whether the attacker had a victim in a chokehold, grabbed them by the wrist, or surprised them from behind, Phillips had a method for each situation.
The key, she said, is staying in control at all times—whether it’s pausing to look around, noticing people approaching from behind, or keeping valuables safely secured and close to the body. She also advised attendees to always keep their cars locked — something she needs to remind herself of often.
She stressed that if an attacker has a gun and is demanding valuables, such as a purse or wallet, the goal is not to fight at all, but to remain as calm as possible and hand them over.
“We don’t even train for that in martial arts,” Phillips said. “A gun is a whole different thing — with a gun, they’re in charge.”
Giuseppina Iorfino, 84, a resident of West Hempstead since 1974, said she feels safe in her town and has known many of her neighbors for decades. But she attended the class because she’s always looking to learn new skills.
“My father was somebody who always told me to be careful,” Iorfino recalled.
She said the world today is different than the one she grew up in. People seem more aggressive, she said, and as she grows older, she feels less prepared to keep herself safe.
While she now feels a little more prepared to defend herself, she worried she might forget some of the tips in the shock of an attack.
That’s partly why she’s glad she started attending yoga classes again to improve her mobility. She also hopes that practicing the tips from Phillips’s class will help bring them to the forefront of her mind if she ever finds herself in a threatening situation.
“My instincts will probably protect me,” Iorfino said. “I’ll be prepared and know that if somebody’s behind me, I’ll know what to do.”
Thomas Santo, a senior from Valley Stream who attended the class, said he was interested in learning practical self-defense skills and wanted to hear some of Phillips’s verbal tips.
“Occasionally, you’re in certain situations and you may find it threatening,” Santo said. He appreciated that Phillips addressed specific scenarios and said he already knew some of the tips she shared.
Although Santo is retired and hasn’t recently faced any dangerous situations, he recalled commuting on subways for work and worrying about safety. Now, still occasionally riding the subway for trips to the city, he said he decided to attend the class to learn how to protect himself.
“She gave us some new stuff on how to hit people and react,” Santo said. “I didn’t know how to do that. But there’s these little moves you could do to possibly help yourself get away from a compromising situation.”
Phillips shared a simple saying with the class: “Soft on the outside, hard on the inside,” a concept often practiced in martial arts. She reminded attendees that even if others think they aren’t tough enough, practicing self-defense techniques could prove otherwise.
