Self Defence Training for National Day Nurseries Association

It’s always rewarding to run self defence training and to see the change in women’s confidence and perspectives as the class progresses. This is something I experienced recently, when training the employees of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), the national charity and membership association with over 6,500 nurseries.

Facebook post by NDNA after the training.

Corporate Self Defence Course for NDNA

One of our course offerings is corporate self defence training, where we visit your business and provide either a half or full-day training programme for your female employees. In July, I visited the NDNA headquarters in Huddersfield and trained 19 staff members, including their Chief Executive, Purnima Tanuku OBE, and Director of Quality & Workforce Development , Stella Ziolkowski.

I wanted to share a few shifts in behaviour that I picked up on during this session, as these are common amongst participants of our training.

Confidence

What was evident at the beginning of the training was a disbelief in the ladies’ ability to protect themselves and a lack of confidence when faced with a potential attacker or big guy such as myself. However, as the course progressed I observed a real change in attitudes and by the end there was a noticeable atmosphere of positivity and self belief.

“The training has shown me that you don’t need to be big and strong to defend yourself.”

Mrs A.D.

When women take part in self defence training together and do the physical practice sessions they take strength from each other. At this session, there was one lady who had done some kickboxing before and, although she was small in physique, she could really pack a punch (and a serious knee). It gave the other participants confidence that they could go for it and use some force.

“The most useful part of the self defence training was gaining confidence in my ability.”

Ms S.Z.

The Law

There was a lightbulb moment during the training when we discussed the law and pre-emptive strikes. The realisation that you can defend yourself by making a pre-emptive strike if you feel in imminent danger, released the ladies from the fear that you have to be physically attacked before you can protect yourself.

“Great training, very enjoyable. Excellent tips and information provided. It made me think about how to react in certain situations. Thank you.”

Ms L.H.

Preparation

Another big change in perceptions came when I suggested having a throwaway or fake purse for when visiting cities or areas you are nervous of. I also advised people to let the would-be attacker have your purse or phone. There was initially some resistance to the idea from a couple of people - ‘Why should I let them have it?’, ‘It’s my personal stuff, I’ve worked for that’.

However, when we broke it down and looked at what the aftermath of an attack could do to you vs. letting some paper money or a piece of technology go, the participants bought into that approach.

“The course has changed my views and I’ve realised that, yes, I am strong and it’s OK to fight back.”

Mrs N.W.

Keep Things Simple

I think many of the employees of NDNA were surprised how easy it can be to break free from an attacker’s grip when you have the understanding of what to do. We broke down the break-free techniques into simple steps that work against the attacker’s body. Realising that you don’t have to be a big hulk of a person to escape a grab is quite empowering.

“I feel like the self defence training really opened my eyes and made me think about myself and my own routines. You need to realise the ‘it won’t happen to me’ mentality is just that and it can happen to anyone.”

Ms A.S.

Hot Button

The final change that I noticed in the self defence trainees was the hot button of ‘what if someone was trying to attack your loved one’. When people thought about this it was like flicking a switch, there was an immediate increase in power and ferocity from the participants. They took their strength from this and used it to fight back.

“It was helpful to know about using your trigger point to enable you to channel your strength and aggression to attack your assailant. Also, knowing you can still have options to fight back even if you are smaller or not as strong as your attacker.”

Mrs D.W.

I think this would be my parting thought on the session - experiencing an attack can have a huge impact on you, your family and friends. Be prepared, be aware, avoid dangerous situations and always fight back.

If you are a business and would like to protect your employees with self defence training, get in touch for a chat.