Women's Self-Defense: Physical Education for Everyday Life

Author(s): Carrie A. Rentschler

Source: Women's Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 1/2, Teaching About Violence Against Women
(Spring - Summer, 1999), pp. 152-161
Published by: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York
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Women's Self-Defense: Physical

Education for Everyday Life
CarrieA. Rentschler

"Iloved self-defensebecauseit was taught by a woman and she knew what I

needed.I wanted to continue it. If it hadn't beenfor her,to encourageme to
"
teach, I wouldn 't do it.

Jackie
"We'reconditionedas women to take things on ourselvesand tofeel helpless
and depressed.Therecould be things to do. . . . Weneed to increasedignity
while decreasinghelplessness."

Diane
"We'reteaching confidenceratherthan paranoia. "

Sara
"Statisticsshow that kind and trustingpeople live longer,unless theytrust the
"
wrongperson.

Amanda, citing a cartoon she uses in her class

In a recent self-defense class, a young woman spoke of her enthusiasm
for learning self-defense. Unlike the rape prevention and awareness
class she was required to take as a freshman at her university, selfdefense seemed to be more useful and increased her confidence in
her ability to protect herself and other women. Rather than increasing women's sense of vulnerability and fear, self-defense gives women
tools to manage this fear and ways of identifying uncomfortable and
threatening situations. To alter women's perceptions of fear and victimization, women need practical, physical training in their own power
to fight back.
Women's self-defense is feminist physical education for everyday
life. It is based on changing women's relationships to their own bod152

Women'sStudiesQuarterly1999: 1 &f2

153

ies in order to make women's fears of violence more manageable.

Although women'sfears are perpetuatedlargelyby institutionsthat
women do not control in their everydaylives- such as the law and
police, media and physicalspaces- self-defensegiveswomen practical physicaltools to addressviolence. It gives women more control
over their social interactionsby combining a concrete knowledgeof
fightingwith an accurateknowledgeof violence againstwomen. Selfdefense is not just about dealing with actual violence; it provides a
basis for responding to the spaces and media representations that
women do not control.
What Is Feminist Self-Defense?

Feministself-defenseenactswomen'srightand abilityto defend themselvesfromharm.In legal terms,self-defenseis the rightto inflictharm

and/or use deadlyforce on anotherpersonwhen yourlife is in imminent danger.To defendyourselflegally,the followingthreecriterianeed
to be met:jeopardy(the attackershowsintentto harmyou), ability(he
or she is physicallycapable of harmingyou- that is, is not drunk or
severelydisabled),and proximity(the attackeris in a locationwhereit
is possibleto harmyou- in yourhouse,yourcar,or the like)} Mostselfdefenselawjudgesthe actionsof defendantson whata "reasonableperson"wouldhavedone in the samesituation,whichis understoodto be,
manwoulddo: not fightback.Whereas
whata "rational"
paradoxically,
men's aggressivenessis considerednatural,women'saggressivenessis
seen as a deviationfromtheirgenderedsocialroles.The paradoxof the
"reasonableman"justificationin self-defenselawis that male aggressivenessand femalepassivityare still the norms,even though "reasonableness"in casesof sexualand domesticviolence meansnot fighting
back.Thereis clearlya genderedlogichere, thatit is unnatural,and illegal,forwomento fightbackagainsttheirattackersand abusers,but that
it is all rightfor maledefendersto do so.
Part of the problem with self-defense law is its inabilityto define
clearlywhatreasonableactionis. Ratherthanbeing basedon the legal
and culturalheritagethathas dismissedwomen'stortureand abuseby
husbands,lovers,and other intimates,self-defenseneeds to be based
on the position of those who have suffered abuse and violence.
Batteredwomen,for instance,havetroubleusinga plea of self-defense
when they kill their abusers.Juries are less likely to believe that battered women were in imminent dangerwhen they had survivedpreviousbeatingsand abuse.On top of this,batteredwomenwho kill are
more severelypunishedby the criminaljusticesystemthanis anyother
type of offender.2

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Whatpasses,both legallyand ethically,asjustifiableaction against

an attackerhas not yet been decided.In myown self-defenseteaching,
I use the NationalWomen'sMartialArtsFoundation'snorm of "the
ethic of leastharm":defendersshould only do whatis necessaryto get
awayfrom an attackerand out of an attacksituation.Often this may
be usingverbaldefense skills,like telling someone to leaveyou alone
or leavinga socialsettingwhere someone is pesteringyou. The point
is to do no more harmto anotherperson than is absolutelynecessary
to removeyou from the harmfulsituation.
Self-defenseis more than physicaltechniques,but it is nonetheless
groundedin alteringwomen'srelationshipsto theirown physicalbodies. It incorporateswomen'sawarenessof theirsurroundings,women's
abilitiesto strategizeoptions for dealingwithviolence;women'sabilities to use theirvoice to demandwhattheywantand don'twant,to yell
and to drawattentionto violenceand harassment("makinga scene");
women sharinginformationwith other women and getting help to
heal fromviolence;womenphysicallyfightingbackand carryingthemselvesin a confident,activemanner.Self-defenseisn'tjust wardingoff
attackers.It is also about improvingwomen'soverallqualityof life on
a dailybasis.Womencan become less fearful;they can learn to differentiate between potential and actualviolence; and they can develop
strategiesto deal withviolence if and when it should occur.
Self-defenseprovidesa safeand open environment,ideally,for experiencing different waysof imagining and feeling one's body and its
movements.It does this throughthe veryvisceralmeansof expressing
and harnessingaggression and anger and pleasure in constructing
one's body as an instrumentof combat.Whilelearningphysicaltechniques is central to self-defense, fighting is only one part of selfeffort"when other thingsfail.Self-defense,
defense,a sortof "last-ditch
is
It's
however, alwaysphysical. the belief in one's self-worthgrounded
in physicalpractice.To respondto violence,women mustregardtheir
bodies as possibleweapons.Trainingthe bodyin defensivetechniques
enableswomen to believe in their self-worthand their rightto be free
from harm.
Physical Feminism

In my own experience as a women'sand girls'self-defenseinstructor

and in talkingand teachingwithotherwomenself-defenseinstructors,
I have learned that fighting violence with the knowledge of how to
inflict pain and harm helps eliminateviolence in women'severyday
lives.Butwomen'suse of force mustbe contextualizedin a cultureof

Women'sStudiesQuarterly1999: 1 & 2

155

violence againstwomen. Women'suse of "violence"can be seen as a

responseto systemic,though individualized,actsof violence and trespass. As MarthaMcCaugheyargues, because male domination has
alwaysbeen physical,"feminismwould do well to get physicaltoo."3
Self-defensetrainingis a formof physicaleducation.Althoughmen
maybe strongerphysiologically,women have the physicaladvantage
of leverageand stronghips and legs. Self-defenseemphasizeswomen's
physical use of their bodies as weapons to counter the dominant
knowledgewomen haveof theirbodies as anythingbut strong.This is
one of the big hurdlesfor manywomenin myexperienceas a teacher:
to show women that they are strong and can cause someone great
harm.Thisbelief in one's abilityto causephysicalpain to anotherperson strengthensone's abilityto use self-defensestrategiesin everyday
life, fromwardingoff the intrusivequestionsof an acquaintanceto an
aggressiveand violent sexual encounter. Strengthcan be judged on
one's abilityto knowvulnerabletargetson the humanbody (thateveryonehas), to use speed and conviction, and to strategize multiple
optionsfor dealingwithharassmentand physicalviolence. Strengthis
a capacity,not a body part.
The teachingcollectivethat I teach with emphasizesphysicaltechniques at the beginning of the course to help women unlearnpassive
physicaltraitsand develop their physicalcapacities.Normalphysical
responsesto fearare screaming,freezingup, and holdingyourbreath.
These three responsesappearnaturalto manywomen because they
are the responseswe see repeatedlythroughentertainmentmedia.But
these responses are indirect;a screamis not a demand, and while it
might drawattention to the violence, it does not conveya clear message to the attackeror to people standingby.Instead,yellingand making demandsin a confidentvoice send a clear,seriousmessageto you,
to your attacker,and to others in the area. Freezingup and holding
your breath also keep you from being able to move and speak.
Relaxing, thinking of vulnerable targetson your attacker,taking in
your environment(location of exits, other people, availablephones,
everydayobjects that could be used as weapons, etc.) and weighing
youroptionsfor getting out of the situationkeep defendersalertand
involved.
We startour self-defense courses with basic physical techniques,
beginningwith how to standin a strong,comfortablefightingstance.
This stanceresemblesa cameratripod;one foot is put in front of the
other roughly a shoulder width apart.It provides a wayto hold the
body in a balancedand mobile way.Breathingcomes next. Relaxing
and controllingyourbreathallowsyou to focusand strategize.Because

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yourbreathingis the basisof yourvoice, letting out your breathfrom

your diaphragm(that is, not breathingfrom your upper body) while
performing physical techniques intensifies the techniques' power.
Teachingblockingandwaysof movingout of the wayof physicalstrikes
also reinforcesthe belief that self-defenseconsistsof manyskills,not
just knowinghow to fight. Eachof these techniquessets the stage for
high damagephysicaltechniques.
Teachinghigh damagetechniquesat the beginningof a self-defense
course is important for two reasons: it gives students immediately
usable techniques should they find themselvesin a very threatening
situation,and it showsstudentsthat theyare capableof inflictingpain
and physicaldamage on attackersof all sizes and shapes. High damage techniquesgenerallycausepain and havethe highestpotentialfor
permanent physicaldamage. A front kick to the knee, a palm heel
striketo the nose (withthe hardpartof the palm strikingup and into
the nose), and a palm heel strikeor hammerflst (making a fist and
using it like a hammer)striketo the throatall can cause intense pain
and possibledamage.It takesonly twelvepounds of pressureto break
a knee (dislocationis more likely), and the nose and throat are vulnerabletargetson everybody.
The key to physical techniques is using a hard part of your body
againstthe softpartsof an attacker'sbody (all those placeson the body
where muscleand fat do not protectit). Eachof these techniquescan
be modified into less damaging techniques.You can use your palm
heel to strikethe chest or chin, causingsome pain and creatingspace
betweenyou and an attacker.Youcan front kick an attacker'sshin;it
will hurt, but it will not breakthe shin. High damage techniquesare
usefulwhen an attackeris on drugsor adrenaline,when he or she does
not feel pain and is not respondingto verbaldemands.Manysexual
assaultsoccurin situationswheredrugsare used, and so knowinghigh
damage physicaltechniques to stop an attackerwho cannot feel or
respond to pain is essential. The ability to cause pain to and hurt
another person allowswomen to see themselvesas threatening to a
perpetratorand confirmstheirbelief that they can fight back.
The key to fighting back lies in transformingfear into power.To
move from fear,you must believe that you are worth defending, at
which point an attack on your person becomes unacceptable.
Becoming angry also enables you to relax and use adrenaline to
demandthatan attackstop and to followup withphysicalstrikes.This
response must be learned. At the beginning of our self-defense
courses,mostwomen shyawayfromyellingand using theirfull power.
Instead, they tend to keep their power inside, almost as if their

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strengthwere somethingto hide or keep secret.These studentslook

surprisedwhen theyyell "no!"and hit a paddedtargetwithexceptional
force, throwingthe pad holder backwardby a foot.
Students further develop their capacity to fight by learning secondarytechniques- physicalstrikesthat cause pain and might cause
some temporarydamageto an attacker,like hammerfistinga man in
the testicles,poking the eyeswith twobracedfingers,boxing the ears,
elbowingan attackeracrossthejaw and under the chin, and scraping
down the shin and stomping on an attacker'sinstep. None of these
techniques, like the others, requires athletic training and can be
manipulatedto workwith all sorts of bodies and levels of ability.All
women can use these techniquesbecausetheydo not requirephysical
strength.Rather,theyrequireknowingyour attacker'svulnerabletargets and using the element of surprise.
Physicaltechniquesalone do not constituteself-defense.Using evasive maneuvers- like getting out of holds, grabs,and chokes- combinedwithestablishingpersonalspaceand personallimitshelp women
addressall sortsof uncomfortableand potentiallyviolent situations.
Becoming a hard target- that is, making it hard to be attacked by
becomingloose and circularin one's movements,yellingand demanding that an attacker'sbehavior stop- multiply how effective selfdefense can be. The best tool in self-defenseis the voice.
Mostviolentsituationsfor womenstartwithan attackeraskingquestionsor tryingto involvea womanin conversation.Manyattackershave
a "script"they follow- with a clear sense of how the conversation
should go and whereit should end up- so not playingalong with the
script creates time for women to get out of potentiallyviolent situations. Since 85 to 90 percent of women's assailantsare someone the
womanknows,recognizingwhen a conversationor intimatesituation
feels threateningand respondingto it becomes veryimportant.
Mostwomen in our self-defense courses find that speakingup to
someone they know (particularlyto someone with authority over
them) is difficultto do, becauserelationshipswithfriends,familymembers,and otherintimatesarebasedon trust.Accordingly,manywomen
ignore their gut-levelfeelingswhen a situationbecomes threatening,
invasive,or at least uncomfortable.Self-defenseteacheswomen how
to get out of conversationsthat have become invasive.The "broken
record"is one technique.Repeatingthe samephraseoverand overlike a skippingrecord- makesit hard for someone to continue talking to you. Phraseslike "Ihaveto go,""I'mnot interestedin talkingto
you,""I'mleaving,""Leaveme alone,""Idon't feel well,"and "Ican't
talkrightnow"all are appropriatephrasesto use in varioussituations,

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suchaswhen someoneis hasslingyou, wantingto takeyou somewhere,

orjust not takingyour desiresseriously.Raisingyourvoice helps draw
outside attention to the situation and shows that you are serious.
Another technique is "namingthe behavior,"making an attacker
accountablefor his or her actions.Responseslike "Letgo of my arm"
or "Leaveme alone"are clear statementsof whatyou do not like and
what you want to happen. They are hard to misinterpret, and they
place the burdenon the attackerfor continuingto botheryou. These
techniquesworkbecause most attackersdo not expect a defender to
respond directly and forcefully.This element of surpriseworks in
women'sfavorbecauseit often interruptsthe attacker'sscript.
Combining verbal and physical techniques transformsfear into
angerinto power.Hittinga padded targetand yellingare much more
powerfulthanjust hitting the target.Using the "brokenrecord"with
a strong,confidentposture- makingyourbody and voice conveythe
same message- makes your demands appear more serious to an
attackerthan if you use passivebody language and indirect speech
(likepleadingor nervouslygiggling). In our self-defenseclasses,when
we discuss using the voice, I alwayslike to tell the storyof how one
womanverballydemandedthather attackerstop his attackwhileusing
only one other physical technique. An elderly woman in Chicago
awoke one night to find an armed young man standing over her,
preparingto rape her.He wasundressed.As he climbedoverher,she
grabbedhim by the testicles,refusingto let them go, despitethe man's
pleas, and called the police. She continued to hold him by the testicles until the police arrived.Wecan safelyassumethat thiswomanwas
not as physicallystrongas her young attacker,but she combinedverbal demandsthat he stop attackingher with one physicaltechnique.
In this way,she wasable to stop an attackand ensured that he could
not continue it. Fightingnecessarilyrequiresa combinationof techniques:verballydemanding that an attackerstop attacking,yelling
loudly to attractthe attention of any people in the area, strikingthe
attackerto make him or her stop, and running to get away.All these
techniquescombined increasewomen'sabilityto become a hard target and to stop an attack.
Gaining confidence in these techniques helps manywomen deal
directlywith their own fears.Commonfearsare being thrownto the
ground,being grabbedfrombehind, being attackedwhen vulnerable
(naked,asleep,in the shower),being attackedby more than one person, and dealingwith an attackerwho has a weapon.We learn many
of these fearsfrom media representationsof violence againstwomen.
To.counterthem,our self-defenseclassesprovidetechniquesfor falling

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safelyand fightingfrom the ground (rollingout of grabs,kickingfrom

the ground,bridgingwith the hips to throwan attackeroff), turning
aroundsafelyand using evasivemaneuversand softening techniques
(physicalstrikes) to deal with grabs and chokes from behind, and
becominginformedaboutweapons(womenare 50 percentless likely
to face a weapon in an attack than men are; weapons are used primarilyto intimidateratherthan put into direct use againsta woman
defender). Dealing with more than one attackerisjust like dealing
with one attacker.Each attackershould be dealt with one at time.
Womencan avoidgetting surroundedby a group;they can use their
attackers'bodies againstthem by pushingthem into one anotherand
lining them up; and they can identifythe "weaklink"in the groupsomeone who looks like he or she does not support the attack or
harassment.
In our course,women also describescenariostheyparticularlyfear,
and studentsrole-playthem, along withlearningwaysof dealingwith
a varietyof obstacles.Combinedwithdiscussionsof mythsand stereotypesof violence againstwomen and womenfightingbackand surviving attacks,self-defensecoursesemphasizewomen'smanyoptionsfor
protectingthemselvesand other women againstviolence. The more
thatwomensee self-defenseas a set of choices,the betterable theyare
to cope with violent situations and avoid self-blame.And the more
choiceswomencan makeabouttheirownsafety,the more controlthey
feel they haveover their bodies and socialinteractions.
To convincefellowwomen that they can fight back, they firsthave
to believe,on a verycorporeallevel, that theirbodies hold the potential for fighting.Otherwise,women are left with a veryabstractsense
of their rightsand abilitiesto be safe. Being safe becomes a negative
good, wherewomenare constantlydenied, and deny themselves,freedom of movementand expression,becauseof overwhelmingfear.
In my own self-defenseteaching, the other teachersand I emphasize women'sabilityto expresstheir own desires,including their sexual desires.Althoughself-defenseshould not be antisex,it should be
antiviolence. It should, and does, provide women with the tools to
examine the contradictionsand unspoken sexual games in intimate
and domestic relationships.Figuringout when intimacyhas crossed
the line into displeasure and/or into violence and trusting one's
instinctwhen a relationshipor a situationdoes not feel right means
reclaiming control over one's body and activities.The self-defense
classroomcan provide tools for transformingintimate relationships
without having to sexualize the defense techniques. Being able to
removethese tools from the context of sexualintimacyallowswomen

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to find multipleuses for them in theirdailyliveswhilestillclearlytying

them to the violence women mayface in familialand other intimate
relations.
While self-defensepromotes self-redefinitionawayfrom victimhood
and towardactivephysicalagency,we mustconstantlyavoidthe unrealistic perceptions of violence perpetuated by the media and our
assumptionsabout public space. The language and culturalperception of sexualassaultpositionwomenasvictims.Butbyperceivingrape
as a social script in which the act "makesvictims"rather than happening to predetermined victims,women can find openings to act
againstsexualviolence.Accordingto SharonMarcus,seeing rape as a
social scriptallowswomen to rewritethe scriptand removeits identificationof womenasvictims.4If theyare no longerregardedasvictims,
women can perform differently.That is, how you act towardothers
largelydetermineshow theywillrespondto you. Usingconfidentbody
languageand being awareof yourphysicalsurroundingssend the message thatyou are not vulnerableor a victim.
I do not want to suggest that self-defenseis violence, because it is
not. Self-defenseis pacifist.It assumesthat violence is a contingency
rather than ambient in the environmentswomen work and live in.
Ratherthan violence being everywhere,self-defenseinstructionrepresentsviolence as a possibilitythat can happen, but that is not destined to happen in everywoman'slife.
Notes
I'd like to thankthe women'sself-defenseinstructorsI interviewed,manyof
whom are good friends and intellectual confidantes. I'd also like to thank
AndreaPress,AngharadValdivia,James Hay,andJonathan Sterne for their
help in conceptualizingand carryingout the researchfor this project. The
names of all people except Diane (who wished to be identified by her real
name), havebeen changed to protecttheir identities.
1. John Moore, "Self-Defense:A Legal Overview,"handout from Spirit
no date.A perpetrator'sphysicalabilityto
DragonDojo,Champaign,111.,
harmhis or her victimhas been used againstvictimsin the mediaand the
courts.Alcoholand drugsare often partof sexualassaultsituations,and
the fact of the perpetrator'sand/or victim'susage of drugsprovidesa
legal basisfor blamingthe victimfor the violence he or she has suffered.
Drinkingand takingdrugscontinueto be used in legal and largersocial
discoursesto discreditthe victim'sjudgment;thatis, she is arguedto have
put herselfinto the violent situationby havingused drugs,even though
the perpetratoris in fact responsiblefor actingviolently.
2. Domesticviolenceaccountsfor moreemergencyroomvisitsthando muggings, rapes,and car accidentscombined. Domesticviolence is the pri-

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mary cause of injuries to women. But when women use deadly force
againsttheir abusers,they are given more severesentences than are all
other defendants. See MarianMeyers,NewsCoverage
of Violence
Against
Women:
Blame(ThousandOaks,Calif.:Sage, 1997), 34-39,
Engendering
70-77; see also the video "Defending Our Lives," Cambridge
DocumentaryFilms,1993.
3. Martha McCaughey, Real Knockouts:ThePhysicalFeminismof WomenysSelf-

Defense(NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress,1997), 201. A good practical source on self-defense as physical feminism is Debbie Leung's
Self-Defense:The WomanlyArt of Self-Care,Intuition and Choice(Tacoma,

Wash.:R&MPress,1991). CarolA. Wileylooksat the livesof womenmartialartists.See her edited book Women
in theMartialArts(Berkeley,Calif.:
NorthAtlanticBooks,1992).
4. SharonMarcus,"FightingBodies,FightingWords,"in FeministsTheorize
thePolitical,ed. Judith Butlerand S.Joan Scott (NewYork:Routledge,
1992), 390.
CarrieA Rentschleris a Ph.D. studentin theInstitute of Communications
Researchat the Universityof Illinois. Her dissertationis on thevictims' rights
movementin the UnitedStates.Shehas taughtself-defense
coursesfor girls and
womenfor six years.
Copyright1999 by CarrieA. Rentschler