About 50 women took part in a free self-defence workshop hosted by QuanWessels Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Academy and Tribe Martial Arts Foundation on August 10.

The event was part of the organisations’ efforts to give back to the community during women’s month by providing women with practical skills to help them respond to threatening situations.

Read more: The heart of self-defence

Coach Norman Chef Wessels said the decision to host a self-defence class was rooted in the belief that women should have access to tools that could improve their chances of protecting themselves. “Self-defence is the best way to give women positive tools, to improve their probability of fighting back, and to give them a fighting chance in a difficult scenario.”

Participants were taken through techniques for situations where an attacker could grab their hands, head, or hair. They also learned what they could do if they were taken to the ground and how to try to control a situation while on their backs.

Wessels said the training was also about helping women understand that they have choices when faced with danger. “They have an opportunity to fight back. They have an opportunity to do something, and they have a choice what the outcome is going to be like.”

The workshop also included basic medical training, with participants learning the importance of managing heavy bleeding and increasing their chances of survival using simple techniques and equipment. Wessels said medical knowledge was important, not only following a violent encounter, but also during everyday emergencies such as car accidents or accidental cuts.

Also read: Women learn to protect themselves during self-defence class

The academy hosts free community-driven self-defence seminars approximately twice a year, alongside its other programmes. For Wessels, the initiative is personal, with the academy wanting to contribute to creating a safer and more empowered community. “We have daughters, we have wives, we have sisters. We have a responsibility to try and help our community and empower our community as much as possible.” He said the organisers wanted to contribute to changing women’s attitudes towards gender-based violence, self-defence, and femicide by sharing the skills and tools available to them.

For participant Lynette Ngwenya, attending the workshop was particularly meaningful because she had previously experienced situations where she felt unsafe. “I just wanted more information on self-defence and, with it being women’s month, I thought it was important to learn how to protect myself.

“Your body is actually a weapon, and if you’ve got the knowledge and the tools you can protect yourself.”

She described the experience of learning alongside other women as empowering, particularly because participants were able to put the techniques into practice.

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