In with a fighting chance (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

In with a fighting chance

SELF-DEFENCE has never been more important especially for Redbridge women living in an age when crime is rising.

The shortage of police in the borough has left many female residents feeling scared to go out.

A common occurrence every woman will have experienced is the un-nerving feeling when walking alone, especially at night, that a man is walking behind you.

The fear comes from the unknown. Are you safe or is he a potential attacker?

The answer to the eternal question many women ask themselves 'what would I do?' is one you never want to find the answer to.

The frightening statistics for this year show that in Redbridge, crime is rising.

To make matters worse, the police stations in Wanstead and Woodford are closed during the evening and are not fully operational in the day.

It's not surprising therefore that an increasing number of women are opting to learn the art of self-defence so that, should the unthinkable happen, they may have a fighting chance.

Redbridge Victim Support's Jan Scott, who deals daily with victims of crimes ranging from sexual assaults to street robbery, said she had found a high number of women wanting to learn how to fight back.

She said: "A lot of women need to feel more confident when they are out. If the skills you learn give you more courage and confidence then I think learning a martial art is brilliant."

But she also believes that promoting awareness and personal safety could be just as good as self-defence. She said: "The women that tend to get singled out are the ones who aren't confident. You have to walk with confidence and with purpose.

"If you appear vulnerable then you are vulnerable and people pick up on that. Know where you are going to and you are less likely to be a victim."

Wanstead Leisure Centre is one of the places that provide self-defence classes for men and women in the borough. I decided to take part in a karate class to discover for myself the benefits of learning self-defence.

Instructor Rod Butler, who has been teaching karate for 25 years, put me through my paces.

Now aged 58, he has taught hundreds of pupils over the years and has found a lot of people wanting to take up karate not only for self-defence but for confidence, keep-fit and for social reasons.

As a complete novice I found I picked up the basic moves quite easily.

Rod showed me various techniques that I could use to disable an attacker which would give me enough time to get away.

His classes are mixed, and women fight with men. He said: "We make it as realistic as possible so women know what they would be up against."

Rod instills confidence into his class members by giving them physical techniques coupled with mental strategies.

He told me that karate "teaches you to avoid situations that could be dangerous by reading them properly".

The basic physical differences between men and women leave women at a disadvantage. But Rod explained that you could use someone's physical strength against them if you knew what to do.

Rod teaches how to defend yourself with step forwards manoeuvring the feet to get out of trouble blocks and counter attacks, defensive moves against the face, stomach and groin. He showed me techniques to get out of a strangulation hold and attacks from behind.

I took part in the class along with two of Rod's star women pupils, Barabara Ives and Lydie Luis.

Barbara is 53 years old (see this week's Clubs Page), a mother of three and a second dan black belt, and has been learning karate for the past 15 years. Lydie is 25, a brown and white stripe first kyu belt, and has been learning for two-and-half years.

Both women get a lot of enjoyment out of the classes and feel a lot safer in their everyday life.

Barbara said: "It changes you and gives you a confident air, an awareness and a feel of movement.

"I think more women are training because of the rising crime."

Lydie said she had greater control over herself and more respect for people.

She said: "Karate is defensive. You never attack, that goes against the code. With the skills I have learnt I feel I can handle difficult situations better."

While Rod cannot take away the fear and the uncertainty that every woman feels while walking the streets alone at night, he can help give them confidence that they could defend themselves if the worst happened.

Rod's classes are on Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons at Wanstead Leisure Centre, Redbridge Lane West, Wanstead, and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Rush Croft School, Rushcroft Road, Chingford.

For more information contact Rod Butler on 8364 3606, email info@karate.co.uk or visit the website www.karate-london.co.uk

For more information on Redbridge Victim Support contact Jan Scott on 8551 5500.

August 22, 2002 11:00