Women's Self-Defence: 5 Myths That Put You At Risk

After training more than three thousand women and girls across Delhi NCR, I have heard every reason for not starting. Most are not reasons — they are myths, and some of them are actively dangerous. Let us take them apart.

Myth 1: 'I would need years of training for it to work'

Scenario-based self-defence is not sport karate. In our workshops, the highest-value skills — awareness, voice, boundary-setting, escaping the three most common grabs — are learnable in hours and retained for years with occasional practice.

Myth 2: 'Strength decides everything'

Technique targets structure, not muscle. A wrist peel works against grip anatomy; a heel stomp works against physics. We teach you to attack the parts of an aggressor that cannot be strengthened.

Myth 3: 'Fighting back always makes it worse'

Research consistently shows that immediate, decisive resistance — especially loud, committed resistance — most often ends an assault attempt. Freezing is the risk; training is precisely what replaces freezing with a practised response.

• Myth 4: 'Pepper spray is enough' — a tool you have not drilled under stress is a prop
• Myth 5: 'It will not happen to me' — preparation is not paranoia; it is the same logic as a seatbelt

You were never weak. You were untrained. That is a solvable problem — and solving it takes far less time than you fear.

Our Women's Self-Defence Power Workshops run monthly and free sessions are held at schools and colleges on request. Bring your mother, your sister, your flatmate. Fear shrinks fastest in company.