Gracie Farmington Valley Returns to USJ for Women’s Self Defense Seminar

Written by Samuel Turgeon

Gracie Farmington Valley made another appearance at USJ on April 25th in order to expand upon the basics taught during their visit in March (To read about that event, click here!). The event was hosted by USJ’s Working on Wellness initiative and took place in the O’Connell’s gym. Fewer USJ students attended in comparison to the previous event but the material covered was much more complex.

Joseph and James returned as instructors for this event and brought a large blue mat that was utilized in order to demonstrate grappling techniques. As students trickled into the gym, Joseph responded to specific questions and fears brought up by those who arrived early. Some of these scenarios related to being attacked while in a car or being attacked while seated on the couch. Joseph and James roleplayed each of these different situations, demonstrating the different options that a victim has in each of these situations. The instructors advocated for situational awareness above all else and explained the concept of fight, flight, and freeze. Freeze is the lesser-known alternative to fight or flight and can happen when a victim is unprepared for an attack. Joseph and James suggested that students establish escape routes when entering unfamiliar situations and made the point that cell phones can often be used as verbal escape routes, either through emergency services or a close friend. Other concepts included utilizing a commanding voice when in a threatening situation and remaining aware of any violation of your boundaries.

The instructors then introduced the students to some more fundamental self-defense concepts, such as addressing the attacker’s grip and developing a strong “combat base.” The combat base refers to the optimal stance for self defense and much of the seminar focused on standing up into a combat base in order to address an attacker. Students learned to utilize one leg to push away an attacker while using their other leg in conjunction with their arms to stand up. Joseph explained that minor forms of resistance, such as achieving a combat base, can help to reduce an attacker’s confidence. Shouting, resisting, and fighting back can show an attacker that you aren’t an easy target and likely cause them to retreat.

At the end of the session, the instructors recapped some of the techniques taught in the first seminar, such as grip breaks. After this, they took some final questions from the students. These questions led into a discussion about self defense tools. The instructors suggested that. although many tools may be helpful, they aren’t always reliable. Joseph emphasized that firearms are a very effective option for home defense and pointed out some flaws in tools such as pepper spray and tasers. They emphasized the importance of training above all else as an understanding of martial arts can always serve as a reliable form of self defense.

Gracie Farmington Valley Jiu-Jitsu can be found here!

Featured Photograph: Samuel Turgeon