Can learning self defense be useful and effective enough for most women?

Or is it better to run away as fast as you can?

I do freeze up frequently when confronted with surprise situations.

My boyfriend says all girls are wimps and couldn't possibly win against a more powerful male attacker.

Well, I just started my self defense class in high school and our instructor thought very little of my boyfriend's advice when told of it.

To psychologically counteract the "freeze effect" common to many women in surprise situations, she gave us 2 web sites of current events where females were successful in dealing with their assailants:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/471467.html

http://www.surinenglish.com/noticias.php?Noticia=12145

Your thoughts?

Your advice?

Get real. Most conflicts in this life are not intersexual, but rather man vs. man and woman vs. woman. Thus I advise you to ignore the usual feminist dogma and to beware of your real opponent, namely, other women. --Carlos

I find that I disagree with your boyfriend.

Strength is only a piece of the equation when it comes to who will win a fight.

I used to do some armature boxing , matches were rarely won on who was physically stronger.

Anyway also having grown up in a military family I will tell you that some training will help you get over fear, allowing you to run away if the need requires.

It depends on the situation. If more than one, run like heck. One on one, with no one else near enough to hear or assist, running is futile, unless you disable your attacker, at least partially. The self defense class will definetely help there. But keep in mind, that while all they teach you is useful, there are times when you must just get a fast shot in. That's when the nasty hits are needed. Groin, adam's apple, nose cartilage, ear drums, kneecaps. A shin, if that's all you can hit at first, then the nasty. A man that has been kicked in the groin, had his throat collapsed, his eardrums exploded, his nose crushed by a palm thrust, or his leg broken, will not likely even persue you while you escape, and if they try, will not likely catch you. Also, an eye poked out will stop just about any man. These are some pretty nasty moves, but are quite effective, and who knows what may happen to you if you don't use them? Rape, torture, murder, sheesh. Keep mace at hand, or pepper spray, but if you are surprised by a man and no one is around, get ugly. It's the best way to save ye bacon.

Never allow yourself to be taken to a second location, but fight for your life.

On the other hand, know your situation and do not rely on self defense against a more powerful male if there is another out.

Even Bruce Lee considered running to be the ultimate self-defense technique. Most women will not be able to "defeat" a larger or tougher than average man who has intent, without training the right art, the right way, including strength training, 10 hours or more a week. That doesn't mean that women shouldn't train, they should just keep in mind what their goal is, which is running. Just because they can't defeat the man, doesn't mean they can't cut a pathway to delay and/or escape. It could be bad with some men to try to defend oneself, but usually the jerks are going for low hanging fruit. It's a little like network security or the wild, you don't want to look to open, weak, or sick. >>Yes, the freeze effect must be overcome. I feel bad when I see someone in a parking garage with fear. What a world we live in... >>As long as these dirtbags are going to share our air, wouldn't it be cool if enough people trained self defense to make them think twice more often?

Your boy friend is wrong about what he said to you. What ever a male can do so can a female so don't let your boy friend down you on what you know that you can do. I'm not telling you to dis your boy friend over what I said but you can do any thing that you put your mind to. Hit me back up on what you think that I'm saying is wrong or right.

Practice makes perfect. Practicing self-defense and imagining scenarios where you will need to defend yourself takes some of the surprise out of the attack. Soldiers drill, and women should also drill methods of self-defense.

Your boyfriend is incorrect. I have an aunt that teaches self-defense classes like you are describing. She is 5 ft tall, a black belt in taekwondo and could kick his a$$.

I agree with your instructor. Before I was ever attacked, I was sure I'd freeze up. Well, that did NOT happen.

Do whatever she tells you to prepare yourself.

You could learn self-defense and still have running as an option. That way you have a 'back up' plan, if the running part fails. 'Fight or Flight', your choice.

Or if you want to compromise, sucker punch 'em in the throat, and then run like hell.

Unless you have been training for many years or are an extremely athletic and aggressive female you probably won't win in an all out brawl against a man.

However, you can use self defense to effectively fight off an attacker and win. It's not a street fight it's life or death which is different.

One of the first things you have to do is get over that freezing reaction and go into survival mode where you are aggressive and willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

One way to get over the "freeze" is to practice. The more acquainted you are with a situation the more likely you are to react properly instead of freezing. Just like in sports they say "You play how you practice". At first you may take things easy to get used to it. But quickly you should be increasing the intensity of the training to simulate a real attack.

If you learn how to attack vital parts with concentrated aggression you can easily defend against an attacker.

You have to learn to fight dirty and aggressive.

http://www.selfdefenseinstructor.com/top-10-dirty-fighting-techniques/

http://www.selfdefenseinstructor.com/street-fight-psycology/

While a self defense class may give you an edge over a woman without the same training, don't fool yourself into believing you are going to "duke it out " with a rapist or mugger and be victorious.

You can count on the training to help you stun or surprise him, but don't expect to "clean his clock"

Be aware if you are truly facing a criminal assault ,you will experience some real equality, he will most likely hit you as hard or stab you as deep as he would any man.

Get your training, gain your confidence, but don't overestimate yourself.

As the news stories show, females of all ages can beat strong, aggressive males by targeting their weakest parts.

Be strong, knowledgable, and confident and follow your instructor's directions in school along with your fellow classmates. And practice the techniques repeatedly so that the defensive moves you learn become automatic.

Your boyfriend sounds like a moron. His pride seems fragile, and he seems unconcerned about your safety.

It would depend on the kind of self-defence you're talking about. The style of karate I practice (shotokan) is wimpy compared to what one of my friends practices (nin-jitsu). But you'd be surprised how strong you can get when you have to.

men are usually bigger than women and have more upper body strength. . Ofcourse that never stopped Royce Gracie. But for those who are not martial arts gods, it is better to avoid being in those sorts of situations all together. walk in well lit areas . walk with a buddy. don't put your drink down. never get into a car with anyone you don't know . . I am sorry but I have to agree with your boyfriend. like I said men are bigger and stronger. and if a weapon is involved it can be all the more complicated. knowing some tecniques is great. but I would not depend on that alone to keep me safe.

EDIT: and If in a situation running seems like the best option. yes definitly RUN. your are not trying to prove your guy wrong. or that women can be as strong as men. YOUR GOAL IS TO STAY ALIVE AND NOT GET HURT.