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PCYC Erindale
Judo Club offers self-defence courses and clinics for women.
For more information, please
contact Sensei Arek Zygmunt
METHODS OF SELF-PROTECTION
All people and situations are different, so there is no
one way to protect yourself. You must evaluate the situation and decide
which is the best course of action for you.
There are two basic methods of defence.
ACTIVE
RESISTANCE involves an immediate assault on your attacker.
The purpose is to startle or incapacitate him so you can escape. Any act
of physical resistance should be aimed at breaking the attacker's grip
and getting away. You can scream loudly to attract attention, assess the
situation and strike a vulnerable area (i.e. eyes, throat or groin), stomp
on the offender's instep, jab an elbow into his midriff if attacked from
the side or behind, activate a personal 'shrill type alarm' close to the
offenders ear, and use anything you are carrying or have available to
repel the attack (keys, umbrella, rolled up newspaper or magazine); even
a cardigan thrown in the attacker's face may give you the opportunity
to escape.
PASSIVE RESISTANCE
involves using your imagination to delay the attack while looking for
an escape route. Remain calm and talk to the attacker, not pleading but
in a calm level voice - act confidently and choose tactics that will leave
you able to try other things if a particular approach does not work. No
method is foolproof, and no single method is the best in every situation.
JUDO SELF-DEFENCE:
FANTASY AND FACT
The self-defence course offered by the club is entirely
based on throws, arm locks and strangles (techniques familiar to judo)
used in sport dojos throughout the world. I have purposely kept the number
of self-defence techniques in this course to an absolute minimum, for
in real life it is the simple techniques that work, not the complex combinations
needed to confuse a skilled opponent. Against an unskilled opponent on
the street, a basic, direct attack will fulfill your requirements. You
cannot expect to take a 10-lesson course in judo and walk out into the
streets at night confident that you will be able to handle any situation.
First and foremost, you must know your limitations. It is
extremely unlikely that even a capable senior grade will be able to dispose
of more than one attacker. This is the stuff that films are made of.....not
reality. It is equally unlikely that a Dan grade judo player will be able
to defend himself/herself adequately against an attacker with a knife
or gun. In these cases, it is better for you to rely on your wits - which,
in fact may be true in all cases.
The judo-trained person will be much better equipped to
be able to escape from trouble because he/she will probably be more relaxed
in a confrontation than the untrained person. It is better to avoid a
physical solution if possible; you have nothing to prove. Most men who
attack women tend to grab them, not punch or kick them. Male attackers,
on the whole, are prepared to come close to a women because they are not
afraid of a punch or kick in response: they expect women to wilt in the
face of danger.
The self-defence course, based on judo, is perfect
training for such a situation.
SENSIBLE
PRECAUTIONS
It is senseless to court danger, so if possible do not be
in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- When in doubt, take a taxi; agree with a friend to go home together.
- Avoid short cuts down narrow, dark streets - take the long but safer
way home.
- Avoid empty railway carriage. If it looks as though you are about
to be left with one or two men in an underground carriage, change carriages.
- If you are walking to your car at night, have your keys ready and
your hands relatively free. Glance around casually before you commit
yourself to bending over and unlocking the door.
- If you are sitting in your car and you are approached, ensure that
all the doors are locked, then wind the window down a little. It may
be that someone is lost and simply wants to ask for directions, but
once again, it does not hurt to take basic precautions.
- If you have no option but to walk through the streets late at night,
do so with confidence. Walk purposefully, do not run or shuffle. Research
has shown that a frightened posture can sometimes stimulate an attack,
whereas a confident stride can dissuade an undecided, casual attacker.
AN ATTACK SITUATION
If you hear footsteps behind you, first of all stay calm.
It is probably someone going in the same direction as you. Without changing
the pattern of your stride, you could start to cross the street. If you
continue to be followed, you should start considering the options:
- Is there a main road with traffic and good lights nearby, which you
can reach easily?
- If you are wearing high heels, are you ready to kick them off and
run if the need arises?
- Are you carrying a handbag, umbrella or briefcase that may need to
be dropped in order to throw the attacker? Incidentally, a handbag,
umbrella or briefcase can be useful for jabbing into the nose or the
groin, but swinging them in order to hit an attacker over the head will
achieve little except to enrage him. If the mugger is just after your
handbag or briefcase, it is best just to give it to him and chalk it
up to experience.
Avoid carrying things of value, sentimental or otherwise,
in your handbag. As the assailant gets closer, calm any sense of panic
that may be rising. After all, you are trained in close-quarter fighting.
- Turn slightly so that you can glance at the attacker, and make a quick
assessment of both the individual and the situation. He may have an
umbrella, briefcase or a large haversack on his back, in which case
he is unlikely to mean you harm - it is difficult to attack someone
weighed down with objects like these.
- If, however, it looks as though trouble is brewing, do not wait until
you feel a hand on your shoulder or until you are grabbed more severely.
Smoothly step to one side and change the direction, so that you can
see what is coming. Keep moving, ignoring the assailant and let him
make the approach. By this time, you must decide what you are going
to do.
- If he is big and overweight, and you are reasonably fit, and you can
outrun him, do so. If he is young and strong, it may be better to play
the "innocent". Do not indicate in any way your self-defence
(judo) training but just imagine that this is a contest - with no rules.
- The principle underlying all judo defence techniques is: immobilise
and run. The idea is not to put the attacker down for good, but just
to get away. Do not try to be too ambitious. You just want to create
a moment's space in order to make your escape.
- As the attacker reaches for you and grabs, release a piercing scream,
turn in and throw. In all defences, it is necessary to commit yourself
totally to the techniques. Half-hearted defences are worse than no
defence at all.
- If you are throwing an attacker, land him as hard as you possibly
can. If you are arm locking him, go for the break: if strangling him,
put him out properly. This requires repeated practice, because even
in extreme circumstances women are probably more reluctant than men
to be totally committed to injuring someone.
Hopefully, a real attack will never come. But it is better to be prepared!!!!.
It is far better to spend just a little time training,
even if just to boost your confidence.
WALKING ALONE
Assailants count on the element of surprise to help them
succeed, and choose their victims based on their vulnerability.
- Is the victim alone?
- Where are they headed?
- Are there possible witnesses nearby?
- What's the likelihood of someone coming to the rescue?
- Is the victim alert to their surroundings, or do they seem preoccupied?
- What do they have in their hands?
Knowing this, you can present a more difficult target
if you:
- Keep your head up, and look around you, deliberately and often. Do
not be afraid to turn and look behind you. It is good tactics and assertive
behaviour. You have a right to know who is in your vicinity.
- Take a good look at anyone following you. The last thing an attacker
wants is to be noticed first. Your would-be attacker will not look like
Dracula - attackers look like ordinary people.
- An attacker needs to get close, so keep your distance: never allow
any stranger to get closer than two metres.
- Keep away from areas that are poorly lit, away from main traffic
areas or hidden from public view. If you are in a building with security
guards, ask one to accompany you to your car.
- Always keep at least one hand free and use it to carry your keys.
And do not be afraid to drop groceries, luggage or anything else that
may hinder your ability to fight back.
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If you are attacked and choose to
fight, use everything you have and aim to inflict real damage.
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Use your voice to scream, your car
keys to jab at an attacker's eyes, and your elbows, knees and feet
to hammer an attacker's body.
-
This is serious business.
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