Brighton Women's Self Defence

Women's Self Defence Syllabus

I run a women's self defence course at the University of Sussex Sports Centre. The course runs for one hour per week over an eight week period. The course is based on two prinicples: (1) A great majority of training should be about the 10 most common attacks a male is likely to make against a female, and these 10 most common scenarios should be repeatedly drilled; and (2) the defence should be as simple as possible, a move that can be learnt in a short space of time, requiring minimal skill, strength, and coordination.

In terms of (1), the course is based around the ten most common attacks male against female according to Home Office statistics as analysed by Jeff Naish.

In terms of (2), the defences involved the skills of (a) slipping from the opponent's control (while you remain grabbed, he can control your balance; you must learn to slip, but this does not in general require one has the more advanced but related ability to apply locks and restraints); (b) generating as much impact as your body and fitness will allow (we rely on three tools of impact: the slap, elbow, and knee); and (c) knowledge of anatomical vulnerabilities so that, with the amounts of force you can generate, you can create pain and temporary loss of function and consciousness.

Physical moves like the ones we practice in the course constitute about 2% of self defence. The other 98% are the procedures you use that stop the situation from getting to the physical stage in the first place. Very interesting discussion can be found at this site , including a description of the experiment I mention in class.

Having attended the course, you do not know when, if ever, you may find yourself requring use of the moves you have learnt. If after attending the course you do not practice or think about the moves again, then chances are that five years down the line when an assailant grabs you, you will have all but forgotten what to do. The moves must be drilled until they are instinctive. Every week spend 10 minutes running through the sequence of moves, just as they are laid out in this web site, against an imaginary attacker. Practice with a friend or partner as regularly as you can, running through the sequence of moves. It doesn't take a lot of time, but it might save your life one day.

To really develop self defence skills, it takes many years of hard practice. If this course has wetted your appetite, then further instruction can be obtained from the University of Sussex Karate Jutsu club.

Zoltan Dienes

wrist grabs:

other attacks: