Women are being offered a free two hour self-defence class

In light of the sexual assault which happened on Monday night, women are being offered a free two hour self-defence class.

Classes are being run by Garry and Jayne from The Academy of Self Defence, on Sunday 5th February at Sport Sheffield, and will run from 11am-1pm.

These classes are special as they are taught by a woman, focused on teaching other women how to avoid harmful situations and use force effectively if it is ever needed.

The Tab spoke to Garry who has set up the classes, who said: “We decided to offer this free class after hearing of the incident in Weston Park on Monday. This was not the first time something like this has happened, and it probably won’t be the last.”

“The needs of women are different to men, and students are not being warned of the dangers surrounding them. I have lots of women in my life who I want to be able to protect themselves.

“We teach self defence by talking about crime as a process. We tell women about the indicators of crime, what to look out for, as well as physically defending themselves.

When we asked what the university or council could be doing to improve women’s safety, Garry said: “I think universities are frightened to offer self-defence as it indicates that people are coming to a dangerous uni, which puts people off.

“But I think we should offer it from a positive angle of ‘staying safe’, to encourage instead of frighten. It should be a preventative thing. If you’re training because the bad guys are in your head, they’ve already won.”

The free courses were started last semester as part of the university’s ’16 Days Against Gendered Violence’, when the Stop the Traffik contacted the Academy of Self Defence.

Rachel Mercer, President of Stop the Traffik said: “The classes were to help us all feel that little bit safer when walking around Sheffield at night. I would consider myself physically quite weak but Garry showed me how I could use force to get out of a potentially harmful situation.

“I’m sure most people don’t feel threatened going places alone, however what happened last Monday goes to show that there are some very opportunistic and dangerous individuals around.

“I would wholeheartedly recommend learning a basic level of self-defence as it has made myself and my society more wary and confident of their own abilities to defend themselves against the assholes of the world.”

There has been such a huge response to these classes that one is to be set up at Hallam University in the near future – details to be confirmed.

To book onto the class, call 07738909125 or email [email protected] with your name, and any friends joining.