Self-Defense

Whenever you’re training martial arts, the subject of self-defense is bound to come up. There’s a good reason why, since a lot of people want to know that they’ll be able to defend themselves should an altercation become physical. 

As we discussed in the first post in this two-part blog, self-defense is not just about defending yourself during a home invasion, a street altercation, or in a tournament setting. Self-defense is also about self-preservation with respect to your ability to stay healthy and continue doing jiu-jitsu late into life. That means avoiding serious injuries and being sure to protect your joints and ligaments from getting overly stressed to the point that you begin to lose mobility.

When you think of self-defense, what typically comes to mind? Is it defending yourself from an attacker on the street? Is it a home invader? Or is it less about a specific scenario and simply a desire to feel comfortable with your own abilities?

Every woman should train in self-defense for a variety of reasons. Here are five key benefits of taking martial arts for women classes or enrolling in women’s self-defense courses.

It’s been called the slap heard round the world for good reason. There are very few stages larger than the one Chris Rock occupied while hosting of the 2022 Oscars, and there was no ambiguity when it came to what happened after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Her husband, Will Smith, strode onto the stage, wound up, and slapped Rock across the face.

Having taught martial arts in New York City for the past 2 decades we often receive inquiries from ladies that want to learn how to defend themselves should they encounter physical threats that are commonplace in an urban setting like Manhattan.  Often, they inquire about our Kickboxing program and how learning the kick and punch combinations can teach them to fight.  While our Kickboxing program is a great workout and lots of fun AND is the same training format we used successfully in Kickboxing matches in the ring, what most newcomers aren’t aware of is – IT’S NOT A PROGRAM FOR SELF-DEFENSE.

Women Empowered classes at the Gracie Academy emphasize eight fundamentals of self-defense. They are:

With the explosive popularity of group fitness classes like Pilates, yoga and spinning, women in New York City have a wide variety of classes to choose from.  Pugilistic sports like Boxing and Kickboxing have crossed over into this fitness category, boasting the benefits of fitness training while learning self-defense. 

Bullying is a major problem in the United States. It takes a massive toll on the physical and psychological wellbeing of kids from elementary school to high school and it can oftentimes lead to extremely violent and tragic events.

Women who take self-defense classes typically aren’t training to be championship fighters. They take these classes because they want to be prepared to confront dangers in real-world scenarios.

Most Women consider self-defense an optional skillset that tend to be on the bottom of the list (if at all) of things to learn.  It’s like someone learning to shoot a gun, in case of war or a shoot-out. The probability doesn’t justify the effort – right?