Times of India :: Bangalore Women Pack a Punch

Times of India Newspaper

They Are Taking Self-Defence Lessons To Fight Attackers

Sinchana B A

Bangalore: The number of aggressive crimes against women in the city is on the rise, a case in point being the spate of home-alone murders. Along with strict policing and home security, self defence has also become necessary.

With this view, several institutes in the city have begun self-defence classes specially tailored to suit the safety needs of women. These programmes focus on making women more alert and aware of their surroundings and impending danger.

According to victims of attacks and self-defence trainers, the most common mistake that women make is to think, ‘it cannot happen to me’.

“These programmes change this attitude and make women more aware of possible dangers. The focus is not on complicated, acrobatic moves, but on teaching women simple, easy-to-execute techniques that help them save themselves,’’ says Manasi Mohan, of a leading self-defence training institute in the city.

These sessions, which are more like workshops, have found favour with a number of companies, who are getting women employees to enrol in these classes. Asthithva, a 5-year-old institute, holds workshops called ‘Give It To Them’ (GIIT). These 4-hour classes are conducted by Ashwin Mohan, a city-based kickboxing and martial arts expert.

“We’ve conducted 950 classes this year, and in each class we train 30-35 women.” said Manasi Mohan.

, an instructor in Krav Maga Institute, which conducts a special 3-hour programme for women in the corporate sector, said: “Our programme focuses on knowing who the attacker is, why he is attacking and what his gameplan is.’’ Many corporate giants, including Cisco, are his clients.

Jagruti, a trainee at this institute, says while the regular weekend classes involve intense training, the workshops teach students basic self-defence techniques.

Some institutes also give special training to defend oneself in a constricted environment, like a car, or in restrictive garments like sarees. Though these institutes teach the students how to defend themselves from an aggressor, a part of their training also comprises how to tactfully avoid potentially dangerous situations.

SAFETY FIRST

• If you are being followed, do not guide the person to your house unless there is someone at home who can handle the situation
• Women living alone are seen as soft targets, so do not advertise the fact that you stay alone
• A fist-fight with a man is strength-onstrength, and the odds are heavily against you as men are stronger. Strength-to-weakness would mean your fingers in his eyes or throat, or your foot in his groin
• Carry chilli powder, pepper spray or penknives. Even deodorants can work as a distraction
  Think of every object as a weapon. If you cannot use the object to hit the attacker, throw it on him and use the split-second gained to attack
• Wear restrictive clothing only when you have no reason to expect danger. Otherwise, wear clothes that maximize freedom of movement
• There’s no such thing as fighting fair. Use every method you can to protect yourself

MYCATPRESS

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