There are many different kinds of self-defense training. At UO we teach a form of self-defense called “empowerment self-defense,” or ESD. Here are some of the key features of ESD:
- We focus on the full range of gender-based violence, from everyday harassment to life-threatening situations.
- Our curriculum is evidence-based and trauma-informed. We recognize that the most frequent perpetrators of assaults against women are people they know and trust, and we teach strategies appropriate for those situations.
- We focus on recognizing dangers, effective boundary setting, assertiveness, de-escalation, and verbal self-defense skills. These strategies empower students to stop assaults in their very early stages, before they escalate to physical danger.
- We also teach easy-to-learn, highly effective physical tactics — including non-violent tactics — that require minutes or hours rather than years to master. You do not need any prior experience or skills to take our classes.
- Rather than telling women what they should do in a particular situation, we offer a toolbox of strategies for avoiding and interrupting violence, and we empower students to choose the options that are appropriate for their own situation.
- We don’t tell students what they should or shouldn’t do. Our class expands students’ freedom, empowering them to make their own decisions about where they go, what they do, and who they do it with.
ESD is the only form of self-defense training with research evidence to support its effectiveness. In multiple studies, ESD has been shown to reduce women’s risk of sexual assault by at least 50%.
You can see our core principles here.
This short video introduces our instructors and explains more about our class.