Become the Wrong Woman™ !

… at least when someone is looking for a victim!

I have taught Women’s Assault Prevention for almost two decades at one level or another. Whether it was casual self-defense advice delivered to friends at college, seminars taught during corporate team building events or  well developed programs that were contracted for high school girls, I have always been passionate about the topic and the fact that it needed be taught in a specific and realistic way. My courses have generally been well attended, gotten great reviews and I’m sure made a difference on several occasions for graduates… but, one important thing was always askew: I’m not a woman. At the end of the day, no matter how well intentioned we are, there is a fundamental limitation to the efficacy and legitimacy of a guy trying to tell women what they should do and how to do it. Unfortunately, this fact has been too often twisted by marketing techniques and the presumption that just because you have the right plumbing and some skills any woman is better at teaching this topic than any guy. A combination that, along with other things, leads to a plethora of ill-conceived and poorly taught women’s self defense programs being offered daily around the world.

Enter Kelly Muir. Kelly is a life-long martial artist with a 5th degree black-belt that has been teaching for over twenty years. She has represented the US in international competition, produced several training videos, recently written a book on teaching children martial arts and run highly successful schools in California and Ohio. She currently works as part of my Contributor Team at the Personal Defense Network and owns Team Karate Center, Columbus in Ohio. A few months ago, Kelly told me that she was (finally) developing a comprehensive self defense training program for women and that she would like me to help her develop some of the curriculum… especially, the introduction to defensive firearms portion. In all her years of  training and teaching, Kelly had never sat down to put a specific women’s program together and she felt like the time had come to do… and do it well.  Kelly and I both agree that owning a gun doesn’t instantly make you safer… and we also agree that firearms training is a very small part of “women’s self defense”. Ironically, some of her thoughts on firearms for self defense in the home were formed by watching an episode of The Best Defense before we had even met! It can be a daunting task for a woman with no experience to find a program that teaches the  true fundamentals of defensive shooting in an efficient way. Early last year, Kelly had attended a three day Combat Focus® Shooting & Advanced Pistol Handling course and found it to be very practical. Kelly had previously had some basic handgun training and gone through the process of obtaining a CCW, but felt that CFS approached shooting from the same practical and efficient standpoint that she wanted to cover all aspects of personal defense for women in the Wrong Woman™ Program. Obviously, I took that as a great compliment and promised the support of I.C.E. Training Company to her new project.

Less than six months later, Kelly held her inaugural Fundamentals Course in Bexley, Ohio… with an over-full room and the sponsorship of her local police department!

The Wrong Woman™ Program starts with a four hour course. This is a dynamic and fun half day that introduces participants to the core concepts of the program’s approach to being safer: Knowledge, Physical Skills, Trusting your Intuition and Choosing the Right Tools. The course is broken down into four parts:

• Physical Skill Development & Using your Body Efficiently
• Understanding the Risks
• Trusting your Intuition
• Understanding the Tools of Self Defense

In the first block, participants will development simple physical striking and close quarters defensive skills that could save them in a worst case scenario. In the next block, participants will learn about the risks that all women face and some of the ways in which their decisions and lifestyle choices can mitigate some risk factors. Understanding the risks and warning signs of a potential attack can aid you in Trusting your Intuition. The final block of instruction deals with understanding the strengths and limitations of potential defensive tools such as pepper spray, Tasers and even firearms.

The Fundamentals Course is only $65 and serves as the gateway to several follow on courses, including a special Introduction to Firearms course which I will teach occasionally under the Wrong Woman™ banner to introduce women without any firearms experience to the world of defensive guns and their use… especially inside the home. Follow on courses will cover other topics as well, including several levels of Unarmed Defense, Chemical & Electrical Defensive Tools, Emergency Trauma Medicine, Risk Assessments and Intuitive Decision Making.

I am very proud to have been asked to contribute to the Wrong Woman™  Program and I’m confident that it will be a huge success. Initial courses are being held in Central Ohio, but the program will soon be expanding to locations around the United States. Hosts for the program are being sought in various regions. If you are interested in learning more, check out www.wrongwoman.net or email Kelly@wrongwoman.info.

Please share this blog article with women in your family, workplace or anywhere else…. even if they don’t make it to a course, thinking about their personal safety might be the first step to avoiding a problem in the future!  And, be sure to check out the Wrong Woman™ Facebook Page and this video from the first course!

-RJP