Young women focus on awareness to defend themselves
Martial arts studio educates females on self-protection, recognizing surroundings
February 18, 2016
Sophomore Lillie Albright straightens her arms on her opponent’s neck, illustrating the first step in defending oneself in a choking situation.
Albright said she started the four-week self-defense class for women at Midwest Karate & Yoga of St. Louis Park studio in order to better know how to protect herself.
“We basically went over how to look confident rather than being an easy target to be taken advantage of,” Albright said.
Studio owner Luis Ocampo said the initiative for creating a basic self-defense class came from the desire to increase women’s knowledge about how to protect themselves.
“This class really is supposed to inform on the basics of self-defense, giving women options when in danger,” Ocampo said.
According to Ocampo, the program begins with education about increasing consciousness about potential dangers.
“I start off the training by focusing on awareness and how to identify a possible threat,” Ocampo said.
Even though Ocampo said citizens of St. Louis Park rarely need to defend themselves, he stresses the importance of knowing defense strategies.
“In general it’s safe around here, but it is important to know the basics on how to fight back,” Ocampo said.
Freshman Rosie Maldonado said knowing self-defense may help people protect themselves if they’re in a dangerous situation or environment.
“I would be interested in a self-defense class because I think for people to know the basics is very helpful in case they get in trouble,” Maldonado said.
Ocampo said the class teaches many different aspects of self-defense in four hour-long sessions.
“Although it only lasts about a month, we cover identifying threats, body language, basic defense and more,” Ocampo said
Albright said part of the class focused on how to have a confident voice when confronting a predator.
“We practiced using our voices, like if someone tried to touch us tell them ‘no don’t touch me!’ and back away,” Albright said. “After that we focused on more physical contact and how to block someone’s hand when they are trying to choke you.”
Maldonado said having the ability to fight off an aggressor helps create a sense of security.
“Although it is unlikely that you have to defend yourself, knowing you have the ability to protect yourself acts as insurance all the time,” Maldonado said.
Ocampo said along with education on how to use self-defense, he also teaches how to use posture to discourage assailants.
“This class emphasizes the use of body language to help perceive a threat and to ward off potential attacks,” Ocampo said.
Albright said the class helped to increase her understanding of the importance of appearance when in dangerous situations.
“It is important to look strong and confident because many times predators focus on weaker targets that would be less likely to put up a fight,” Albright said.
Overall, Albright said she recommends the class for any woman regardless of appearance or athletic ability.
“All the methods we have covered work very well and can be used by anyone effectively, regardless of physical shape,” Albright said.
The four-week program costs $100 and is available for women middle school-aged and older from 6-7 p.m. Feb. 10, 17 and 24 at Midwest Karate & Yoga of St. Louis Park.
The studio also offers classes for Shotokan karate, hatha yoga, functional strengthening and Yoga-Bells.
