Insights

Over the years, I’ve heard plenty of stories where my students have put their training to use. After the holidays and a student came up at the end of class to share how much more confident she felt. "The training has really helped". "How?" I ask. "It is easier for me to say no". I was chuffed and went off to share the victory. I retold this to my friend. "What happened? How did she defend herself?" "She said no". It wasn’t a fight, there was no immediate physical violence. Sh

A funny thing happens when you know you can look after yourself: you walk a little taller. You don’t have to act tough; you move through the world with less fear, knowing that if you’re faced with a threat, you’re not helpless. Most sign up for self-defence classes because they’re afraid of something: past experiences, or a sense of vulnerability. You don’t magically become fearless, but your relationship with fear shifts. Intuition ramps up. It starts with trusting that gut

Before I became a self-defence coach. I had a career in advertising. An unusual switch you may think, upon closer inspection, there are similarities. I decided to investigate. Good communication skills to convey a message to the target audience. As an art director, communication is focused on selling stuff to people. Whilst teaching self-defence, communication is focused on educating individuals about techniques and strategies for self-protection. Creativity is key. Although

I once had a friend say she’d never learn self‑defence because, “nothing like that would ever happen to me.” Make of that what you will, evidence suggests that good-quality self‑defence training does reduce the risk of sexual assault and other forms of violence against women. It does not eliminate risk, and it definitely isn’t a guarantee of safety. Across studies*, women who take part in a well‑designed self‑defence course often show: Lower rates of certain assaults, especia

Back at it! This time, a new client, a recruitment company in North London. I always end a session with time for a Q&A. It is always a great learning opportunity for the group, including me. The hot topic is people's language, whether passive-aggressive or downright aggressive, and the options to respond to it. We did a brain dump on phrases people throw at you. One line that got the group nodding in agreement was "Calm down". Words that trip off the tongue so easily and ye

Silly question? It breaks the ice and gives me insight into the group, but it’s really about encouraging critical thinking. Seriously, we may have a ‘mental’ list of people who have done us wrong, and whom we might like to introduce to a punch, but the answer is a hard NO. How so? When dealing with verbal and physical threats, a punch may not always be the best response in managing conflict, consider : First things first: the law. In many places, self-defence laws are pretty

I was invited to a panel to discuss the benefits of teaching self-defence in schools. One contributor argued that self-defence celebrated fighting and was not of benefit at all. Celebrating fighting? I believe this misses the point, much like saying cooking classes just encourage knife use. Teaching self-defence in school offers kids incredible benefits that go beyond just learning how to protect themselves. For starters, it boosts self-esteem and confidence. It's amazing to

Whenever I run 'in office' sessions, I'll usually leave a worksheet or a giveaway of some sort. At one recent event, the host had already sourced an item. A personal alarm. I don't promote personal alarms, but I would never deter anyone from having one. If you get given an alarm or indeed any legal self-defence object, thank the person for their good intentions. Carrying a personal alarm can potentially deter a threat and the alarm could draw attention to a person in need. A

I’m not against being kind - but note, being nice or aggreeable is optional and it should be known that one can choose not to be nice in a given situation. Niceness is not be attributed to women and girls only. In my experience of working in both advertising and working in education being nice is not gendered and neither is being brought up to be nice. The mere mention of girls being brought up to be nice, makes my blood rise to a simmer. I ask any of my friends and student p

One of the most important questions to ask when looking for a self-defence coach is do they teach self-defence and the law? Krav Maga is a self-defence system, but 'self-defence' is actually a legal term covered under section 76 of the criminal Justice and immigration act of 2008. The most relevant law, is Common Law. It is after all common sense that you should be able to protect yourself, somebody else or your property; to do so, the defendant must use reasonable force, bas