Would you take a free, women-only self-defense class?

They wouldn’t let me in.

How old were the women, and why did you want them to take them?

At this point in my life, it would depend on location, when, and what exactly it would entail.

@Dutchess_III

The approximate age ranges were from about 30 to early 50’s.

My wife was 52, when the first time I told her about it was when a class was being offered by a guy with whom I used to work. I thought it was a good idea, because we don’t live together, and hopefully that way she could take care of herself when I wasn’t there. She declined, and I let it go at that.

Awhile later, a woman that I used to work with told me she took one of the classes. After that, a guy she was with tried to (sexually?) assault her. She totaled the ahole, and sent him bloody and crying to a bathroom. He locked himself in there, and begged her to let him go without further damage. This lady was about 5’8” tall and weighed about 130 lbs, so she wasn’t exactly Laila Ali.

Because of that, I thought such a class would be beneficial.

I took a self defense class in college. Also, six months of Tae Kwon DO in my 20s. Don’t know exactly what I could do with what I learned now, 30 years later.

I did, in college. Twice. It was valuable, I’m glad I did it.

@canidmajor

The classes were offered at different times in various locations. I think the nearest location was about 3 miles away, and the times were something like 10AM and 2PM.

Since the notice didn’t mention any prerequisites, my guess is that the training wasn’t very demanding. However, when my wife finally took a class when she was 71, she said she got dizzy trying to perform a spinning kick, which I think seems too advanced for a 2-hour class for complete beginners.

And who is in charge of the classes?

I hope it isn’t you, because if so they won’t think they can match your level of skill ~

@Brian1946 I think I’d be interested. Years ago I took a self defense class called Worth Defending. There were only women in the class but I’m not sure it was limited to women. It wasn’t free either.

@Mimishu1995

The classes were sponsored by my state (California), and I guess the trainers were in charge of the classes.

It wasn’t me. I’ve had like 1 minute of SD training, so I bet you could turn me into a bloody bag of bone fragments, after you took just one class! ;-o

My daughter (who goes to the school where @Mariah went) took one last term as part of her school’s Phys Ed requirement. She said she liked it and said it gave her a bit more confidence when out in public.

I know some guys who opened a fitness/self-defense studio. As one of them said, “it’s hard to get people to try anything. It’s like starting a bowling league or a book club. You tell everybody in earshot about it and only a tiny percentage will ever bite.”

I took one free Krav Maga class from these guys and I thought it was the best thing ever. I stayed with it 3 years until I had to stop for medical reasons. I miss it a lot.

A buddy was in the classes with me, and we were absolutely evangelical about it, It was obvious (to us) that everybody, and especially women, should get some fight training.

My friend couldn’t even get three of his four kids into it. The youngest loves the classes, but the older ones lost interest quickly.

Probably because the classes vary from worthless to ‘every woman should take them’. I went to one and it was worthless, kind of turned me off.

Sometimes I think charging a small fee is better than marketing “free” because people tend to assign more value to something they pay for. Maybe even a nominal fee, like $5.

Also, I don’t like ‘women’s only’ classes either. I want a mixed class so I can learn to fight against real men, which is more likely in RL.

@Brian1946 I can’t believe they had them trying a spinning kick in class! When I took Tae Kwon DO we spent day learning exactly how to place our feet, slowly going faster and faster.

I have multiple chemical sensitivities, which means I’m allergic to perfumes. No self-respecting woman will set foot in a self-defense class unless she is armed and soaked in her favorite fragrance (sarcasm intended). I cannot raise a defense against something that makes me sick, except to just avoid it.

@Dutchess_III

Me neither.

Perhaps they were just teaching the students how to spin, and I subconsciously added “kicks” to my wife’s comment.

She was quite dismissive of the experience, so I didn’t try to get any clarification.

I wish she had the same interest that you had and the appreciation that @Mariah did.

Well, I was in wonderful shape and very strong. It was just an extension of my interest in athletics.

I’ve taken them in the past. They were offered by local police. I cant’ say they ever came in handy, really. The times I have been threatened, .... One time, I just reacted to a guy’s arm coming at me and I punched his jaw and it stopped him. Another time I had a bottle thrown at me and it hit my head and I had no chance to defend myself. There were other things they mentioned in the class like parking near a light and knowing where the exits are and locking things up well. They may have kept me safe without me knowing it.