Self-defense class in Northcliff
The dojo recently invited women to learn techniques that would help protect them.
Seido student Julie Ah-Fa hosted a free self-defence class for the women of Northcliff on International Women’s Day.
Seido is a traditional Japanese style of karate and Ah-Fa said, “Many women have never experienced punching someone, or even a bag before, and are amazed to see how powerful they can be and how effective and strong an elbow strike or a hammer fist strike could be.”
Ah-Fa said after a quick warm-up, the women were invited by jun shihan Nesan Naidoo (6th dan) to hit the punching bags and learn about their strengths and capabilities.
They were shown the basics and how to execute a kick to the groin effectively and how to follow up with a knee kick. They were also shown how to get out of tricky situations such as being strangled with simple but effective movements. Naturally, one’s first instinct would be to try to grab the opponent’s hands to pull them away but there are faster and more effective ways, regardless of the size and strength of the woman.
“The interactive class was conducted in a safe and jovial manner with laughter and good interaction between the participants and instructors. The ladies enjoyed practising the different exercises and techniques together, assisted by the seido female students.”
There was also a short discussion on the importance of being self-aware of your environment and the five seido aspects of self-defence: Think, Yell, Run, Fight and Tell.
1) Think about your surroundings and be aware of the inherent risks.
2) Yell to raise the attention of the people around you.
3) Run if you can, and avoid the confrontation by all means.
4) Fight and face your adversary if you have to and if you don’t have a choice, In this case, whatever you have can be used as a weapon (keys, cellphone, torch, bag, shoes, especially high heels).
“As Jun Shihan Nesan said, ‘Don’t be scared to be messy, attack the weak points such as the eyes, the groin, the temple and many other weak areas.”
She added after your ordeal, tell your story. Don’t keep it bottled up inside you as it will end up harming you mentally and psychologically. She encouraged women to look for support and talk about it. “This was a useful experience enjoyed by the ladies that helped build their confidence. The dojo is willing to make this event more regular as there was a huge demand for more information and techniques.”
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