TDKM’s first womens self defence workshop

Most experienced Krav Maga practitioners will tell you that there is very little point in all female classes as women have to be able to defend themselves against people who are bigger and stronger than themselves. This is absolutely true, but for women who have never tried it before a women’s workshop is a fantastic place to start.

I went along to the class at the Bow Field Hotel in March, taught by John McKinnon and Amelia Vaux.  I went partly hoping to entice a friend to come along, but also just for the opportunity to go over some techniques specifically targeted at defences that women are more likely to need.  Everyone there was a little nervous to start with, as could be measured by the volume of the giggling during the warm up exercises.  For me it was a treat to be amongst people who find those games as hilarious as I do.

We quickly moved on to the basics of striking and kicking, getting everyone used to the idea of making contact in a powerful, but simple way.  Even the women who had been a little hesitant at first soon found their inner Xena as the sound of fists hitting pads overtook the nervous laughter.

By the end of the two hours we had learned how to quickly and effectively break free from common arm grabs and choking situations, finishing with some quality pressure testing to help turn our training into muscle memory.

I think it would be fair to say that most of the women there worked harder than they had anticipated they would, but by the end felt more confident in their own abilities and strength, and hopefully inspired to continue training.