UA News

Bridgette Larsen, concerned with the instances of women being victims of violence, initiated a self-defense club at the UA to train female students, faculty and staff how to defend themselves.

Bridgette Larsen, who started taking self-defense lessons two years ago, was inspired to launch a campus organization devoted to teaching women how to defend themselves.

A University of Arizona sophomore studying business, Larsen said the lessons were both valuable and empowering for her, and she also was driven by concerns about women's safety on college campuses.

The likelihood of being sexually assaulted or harassed is hard to determine since rape and sexual abuse are believed to be very underreported. But statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, or RAINN, estimate that in the United States today there is a rape every six minutes and a sexual assault every two minutes. College-aged women are four times more likely to be assaulted then the rest of the population, RAINN reports.

These figures were part of the driving force behind Larsen's initiation of the Women's Self-Defense Club, which begins meeting Jan. 25 on the UA campus. All female students, faculty and staff are welcome to sign up.

"As long as you have two arms, two legs and are breathing you can learn something," said Larsen, the club's founder and president.

Classes will be held in the UA Student Recreation Center from 8 to 10 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

Club costs include a $20 membership fee, plus $60 a month fee for classes. Those with questions or looking to sign up can do so by contacting Larsen at 520-245-8488 or larsenb@email.arizona.edu.

Larsen, who is trained in gymnastics and cheerleading, made history when she became the first and only female on the Sabino High School wrestling team.

"It's really reassuring to know that you can protect yourself," Larsen said, adding that while she hopes participants will never have to use the skills they learn in the club, having them is beneficial. "You really learn a lot."

Brian Williams, who has more than 35 years of experience in martial arts and more than 20 years of experience teaching women, designed the club's class and will teach it.

Williams has spent the last decade developing a specialized program for women, paying particular attention to any vulnerabilities they may have in certain dangerous situations, and made it his life's work to educate and train as many women as possible.

"I teach 10 different ways of getting out of a chokehold, like if you're sitting waiting for a bus and he gets you from behind", said Williams. "Most attackers, their first instinct is to go for a woman's neck."

Participants also will learn boxing and kickboxing in addition to other blocking techniques. Williams, who has trained thousands of women, has also taught women what to do if they are attacked with a gun or knife, if trapped in a trunk and ways to make use of available objects if attacked, in addition to precautionary measures.

"Many young women today know very little or nothing about what to do if they find themselves in a dangerous situation," Williams said. He emphasized: "It is better to know something than nothing."    

Williams also stressed that this is not a martial arts class, but a practical self-defense course teaching techniques that have proved effective and can be used by all women regardless of size or fitness level in real-life situations.