Women in defence mode
THE fear of being attacked led to about 50 people – mostly women – to attend a self-defence and safety seminar in Walmer, Port Elizabeth at the weekend.
Mixed Martial Arts Academy coach Chris Bright hosted the seminar at Ignite Gym where he showed off “That One Move” which could possibly save their lives in case of assault.
Bright said it was important to master only one technique to start with.
He said if he presented several options in a short course such as this, students may not remember which one to use in a crisis and his teaching of self-defence skills would then be rendered useless.
“I prefer to train my students to master only one move because once I teach them an alternative, they might get confused trying to remember which defence move to turn to when under pressure.
“If they depend on only one move, they stand a greater chance of mastering it,” the self-taught jiu-jitsu pro said.
Bright gave a step-by-step demonstration of the technique, giving the opportunity to imitate and practise with partners.
The technique includes pulling the attacker’s top from the back and holding onto it with both hands over one side of the neck. Then twisting one arm over the head, placing both forearms on either side of the neck, and making it easier to strangle the attacker.
The seminar comes at a time when violent crimes against women dominate media reports, thus prompting women to take measures to protect themselves.
Delegate Toni Rennie said seminars like this were useful in building women’s confidence and preparing them for anything untoward.
“Having been a survivor of [violent crime] myself I know that the mind goes completely blank when something like this happens, but the more preparation that you can put in and the more knowledge you have will put you in a good place,” she said.
Rennie said she learned new skills, was felt empowered by the seminar and found self-defence knowledge extremely important for women, especially in South Africa.
The seminar was the first of its kind for Bright, but co-organiser Clarisse Bishop said she hoped it would not be the last.
The attendees were given breaks to catch their breath while listening to informative talks by Intercare’s Dr Clement Plaatjies and community development manager for Atlas Security Bernadette Nel-Naude.
More information about the academy is available on the Chris Bright MMA Academy - PESFA Facebook page.