MEET REBECCA, OWNER OF DEFENSE ABILITY!

A fun surprise for you all today! Rebecca from Defense-ability Women’s Self Defense Training is here on the blog to talk about safety on college campus. I have taken her self-defense course in the past and I was so impressed with how experienced Rebecca was in this field. Rebecca was extremely informative and I came out of that class with awareness skills to avoid dangerous situations and defense skills to escape an attacker. I thought I knew so much about safety but I was clearly wrong. I have no regrets taking her class and you can find her courses here. 

College is an exciting time! It is a time to find ourselves, to be independent, alone and perhaps away from our parents 😛 But if we are not careful on campus it can also be a very traumatic time. I can’t thank Rebecca enough with how much her courses have helped me become “aware” of my surroundings.

THUY MY x REBECCA INTERVIEW

TM: Hi Rebecca! Your College Safety Defense class was great. I enjoyed it very much, could you tell me a bit about yourself/ background?

R: I was a federal officer for more than five years and also did training with officers and agents on the use of specialized surveillance equipment. I got to work with federal agents, and learned the different ways they use “take-down” moves, which work perfectly for women’s self defense.

TM: How did you come up with the idea of Defense Ability?

R: A friend was attacked and robbed, and while discussing this with her I made various suggestions on what she could have done to avoid the attack. She said “Well then, you should teach a class on self defense!” I wasn’t sure that women would be interested, but we’re going into our fifth year of service, and I love the feeling of helping women feel empowered and in control of their own safety.

TM: What other courses do you offer?

R: Currently we offer Urban Self Defense, College Safety and Awareness, Mother/Daughter Self Defense, Corporate classes (we teach at many local corporations), Real Estate Safety classes, and a class for mothers with babies/young children called “Mothers with Strollers.”  As soon as we find a more private venue, we’ll be adding “Defending from the Floor,” (how to fight back if you get knocked down), and a two hour class on using pepper gel correctly, where students will get to actually use a live gel canister (with an inert gel) and learn to aim and spray effectively.

TM: What makes a college student vulnerable to an attacker?

R: Their lack of awareness is foremost. College students (both male and female) constantly have their nose in their phone, and are not paying attention to their surroundings. As you learned in class, the most important aspect of women’s self defense is awareness.

TM: What is a woman’s greatest asset when she is being under attack?

R: Women think in terms of “fighting back” with a man, but what is most effective for them is disabling an attacker. Disabling requires that you not panic, keep thinking, and use both leverage and the element of surprise to hurt your attacker badly enough that you can escape.

TM: Many college students attend class at night or some have to work at night, what is your advice for them?

R: Try to make sure that someone knows where you are and when you’re expected to be back. Use the “Circle of Six” safety app to program in the names and numbers of friends and relatives who can call the police on your behalf with just the press of a button. Circle of Six works on all models of cell phones, and is the only completely free safety app that I am aware of.

TM: I love how you are helping the community and you also teach at schools, business and group functions. Is there an organization that you support?

R: We support all of the local domestic violence and sexual assault survivor programs. We’ll soon be holding a series of fundraiser classes for all of them. You’ll be able to find the information on our website (defense-ability.com).