Whether it is waiting alone at a T stop, coming home from a late shift at work, or leaving a party early, most college girls have found themselves walking alone at night for one reason or another; often because there is no other option. Some girls knowingly take the risk and hope they get lucky. Others just feel completely invincible. Either way, the facts must be faced.
One in every six women will fall victim to sexual assault in their lifetime, and college aged girls are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted. So girls, we have to start playing it safe. Yes, as college students, we’re busy and our schedules are packed, but it’s time to add one more thing. Self-defense classes. Don’t let all the white clothes and different colored belts intimidate you. There are numerous classes and organizations designed to teach girls just like us. Grab a group of your girlfriends and make it an event.
Emerald Necklace Martial Arts, just a short walk from the Green D line, or the #54, #56, or #64 bus routes, has a great program to offer. And Jason Gould, the director and certified self-defense instructor, tailors everything just for you. All you need to do is contact him at 617-202-3856, tell him your specific needs and concerns, and he will build a program depending on what you want to accomplish.
Gould believes self-defense is very important for college-aged women, especially freshman, just out of high school and most likely from a less urban area, because it helps increase awareness of the urban environment. Gould recommends taking several sessions over a few weeks. “In my opinion, you can never get enough,” he said. But if you do only have a few hours of time to dedicate, you can do a one or two hour seminar.
A seminar would include some physical resistance techniques, but mainly cover basic safety principles relating to physical bearing, body language, and listening to your intuition. Gould said that often times the most attractive thing about self-defense classes tends to be the physical resistance moves, but he teaches everything based on awareness. “Self defense is not a class, it’s a lifestyle,” Gould told me.
As for price, Gould said that depends on what you are trying accomplish. Generally the rate is about $100 an hour, divided by the number of participants. So if you get a group of ten girls, and do a two-hour seminar, each person would only pay twenty dollars. To Gould, it is not about the money. He is not concerned with how much he makes, or how much people pay. He is more concerned with meeting your needs and teaching you how to stay safe.
For more information about self-defense, check out Gould’s free community-based website, www.bostonselfdefense.ning.com. You will find other self-defense resources in Boston, as well as emergency hotline numbers to plug into your cell phone!