Graphic portraying two partners practicing self-defense. Aubrie Rice // AS Publicity Center
By MacKenzie Dexter
For years I have been putting off taking a self-defense class. Unfortunately, time and money are factors keeping many of us, including myself, from participating in defense classes. Another reason I haven’t taken a class is because I am scared to put myself in unknown situations. While the whole point of self-defense classes is to make a person more confident in defending themselves, I worried that my lack of knowledge and physical strength would keep me from benefiting from the program.
However, recently I went to the emergency room with a friend who needed stitches after splitting his forehead open. While in the waiting room, a man who was waiting for his friend sparked a conversation with us. He joked, asking if I was the one who caused the injury on my friend’s forehead. I did not, a door frame caused the gash and resulted in the emergency run to the hospital.
The man then proceeded to squeeze my arm and said, “Oh, there is no way you could have done that.”
While multiple factors of that event angered me, one was him thinking he had the right to touch me. Another was him thinking I was not capable of defending myself. It angered me that I came off as weak to a stranger. I worried that if a man didn’t believe I was physically strong, I could be an easy target. So, after weeks of pushing away my anxieties and fears about self-defense classes, I decided to attend one.
I went to a weekly free self-defense class at Bellingham Mixed Martial Arts. Being in an environment that I feel comfortable in and also included womxn of all levels of training eased my anxiety about attending. Also, it’s a free program every Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., perfect for anyone who doesn’t have the finances to pay for a class and has a busy work week.
When I first got to Bellingham Mixed Martial Arts, I was nervous. I could tell that some people had been attending for a while and I was afraid that I would be too far behind. Everyone attending the class was kind and supportive, but the fear of the unknown kept lurking in the background.
However, Penny McMahon, the womxn’s instructor, makes sure to cater to everyone’s individual experience level while also ensuring her students are safe and comfortable.
Womxn are more than welcome to come observe a class and not participate if they do not feel ready yet, McMahon said.
“You can always come and you can always watch,” McMahon said. “I never want to push someone past the point of their comfort zone.”
After a quick warm up, we went right into learning a couple techniques. The first technique was called the Sukui-Nage, also known as the scooping throw.
“[The Sukui-Nage] is a Japanese judo technique where the defender steps behind the attacker’s hips and scoops under the knees to exploit the attacker’s base, dumping the attacker backwards,” McMahon said in an email.
The most terrifying part for me was having to fall back on a mat. Since everyone got the chance to practice, each person fell around a dozen times. However, after the first few falls, and remembering to curl my chin in and not use my arms to brace myself, I became comfortable with falling. Being the one doing the Sukui-Nage made me aware of my own balance and how to use my body’s strength as the defender.
It’s also important to remember that we are all in a controlled and safe setting surrounded by people looking out for one another.
The second technique we learned was the rear naked choke.
“[The rear naked choke is a] choke from behind using an arm triangle hold around the neck that constricts blood flow to the brain through pressure on the carotid arteries,” McMahon said.
Two partners practice the technique on each other to get a feeling of how to properly do the technique as well as what it feels like being choked.
After practicing, students are encouraged to participate in live grappling to apply the techniques they’ve learned in a safe and monitored environment.
While it’s fine to observe a class, it’s important to participate to fully understand a technique, according to McMahon. She said it’s important to know what it feels like to be the receiver and the recipient of the technique. With a class of around a dozen people, each person was able to get comfortable with how to execute the move as well as what it was like to fall to the ground, without hurting themself.
Learning self-defense is hard work and takes time. While I learned an assortment of techniques in the class I attended, it takes time and practice. It can seem intimidating, but the hardest part is convincing yourself to go.
“I hope that when people come into the class they can realize that you can do anything, even if you’ve never done anything like it before,” McMahon said. “Coming through the door is the hardest part.”
While this was my first self-defense class, I realized how much power my body held. Becoming in tune with my body and finding its balance and strength while combining it with the new techniques allows me to feel more confident in my ability to protect myself. We all have strength, we just have to figure out how to use it.
“Coming in and challenging yourself, putting yourself in that predicament is you taking one step to be more self-sufficient and more in charge of what happens in your life,” McMahon said.
With only one class under my belt, I still have a long way to go. However, I want to find ways to defend myself everyday and make sure other womxn can avoid harm as well. According to McMahon, one of the best ways people can defend themselves and be conscious of the environment around them is to put your phone down.
“If you’re walking, put your phone down,” McMahon said. “Be spatially aware.”
According to McMahon, most people who are assaulted are usually taken by surprise. Being aware and walking with purpose will make you look more conscious of your surroundings and make it more difficult to surprise you.
Being in tune with our bodies and the environment and taking advantage of the free resources offered to womxn can help us be more confident in our body’s strength.