Need More Students? Teach Women’s Self Defense!

At Iron Clinch, it is not our goal to indulge in scaremongering; we only deal in facts which is why the following statistics relating to attacks on women are horrifying but sadly, true:

• Up to 1 million women are stalked in the United States annually.
• A woman is raped every 46 seconds.
• In 95% of domestic assaults, it is a case of a female being attacked by a male.
• 25% of rapes take place in a parking garage or a public area.
• 25% of women in college are victims of sexual assault or rape.

The list goes on and on. While there is no magic solution to the problem that is violence on women, giving females the tools to defend themselves is one of the best ways to reduce those terrible figures above.

What is clear is self-defense classes don’t just help women fight back physically, these classes also give them the self-confidence to prevent a situation from escalating into violence. In some cases, even something as simple as saying ‘NO’ while looking the person dead in the eye is enough.

The Case for Women’s Self Defense Classes

In 2005, the National Institute for Justice (NIJ) commissioned a report relating to violence and sexual assaults against women. According to the NIJ’s research, the likelihood of rape diminished significantly when the female victim could fight back. In fact, certain actions reduce the risk of sexual assault by up to 80%. The NIJ’s data makes a mockery of assertions that victims should do whatever attackers say.

How Self-Defense Can Help

In the vast majority of cases, male attackers are significantly bigger and stronger than female victims. The beauty of learning self-defense, especially martial arts, is that you learn techniques to help you disable larger attackers. You can use their own strength against them or hit them at certain points on the body. Since attackers don’t expect would-be victims to fight back, they get the surprise of their life when it actually happens!

The best self-defense classes prepare you for a surprise attack. For example, attackers will try to bring you to the floor so a class could show you how to fight off your back. Here are a few other things that self-defense classes for women can teach society at large:

• Women are not vulnerable prey.
• Men are not unstoppable when they attack women.
• Women understand what they are truly capable of and no longer allow themselves to be restricted in how they see themselves.
• It challenges the notion that sexual assault can only be stopped by the attacker or a bystander.
• It teaches men NOT to attack women.

Once a woman takes a self-defense class, they’ll never see themselves as the ‘victim’ again. As a trained martial arts instructor, it is your duty to create special self-defense classes for women. The demand will be huge, your business will benefit, and you’ll be doing a great service for females in your area.