Women’s self-defense classes in Levittown can come from a variety of different sources- but if you truly want to learn self-defense the right way, martial arts is a no-brainer! There’s so much more to our self-defense program than meets the eye, including psychology lessons on danger awareness and hidden mental benefits that you may have never thought of.
Read on for some basic self-defense tips and to learn more about our self-defense program in Levittown!
Self-Defense Classes – The Basics
Self-defense is kind of a loose term. Some people associate self-defense with guns or violence. Others will hear those words and think of legal justifications (“I did it out of self-defense!”). But at AmeriKick Martial Arts, our definition of self-defense is using your words and your actions to defend yourself and others from an attacker.
This is what makes martial arts self-defense training so different from any others. It’s not just about the punches and kicks that can protect you. It’s about stopping conflict dead in its tracks with your confidence and your assertiveness before things even have a chance to go sideways- and learning how to stay out of trouble in the first place.
It’s about becoming brave enough and confident enough to look someone in the eye and loudly say, “Get your hand off of me” or ”Stop harassing me.” And ultimately, it’s about knowing how to protect yourself and the people you love with as minimal damage as possible.
Self-Defense for Women
Martial arts are truly for everyone (we believe that every man, woman, and child should study it!), but the development of confidence and mental strength is especially helpful for women who are more likely to find themselves in self-defense situations than their male counterparts.
According to one 2013 study from the University of Oregon, when women took self-defense training they were 2x less likely to receive unwanted sexual contact and 3x less likely to be raped than those who did not take a self-defense course.
Many factors play into sexual assault, and if you’ve experienced sexual assault, it’s not your fault. But with the help of this study, we know that, for everyone, there are ways to teach ourselves, our daughters, nieces, neighbors, and the women we care about how to stand up for themselves and de-escalate conflict before it even begins. Girl power!
Martial Arts Can Be For Everyone
We’ve established how martial arts fosters life-changing success skills in kids, and we’ll touch on two other practical benefits. First, another cool thing about martial arts is that it’s a great place for kids who are in other sports, as they’ll learn those awesome skills that make them better athletes overall.
It can also serve as a real home for kids who are not so sporty and may feel left out because of it. Because martial arts is an individual sport in a group setting, kids who may be shy about being “not so athletic” don’t have to worry about “letting their team down” or being picked on.
They get to focus on their growth and improvement (while they cheer on their peers of course!). And because it’s an individual sport, kids learn how to set and get their own goals and recognize their achievements. It’s excellent for boosting that confidence in not-so-sporty kids and allowing them to be proud of themselves in a new way. Now that you understand how martial arts classes build the foundation for life-long success.
It may go without saying, but we’re going to say it anyway. Martial arts is a form of self-defense. Self-defense is, in our opinion, essential for everyone to have in their back pocket, regardless of age, gender, or ability. We always say it’s something you don’t want to have to use, but will wish you learned if you need it.
Though we teach nonviolent forms of conflict resolution and show students that physical self-defense should only be used as a last resort, if a bully gets violent or an emergency happens, your child needs to know how to protect themselves.
Self-Defense Tip #1- Keys Between Your Fingers
Our first self-defense tip is to keep your car keys between your fingers. It’s dark at night when you’re walking to your car- and that’s dangerous. Thankfully the “keys between your fingers” advice is pretty common knowledge nowadays- but if someone came at you, where would you strike? The answer- go for the leg to wound your attacker enough to then get yourself to safety.
How We Teach Self-Defense
So if you’re interested in Women’s self-defense classes, it’s helpful to know how we teach it. Unlike other self-defense training, the physical act of self-defense is just one piece of our martial arts classes in Levittown.
Every class is centered on different activities and moves that our students work on throughout the week. They practice consistently to make the moves muscle memory so that they know exactly what to do in an emergency, pretty much without thinking.
Some of the self-defense techniques that we teach in our martial arts school are kick techniques, punch techniques, and striking techniques. These can be at a distance or up close to the attacker to prevent assault from any distance. So we get you into fantastic shape by toning your entire body, and then we work on your mental strength.
We also teach the “soft skills” that are needed for success in any facet of your life, including perseverance, discipline, and confidence, through lots of positive reinforcement, encouragement, celebration, and pushing our students just beyond their comfort zones every single week to build resilience. Again, these benefits extend into work, relationships, and hobbies… everything improves with martial arts classes, not just your knowledge of self-defense!
Self-Defense Tip #2- Don’t Park in The Dark
Common sense would tell you not to park your car in a dark area, but we’ve all got squirrels running around in our heads (read: we’re a bit scatterbrained). Often we’re just not thinking when we’re running post-work errands or pulling into the parking ramp first thing in the morning. So this is your reminder- stay diligent. Park where it’s well-lit and stay sharp when you’re walking to your car (see tip #1).
Don’t Just Learn It, Use It: Staying Calm With Self-Defense
Self-defense is important to defend yourself against an attacker- obviously. But what may be just as important is knowing how to keep calm in an emergency so that you can use the self-defense skills you’ve worked so hard to learn.
Since you’re reading this article, we can assume that you’ve picked up a few things from YouTube or training here or there. But without consistent practice (or a professional to show you the way), that information is going to slip away. Plus (and this is huge), without practice, you’ll likely panic and lose your common sense. If you’re walking down the street or just in the wrong place at the wrong time, how can you effectively use self-defense without proper practice? If you haven’t been trained by professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping make the world a safer place, the answer is probably no.
Showing up at the studio for every class, hitting every kick and punch until it’s all muscle memory gives our martial arts students a huge advantage over any other sport (and killer self-discipline). After years of martial arts classes, our students learn to recognize and avoid “bad” situations, and in effect protect themselves and their loved ones from dangerous situations in the first place. Long story short, knowing martial arts will give you a huge advantage in protecting yourself. But knowing how to use martial arts properly and stay calm in the face of danger, which is what we teach every single class? Priceless.
Self-Defense Tip #3- Broom Handle
Think about it- what better weapon could you have than a weapon that doesn’t even look like a weapon at all? A broom handle is an effective tool that can be used like a staff for defending oneself. You could also break it into two, like Kali sticks, for more leverage. Our advice- keep a broom near your door or under your bed for peace of mind.
Confidence – Your Secret Weapon
One of the coolest things about martial arts is that while you’re building your physical strength, you’re also building up your mental strength. Our classes are as much about becoming unshakably confident and mastering self-discipline as they are about mastering punches and kicks. We use positive reinforcement and push our students outside of their comfort zones every single class so that they leave each session with something to hang their hats on. We also focus on cheering each other on and creating a positive environment for our students to be as badass as possible. Because of this, our students can speak up and stand up for themselves when they need it most.
That confidence and sense of accomplishment don’t just stay in the studio either. You’re walking down the street and you KNOW you can physically handle anything that comes your way- that’s an unbelievable feeling! And it breeds this great cycle of respecting yourself, and then doing things that demonstrate that self-respect. You may start to stick up for yourself in other ways, like asking for that raise you’ve been waiting to ask for, or eating salads over doughnuts. That’s what martial arts does- it creates the best version of you. And that best version is a badass that knows how to defend themselves in any situation. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
Self-Defense Tip #4- Self-Defense Classes
So these tips are great and all, and you can probably find a ton more online- but what’s not online is an instructor dedicated to YOU and your unique understanding of how to protect yourself. Adrenaline WILL kick in in a high-stress situation and if you’ve never been trained on how to use self-defense, you may panic and lose your sense of what to do. Self-defense classes are the number one way for you to learn how to protect yourself and the people you love.
Women’s Self-defense classes at Levittown can help you build the physical strength required to protect yourself as much as they can help build mental strength, stamina, and confidence you never knew you had. See for yourself how AmeriKick Martial Arts self-defense classes can change your life the way it’s changed all of our students’ lives … our risk-free trial is the way to go! You’ll LOVE it! Trial Offer!
