LIFE LESSONS | SELF AWARENESS | SELF IMPROVEMENT

When a Man Attacks — I Have the Right to Fight Back

Embracing the skills to value protection over politeness

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I’m on the ground, lying on my back. The attacker straddled my body and gripped my wrists. I tucked my chin, planted my feet close to my buttocks, and bucked up as hard as I could. She instinctively let go of my hands to use them to ground herself when she lost balance and toppled forward over my head — creating a gap between us. I rolled over and escaped.

That was one of the defense techniques I learned in the Women’s Self-Defense workshop led by a team created by the Vancouver Police Department. My attacker wasn’t real — she was another student and we were role-playing.

I was shocked by the strength behind my “bucking”. She outweighed me by 20+ pounds and teetered over easily. I wondered if the unexpected momentum could launch a large, heavyset man off of me or at the very least, force him to lose balance to give me a few seconds to make my next move.

I don’t know if I could get away.

The need to protect

When I signed up for the workshop, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was awed by the team of strong, confident…