Turning awareness into action, a self-defence session at Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre on October 10 equipped women with practical techniques to protect themselves, build confidence and respond to potentially dangerous situations.

Led by Fourth Dan Tang Soo Do Master Reginald Muzariri, the session highlighted the importance of personal safety and empowering women with skills they can carry into everyday life.

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Women were introduced to basic punching, hand techniques, slapping and blocking, as well as elbow and knee techniques, alongside basic ways to escape a grab. The session was designed for beginners to introduce techniques that participants could practise and use in difficult situations.

Muzariri said self-defence was important for both women and men, particularly in a society where gender-based violence remains a concern.

He explained that learning the techniques was only the first step, as participants would need to practise them to become familiar with the movements. However, he said having even a few techniques to draw on could help people feel more confident about responding to a threatening situation.

“The first thing is they gain confidence in having a technique or a couple of techniques that if they’re in a jam, they can do something,” he said.

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Beyond the immediate benefits of the training, Muzariri said participants could share what they learnt with family members, helping spread awareness and basic self-defence knowledge within their households.

“The techniques we showed them are also easy for them to teach their daughters, sisters, cousins, whatever the case may be,” he said.

He believes this can help develop a stronger culture of awareness and encourage people to take an active role in their personal safety. “Now you start to get a culture of awareness, a culture of not being a victim and having tools that you can actually use,” he said.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Women took turns stepping up to practise their punches during a self-defence session at Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre on October 10, building confidence and learning practical techniques to help protect themselves. Video: Waydon Jacobs #community #Joburg #Rosebank #Viral #celebrate #Goodwillday #Northcliff #selfdefence #self defence for girls tiktok finds ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

Cultivating community awareness

Muzariri emphasised the importance of continuing to promote self-defence within communities, saying the skills could help people feel better equipped to respond to difficult situations. “It’s very important that we start cultivating this in the community,” he said.

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