A new class at the YWCA aims to give women skills and techniques to defend themselves if they’re in danger.
Fight Back is a nine-week course that is pay-what-you-can — making the class accessible for those who may not be able to afford it otherwise.
“There’s a lot of violence against women out in the streets, in homes, and the stats are particularly high in Saskatchewan, so I personally thought I wanted to offer something to the community to help even the odds,” said Eric James, self-defense class instructor.
Saskatchewan has the highest rate of violence against women and girls than any other province, according to a 2017 Statistics Canada report. There were 2,769 cases of violence for every 100,000 people in Saskatchewan that year.
This class acknowledges the dangers and offers basic self-defence moves for people who have “little to no experience with fighting,” according to James — and instills confidence when faced with those situations.
“I always start with punching,” explained James, “it’s the easiest one to get your mind around and often people think they know what a punch is but they don’t realize certain things like being a certain distance from somebody to make it powerful and that you have to stay loose.
“People under-estimate a punch — usually just one or two punches and someone attacking you isn’t interested anymore, so it’s maybe your most likely first defence against an attack,” he said.
Also learned in the class is grappling which is a wrestling move, as well as techniques to get out of headlocks or if people pick you up from behind, being pinned down, or being thrown down on the ground.
But James said it’s not just about being able to physically defend, it’s about knowing how to act when faced with danger, “it’s about building strategies, like street smarts,” he said.
“It empowers women to feel a little more independent, they won’t feel so restricted in the places they can go, the people they can meet, the events they can take part in.
The class is pay-what-you-can and hopes to garner attendees from the YWCA, a women’s shelter where women often find themselves after fleeing domestic violence or unsafe situations.
James is a martial arts instructor in Regina, and to apply this knowledge at the YWCA is a personal offering to the community.
“Just about anybody knows somebody whether its family or friends who’ve been attacked in some way,” he said. “I’d like to think that there are programs out there that can make people a little safer.”
Though the subject matter of the class is quite serious, James said the class which took place earlier in the year turned into a bonding and enjoyable experience for those who took part.
- Life in the forest: How Stanley Park’s longest resident survived a changing landscape
- Bird flu risk to humans an ‘enormous concern,’ WHO says. Here’s what to know
- Roll Up To Win? Tim Hortons says $55K boat win email was ‘human error’
- Election interference worse than government admits, rights coalition says
“There’s a nice comradery that happened and everyone had a lot of fun.”
The classes take place on a drop-in basis every Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. at the YWCA.
If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, resources can be found here.
Comments