Bryanston Women’s Day workshop empowers women with practical self-defence skills
A free Women’s Day self-defence workshop, in Bryanston, gave participants practical techniques for navigating threatening situations, from drawing attention to knowing how to physically respond.
For most women, self-defence is often associated with punches, kicks, and physical strength.
At a Women’s Day self-defence workshop in Bryanston, however, participants were reminded that staying safe can begin long before a confrontation becomes physical.
The second annual free self-defence workshop, hosted by Defence Unlimited on August 9, brought together 50 women and girls, aged 12 and older, at Forking Food Restaurant.
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The session focused not only on physical techniques, but also on awareness, confidence, boundaries, and knowing when and how to respond to a potential threat.
Defence Unlimited founder Warren Ho said effective self-defence starts with understanding what matters most to an individual.
“The foundation of the self-defence training is understanding: What are you willing to fight, die, or kill for? By understanding the question for yourself, and the answer to this question, it gives you the foundation of what you should do in a self-defence situation.”
Ho emphasised that self-defence is not simply about overpowering an attacker, and encouraged participants to understand that shouting, setting a boundary, and drawing attention to a situation are powerful defensive tools.
“Your voice is a powerful defence tool that we need to learn to use. Women were also taught how to fight by striking a target efficiently and making sure that if someone goes down, they stay down.”
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The physical lessons were accompanied by a discussion about the wider reality of gender-based violence (GBV), particularly the need to focus on prevention rather than only responding after an incident has occurred.
Samela Hoza, a social worker from Safer City Group, said: “I always say, when I talk to people, sometimes it has to start with you. No one is going to come to save you, but the nice thing is that when you take the first step, there are always people there to support you.”
She added that workshops, such as self-defence training, are important because if women can be empowered to fight back, these are the strategies.
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“There are companies now that have panic buttons and alarms. Your safety comes first. As much as we are always willing to pay for Netflix, we need to also take subscriptions of things that can protect our safety, so that when something happens, there’s always help around you to come to your rescue.”
One of the attendees, Stacey Williams, appreciated that they were not overwhelmed with information, but walked away with practical strategies they could remember in a situation where you feel unsafe.
“This is my second year doing the self-defence course with Defence Unlimited.
I love that it’s a nice, short course, that does not overwhelm you with information but gives you practical instructions for the day-to-day situations that might arise.”
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