High school aged girls around the Triangle will be getting up in the dark to run and train for cross country or staying out late practicing softball. Many of these girls will be graduating and heading off to various college campuses around the area and across the country. Recent statistics indicate that 1.9 million women are assaulted across the United States each year. Training your daughter to defend herself after reading a statistic like that should seem like a no-brainer. While many parents are hesitant to involve their daughters in martial arts classes, the reality is that not training them to defend themselves is setting them up to be on the losing end of an attack. Did you know that Gracie Raleigh offers self defense classes for women in Raleigh and the surrounding areas? Call us today to learn more.
New York Times bestselling author and member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame, Tim Larkin, encourages parents to start teaching their daughters how to defend themselves at a young age. Here are Tim’s tips for teaching your daughter to defend herself.
Choose the Right Kind of Training
Martial arts that focus on competition, meditative practice, or physical fitness aren’t the best for the practical application of defense. Instead, choose classes like Krav Maga or a more aggressive form of martial arts that will help your daughter learn how to disable an attacker and get away.
Start Her Training Young
Larkin advises starting your daughter’s training around age eight or nine. The focus of this training should be on basic self defense moves. Around age 11 is when formal training on escaping an attacker should begin. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the age when many girls experience their first physical threat. Equipping your daughter with at least the most basic knowledge on how to get away from an attacker is crucial.
Train with Men and Weapons
Father-daughter classes are ideal, especially for awkward pre-teen and teenage girls who may feel uncomfortable fighting against men. However, training against male bodies is important because they are most likely to be the size, shape, and sex of her greatest threat. Familiarizing your daughter with weapons, even if you don’t keep them in your own home is important as well, Larkin says. You don’t want your daughter’s first encounter with a gun or a knife to be when someone is trying to use it against her. It is human nature to freeze when you see these weapons and not know how to react. Those precious seconds can be the difference between escape and injury.
Best Self Defense Classes For Women In Raleigh, NC
Focus on finding an instructor who doesn’t treat students differently based on their gender. A female student is just as capable of disarming an attacker as a male student. Bigger, stronger, and faster does not always mean that they will win in a fight. Being prepared, quicker, and sharper gives the advantage. Begin your daughter’s self defense training with Gracie Raleigh today!
Take the worry out of involving your child in martial arts with Gracie’s no contract policy. Parents never have to worry about paying for lessons they don’t need. Call or come by the gym today to learn more about the advantages of training your daughter to protect herself with the best self defense classes for women in Raleigh.