Young Women's Self Defence Course
Hi my name's Adrian Whitehead. I founded and run Practical Sword. In 2022 a neighbour asked me to recommend a self defence course for her daughter and her daughter's friend. Because most women's self defence courses focus on complex techniques that won't work in real life situations I designed and delivered a course which ran over six sessions.
Today I am doing the course intermittently and by demand, in both a multi week and two hour introductory format.
What the course contains
The course seeks to reduce risks through a hierarchy of action
Who is it for?
The course is being run for young women who are of 13 years of age or older. The course will include discussions about challanging topics such as male violence and predatory behaviour, rape and threat of murder, including real life examples of what has happened to people I know. Students MUST be mature enough to face the reality of these uncomfortable topics.
Why do a two hour course?
Did you know in real life assaults around 50% of them are lost simply because the victims offer no defence. By mentally processing and physically practising responses to a range of scenarios the victims of an assault will have a much better chance of responding in ways that can increase their survivability.
Our basic pattern of responding will be rehearsed again and again through the two hours, giving the students a good chance of deploying this technique under extreme stress.
Foundation of the course
The basic pattern response has been developed from William E. Fairbairn’s lethal techniques used by special forces soldiers in world war two and later slightly modified for self defence.
I recently workshopped the basic pattern response with a leading close combat expert in the Victorian Police and only one adjustment was recommended.
Why do the course at all?
The sad truth is that many women will be assaulted over their lives. There is a growing lethal violence amongst our youth, and a number of recent incidents targeted against women along our local creek suggest now is a good time to train your daughter to use these skills.
Where?
Club organised training will be held at the Melbourne Sallee, where I run my medieval combat classes. The address is 12/62-64 Oakover Rd, Preston. (right hand corner past the AAP building.) See the bottom of the front page of this website for some more information on how to get there.
Private or group session can be run at any appropriate venue.
Who am I?
I live locally in west preston. I have taught martial arts for over 15 years. I have a professional background in innovative education, working for both CERES environment park and a Medieval education company. My working with children number is 04367253-03. I have one son at Coburg High and two daughters.
Where to next?
If a student requests further training or wishes to do a refresher course I will be more than happy to set up future sessions.
Alternatively students could join a martial arts school and learn one of the many forms of hand to hand combat.
Students are also welcome to start training at Practical Sword in our Dark Ages HEMA program. At lower levels general skills of weapon based combat are learnt such as balance, timing, striking, voiding etc. At level 6 we focus on knife, grappling and hand to hand fighting which will be directly applicable to most self defence situations.
Next Course
From 5-7 pm on Friday the 30th of June 2023
Cost?
Priced to encourage participation at $25 for the two hours.
Booking
max 20 students. please book by texting my phone 0403 735 118
Booking your own course
If you are interested in running a 2 hour Intro course or a program at your school or your sporting club or having a private lesson I charge a minimum of $100 per hour to train plus travel costs. Please contact me on 0403 735 118 if interested in making an enquiry.
Today I am doing the course intermittently and by demand, in both a multi week and two hour introductory format.
What the course contains
- Making good decisions
- Understanding, identifying and responding to threat
- Immediate actions in a range of scenarios.
- If trapped, how to attack your opponent to give you the best chance of surviving.
- A rehearsed very simple attack strategy that can be successfully applied under extreme stress.
- The basics of striking, blocking, kicking and attacking
- Critical target areas.
- Discussing other forms of threaten behaviour
The course seeks to reduce risks through a hierarchy of action
- Making good decisions
- Adopting safe behaviours
- Identifying and responding to threat
- Responding physically in worse case scenarios
Who is it for?
The course is being run for young women who are of 13 years of age or older. The course will include discussions about challanging topics such as male violence and predatory behaviour, rape and threat of murder, including real life examples of what has happened to people I know. Students MUST be mature enough to face the reality of these uncomfortable topics.
Why do a two hour course?
Did you know in real life assaults around 50% of them are lost simply because the victims offer no defence. By mentally processing and physically practising responses to a range of scenarios the victims of an assault will have a much better chance of responding in ways that can increase their survivability.
Our basic pattern of responding will be rehearsed again and again through the two hours, giving the students a good chance of deploying this technique under extreme stress.
Foundation of the course
The basic pattern response has been developed from William E. Fairbairn’s lethal techniques used by special forces soldiers in world war two and later slightly modified for self defence.
I recently workshopped the basic pattern response with a leading close combat expert in the Victorian Police and only one adjustment was recommended.
Why do the course at all?
The sad truth is that many women will be assaulted over their lives. There is a growing lethal violence amongst our youth, and a number of recent incidents targeted against women along our local creek suggest now is a good time to train your daughter to use these skills.
Where?
Club organised training will be held at the Melbourne Sallee, where I run my medieval combat classes. The address is 12/62-64 Oakover Rd, Preston. (right hand corner past the AAP building.) See the bottom of the front page of this website for some more information on how to get there.
Private or group session can be run at any appropriate venue.
Who am I?
I live locally in west preston. I have taught martial arts for over 15 years. I have a professional background in innovative education, working for both CERES environment park and a Medieval education company. My working with children number is 04367253-03. I have one son at Coburg High and two daughters.
Where to next?
If a student requests further training or wishes to do a refresher course I will be more than happy to set up future sessions.
Alternatively students could join a martial arts school and learn one of the many forms of hand to hand combat.
Students are also welcome to start training at Practical Sword in our Dark Ages HEMA program. At lower levels general skills of weapon based combat are learnt such as balance, timing, striking, voiding etc. At level 6 we focus on knife, grappling and hand to hand fighting which will be directly applicable to most self defence situations.
Next Course
From 5-7 pm on Friday the 30th of June 2023
Cost?
Priced to encourage participation at $25 for the two hours.
Booking
max 20 students. please book by texting my phone 0403 735 118
Booking your own course
If you are interested in running a 2 hour Intro course or a program at your school or your sporting club or having a private lesson I charge a minimum of $100 per hour to train plus travel costs. Please contact me on 0403 735 118 if interested in making an enquiry.
