By It is unfortunate that in Pakistan, every other day, we wake up to hear a new story of abuse and assault on women. It instills fear and the need to hide, but why should a woman limit her life and shrink her potential due to the acts of some sick-minded people?
It is imperative that women learn self-defense. Not because the entire onus is on a woman to safeguard herself BUT because an attack can occur anywhere, at any time.
Historically, teaching self-defense to women has been tricky as women are socialized to be polite peace makers. Even saying a flat out NO can fill you up with guilt. And self-defense classes are traditionally aggressive, violent and, let’s be honest, scary.
However, Pretty Deadly Self Defense is different.
Pretty Deadly was developed by Susie Kahlich, a German-American violent crime survivor and martial artist. The course has been designed specifically for women, in a fun-based manner as opposed to a fear-based manner as that is how women learn best.
Here are 5 reasons why every woman should learn self-defense:
1. To Learn to Say No
It sounds simple but it takes effort for women to decondition ourselves from always saying ‘YES’. Having the ability to say ‘NO’ enables women to set clear boundaries and assert ourselves when we are pressured into doing something against our will.
2. To Get in Touch with our Bodies
Self-defense is about learning to trust yourself, and Pretty Deadly focuses on developing a mind-body connection, body awareness, spatial awareness and sharper reflexes… all before we even start learning self-techniques.
3. To Not Limit Our Mobility
Whenever there is an attack on a woman, society is quick to point fingers and tell us to stay home, even at the cost of our own growth and success. Learning self-defense helps women become more self-confident so that we do not have to limit our mobility or our potential
4. To Protect Ourselves and Save our Lives
Ultimately, we learn self-defense to protect ourselves and save our lives. Having a weapon on hand is not always an option, but we always have our arms, hands and legs. We believe that every woman should know how to be able to save her own life.
5. To Fight the Culture of Abuse and Harassment
Abusers are emboldened when they see us women as meek and unable to stand up for ourselves. But when we are able to say NO and fight for our own safety, women are more formidable, and more at ease navigating our educations, careers and relationships.
After making waves in Berlin and London, Pretty Deadly Self Defense classes launch in Islamabad starting September 2022. Pakistan trainers are Humay Waseem and Sundus Jamil, personal trainers and certified self-defense instructors with a combined 20 years of experience. To sign up for classes, visit their website here.
