Diet & Fitness 

Advertisement

Get fighting fit with self-defence

Self-defence classes offer women self-improvement and a good workout. Minnie Burlton explains how you can get fit and feisty

Although personal safety is unfortunately not something we can take for granted, we can take proactive steps to learn how to protect ourselves. And that's exactly what many women are doing - taking the issue of safety, literally, into their own hands. Self-defence classes, which teach women how to defend themselves both physically and mentally, have grown in popularity over the last 10 years. As London-based self-defence instructor Debi Steven explains, 'Women who learn self-defence benefit from feeling more confident, they improve mental alertness and gain a sense of empowerment.'

Physical combat may not come naturally to a lot of women, but self-defence is more about a state of mind than body strength. 'You don't have to be an aggressive person, but it is important to be aware of your surroundings, think ahead and avoid hazardous situations,' says Steven. 'Physical intervention is a last resort to be used when you have no other option but to defend yourself.'

You don't have to be super fit to join most self-defence classes, but be prepared for a challenge. 'Learning self-defence is a good way to get fit, and the more fit you are, the better you will be able to defend yourself or run away from an assailant,' adds Steven. She explains that most classes involve moves like kicking, punching, flipping, jabbing or learning specific tactics, such as getting out of holds. Therefore, these classes offer a good cardio-based workout while also improving strength and flexibility.

Practising these moves regularly over time is essential to make them second nature and will render them far more effective in any real situation. So, once you finish your classes, keep on performing these moves on your own as part of your regular, ongoing exercise regime. In combination with a regular cardio workout (e.g. swimming, running, etc) and weight-training, you will have a good all-round exercise programme.

Although self-defense employs certain moves from the martial arts, it's a very different discipline, and not quite as demanding as high-impact activities like kickboxing or tae kwon do. Learning martial arts may enhance your ability to defend yourself, but ultimately it's not as practical as self-defence moves specifically geared towards dealing with an attacker.

Delicious     Digg     reddit     Facebook     StumbleUpon

  Get the latest iVillage news on your desktop    Sign up for more iVillage RSS feeds

© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB