May 2016: Self Defence

Our May meeting was spent in the company of Richard Blackburn of Renegrade Strength who gave us an introduction to self defence. The first part of the presentation was a slideshow which highlighted the acceptable occasions in the eyes of the law as when to use reasonable force: to defend oneself; to defend a third party; to prevent the entry/theft of your property. We were also were given some useful acronyms to help us respond in these situations: RADAR and REPEL. A dummy wallet was also encouraged when in unfamiliar places to act a distraction tool if in the unfortunate predicament of a mugging. We were then advised as what to do if an assailant attacked using a weapon using the 5 Cs: create space, communicate, comply ‘within’ reason, commit to defensive measures and conclude. After a short break, it was then time for the Spa Sweethearts to take to the St George’s dance floor and take part in a physical workshop mastering some swift manoeuvres to use in times when self defence was required. It was a high impact, energised sequence of moves, which created high spirits and much hilarity amongst the ladies. Hopefully we will never need to use the acquired skills, yet we all feel much more assured when out and about, thanks to Richard’s guidance.