This document provides an overview of a self-defense training session for women. The one hour session would consist of a 30 minute lecture followed by 30 minutes of hands-on self-defense training. The lecture covers identifying potential assaulters, creating personal safety barriers, understanding the body's freeze response during attacks, and assertiveness techniques. The training teaches kicks, escapes from grabbing, and simulations of choking to practice defense skills and reduce freezing. The goal is to empower women to defend themselves from assault through education and practice.

1. Basic Self Defense for
Women
Lecture (thirty minutes) and Self-Defense Training (thirty minutes)
One hour (wear loose clothing and tennis shoes)
Facility large enough for participants to lay on the floor
One facilitator/instructor

2. Stop the Assaulters: Who are they?
Context
Assault is a violent physical attack: domestic violence, rape, kidnapping, and car jacking.
Women are much more likely to experience assault than be a victim of terrorism.
When women learn to “stop the assaulters” they are also learning how to stop a terrorist.
• An assaulter can be anyone: a stranger, a parent, a doctor, a preacher, a police officer, a boyfriend.
• If you knew they were assaulters, you would stay away.
• Assaulters are often experts in building trust and opportunity to terrorize and demean you with an assault.
• Rapists want their victims to feel shame, embarrassment and humiliation but the rapists are the problem, not
their victims.
• By reporting an assault, you are working to prevent more assaults.
• By talking about assault and learning how to defend ourselves, we are taking away the assaulters’ power.
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3. Stop the Assaulters: Create a Personal Fence
• Wear clothes that are difficult to remove (very tight jeans with a belt for
example).
• Do not walk (especially in parking lots) and talk on your cell phone.
• Leave a trail of evidence. Send yourself text messages about any concerns:
where you are going, who you will be with, when you should be home.
• Be prepared to take pictures as a preventative measure.
• Car doors locked and situational awareness, especially around anyone going
behind your car.
• Arm yourself with every day items you can use to defend yourself:
- Keys
- Water bottles
- Pens
- Cigarette Lighter
- Other ideas?
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4. Stop the Assaulters: Freeze Response
• In addition to the “fight or flight” responses, your body can “freeze”.
• Assaulters use the “freeze” response to target and blame the victims:
“she didn’t resist”.
• The “freeze” response is designed to reduce pain during threats.
• You can not think your way out of a “freeze” response.
• You can train away the “freeze” response with simulated attacks.
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5. Special Note: Revulsion Tactics
Gross out your attacker:
- Vomit
- Pick your nose and put your finger in your mouth
- Poop and wipe it on your body
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6. Stop the Assaulters: Assertiveness Activity
and Counter-Kidnapping Defense
• Get a partner.
• Grab your partner by the wrist and try to drag her.
• Respond to the dragging by moving your elbow to the attacker’s elbow.
• SCREAM STOP over and over.
• Your goal is to escape the attacker.
• As you escape, bring your hands up to your chin and tuck chin.
• PRACTICE at home until you have muscle memory: when surprised or
threatened, your hands will automatically come up as your chin tucks.
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7. Stop the Assaulters: Kick Practice
• Hands up, chin down, knee up, KICK towards groin area of the shield.
• SCREAM stop while kicking.
• You should be leaning forward, kicking thru/past the shield, moving towards
and past the assaulter.
• Practice with both legs.
Tips
• Do most of your practice with a moving target. Rarely will an assaulter “stand
still” to allow you to kick him.
• Accuracy is less important than an immediate response.
• Notice that knee up gives you a secondary defense.
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8. Stop the Assaulters: Choking Simulation
• Every participant lays on the ground with their eyes closed.
• Instructor will simulate a choke.
• Participants focus on chin down (protect your airway) and hands up.
• By experiencing a simulated choke, you are less likely to freeze during
an actual choke.
• Optional activity: choke releases.
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9. Conclusion-Affirmations
• We can defend ourselves.
• STOP means STOP.
• We WILL PRACTICE.
• We WILL PREPARE.
• We WILL SUPPORT each other.
• Optional activity: review video attacks and identify defense opportunities.
For more information on advanced seminars contact:
Suzy Deutsch, LISASUZY@GMAIL.COM
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