Four Weeks of Learning, Confidence and Self Defence
Our four-week Stand Strong Self Defence for Women and Girls course has come to an end. From learning practical escape techniques to building confidence and awareness, we look back at what participants learnt and the difference the course made.
3 min read
Four weeks, lots of new skills, plenty of laughter and hopefully a little more confidence.å
Our first four-week Stand Strong Self Defence for Women and Girls course has now come to an end, and it has been brilliant to see how the group developed from that first session through to our final week.
The course was delivered by Chris and Hayley from Silent Hands Kung Fu and was designed to give women and girls practical skills that could help them feel more confident and more aware of what they could do if they ever found themselves in an unsafe situation.
Learning Skills That Could Make a Difference
Across the four weeks, the group learnt a range of practical self defence techniques.
The first sessions looked at situations including wrist grabs and strangles, and how relatively simple movements can sometimes be more effective than trying to rely on strength.
In session three, the group moved on to situations where someone may find themselves on the floor or pushed up against a wall.
For our final session, Chris led the group through a recap of what we had covered during the course. There was also plenty of opportunity to ask questions and suggest different situations, with Chris talking through ideas and techniques that could potentially help.
We really liked this way of finishing the course because it allowed the group to think about situations that mattered to them and ask questions about things they might genuinely worry about.
More Than Just Physical Techniques
One of the biggest things we have taken from the feedback is that self defence is about much more than learning how to physically defend yourself.
Participants talked about feeling more confident, being more aware of their surroundings and thinking differently about what they could do if they ever felt unsafe.
One participant summed up one of their biggest lessons simply as:
“The power of simple movement to escape.”
Others talked about learning that they did not necessarily need to rely on strength and that knowing a few practical techniques could give them more options in a difficult situation.
For some, just coming through the door in the first place was an achievement.
One participant told us:
“I attended on my own, this is something that is completely out of my comfort zone. I was at ease enough to complete the course.”
We love this feedback because confidence can mean different things to different people. Sometimes it is learning how to respond in an unsafe situation, and sometimes it is simply feeling able to walk into a room on your own and try something completely new.
Creating a Comfortable Space to Learn
Something that came through in both our early and final feedback was how much people appreciated the atmosphere Chris and Hayley created.
Learning self defence could quite easily feel intimidating, particularly if you have never done anything like it before.
Instead, participants talked about the humour, experience and relaxed approach that made it easier to have a go, ask questions and learn from each other.
We also had feedback about the importance of continuing to do things that build confidence as we get older, with one participant sharing the reminder:
“Don’t allow aging to stop you from enjoying life.”
That really sums up something we have seen throughout the course. Women and girls came for different reasons, with different experiences and different levels of confidence, but everyone could take something useful away from the sessions.
Keeping Self Defence Affordable
The full four-week course cost participants just £10, with the remaining cost subsidised through our Done Together Together Fund.
Keeping the course low cost was really important to us.
We wanted women and girls to be able to try something new without the price becoming another barrier to taking part.
What Happens Next?
One of the reasons we ask for feedback from our projects is because it helps us understand what worked, what people valued and what they would like to see happen next.
The feedback from Stand Strong has shown us that there is an interest in having more opportunities like this, including further or follow-on self defence sessions.
We would love to build on what we have learnt from these first four weeks and explore how we can offer more affordable self defence opportunities for women and girls in the future.
For now, a huge thank you to Chris and Hayley from Silent Hands Kung Fu, everyone who came along, everyone who stepped outside their comfort zone and everyone who took the time to share their thoughts with us.
Hopefully this is only the beginning.
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