Women's Self Defence

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I don’t offer training.

I have experience, and I have functioning think pudding, and so I offer advice — advice based on my experience and thoughts — and said advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.

There are many, many instructors in the science of self-defence out there — instructors who, on their worst days are better at conveying the information than I am. A quick Google search should net you a list of trainers, but start with Kelly McCann, Craig Douglas, Greg Ellifritz, Cecil Burch, and other high-level experts, and go from there.

That being said, a couple of day ago someone read my article on keys as defence tools and wanted to ask my thoughts on “women’s defence” training.

As is the case in much of modern life, that topic is complicated.

Broadly speaking there are two main camps on this subject.

The first camp says that women should be trained differently than men.

The second camp says that techniques are techniques, no matter who uses them, and train everyone the same.

It should come as no surprise that I’m in the middle. Both camps are right, and both camps are wrong.

The guys who state that techniques are the same, are correct. An efficient defence to a standing front choke is the same, no matter who uses it. An efficient defence to a rear bear-hug is the same, no matter who uses it.

The folks who train women differently than men are correct because — like it or not — the majority of attacks on women have a different outcome paradigm in mind than the majority of attacks on men.

Different outcome means different pattern.

The majority of attacks on the male side of the species are a beatdown of some kind. They open with a flurry of punches, maybe a cheap-shot, you go down, some boots get applied, and if it’s a robbery, your watch and wallet are lifted.

For the distaff side of the species, the objective of an assault on them is often sexual assault. The attacker overwhelms, attaches, immobilizes (usually on the ground or other horizontal surface), removes clothing, and rape is committed.

See the difference? Techniques are the same across the sexes, but the pattern of attack is different.

Yes, men need to know how to defend against an overwhelm and drag-down … but that’s not the majority of attacks committed against men, beat-downs are. So, what is the better use of a weekend seminar in defence training for men — train to counter beat-downs, or train to counter rape?

Yes, women need to know how to defend against a beat-down … but beat-downs are not the primary assault modality against women, rapes are. So, what is the better use of weekend seminar training time — train women to defend against a drag-down, pin, clothing removal; or train to defend against a flurry of punches, followed by some light kicking when down?

To put it in shorter terms — the defence against a standing front choke is exactly the same for men as it is for women … but very few men are attacked with a standing front choke, while it’s a primary method to attack the fair sex. With that in mind, which sex needs the training to defend against a standing front choke emphasized?

So, what do I recommend? For a hobbyist who is only going to take some weekend seminars, find a trainer who teaches the most efficient method of applying the techniques — which is irrelevant as to sex — who also emphasizes the techniques that match the most probable assault method — which is VERY relevant as to sex.

If you’re asking about training on a weekly basis, my recommendation is judo — especially for the distaff side of the species.

Yes, I know the recent hotness is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I’ve rolled with some BJJ folks, and it’s a very good system.

The key word in that above sentence is “rolled”. I know the high-end BJJ trainers try to emphasize staying off of the ground, but with the commercialization of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, ground-fighting becomes the default in a lot of local gyms.

Why would a woman, whose attacker is attempting to get her immobilized on a horizontal surface, then pin her with his bodyweight as he removes her clothing … want to go to the ground and do half of the job for him?

Judo does enough groundwork that rolling doesn’t freak people out, but it still emphasizes throws (hitting him with the planet), and only rolling on the mat if the throw goes wrong. Combine judo with a weekly session in a boxing or kickboxing gym, and you’ve got a pretty well-rounded system.

However, that’s just me. Your mileage may vary; worth exactly what you paid, and all that.

Ian