What's the difference between SD and Women's SD?

[polegirl]

IOM Combat and sikal you have both summed it up really well. I have had many conversations with my female friends about SD and what often comes up is the issue of "I don't want to fight and I don't want to be aggressive". It is a cultural issue in that women are taught to be nice and to walk into a dojo and fight men is not something most women are comfortable with. Women are also taught to ignore their instincts. Women's SD classes allow women to be in a comfortable situation and learn at least enough to defend themselves. Also part of women's SD is to teach women that it is okay to listen to their instincts. It has been proven that when women don't listen to their instincts generally they end up getting attacked (I thought there was something weird about the guy but I got in the lift. I did not want to be rude. Yes this has happened!!!!). It has been proven that attackers are generally surprised when women fight back and that women stand a greater chance of getting away unharmed if they fight back even in a small way (even stop don't do that will work - it does not have to get physical, also a lot of women's SD teaches how to stop it getting physical). I know some people have expressed the opinion that it is basically just a way to make more money but in my experience (and that of my friends) it is a great way for women to learn to listen to their instincts, know it is okay to defend yourself and have enough confidence to defend yourself (not in a cool Charlie's Angels way) so that you can get away from your attacker.

[peppi]

Women sometimes can not imagine the brutality of a real assault.
So before any self-defense techniques the teaching should be focused on changing their way of thinking towards combat.

[sunstar]

old thread - some of the earlier posts have some useful info/perspectives but...

just some facts about the assault/rape most of us (over 90%)
face - in reality:

not strangers
not 'in the street'
not sudden, overwhelming blitz attacks
not random
often with strategic, purposeful, even fraudulent use of alcohol by the assailant

not strangers
not strangers
not strangers

just a thought.
Before deciding to 'teach SD4 women', spend at least as much time learning about what we face - in reality - as you spend learning martial arts, systems, combatives, etc.

Or if you can't or won't, spend at least 2-3 years working in a battered womens program, doing direct work with survivors in a sexual assault program, work with molested girls (and boys too).

Spend your time listening, not talking.
Learn real cases/situations.

(one small example out of much more) Learn what 'grooming behavior' means and how perps use it strategically. and then figure out detection and 25 different ways women/girls can respond/stop it - and 12 activities for different age groups for teaching and practice.

Learn and understand why most assaults, rapes, molestation are never reported to LE - or even revealed to anyone.

when there's little (or nothing) that puzzells you about the women and girls in your classes - or the ones you try to talk about SD with(without much success) ... you're closer to being ready to teach.

when you get it-when nothing about their responses confuses or irritates you - and when you have successfully figured out (from them) how to help them shift those attitudes and change their choices and behavior,
you'll be able to start putting a class together.

not till then.

[cedak]

I personally think the perfect teacher for self-defense classes is a combination of a man and a woman. Both need to impart their knowledge, their skill, and their experiences. Men can really help us learn how men think, how they will act, and react. Women understand how other women think and feel. They can demonstrate to them that this will work for them thus imparting the confidence that women need to have in their own skills and training.

[jamesBavbedari]

I personally think the perfect teacher for self-defense classes is a combination of a man and a woman. Both need to impart their knowledge, their skill, and their experiences. Men can really help us learn how men think, how they will act, and react. Women understand how other women think and feel. They can demonstrate to them that this will work for them thus imparting the confidence that women need to have in their own skills and training.

right, here you need to learn to understand the psyche of both sexes, because the cases when a woman attacks a woman are much lower than when a man attacks a woman

[chrishhems]

From what I’ve seen, most combatives-type classes don’t split self-defense techniques by gender. The focus is more on teaching practical stuff that works for anyone. But in women’s self-defense classes, they usually spend more time on situations women might face, like dealing with someone grabbing you or being attacked by someone bigger. It’s more about using leverage or targeting weak spots to escape. I think the attitude can also feel a bit different—there’s often more emphasis on building confidence and staying aware of surroundings. But the basics of defending yourself are the same across the board.

[chrishhems]

From what I’ve seen, most combatives-type classes don’t split self-defense techniques by gender. The focus is more on teaching practical stuff that works for anyone. But in women’s self-defense classes, they usually spend more time on situations women might face, like dealing with someone grabbing you or being attacked by someone bigger. It’s more about using leverage or targeting weak spots to escape. I think the attitude can also feel a bit different—there’s often more emphasis on building confidence and staying aware of surroundings. But the basics of defending yourself are the same across the board.