UA News

Instructor Brian Williams will teach simple self-defense moves that can be used in real-life situations.

A new club open to female employees and students at the University of Arizona is focused on giving women the skills they need to defend themselves against potential dangers on and off campus.

The Women's Self-Defense Club, started by UA sophomore Bridgette Larsen, will offer classes for the first time this semester at the Student Recreation Center. Students and employees are invited to attend a free information session at the Student Recreation Center today or tomorrow from 4-6 p.m. to meet Larsen and the class instructor, watch live self-defense demonstrations and learn more about the club and class times.

Larsen began taking self-defense classes during high school from instructor Brian Williams, who teaches girls and women throughout Tucson.

She decided the skills she learned from Williams could benefit other women at the UA and began working toward establishing the club.

"There are a lot of crimes against women, and most women don't know what to do," she said. "I'm not scared to be by myself because I know what to do if somebody came up to me."

Williams, who has a background in martial arts and operates the online business Protective-Techniques, will teach the classes three times a week during the spring semester at the Student Recreation Center, using real-life scenarios to teach women tactics like how to break a chokehold or recognize an attacker's weak spots. 

Williams said he developed his program with the goal of teaching women a series of simple and easy-to-remember self-defense moves that take less time and physical strength to master than traditional martial arts techniques.

"There's over 100 techniques that I want them to perfect," he said.

Williams said he thinks college women are especially vulnerable to attacks because their busy schedules may have them walking on campus late at night, and they may be out-of-state students unfamiliar with the area.

Sophomore Erin Clair, who is considering joining the club, said she spends a lot of time on campus after dark, whether she's walking her dog or coming back to her off-campus apartment from the library, Student Recreation Center or an evening class.

Her mother, Cathy Clair, first heard about the club and told her daughter about it.

"I'm really grateful as a mother that something like this would be available," Cathy Clair said. "I think most moms would agree, first and foremost, we want our girls to be safe. Safety is a priority, and I think it's a basic component of a college education."  

Tanisha Price-Johnson, director of admissions at the College of Medicine and adviser to the Women's Self-Defense Club, said she plans to take the classes herself and thinks the hands-on format will be helpful.

"It's very interactive, and it's not just someone telling you what to do. He places you in real-life situations," she said.

The club is also about having fun and getting some exercise, said 19-year-old Larsen, who wrestled competitively at Sabino High School, the only girl on the wrestling team.

"Anyone can join. You don't have to have experience and you don't have to be in shape," she said.

Club members must pay a $20 membership fee, plus $60 a month for classes.

For more information or to sign up, you can attend one of the sessions at the Student Recreation Center or contact Larsen at larsenb@email.arizona.edu.