Improving the odds for the better

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, especially attempted or completed sexual assault by someone known to them. 

• More frequent and more effective resistance (verbal, physical, and strategic), without an overall increase in physical injury.

• Improved confidence, boundary‑setting, and risk recognition are more likely to

  notice red flags earlier and act sooner.

• The most robust findings are around sexual assault prevention, particularly in university‑age populations.

How it changes the “stats” in practice:

Pre‑incident

• Better situational awareness, meaning spotting concerning behaviour earlier.

• Stronger assertiveness and boundary‑setting, leaving you feeling entitled to say no, to leave, to make a scene, or to insist on safety.

During the early stages of a situation

• Faster recognition that something is wrong (e.g., persistent boundary‑pushing, someone ignoring “no”).

• More willingness and skill to use verbal strategies (clear, loud refusal, calling attention, directing others).

And If the situation becomes physical

• Practical techniques against common problems women face (defending strikes, breaking grips, targeting vulnerable areas, creating opportunity to run).

• Better decision‑making under stress: choosing between verbal resistance, compliance, or physical resistance based on context, rather than freezing automatically.

All of that tends to reduce the chance that an incident escalates to a completed assault.

Not all courses are equal. What good training is:

• Effective, women‑focused training usually:

• Emphasises realistic scenarios women actually face (social situations, dates, public transport, workplaces), not just stranger‑in‑alley attacks.

• Includes verbal skills, boundary‑setting, and de‑escalation, not only strikes and throws.

• Frames resistance as a right, not a responsibility – attacks are always the attacker’s fault, regardless of how someone responds.

• Aims to create options and confidence, not to promise invincibility.

What good training is not:

•  A guarantee that “this will never happen to you now”.

•  A promise that women can or should fight their way out of any situation.

• A way to shift blame onto women if something does happen.

• Limits and honest caveats

Context matters: Alcohol, multiple attackers, weapons, or intimate‑partner violence all affect what is possible and safe and should also be discussed in training.

Learning self-defence is one part of the jigsaw to keeping women and girls safe. Good, women‑focused self‑defence training tends to reduce the likelihood and severity of some assaults and increases women’s sense of agency and options, but systemic problems remain. It doesn’t  fix policing, justice systems, or cultural attitudes

#theselfdefencecoach

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*Those studies

Senn, C. Y., et al. (2015). Efficacy of a Sexual Assault Resistance Program for University Women. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(24), 2326–2335.

Large randomized controlled trial with 893 first‑year women at three Canadian universities. A 12‑hour, empowerment‑based resistance and self‑defence programme (EAAA / “Flip the Script”) led to about a 46% reduction in completed rape and a ~63% reduction in attempted rape over 12 months, compared with standard information sessions. Also improved risk perception, confidence, and rejection of rape myths.

Senn, C. Y., et al. (real‑world implementation study).

Follow‑up research on the same EAAA programme delivered under normal campus conditions at five Canadian universities. Women who completed the course still had substantially lower rates of rape and attempted rape than comparable non‑participants, showing that the programme is effective outside tightly controlled trials.

Hollander, J. A., & Cunningham, J. (2020). Empowerment Self‑Defense Training in a Community Population. Violence Against Women.

Evaluation of a 9‑hour empowerment self‑defence course for adult women (ages 18–77) in community settings in the United States. Compared with a similar group who did not train, participants reported higher confidence, more use of effective resistance strategies, and lower levels of subsequent sexual coercion and assault.

No Means No Worldwide – Malawi school‑based ESD trial.

Cluster‑randomized trial of an empowerment self‑defence curriculum for schoolgirls in three districts of Malawi. Girls who received the training reported significantly lower sexual violence victimisation, plus better knowledge and self‑efficacy for resisting sexual assault, compared with control schools.

South Africa adolescent girls ESD trial (BMC Women’s Health).

Cluster‑randomized trial of an empowerment‑style self‑defence and safety programme for adolescent girls in South African schools. Results on actual sexual violence were mixed: some measures moved in a protective direction but overall effects were weaker than in the Canadian and Malawian studies, highlighting how context and implementation quality affect impact.

Brecklin, L. (2008). Evaluation Outcomes of Self-Defense Training for Women: A Review.

Narrative review of earlier women’s self‑defence programmes. Across multiple studies, women who trained showed large gains in self‑efficacy and assertiveness, greater use of effective resistance (verbal and physical), and in several studies lower rates of sexual assault, although many of these older evaluations had methodological limitations.