Self defence classes in Glasgow are helping women feel “empowered” and “secure”.
Barbara Safsy, co-owner of Scottish Krav Maga Systems (SKMS), runs four-week women’s only beginner self-defence classes three to four times a year.
She told the Glasgow Times: “The main purpose of the course is empowerment because everybody comes to the course with a different purpose and reason.”
She explained: “Some people come along because every woman has probably experienced sexual harassment to some extent and they just want to know if something does happen, they can protect themselves, so it’s more of a precaution.
“Some people do it because they run outside and especially during winter months they want to feel safe running on canals and things like that.
“Some have experienced rape, and this is the process of dealing with it and preparing themselves to get their self-confidence back.”
She continued: “Each of their reasons are their own but what’s mutual is that they all need a voice, an action plan, and to feel more secure in the environment they are in.
“If they’re not coming for any particular reason, empowerment is still very important in everyday life.
“We are aiming to give people a voice.”
She says in an “ideal life” there would be no need for such courses and they would teach “rapists not to do the assault.”
The 34-year-old said: “Unfortunately we can’t do that so we’re giving a chance to these women to learn something that makes them feel more secure.
“After the chat we’ll practice de-escalation, practice avoidance, how to recognise signs, how to listen to their own inner alarm and recognise and acknowledge it.
“If it’s not possible to de-escalate then how to use their voice and physical techniques to get out of a situation as fast as possible.”
She said: “I lead it and he jumps in whenever there’s something to add.
“It feels more empowering it when we run it together and we get more positive feedback.
“They [participants] say it was good to have a woman leading it, but he can jump in with the man's side.”
Barbara says there is a significant demand for the classes, and they will run them as long as one woman wants to do it.
The classes are for women aged 18 and over, though sometimes they have girls as young as 14 take part if they attend with a parent.
She said: “Even if we haven’t advertised the next course, we always get emails asking ‘when is the next one?’”
“If there is demand, there is a problem so if we need to do it for one person we will do it.
“It also helps with the whole awareness situation. A lot of people don’t recognise that they have a choice that they can do something .”
While Barbara finds it empowering to pass on her knowledge, she also says if she could “eliminate the cause I would be working on that”.
She said: “It’s impossible to eliminate absolutely every attack and every assault so I’m sad, I’m disappointed.
“I obviously have been raised not to ever hurt another person and knowing other people choose this makes me really angry but whenever someone comes up and says thank you I know at least they have a better chance of not experiencing that again.
“My hope is if they have daughter, sisters, parents they will teach them what they learned and hopefully they will spread it.”
You can find out more at scotkravmaga.co.uk.
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