When I see Jiu Jitsu presented as “self defense for women,” it seems that for some, there’s an expectation that you go to a workshop or a few classes and now you’re ready for “it.” For example, some fathers ask for a session for daughters before going away to college so they can “take care of themselves.” This is motivated by valid concern for the reality of dating violence on campuses. It may also lend a false sense of safety in being truly prepared for tricky interpersonal situations that lead to the “it” that is hard for people to say by name, assault and rape. “Take care of herself” implies knowledge of the dangers but is vague in scope. This topic is difficult for people, either because they have experienced assault or the thought of it happening to oneself or a loved one is very uncomfortable. This discomfort may make one want to take action, for example sign up for “self defense.”
What self defense is actually effective? Answers will vary greatly depending on who you ask. Some would say Jiu Jitsu IS effective self defense, but when this applies to an attempt to help women avoid/deter assault, it can be less or more effective depending on several factors: frequency, training partners, and instructor ethics/school culture.
For those wanting to offer effective self defense and/or increase female membership at Jiu Jitsu schools, here are 3 recommendations:
1. Emphasize training as a team sport with ongoing participation, rather than a one and done self defense activity.
Jiu Jitsu specifically as “self defense for women” will be more effective and engaging for that purpose when it’s presented as a fun and challenging sport that you do in an ongoing manner- e.g. “Join the women’s team!” rather than a one time hook, “Free self defense on Saturday.” According to Clubb (2023), research shows single session sexual assault interventions were not effective. Fighting skills and consent and healthy relationships can be practiced in a team/group setting over time. I suggest that multiple women’s classes weekly offer a context for a team to work necessary skills and build cohesion. Cohesion increases commitment to continue.
Team sports can have a great impact on personal development with focus on teamwork, social connection, structure, and fitness. Confidence, necessary to defend oneself, gets rooted over time in this context and re-wires the way one’s engine works. That re-wiring takes adjustments and practice over time. Factors in how much time may depend on how much the wires are crossed, how often they trip, or need to be replaced (family relationships, prior abuse, trauma, ascription to myths about gender and self defense). The team becomes the context for re-wiring and practicing how to be strong and recognize one’s value in relationships with others. This is a critical element of effective self defense.
For those that stick with Jiu Jitsu, they tend to enjoy it for its own sake, whether or not they started for self defense reasons or even ever think about or use it for self defense. This is notable- preparing for something terrible is ongoing, practiced and becomes the background for the fun and enjoyment in the foreground- sport/team. Perhaps this is true because the benefit is rooted in power (action) and not limited to self defense rooted in fear (reaction). Focus on the clear benefits of a challenging, fun, social, intense sport.
2. Offer multiple women’s jiu jitsu classes on the regular schedule, ideally led by a female. It’s easier to get started with other women if there’s a struggle with vulnerability or past assault. These can be an “on ramp” to regular co-ed classes.
Forceful resistance training is a necessary component of effective assault prevention and it may be helpful for women who feel especially vulnerable, to train with other women when getting started (Bachman & Carmody, 1994; Gidycz & Dardis, 2014: Sedlacek, 2000). Women’s jiu jitsu classes cover both of these bases.
With this research in mind, ongoing Jiu Jitsu training has the potential to make a considerable impact in avoiding intimate assault. There are some dynamics of behavior in relationships that are so ingrained and insidious, that they can only be unlearned with some dramatic “re-wiring.” Physical action does this. The practice of Jiu Jitsu does this. One has to practice being assertive in countless interactions with others or injury will result. For some women, this practice will be easier to begin when training with other women. Over time, it changes how they function with each other on the mats, and in relationships off the mats.
Without the option to train with other women, many won’t start or continue. I recognize that some women will have no problem beginning training with men, I was one of those people. But, I kept observing many women who voiced interest, but feared engaging in the close contact nature of the activity with men. Women’s classes benefit them directly.
Forceful resistance practice within jiu jitsu training includes at least 2 specific elements that make it effective for self defense: 1. The powerful skill of “tapping out,” constantly practicing communicating with training partners in real time to protect oneself while in close contact applying force in drilling and sparring and 2.) practicing necessary forceful resistance techniques with a team of female and male training partners who are applying equal and/or greater resistance back, over time and repetitions. Practicing skills with equal or greater strength and size may start more effectively with other women. When skill increases, strength and size of partners can also increase and be managed more effectively with less risk for injury and less perceived vulnerability.
3. Create a gym culture that is welcoming, respectful, and protects boundaries. Have a policy regarding harassment upfront signed on membership forms, demonstrate leadership that recognizes boundaries and the ethics of power dynamics inherent in relationships between instructors and students. (Don’t treat female students as a dating pool.)
If a Jiu Jitsu school culture is sloppy with boundaries and language on the mats, it is not going to be a welcoming environment to women who already fear getting started. I once heard an instructor from another school tell a female student at a seminar to “be more slutty” as a cue to open her legs to go to a closed guard. She never came back. Sexualized language should be used with caution if at all, harassment and predatory behavior should not be tolerated- texting a new student to ask out on a date, sending explicit messages or pics without any context, repeatedly asking a student/teammate out even when the answer is no. Leadership can make it known that any incidents reported to them will be addressed immediately, and when a policy is in place, there are consequences outlined. This will help to make the school culture effective for “self defense for women,” because safety and boundaries are explicitly made important.
It is each individual member’s responsibility to communicate and hold leaders and teammates accountable without being a bystander when you know something isn’t “right.” Practice communication and “tapping” in social interactions that display disrespect for teammates.
Conclusion
If people in the Jiu Jitsu community truly want to promote the art’s self defense benefits for women in an effective manner, let’s avoid single dose workshops. Instead, let’s get more women on the mats in the schools on a regular basis with membership (my slogan- More Women on the Mats) and a choice to start with women’s classes. There are many women that want to learn self protection but also engage in a sporting activity. Let’s see how a next generation of girls and women getting involved in the sport of Jiu Jitsu may create a cultural shift, not only within the Jiu Jitsu culture, but in wider society in how they function in relationships. More women in schools and classes also offers men beneficial learning and training opportunities.
I envision teams of both women and men who collaboratively simulate “fighting” on the mats so that we may have less interpersonal violence off of them. I envision the mats being so full of equal numbers of women and men enjoying the art and sport of Jiu Jitsu and each other, that we won’t need to talk about how to increase female membership, but rather how to increase the size of our mat spaces.
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There is a 12 week basics program that continuously repeats and a women’s team that meets 3x per week at Hurricane Jiu Jitsu in Cleveland, Ohio. www.hurricanejj.com
Darla Sedlacek, Ph.D. is a black belt, instructor, coach, competitor and psychologist from Cleveland, Ohio. She teaches a variety of classes at her home school including women’s classes and competes often. As a psychologist, she’s in general private practice with a specialty in sport and performance psychology.
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References:
Clubb, D.M. (2023). “Memphis works to envision a better public health response to sexual assault: Community engagement, prevention, and awareness messaging to change attitudes and behavior.” In Lovell & Langhinrichsen-Rohling (2023). Sexual assault kits and reforming the response to rape (378-395). Routledge, New York. https://a.co/d/dHnwCpx
Bachman, R. & Carmody, D.C. (1994). Fighting fire with fire: The effects of victim resistance in intimate vs stranger perpetrated assaults against females. Journal of Family Violence, 9 (4), 317-331.
Gidycz, C.A. & Dardis, C.M. (2014). Feminist self defense training for college students: A critical review and recommendations for the future. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1-12.
Sedlacek, D. (2000). Gender role adherence, martial arts training, self defense myths, and expectancies regarding attack: Implications for sexual assault prevention. [Doctoral dissertation, Cleveland State University.]