Owing to the rising cases of violence against women around the country women are now going beyond the pepper spray to arm themselves against violence.
And Bangalore is no exception. Martial arts such as kick boxing, Muay Thai, Kung Fu and self-defence classes in the city have seen a rise in the number of enquiries and enrolments over the last few months.
Nitesh Pillai of Abhimanyu Academy of Martial Arts and Fitness which has a branch in HSR Layout said, "Yes. The number of women applying for self-defence classes has definitely risen. I got at least 7 to 8 enquiries the day after the Delhi rape incident. But, the enquiries do not necessarily turn into enrolments all the time.” Nitesh adds, “To learn Karate or Kung Fu, you need years of practice.
It’s not something you can learn in a couple of months. Hence, I suggest Muay Thai, which is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques.
Self-defence is more practical to use on a daily basis as it is a technique that can be learnt in a relatively short period.
You can learn the basics in a month’s time.
” Other than martial arts, there are short duration intensive training classes held in many academies where students including women of all age groups are taught how to react in different situations such as chain snatching and in cases where women who stay alone at home.
Suresh Kenichira of Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate Training Academy in Bannnerghatta Road, which has over 100 branches in the city, says, “More than your physical strength, what matters is how you react in an emergency situation.
For example: When you are alone at home and watching TV, 90 per cent of your concentration is on the TV, even while you answer the door bell.
If someone attacks you, you need to react in 5-10 seconds, this is crucial.
Remember that the attacker is a professional and he or she is not going to wait for you to recover and react.
We teach our students to be alert, to react in those few seconds and many other important things.
” Suresh claims that their academy has over 1,000 students and the branch he handles has around thirty women.
These days girls as young as 6-7 are encouraged by their parents to learn some kind of martial art which also comes handy when they are in some kind of trouble.
Sahana Harish, 25, who recently started learning kick boxing says, “I recently had an unpleasant experience when two men rammed their bike into my car and when I questioned them, they started abusing and tried to attack me.
Luckily, nothing much happened as I raised an alarm and others came to my rescue.
I decided to join a martial arts class the very next day.
It’s important that I am able to defend myself without other’s help.
There is nothing better than being self reliant and independent.
” The Bangalore Police however has not yet taken any initiatives in terms of conducting workshops or classes for women’s safety.
Pranab Mohanty, Joint Commissioner (West), Law and Order, “We have not planned any self-defence classes as of now.
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