Violence Awareness, Prevention, and Self Defense – Part 3
Heather Richards asked:
Overall, the most common reason that a woman would need to defend herself is in the case of violent sexual attack. According to George Mason University research, 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced sexual assault or rape! One-third of all women in the world seem to be an extraordinary number. In some countries where women’s rights have not evolved, one-third of adolescent girls report “forced sexual initiation”. One report publicized in 2000 claimed that more than 60% of victims in 7 countries knew their attacker. Another study performed in 2001 found that 24.7% of women interviewed in 8 different countries reported being the victim of sexual violence by the person they were dating.
We rarely expect to be assaulted by our friend or lover, but this is the scenario all too often. There seems to be no way of predicting or preventing this situation, and so our only hope is to know how to defend ourselves. Since the possible situations vary greatly, from unacceptable sexual advances to extreme cases of aggressive and violent attack, there are also many different techniques to deter an attack or defend yourself physically.
Techniques range from simple eye-contact and straight-forward verbal response to training in martial arts techniques. In general, physical self defense techniques for women should be a little different from techniques taught in most martial arts classes. Instructors must consider that a woman will be smaller than, and not usually as strong as her attacker. Techniques must also revolve around possible scenarios, teaching you to make the most of your position and get the upper hand on your assailant. They must also keep it simple, nothing too technical. This is not because women can’t easily learn technical martial arts, but because anyone is not going to be calm enough to execute a technical move efficiently in such a high-stress situation.
W.O.W (Women Only Workout) claims that by physically defending herself against an attacker, 85% of women will escape the situation and 50% of the time all it may take to avoid an attack is to yell or scream. However, I wouldn’t rely on a 50/50 chance of survival, so it’s important to find a self defense technique that will work for you. With all of the options available, there is something for everyone, some classes even incorporate Yoga (see related article) to help train their students in self-discipline and enable them to have a clear head when attacked. Motivational seminars about confidence and empowerment can also be helpful. If you choose to train in a martial arts studio, it’s important to choose one that is not oriented toward competition (unless you have such goals), those that advertise self defense directly would be best. Sometimes your local police department may offer classes as well.
Since you are already online, it’s a good idea to start your research here. You may want to watch videos, read How-To articles, order a book or purchase an eBook; there is an abundance of information at your fingertips already. Please feel free to return and let others know about your experiences!
James
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Overall, the most common reason that a woman would need to defend herself is in the case of violent sexual attack. According to George Mason University research, 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced sexual assault or rape! One-third of all women in the world seem to be an extraordinary number. In some countries where women’s rights have not evolved, one-third of adolescent girls report “forced sexual initiation”. One report publicized in 2000 claimed that more than 60% of victims in 7 countries knew their attacker. Another study performed in 2001 found that 24.7% of women interviewed in 8 different countries reported being the victim of sexual violence by the person they were dating.
We rarely expect to be assaulted by our friend or lover, but this is the scenario all too often. There seems to be no way of predicting or preventing this situation, and so our only hope is to know how to defend ourselves. Since the possible situations vary greatly, from unacceptable sexual advances to extreme cases of aggressive and violent attack, there are also many different techniques to deter an attack or defend yourself physically.
Techniques range from simple eye-contact and straight-forward verbal response to training in martial arts techniques. In general, physical self defense techniques for women should be a little different from techniques taught in most martial arts classes. Instructors must consider that a woman will be smaller than, and not usually as strong as her attacker. Techniques must also revolve around possible scenarios, teaching you to make the most of your position and get the upper hand on your assailant. They must also keep it simple, nothing too technical. This is not because women can’t easily learn technical martial arts, but because anyone is not going to be calm enough to execute a technical move efficiently in such a high-stress situation.
W.O.W (Women Only Workout) claims that by physically defending herself against an attacker, 85% of women will escape the situation and 50% of the time all it may take to avoid an attack is to yell or scream. However, I wouldn’t rely on a 50/50 chance of survival, so it’s important to find a self defense technique that will work for you. With all of the options available, there is something for everyone, some classes even incorporate Yoga (see related article) to help train their students in self-discipline and enable them to have a clear head when attacked. Motivational seminars about confidence and empowerment can also be helpful. If you choose to train in a martial arts studio, it’s important to choose one that is not oriented toward competition (unless you have such goals), those that advertise self defense directly would be best. Sometimes your local police department may offer classes as well.
Since you are already online, it’s a good idea to start your research here. You may want to watch videos, read How-To articles, order a book or purchase an eBook; there is an abundance of information at your fingertips already. Please feel free to return and let others know about your experiences!
James