1. Length of Programs[1]
Valuable self-defense tools can be taught in short or longer amounts of time. Programs can and should be at varying lengths to reach the broadest population of women and girls in recognition that women and girls have varying resources and responsibilities but all need access to high quality self-defense training.
2. Content of Programs
Regardless of length, programs should include the key components of self-defense training--varying in depth of content covered. Each program would include something about the framework, boundary setting, and concrete tools with more material covered, the longer the program. All self-defense tools and skills, in all aspects of the range, include physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social/ cultural components. a. Framework for understanding violence and self-defense, includes:
a. Culture of Violence
- Gender socialization and gender stratification and their role in violence
- The interconnections among sexism, racism, and classism and their role in violence
- Understanding of power relationships, including the teacher-student relationship, and how to minimize abusive power relationships and create a safe environment
- Acknowledgment of the cultural tendency toward victim-blaming. Make it clear that accountability for violence lies with the person who commits it and that everyone has the right to make choices about whether or not to fight back.
- Realistic assessment of risks and options, drawing upon current statistics
- Similarities and differences between stranger, acquaintance, and relationship violence
- Similarities and differences between violence and self-defense, including awareness of our own potential for violence
- Similarities and differences between martial arts and women's self-defense
- Necessity for collective action and building alliances with the anti-violence community
- Opportunities for participants to reflect upon their own experience with violence and self-defense
- Understanding that violence creates trauma and that participants in a self-defense course may have been victims or perpetrators of violence. Instructors need to create physical and emotional safety to support self-defense as a healing process and to provide experience with non-violent environments.
b. Boundary setting skills, includes:
- "Seeing" danger
- Being open to positive outcomes
- Recognizing and establishing safe distance
- Projecting confidence
- Reading body language
- Power of the voice and ability to vary volume and still be effective
- Setting and maintaining boundaries
- Consistency between body language, voice, and content
- Assertiveness (and its distinction from both aggression and passiveness)
- De-escalation
- Confrontation
- Controlling one's own emotions (e.g. breathing, "Take 10," or other methods)
- Speaking up against violence even if you are not the target
- Teachers modeling effective boundary setting/assertive skills--setting clear expectations, giving supportive and effective feedback
- Opportunities to practice boundary setting skills in the group, with partners, or with an instructor
c. Concrete tools, includes:
- Provide a context for the tools (e.g. you've set boundaries which have been ignored or have been grabbed in a threatening way)
- Using one's breath
- Learning to recognize intense feelings and how to use them.
- Emphasis on the purpose: getting to safety (i.e. not beating someone up)
- Acknowledge escape, "hit and run," and choosing to survive as viable options
- Clarify that physical tools are tools of last resort
Frame use of physical tools within the ethic that "The greatest compassion (towards self and others) yields the least harm."
- Tools are simple, easy to learn by any woman, their execution allows "room for error" (i.e. doesn't require precise execution to be effective)
- When framing the tools, differentiate from "sport."
- Body language, dodging/evading methods, releases from grabs
- Deal with defenses against grabs, against weapons, and defenses from the ground
- Opportunities for practicing physical skills, conveying a respect for many known methods for teaching physical techniques, for instance, in the air, with pads, with partners using control, and with padded attackers.
- Make clear distinctions between strikes that cause serious damage, strikes that distract without lasting harm, holds that contain without hurting, holds/ locks that injure, sweeps that off-balance, sweeps leading to takedowns, etc. etc. OR relaxation exercises, deep breathing techniques, verbal roleplays, or roleplays that use strikes, stance, etc.
[1] We recommend that future applicants be required to submit detailed course outlines and handouts for a short self-defense program (1-3 hours) and a long program (8-24 hours). These outlines should include details about the content, making it clear how the instructor frames violence, what she means by boundary setting, and how she teaches physical movement. These outlines should be written in everyday language and avoid unexplained lingo. The outlines should clearly describe content differences between a short and long program.
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Back Off!, by Martha J. Langelan.
Streetsmarts, by Louise Rafkin.
Beauty Bites Beast, by Ellen Snortland.
Domestic Violence for Beginners, by Alisa del Tufo.
Exploding the Myth of Self-Defense, by Judith Fein.
Fear into Anger, by Py Bateman.
Girls Fight Back! The College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Herself, by Erin Weed.
Her Wits About Her: Self-Defense Success Stories by Women, edited by Denise Caignon and Gail Groves.
In Defense of Ourselves, by Linda Tschirhart Sanford and Ann Fetter.
Lifelines, by Marcia Hall.
Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women’s Self-Defense, by Martha McCaughey.
Self-Defense: Steps to Success, by Joan Nelson.
Self-Defense: The Womanly Art of Self Care, Intuition, and Choice, by Debbie Leung.
Self-Defense from the Inside Out: A Women’s Workbook for Developing Self-Esteem and Assertiveness Skills for Safety, by Nadia Telsey.
The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker.
Training Women in the Martial Arts: A Special Journey, by Jennifer Lawler and Laura Kamienski
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Self-defense is not the same thing as martial arts! Many people have the impression that to learn to protect themselves against everyday dangers they have to learn a martial art—they have to learn Michelle Yeoh’s or Bruce Lee’s moves. This simply isn’t true. While many martial arts evolved as self-defense systems, they suited the needs of a people in a specific time and place (for example, fighting with weapons on horseback in 17th century Korea). They don’t necessarily translate well to practical, modern-day needs. Instead, self-defense techniques are those you would use for the real dangers women and girls face in our society today, such as harassment, abuse, and sexual assault. These are best addressed through a quality women’s self-defense class. Self defense and martial arts each have strengths—and they do have some things in common.
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SELF DEFENSE
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MARTIAL ARTS
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BOTH
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| Anybody can learn basic physical self-defense skills, even somebody small, elderly, with physical disabilities, overweight, or out of shape. | Is a good workout. Will get you in shape and bring you the health benefits of fitness.
Some schools are geared toward sports and competition and attract younger or more athletic people. Other schools are non-competitive and view martial arts as a practice open to anyone. | Get you in touch with your physical power. |
| Teaches skills to use against harassment, abuse, and assault, including everyday situations that don’t involve physical attack. | May help you develop the confidence to handle daily situations. Also may teach awareness to help with prevention. The physical fighting techniques of martial arts contain ancient and powerful self-protection information. Effective self-defense training can help you better understand their practical, realistic application to current-day attacks. | Increase confidence. |
| Effective skills can be learned quickly. | Must be studied for a long time to attain proficiency. Often a life-long pursuit. | Create a stronger mind-body connection. |
| Develops a broader awareness of issues related to violence against women and girls. | | |
Develops self-respect and awareness.
Encourages personal insights into experiences with violence. | Develops discipline, respect, focus. | May spur internal change as well as learning specific skills. |
| Depending on the program, may connect to feminism, anti-racism, and larger sociopolitical issues. | Depending on the focus of each school, may encourage spiritual development and/or martial arts as sport and competition. | May make connections beyond the particular focus of the program or school. |
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