What is important in a Woman's Self Defense siminar?

[MaxMarks]

I have a woman's self defense seminar to teach at the end of the month. I have a curriculum I've been working with for a while now. I don't want to influence your comments so I'll keep the content to myself. However, I'd like to hear from you guys what you think is important to include.

Maybe I'll refresh my curriculum a bit.

Thanks!

[Zaine]

You'd be covering a lot if you went over defense from a standing grab. Whether it be choke, headlock, grabbing the wrist or anything else you can think of. Muggers like to feel dominant in situations against women, what better way to do that than grabbing them?

[Wastelander]

I have a woman's self defense seminar to teach at the end of the month. I have a curriculum I've been working with for a while now. I don't want to influence your comments so I'll keep the content to myself. However, I'd like to hear from you guys what you think is important to include.

Maybe I'll refresh my curriculum a bit.

Thanks!

I suspect that everyone is going to tell you to include everything you can about situational awareness and limiting exposure to risky environments, and I would totally agree with them! That is probably the most important stuff to teach! As far as actual techniques go, I would say you need to teach some simple, gross-motor-movement techniques against all kinds of grabs--wrist grabs, hand trapping, front chokes, fireman's carry, rear bear hug, etc.--as well as some takedown defense and how to defend against an attacker between your legs or on top of you when you are on the ground. Those tend to be the most common attacks that women are going to be on the receiving end of on the street. Basic blocking wouldn't hurt, though, since a frustrated attacker may well start backfisting and punching to get a victim under control.

It does depend on how your seminar is scheduled, though, I believe. If you only have an hour or two, you are going to need to focus on the most critical, life-or-death type of situations. If you have all day or a several day curriculum then you can go through a lot more.

[Groinstrike]

Wastelander is correct, awareness is the most important thing that anyone can do to keep themselves out of a dangerous situation.

Women's self defense classes need to focus on awareness of all situations that may be presented, techniques are nice and all, but situational awarness will keep a person out of trouble more than anything.

[JusticeZero]

Teach them to think like a criminal and how they will size things up, then have them wander around the neighborhood casing people and places up for rapes and burglaries and muggings and crimes of opportunity.

Teach them a few cheap and easy ways to alarm their house and person.

Teach them to run TOWARD people instead of just running away from threats.

Teach them the advantages and disadvantages of various self defense equipment people carry.

Teach them to savagely kill anyone who tries to move them to a secondary location. (You don't need to teach how to actually kill, just that that is the most gentle and meek level of response that they can have to such a situation, and that if they had access to WMDs, that would be an appropriate time to use them.)

[Liver Punch]

I'll agree with situational awareness 110%. Statistics are a good wake-up for a lot of them. Teaching them a little bit of paranoia and a whole lot of assertiveness are the next building blocks in my opinion.

[Zaine]

Very true, awareness is something that as a martial artist I take for granted because it's second nature. I forget that it was something that I had to learn and train.

[bushido_man96]

I'll agree with situational awareness 110%. Statistics are a good wake-up for a lot of them. Teaching them a little bit of paranoia and a whole lot of assertiveness are the next building blocks in my opinion.

I agree here. When it comes to teaching techniques, I think keeping releases and whatnot fairly basic, and making sure to incorporate lots of striking into the releases. Lots and LOTS of striking. If you plan on having them use some kind of weapon, like car keys or something similar at hand, work on getting those things handy, or even get used to just carrying them when walking in parking lots and the like.

[MaxMarks]

Thanks for the posts! If anyone else has something to add I'd love to hear it.

[Montana]

Being aware of the situation around you is #1.

Personally, I'd forget all about the actual self-defense moves because not one of the partici[pants will remember them a few weeks after the seminar, let alone be able to do them.

A friend of mine, Jerry Lemm, taught a 2 hour womens self-defense seminat which was GREAT! He spent the entire 2 hours talking about awareness and things that can make a woman a potential victim, such as vanity plates like "I M A QT", "HOT BABE" or MARY'S CAR". These are cool, but obviously label your car as a womans and can make you a target.

Other things Jerry taught was to take all that female "foo-foo" stuff off you rear view mirror that identifies your car as a womans.

It's better to have "This car protected by Smith & Wesson" bumper stickers than "Mary Kay Representative" on the back of the car.