Indiana Roller Derby Woman Used Medieval Combat On Home Invader

By Kate Shepherd in News on Oct 12, 2015 5:26PM

What could be better than self-defense classes when an intruder breaks into your home? Medieval combat training.

Indianapolis resident Karen Dolley used her medieval combat training and a sword to fight off a man who broke into her home last week, according to the Indianapolis Star.

She woke up around midnight to the voice of a man in her house Thursday, she told the newspaper. She got out of bed, turned on the lights and saw him standing in her living room. Fortunately, her combat training instincts kicked in right away.

She punched him about 10 times and cornered him in her bedroom. She tried to grab for her gun but opened the wrong drawer, so she reached for her backup weapon, a Japanese-styled ninjato sword.

"I didn't think I was getting good blows in but my knuckles are bruised today," Dolley told the newspaper the day after the incident. "Hitting someone like that, it isn't like the movies."

The intruder crouched in her bedroom while she held him at sword-point. She called 911 and police arrived just a couple minutes later.

"I'm really, really glad I didn't have to do anything more," she said to the newspaper. "I know I could do it, but I don't want to do that."

She learned her sword skills from the Society for Creative Anachronism—an international organization that likes to re-enact medieval European history. Now she's channels her fighting spirit as a member of the Naptown Roller Girls roller derby.

[H/T Gawker]