Self-defense for women

July 20th, 2006 at 5:10 · Filed Under Karate 

Recently on TV, there are a few programs talking about women self-defense. Women self-defense classes like kick boxing with a mix of aerobics suddenly flourish, especially in big city Kuala Lumpur.

I wonder if these women self-defense classes are really effective in training.

Self-defense is not an easy task. Self-defense requires life-long commitment to training. Techniques will require long time, and often a life time, to be polished and refined.

Do these women self-defense instructors and students really understand the concept of self-defense? Do they believe in learning kicks and punches can prepare a person especially woman to defend herself?

In a real life-threatening situation, self-defense is a matter of dead or alive. It is totally different from kicking and punching sand bags, sparring with partners and etc. No rules applied. Another disadvantage of women is their physical strength. Can their training take down a 180 lbs male?

Many young people stop their Tae Kwon Do or Karate-do training after they receive their black belts. Many of them think a black belt is adequate to defend themselves. They do not understand the concept of martial arts and self-defense and often they are confused between sports and combat. Their instructors are solely responsible for this misconception.

Often in real-life situation, a person could have adrenaline rush. Adrenaline is a hormone secreted by human body under stress. A right amount of adrenaline could make a person stronger. For example, when chased by a dog, adrenaline will be secreted so that you can run faster to get out of danger. When the amount of adrenaline is over a person’s threshold, that person can experience trembling in their limbs. Not everybody is built the same. So, no matter how good your training is, if you get too much adrenaline, you will not be able to apply techniques effectively with your trembling limbs. Many people lack the understanding of how our body system works.

Every martial arts share the same fundamental concept of bio-mechanical, science, physics and mathematics. For instance, when throwing a punch, the skeletal alignment of your limb, shoulder, hips and legs together with the proper contraction of muscles are important to generate speed and power. As I observe some martial art instructors conducting their classes, they apply “monkeys see, monkeys do” approach. A punch is not just merely lunging your fist. It is a science. To understand the science, one must understand the external and internal weight change. To understand the external and internal weight change needs a lot of practicing, feeling and thinking and that takes years to achieve. One must also understand how the human body functions because not everybody has the same build.

Besides, self-defense is also psychologically and tactically demanding. Lots of mental and tactical training required.

I would say the best way to prevent crime is to instill high alertness of the environment and possible threats. Despite of many reported cases of bag snatching, I still see women hanging their handbags on their shoulder providing lots of good opportunity for crime to happen. People’s mentality is attributed to such happenings.

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