Every female should take Wen Do!

The picture says: "April 5, 2009 Janet smashed this board with her right tetsu! Congratulations! "instructor's name" "Wen-do symbol"

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in a 15 hour Wen-do Workshop that spanned over 2 days. It took place at York University and was sponsored by SASSL(thanks SASSL!) so that it was free!!! (instead of the 100$ regularly). The course left me feeling more confident about myself, and about being able to protect myself.

The instructor was amazing and very enthusiastic about what she taught. She taught about 1) Awareness 2) Avoidance and 3) Action. Awareness means to always be aware of your surroundings and those around you. Be aware of places that are safe/not so safe in your neighbourhood. Recall places that may be open 24/7. Avoidance Get away as soon as possible when you sense danger. (eg. Yell, cross the street). Action Use your voice to assert your rights, and to protect yourself. If you need to hit, use all the power in your body and voice, and keep going until you get to safety.

We learnt different types of strikes: Hammer's Fist, Eagle's Claw, Inside Knife Hand, Zipper Punch, Outside Knife Hand, Wen-do Fist, Heel Palm, Web Hand, Side and back elbow strike, upper elbow strike, cross elbow strike, front and back kick, upper and lower blocks, front and back choke releases, wrist releases, Amateur Knife Defense, Professional Knife Defense, Back Knife Defense, Bed Techniques (if attacker is at the door, beside the bed, on top), etc. The instructor taught us a lot in 2 days, but she gave us a sheet so that we can review the different techniques learnt. In addition to physical defense moves, she taught us to also practice verbal self defense. She told us many success stories of how women were able to talk themselves out of dangerous situations.

Most girls would think that they would only need to use self-defense if they were attacked by a stranger on the street late at night. However, this is not true. Here are some facts according to the Worldwide Sexual Assault Statistics:

-It is estimated that 1 in 3 American women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.
•89% of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows. (I think this is a very scary fact)
•For every sexual assault reported to the police, 3 to 10 go unreported.

The majority if violence against women cases is not the scene you see on TV. Usually on TV, the girl is out late at night, probably dressed in some scandalous clothing. Some stranger (usually sketchy looking) comes up and lifts her and tries to carry her away. The girl in turn starts to scream "You bad man..." and starts pounding at his chest (which is not a very vulnerable position). The reality is that women are most likely to be assaulted at home by someone they know. If they are in an abusive relationship, then they are at the highest risk of getting killed right after breaking up with the abusive partner.

If someone tried to assault you, (eg. your neighbour, friend, husband, boyfriend, ex-partner, a complete stranger) would you be prepared to use hard or soft wen-do? Would you defend yourself? I would, because I'm worth defending!

Some girls may think they never need to learn self defense because they won't get themselves in a situation where they require it. It never hurts to learn how to protect yourself and it only takes a few hours of your time. We are all human beings and we never deserve to be assaulted, or harassed in any way. In today's society with increasing rates of violence, I think every female should take the opportunity to equip themselves with the skills they need for any situation which may require them to defend themselves.

I am definitely interested in continuing on to Intermediate classes come September. Who's with me?