Women's Self Defense

Our self-defense program reflects these philosophical points:

• Women do not ask for, cause, invite, or deserve to be assaulted. Women and men sometimes exercise poor judgement about safety behavior, but that does not make them responsible for the attack. Attackers are responsible for their attacks and their use of violence to overpower, control, and abuse another human being.

• Whatever a woman’s decision in a given self-defense situation, whatever action she does or does not take, she is not at fault. A woman’s decision to survive the best way she can must be respected. Self-defense classes should not be used as judgement against a victim/survivor.

• Good self-defense programs do not “tell” an individual what she “should” or “should not” do. A program should offer options, techniques, and a way of analyzing situations. A program may point out what USUALLY works best in MOST situations, but each situation is unique and the final decision rests with the person actually confronted by the situation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is Women’s Self-Defense?
Self-defense is a set of awareness, assertiveness, verbal confrontation skills, safety strategies, and physical techniques that enable someone to successfully escape, resist, and survive violent attacks. A good self-defense course provides psychological awareness and verbal skills, not just physical training.

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Q: Does Self-Defense Work?
Yes. Self-defense training can increase your options and help you prepare responses to slow down, de-escalate, or interrupt an attack. Like any tool, the more you know about it, the more informed you are to make a decision and to use it.

Q: Is Self-Defense a Guarantee?
No. There are no guarantees when it comes to self-protection. However, self-defense training can increase your choices and your preparedness.

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Q: Am I Too Old? Out Of Shape? What if I Have Some Disabilities?
You don’t have to be an athlete to learn how to defend yourself. Our program is designed to adapt to every age and ability and provides each student with the opportunity to learn. Each individual is unique and students should be able to discuss their own needs.

Q: Must I Train for Years to Learn to Defend Myself?
No. A basic course can offer enough concepts and skills to help you develop self-protection strategies that you can continue to build upon. Self-defense is not karate or martial arts training. It does not require years of study to perfect. There are women who have successfully improvised and prevented an assault and never have taken a class. Women often practice successful self-defense strategies without knowing it!