The Need For Women's Self-Defense

On February 19, 2016, PCL Construction hosted KMG Bellevue for a private women's self-defense seminar.  This 2 hour event covered the technical, tactical, and mental elements specific to women's self-defense. Women's self-defense is unique, both in the nature of the attacks and in the biological and psychological/mental responses they provoke. Knowing these distinctions is crucial for women to understand how to properly respond. To address this, KMG Bellevue's women's seminar incorporates these elements through lectures, techniques, and drills.

Having fun while learning self-defense!

The Reality

The types of violent situations women face are different than those encountered by men. Men experience social violence, usually in displays of bravado and dominance. Women experience predatory violence. Predatory violence is categorized as a means to an end, or an act of violence for the sake of violence (Kane, L., & Miller, R.) and include rape, stalking, domestic abuse, and kidnapping. The technical portion of KMG Bellevue's women's seminars include defenses against these types of attacks, including wrist grabs, bear hugs, chokes, and an attacker who covers their victim's mouth from behind.

A participant demonstrating a defense against an arm bar choke.

The Biology

Under extreme circumstances, such as a violent encounter, the body is flushed with adrenaline. Adrenaline strengthens a person's body and increases resilience to pain, although it reduces the ability to think clearly (Kane, L., & Miller, R.). Biologically, women and men adrenalize differently. In a violent encounter, men experience a sharp spike in their adrenaline that quickly dissipates. Women take longer to peak and stay adrenalized longer. They also maintain an ability to think tactically due to the slower ramp (Kane, L., & Miller, R.). This is an advantage in a violent situation, although many women underutilize this ability due to overlooked, engrained social constructions. Overcoming social restraints requires building a confident, determined, and aggressive mental state.

The Psychology

Hammer fists.

Most women are typically at a mental disadvantage in a violent attack. Cultural norms dictate women are expected to be responsive and attentive to male attention.  Women who are direct are seen as cold, or uptight (de Becker, G.).  These, along with subtle, omnipresent messages such as "hit like a girl", help silence a woman who feels that she is in danger, for fear of being judged. In addition, it propagates a misconstrued version of a woman's strength and weakens her confidence in her ability to defend herself. To break the silence, KMG Bellevue has seminar students participate in role play drills.  One participant pretends to approach her partner with malicious intent while the other uses her voice to drive her attacker away and attract attention to a violent situation. Participants are encouraged to be loud, and aggressive during the drill.

To help participants at our seminars build confidence, KMG Bellevue teaches a variety of strikes designed to be effective without damaging the defender. Palm strikes, hammer fists, kicks, and knees are emphasized, along with dirty fighting.  Dirty fighting requires no previous skills and includes eye gouging (pressing the thumbs into the eyes and pushing inward and outward as if peeling a grapefruit), scratching, biting, screaming, and slapping ears.

Fighting in high heels!

KMG Bellevue also stresses the importance of determination, fighting back even if the participant forgets the "correct" technique. Some experience a "freeze" reaction when a situation feels "wrong" (Kane, L., & Miller, R.). However, many attackers are seeking an easy victim and will disengage at the first sign of a struggle (Kane, L., & Miller, R.). An example of this would be a defender who is being choked. The proper defense has the defender pluck the attacker's hands and simultaneously knee the groin. Gouging the attacker's eyes, or striking the face or groin is also effective. Participants were able to practice this in a final summary drill, where they were attacked randomly and choose to respond either with the correct technique or by striking and disengaging. The main takeaway from these drills is to never stop fighting. 

Women take longer to adrenalize than men, meaning they can continue fighting longer than a male attacker. In the final summary drill, participants spun themselves around for 10 seconds to mimic an adrenalized mental state, then aggressively attacked a pad. This drill is meant to instill a sense of aggression.  

The Targets

Practicing knee strikes

Krav Maga is unique in that it can be used effectively after only a few hours of instruction. One of the reasons is that it emphasizes proper target selection. Attackers are usually larger and stronger than their victims; this is typically how victims are chosen.  However, a human being cannot strengthen certain soft parts of their body.  These targets include:

• Eyes
• Throat
• Groin
• Knees

Krav Maga encourages kicks and knees to the groin, which are effective on men and women. Knees are a great target because a solid strike will disable a person's ability to move. A strike to the throat will disrupt breathing, and eye gouging limits vision. These strikes can be effective regardless of the difference in size or strength between the attacker and the victim.

The Need

The need for women's self-defense is derived from the different ways women see, experience, and respond to violence. Knowing and embracing these distinctions gives women the ability to effectively respond. KMG Bellevue's women's self-defense seminars are designed to address these differences and best prepare participants to defend themselves.

Thank you to everyone who attended!

References:

de Becker, G. (1997). The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence.

Kane, L., & Miller, R. (2012). Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision Making Under Threat of Violence.