The Complications of Self-Defense Education after COVID-19

Maya Johnson
Feb 15, 2021
3 min read

mlj

I am to create a set of videos related to women’s empowerment self defense for a grant program received by KÖS, an empowerment non profit I have volunteered with for the past two years. Originally, this particular program included visiting five cities in Turkey with the highest levels of violence against women for a weekend of empowerment education. However, given the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic, this program had been put on hold, and then has turned into a virtual seminar. This presents me with a wide variety of complications. How can I teach effective empowerment self defense to women, when there is absolutely no physical contact?

Any ‘online physical education (OLPE) presents a unique set of challenges in translating traditional physical education to a digital space, all while meeting the same benchmarks, curriculum, and assessment standards of traditional courses. Currently, limited research exists investigating how physical educators are formally trained to deliver content online.’ (2)

Therefore, in my attempt to do so, I outlined some of what I would like the video(s) to entail:

· I want them to be brief, as the attention span of viewers shrinks as time unfolds.

· I want the videos to be realistic and practical information.

· I would like to use text and voice over rather than talking during the demonstration.

What should the topics be? I have a vast library in mind to teach when face to face with practitioners, however online, what is the most essential and practical information that can be helpful if there is no one to practice with, and it’s all upon the lady and my workshop they learn something about self defense (no pressure). J

Looking over the internet, one can find an abundance of articles, videos and the like with titles like:

‘ x number of moves every woman should know’

‘X number of techniques for women recommended by a professional’

The Bright Side’s article referencing Viktor Lyalko (acknowledge martial arts master who wrote a book) gives what I consider to be only 10% useful information, instead I consider some of the recommendations harmful should some women, especially the inexperienced try. (1)

Prevention.com’s recommendations were a lot better, and so far minus the second move these are some I myself would agree with and teach as well. A straight punch, knee kicks, bear hug defense, and the choke defense are all realistic and practical, however unlike the author, I believe as long as you are on your feet and unless you are trained in kicking, should a person with no real experience risk their balance for a kick. It is important to note though, if you are on the ground – don’t stop kicking! (3)

There are plenty of things to teach in the world of self defense. But what is the most important? And more importantly, considering that physical contact is a ‘no-no’, this makes teaching self defense all the more difficult.

Whatever the content of these videos is, it should include information that can be practiced solo, and perhaps some exercises that could be done with housemates should they be up for some physical play time. Trying to build trained responses through various solo exercises really does make up alot of what a self defense instructor should focus on teaching. Below helps to demonstrate why (4):

Untrained Response

The body is tense; Pupils dilate; vision is focused on threat. (The higher the threat, the stronger the “tunnel vision” effect.); Shoulder rise; Body rises; Counter force (e.g., being grabbed or pulled) with force; Freeze — “like a deer in headlights”.

Trained Self-defense Response

The body is relaxed and ready for rapid response;.“Soft focus”, grasping the “entire picture”Shoulders drop; Body drops (lower center of mass); “Go with the flow and execute a technique; Flow-Think-Do – allowing training to come out.

So, for now I’ll continue on with researching into how physical education is best taught online, and how martial arts and other physical education based instructors can teach with more efficiency and students can maximize with engaging contact in the no physical contact realm of the internet.

More to come soon.

Peace, love, and poo.

#selfdefenseeducation #sijemaya #cultivatewhatmatters #letsgetphysicalonline #womensempowermentselfdefense #kadınlarözsavunma #özsavunmahaktır #dailythoughts