Defense against rape

I'm a 16 year old male. I have my first degree black belt in kenpo karate and i'm going to be running a self-defense class at my school. Some of the girls have asked me about running womens self-defense/rape defense classes so that they "know what to do" if ever placed in this situation. Does anyone have any tips or techniques/situations that I can use in my class? Feel free to e-mail me too. Jarell_2005@hotmail.com

It is a noble thing that you're doing, just make sure you do it right. Good intentions can sometime lead to problems.

I think when teaching you want to "keep it simple" so they can remember it. Heavy emphasis on techniquess will be easily be forgotten especially if they don't practice them all of the time.

If you are serious about teaching something like this, take the time to research it thoroughly. Some of this information talks about how to avoid or what can be done to limit this type of contact. This is equally as important as any techniques you could show them to escape. Knowledge is power and it is in your hands to pass this along to them.

Here are some links that might be useful.
http://www.womentodaymagazine.com/family/safety.html http://www.defendu.com/questions/quest34.htm http://www.rapeescape.com/fightwfear.htm http://www.geocities.com/mechanicolet/lite/la018.html

There is more information on the web but I think that they basically have similar information. I think you'll find some of this useful. Good Luck

jarell,

while i will admit that i don't know your skill level personally, i would say the most important advice would be to ask yourself wether or not you are qualified to run these classes

are you aware of any basic criminal psychology?

aware of personality types?

criminal to victim interview techniques?

are you aware of rape scenarios? how they are performed?

statistics on how many rapes are done by people the women already know? and use intimidation, guilt etc to rape?

have you known a woman who has been raped? how you would handle talking to a woman who has already been raped taking your classes?
do you have the emotional experience/maturity/counseling ability?

would your scenarios entail your attacking these women as if you were raping them? and forcing them to realistically defending themselves against you? with realistic force? (many defense training groups use redman suits etc on the attacker and have the defender put their full effort in defending themselves)

has your kempo training ever included any information on rape?

have you ever used your kempo training in a serious confromtation? have you used the particular techniques you would plan to teach?

id guess that you are probably lacking in these - its not a criticism, just an assumption based on age. but some very important things to consider.

another question to ask yourself (again regarding maturity) is how you would react if one of your students was raped after taking your classes? are you ready for possible feelings of self guilt and anger?

while it wouldn't neccesarily be your fault, you may project some of the blame onto yourself. "did i teach well enough?" "should i have included more?" "why didn't i do.....?"

the bad teachers of self defence classes are unprepared, they have a black belt and believe this qualifies them about self defence

the good teachers have asked themselves these questions and are ready, they have experience in law enforcement, counselling, psychology. have actually defended themselves, in some cases actually used their training in life threatening cases.

i agree with dereck that it is noble - but it may be better to direct these women to an acreddited training group that has these things other wise you may be giving false hope. ask your local police, they will have the information and may know where to go for these classes. if it is truly somthing you are passionate about then develop yourself, for both you and any future students sake

the importance of the self defence techniques are very important - make sure you keep them basic - basic enough to be remembered by a person in absolute terror and possibly a bit drunk themselves

take care all

We just went through all this with another guy who is in high school and wants to teach . I'm not sure what thread he was under but we gave him a ton of info.....do a search, I think it was this month. Oh and good luck at school.

I would agree with previous posters. Assess yourself criticaly and say "am I currently able to do justice to the importance of this role." Whether you as a 16 year old 1st Dan in anything are qualified to teach such a class is a subsidiary point, and I supppose is largely irrelevant in that you probably think you are (hell I would of too). The important issue is whether you are prepared and capable of dealing with the 'non technical' issues surround women's self defence, such as (as you raised it) rape, the potential consequences of fighting back and not fighting back, whether submission MAY EVEN be the better option, the law, offenders, and the other really nasty aspects of these types of crimes that you will have to talk about confidently openly and knowledgeably infront of a class of women. Other issues are rightly and correctly identified by Meanstreak above and so I wont repeat them, but (and I dont mean this disrespectfuly), are you sure that you are mature enough and adequately well informed to undertake this type of instruction? Are you insured is another albeit less immediate point.

Regds
Mr V

Jarell, with all due respect, and I'm sure you have the best of intentions, but have you thought of the legel remifications of your istructions.

What if a woman that you have taught follows your instructions perfectly in a 'real' situation, yet was injured in some way, or your techniques didn't work, are you then liable? In this instance your SD qualifications will be brought in to question, which is ok if you have some.

Also, when instructing you have to make sure that you have the relevant imdemnity insurance, in case of injury during your class.

Just my 2c.

Take care,

Gaffer.

first thing they teach is prevention, like telling girls to walk fast and with their shoulders back and head held high, the kind of look that says dont f with me.

Rapists normally prey on the weak, just like animals do, if you don't look weak, no one will bother you (most of the time).

Just a quick tip.

Meanstreak and Mr V are dialed in on this one.

Rape Prevention/ Defense requires a certain amount of life experience and maturity to instruct responsibly. Not that you are not mature, but at 16, even with a Kenpo BB, you probably have a lot yet to learn about real confrontations let alone traumatic sexual assaults.

Part of being a good teacher is knowing when to refer people to a more experienced source.



[This message has been edited by Fletch1 (edited 12-10-2004).]

Hi!

I really commend you on your efforts! I am a 3rd degree BB (Head Instructor) on American Kenpo. I have taught many Rape Prevention seminars in Puerto Rico. I've been a Law Enforcement Officer for 10yrs. Even with all that experience and a BA on Criminology, such seminars can be very complicated. Keep in mind that you are very young and inexperienced (do not take this the wrong way). I agree with the others, if you really want to help those women, find a better qualified instructor. Remember, you are responsible for what you teach; if not legally, morally. You do not want to give your students bad advice right? So what you do is get someone who can help you. You can still play a part as a coordinator for the seminar and you can also help them with the techniques. When I 1st started with the seminars, I had my teacher and his wife (2 Master level BB) actually teaching and I was assisting and serving as a technical advisor. As I grew in age and experience, I took the seminars as part of my lifework. But I always make sure I am prepared with the latest info and most important, RESOURCES. Please think this throughly.

Yours in Kenpo,

C. Roman