I'm not going to tell you all the things I learned. (The female officer who led the class said that they only offer the class for women, since they do not want potential attackers to know what tools you have in your arsenal for warding off an attacker.) But I will tell you that if you have not taken a self-defense class, you absolutely must.
The Top Five Reasons You Should Take a Self-Defense Class
1) Increased confidence. The class was only about three hours, but it increased my confidence times 1000. I sincerely hope I never need to use any of the practical tactics we learned, but whereas before I was afraid that I wouldn't have the cajones to get away from an attacker or fight back, I feel more confident now in my own strength, and in my ability to not freeze up in those brief moments when your body is deciding "fight or flight?"
2) Mental preparedness. We learned about the body's responses to dangerous situations, including ways to recognize a potential attacker and ways that you can behave to show that you're not a good or easy target. In addition, we learned that being prepared is, in a lot of ways, completely mental — imagining what you would do if you were to be approached at this very moment, what you would say in that situation, how you would behave. It was very inspiring.
3) Physical preparedness. I don't think of myself as a particularly strong person. But I learned that your ability to throw a punch or wrestle someone to the ground is not what determines whether you stay safe. Instead, we learned simple techniques for getting out of situations in which you feel threatened, and practiced moves that put distance between you and an attacker.
4) Practical application. In addition to showing us the moves, the officers also had punching-bag type things for us to practice on, so we could get used to the feel of the moves. We also got to practice on a real person (cop friend!) wearing a padded suit. Which was fun and also kind of terrifying.
5) It could save your life. Do I really need to come up with a better reason? Get thee to a self-defense class!
We had to take self defense in high school, and in order to get dismissed at the end of the period you had to shout "No!". If your "NO" wasn't forceful enough, you didn't get dismissed, and you had to try again once she had made it all the way around the class. We definitely did other self defense stuff, but I remember "NO!" the best.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved to Austin, a young woman in Georgetown was home from college on winter break and she disappeared while jogging one morning. She has never been found, but her parents started a foundation that used to teach self defense classes. I took two with my sister, and they were really informative and helpful.
ReplyDeleteAnother great resource is a book called _The Gift of Fear_. It talks about trusting our instincts as women, and that your first gut feeling is usually correct, especially in dangerous situations. Women are taught to be polite and respectful, but if you feel like you shouldn't get in the elevator with a creepy guy, then you are probably right.
So so true!
ReplyDeleteI have been considering this for years, but never actually done it. #5 really says it all though, I need to get on this, asap!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful! We talked about shouting and being loud and saying no, and what a great thing to teach high school kids!
ReplyDeleteI had another friend recommend that book. Is it weird that I'm almost afraid to read it? The way it was described to me sounded like it would freak me out!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do!
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