What are the Benefits of Self-Defense Training?
Why is self-defense for women necessary?
Almost one-third of women in the workplace and 85% of girls in school report harassment (Louis Harris and Associates Poll, March 1994 and American Association of University Women, Hostile Hallways: AAUW Survey on Sexual Harassment in America's Schools,1993).
At some point in their lives, 25-31% of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend (The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Life Span: 1998 Survey of Women's Health, May 1999; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence,July 2000).
About one-fifth of American women report experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives (The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Life Span: 1998 Survey of Women's Health, May 1999; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, November 1998).
A woman who fights back gains an 86% chance of avoiding the rape and incurs little chance of additional injury. Most injuries occur before the woman starts fighting back. Women are most likely to stop an attack if they act immediately and use multiple strategies, such as yelling, fleeing, negotiating, or fighting (Kleck and Sayles, "Rape and Resistance," Social Problems 1990, 37:149-62; Bart & O'Brien, Stopping Rape, 1985).
Women who take self-defense are much less likely to experience incidents of unwanted sexual contact than women who have not taken self-defense (Hollander, University of Oregon, 2013).
Almost one-third of women in the workplace and 85% of girls in school report harassment (Louis Harris and Associates Poll, March 1994 and American Association of University Women, Hostile Hallways: AAUW Survey on Sexual Harassment in America's Schools,1993).
At some point in their lives, 25-31% of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend (The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Life Span: 1998 Survey of Women's Health, May 1999; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence,July 2000).
About one-fifth of American women report experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives (The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Life Span: 1998 Survey of Women's Health, May 1999; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, November 1998).
A woman who fights back gains an 86% chance of avoiding the rape and incurs little chance of additional injury. Most injuries occur before the woman starts fighting back. Women are most likely to stop an attack if they act immediately and use multiple strategies, such as yelling, fleeing, negotiating, or fighting (Kleck and Sayles, "Rape and Resistance," Social Problems 1990, 37:149-62; Bart & O'Brien, Stopping Rape, 1985).
Women who take self-defense are much less likely to experience incidents of unwanted sexual contact than women who have not taken self-defense (Hollander, University of Oregon, 2013).
What are the Benefits of IMPACT?
Is IMPACT self-defense training effective?
Of women trained in self-defense with a padded attacker and who were attacked after the training, 56% knocked-out or disabled their attacker, 34% escaped from their attacker or he ran away, 6% lost property, and 4% submitted to a rape because in their judgment it was the safest choice (Mark Morris, unpublished study of 50 Model Mugging graduates). Eight hundred girls have completed IMPACT at Santa Catalina School since 1987. Of these 800, 15 have reported an attack since taking the course. All used verbal and/or physical tools and got away or the assailant fled (Dean's Report, Santa Catalina School). Twenty-two women who completed IMPACT were contacted for follow-up after completing a course. Of these women, 20% reported using physical skills against attempted assaults of various kinds within 3-3 1/2 years since they took the course; an additional 35% reported using verbal and interpersonal skills to prevent or manage threats. Over 60% reported a wide range of positive ways the training had affected their lives and how they managed perceived threats or dangers from purse snatchings to interpersonal violence (Richard Chipping, London Centre for Personal Safety). What are long-lasting benefits of IMPACT training? Scholarly research shows that women who complete IMPACT-type programs report increased self-confidence and awareness as well as acquisition of a wide range of verbal and physical self-defense skills applicable to many real-life situations. Women who have completed IMPACT/Model Mugging report increased ability to set boundaries, increased self-confidence, and greater freedom in their everyday lives (Ozer and Bandura, "Mechanisms Governing Empowerment Effects: A Self-Efficacy Analysis," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1990). |
What is the advantage of classes with a padded attacker?
In her book, Real Knockouts, Martha McCaughey writes, "Padded attacker courses offer women a chance to experience full-force fighting, as these self-defense instructors believe that most successful assaults occur not because women aren't strong enough to fight men but because women facing an assailant often freeze up rather than fight. Because the 'muggers' attack the students at full force...women...learn their defense techniques while their adrenaline level is high and their fine motor skills low, thus committing the skills to 'bodily memory,' which will automatically be triggered in the course of an attack." My boyfriend/husband/father/neighbor is very big and/or has fight training (martial arts, military, law enforcement). Would these techniques really work on him? IMPACT is primarily designed to teach women to defend themselves against sexual aggressors for whom physical threats and violence (other than the sexual assault) are means to an end, not the end itself. At least in part, most sexual aggressors select their targets based on an expectation of no effective defensive response, so women have the element of surprise on their side. Men with fight training can present a higher degree of risk, but we believe that the effectiveness of the tools combined with the element of surprise gives women an edge in defending themselves against sexual aggressors with fight training. |
Can I do IMPACT Training?
Are IMPACT programs open to trans women?
The IMPACT Core, IMPACT for Teens, and Advanced programs are open to transwomen and ciswomen. Do I have to be a survivor to take this class? No. Though some women who take the class are survivors, it certainly is not a prerequisite by any means. Typically, about one-quarter to one-half of the women in a class indicate they are survivors of violence. |
Do I have to be young and in shape to take this class?
No. If you can walk up a flight of stairs carrying something, walk quickly across a room to pick up a ringing phone, and sit down on the floor and get up again, you are fit enough to participate in most of our programs. You need not be in top physical shape to take most of our programs; most participants are not in top physical shape. IMPACT Chicago recommends, however, that you postpone taking the class if you are recovering from a significant injury, have experienced an assault within the last six months, or are pregnant. Defense Against Multiple Assailants is our most physically demanding program. In addition to the above requirements, we recommend that you can quickly walk three to four blocks while maintaining a conversation, you can turn quickly when walking or running without stopping your momentum, you can get in and out of a car quickly, and you can step up and down from a curb without changing your walking or running pace. Women have defended themselves against real-life multiple attackers without these physical abilities--we make this recommendation to maximize your experience of the course. |
Who are men who play the aggressor role in IMPACT Training?
Who are the men who play the aggressor role in IMPACT programs and what are their motives?
The men who play the aggressor role are men who want to end violence against women. The men go through a long interview and training process, and being what we call a suited instructor is not for everyone. It requires a commitment to female leadership and empowerment and being able to play an aggressor role AND being a compassionate instructor.
The men who play the aggressor role are men who want to end violence against women. The men go through a long interview and training process, and being what we call a suited instructor is not for everyone. It requires a commitment to female leadership and empowerment and being able to play an aggressor role AND being a compassionate instructor.