“The Art of Empowerment”
“I am never proud to participate in violence, yet I know that each of us must care enough for ourselves that we can be ready and able to come to our own defense when and wherever needed.”
—Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter
EMPOWERMENT!
The goal of a good self- defense program!
For more information
National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – Empowerment Model (nwmaf.org)
National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – Self-Defense (nwmaf.org)
National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – How to Choose a Self-Defense Class (nwmaf.org)
National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – Find a Self-Defense Instructor (nwmaf.org)
National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – Characteristics of a Certified Instructor (nwmaf.org)
Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War, said: “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
The same applies to self-defense. That’s one of the core principles of a modern strain of self-defense training for women, which some call feminist self-defense, or empowerment-based self-defense.
Rather than training women how to fight off a stranger, feminist self- defense takes into account that women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know – not a stranger.
According to the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, only 38% of nonfatal attacks were committed by strangers, while more than 70 percent of fatal attacks were committed by someone known to the victim.
SELF-CONFIDENCE IS SELF-DEFENSE.
Empowerment Self-Defense!
~ a set of awareness, assertiveness, verbal confrontation skills with safety strategies and
physical techniques that enable someone to successfully escape, resist and survive violent attacks!!!
Click Here to Learn More WHAT IS EMPOWERMENT SELF-DEFENSE?
Click Here to Read More Empowerment
Reprinted with permission from IMPACT-Boston.
WHAT IS IMPACT?
IMPACT is a personal safety, assertiveness and empowerment self-defense training program. It is part of a comprehensive effort to prevent sexual assault and other acts of interpersonal violence and boundary violations.
Click Here to read more about IMPACT Violence Prevention
and to find a Chapter near you.
No IMPACT Chapter near you? Please click here to find Empowerment Self-Defense Classes and Courses
TAKING AN EMPOWERMENT SELF-DEFENSE CLASS IS
ONE OF THE MOST POSITIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF!
This is the perfect time to
SELF-EDUCATION IS SELF-EMPOWERMENT!
Education, training/technology – self-defense/protection devices and empowerment/ feminist self-defense courses – will provide psychological awareness and verbal skills, in addition to physical training. Any device is useless to you unless you understand how to use it, and you have it in your hand ready to use at the time of the attempted assault. There is nothing “guaranteed” about any of these devices. None are foolproof.
Self-defense training can increase your options and help you prepare responses to slow down, de-escalate, or interrupt an attack. The more you know about it, the more informed you are to make a decision and to use it. You don’t have to be an athlete to learn how to defend yourself.
A good program is designed to adapt to every age and ability and provides each student with the opportunity to learn. The quality of the self-defense class depends on the knowledge, attitude and philosophy of the instructor, not necessarily on gender. The most important aspect is that the instructor, male or female, conducts the training for the students geared to their individual strengths and abilities. Feeling safe and building trust come before learning.
Lauren Taylor and Lynne Marie Wanamaker (defendyourself.org) wrote in their article for The Washington Post, “Actually, Miss USA is right: Self-defense can prevent sexual assault.” that Miss USA 2014, Nia Sanchez of Nevada, told one of the judges that teaching women self-defense could help reduce sexual assaults on college campuses – she’s right. (Unfortunately, sexual assaults on college campuses have only escalated since 2014!!)
(Click here for more information on defendyourself.org and classes now being offered!)
Self-Defense Based on Empowerment
The American Medical Association even calls sexual assault an epidemic!!!
Lauren and Lynne (self-defense instructors for more than 25 years) say their approach to self-defense is based on empowerment, focusing on expanding women’s choices in response to harassment, abuse and assault. Lauren and Lynne say that, “Empowerment self-defense teaches skills that are both concrete and flexible. These include interpersonal and environmental awareness, assertiveness, boundary-setting, physical strikes and community-building.
“These tools can help woman ward off sexual predators and deal with harassment and bullying. This matters because interpersonal violence frequently occurs as a series of incidents of escalating intensity. If we can interrupt violence in its early stages, we can decrease the harm it causes.”
More Confidence
When asked if researching women’s self-defense had made her more paranoid, Caroline Cunningham, Associate Editor of the Washingtonian, told her co-worker that after discovering empowerment-based self-defense, “It’s had the opposite effect. It’s made me more aware but also more confident – both in my ability to protect myself and in the fact that my confidence is one of the things that may keep me safe.”
Where can I find an Empowerment self-defense class?
“I’m a success coach, speaker, author and self defense expert. My mission is to help you feel strong, safe and powerful from the streets to the boardroom...” Jenn Cassetta(Click Link to visit her website)
Jennifer Cassetta’s She Warrior Confidence and She Warrior Self-Defense training “helps …increase your confidence and feel like a total Badass!”
From Lauren Taylor:
“If you want training for your workplace, faith group, neighborhood, teens, health clinic, Girl Scout troop, real estate team, fitness studio, school or after-school program, library – or anyone else – we can do it. Here are some of the skills we can cover. If you don’t see what you want, let us know – it may be something we do!”
National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – Find a Self-Defense Instructor (nwmaf.org)
Want to learn self-defense?
You’ve come to the right place! Instructors certified by the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation are skilled in both physical and verbal self-defense skills, knowledgeable about violence against women, have strong backgrounds in the martial arts, and support empowerment as a goal of women’s self-defense.
NWMAF Certified Self Defense Instructors are listed here. Contact them directly for more information on classes and workshops in your area. If your area is not listed here, contact your local rape crisis or sexual assault center, or your local YWCA, for referrals.
Empowerment Self-Defense — Peace Over Violence
Empowerment Self-Defense helps individuals develop easy-to-use techniques such as awareness, assertiveness, and verbal confrontation skills in combination with safety strategies and physical techniques to prevent, resist, and escape violent assaults.
Peace Over Violence’s Empowerment Self-Defense courses provide psychological awareness and verbal skills, not just physical training.
In adhering to social distancing protocols, we have modified our self-defense classes to virtual only. Instructors utilize two cameras via Zoom–one for audio and one to display full range of motion for body movement throughout the class. Virtual self-defense classes can be provided in English and Spanish.
Click Here to Find a Practitioner
“The Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance works to leverage the collective impact of empowerment self-defense practitioners and influence national dialogue about preventing interpersonal violence. ESDA positions empowerment self-defense as a powerful means of personal and social change with a robust and growing research base demonstrating its efficacy.
“ESDA foregrounds survivors’ agency, awareness of the neuro-biological factors surrounding trauma, and a commitment to social justice as fundamental components of violence prevention.”
Sharing life-saving Krav Maga training so that “one may walk in peace.”
“The Krav Maga Association of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to help create safer and healthier communities by teaching its citizens practical self-defense and communication skills, enabling them to better deal with real life, every day risks. The world can be a dangerous place and we strive to pragmatically address that reality. Krav Maga was developed as a self-defense system that can effectively be used by everyone. In that same vein the Krav Maga Association of America works to empower everyone, everywhere, to learn how to live safer lives.”
- Women’s Empowerment
- Anti-Bullying
KRAV MAGA WORLDWIDE
Contact Email: memberships@kravmaga.com Phone Number +1 (800) KRAV MAGA (572-8624)
Lesson 3: Positional Control (Mount)
(These 4 Lessons are FREE! There are 32 additional Lessons, which can be done in any order, and only cost $14.00 each. Click here for the Store.)
(PZ does not receive a commission or Affiliate Fee from Gracie University.)
The world’s leading self-defense program for women based on the proven principles of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Comprised of 20 lessons, women who successfully complete this program will earn their official Pink Belt.
We are providing links on this page, and information in our Resources Directory (which continues to be a work-in-progress).
Please also check with your local police department and/or rape crisis center on campus or in your community. Some centers provide self-protection classes or can refer you to one. YWCA’s and Community Colleges sometimes offer classes. Some martial arts schools provide seminars and workshops. Search online for “empowerment self-defense” classes in your community and read their reviews.
While waiting for in-person classes to resume, you can also search YouTube for even more videos on “empowerment self-defense for women”- there are 1000’s of videos!
[Please Note: Even though many links are provided for non-members for Resources (National Organizations), Safety Tips, Online Empowerment Self-Defense Classes & Courses, and Videos, MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO SO MUCH MORE!!! ]
REFERENCES:
National Coalition Against Sexual Violence (NCASA Self-Defense Ad-Hoc Committee) Prevent Connect/Women’s Self-Defense Research (National Project to CALCASA)
“National Coalition Against Sexual Assault: Guidelines for Choosing A Self-Defense Course.” Lynne R. Taylor, Lynne Marie Wanamaker, “Actually, Miss USA is right: Self-defense can prevent sexual assaults.” The Washington Post (June 16, 2014).
Caroline Cunningham, “We’ve Been Teaching Women to Defend Themselves All Wrong: ‘Feminist Self-Defense’ teaches different ways to ward off an attack.” Washingtonian (Nov. 7, 2016).
