Polish champion JiU-Jitsu teaches women how to defend themselves: "The torturers are looking for victims, not opponents"

There will be no sound from a panic throat. Before we start talking about any techniques of physical defense, you need to be able to master your emotions, unlock your body and voice to be able to shout, recall help, react. Without this, even the simplest defense movement may not work-says Joanna Ziobronowicz, world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, author of the book “You have power”.

Krystyna Romanowska: Have you noticed a rash of rollers on the Internet showing women defending against violence? Is this a sign of times? It was supposed to be less aggression towards women and ended as usual?

Joanna Ziobronowicz: Yes, I noticed and I think that what is happening on the Internet – these videos, rollers, self -defense guides for women – are a very significant signal. This is not an accident, but a reflection of the actual threat of which women face all over the world. We wanted a milder world, emancipation, greater security, and the reality is that women are still victims of violence – physical, verbal, mental.

And it doesn’t change quickly enough. On the contrary – violence escalates in many places.

From my perspective, based on experience and working with women, I can say that the statistics are alarming. Although there is generally talk about a decrease in crime, in large cities – like London – there is an increase in the number of assaults, rapes and robberies. In Great Britain, the government has only recently invested larger funds in the fight against violence against women and girls, which shows how seriously this problem is growing.

I do not treat rollers and videos of self -defense as fashion, but as a natural social reaction. Women know that they have to be able to defend themselves, because often the system will not protect them. The police can be ineffective, the penalties are too mild, and the torturers leave the prisoner and recidivist is the norm.

I recently watched an interview with a man who has just left the English prison (prisons are overcrowded, so some leave after serving 1/3 of the sentenced sentence) – attached by a journalist, or feels resocialized, he replied without hesitation: “absolutely not”.

When asked if he intends to commit a crime again, he replied: “I think so.”

This shows the scale of system absurdity – the lack of places in prisons means that people come out earlier and the threat to women is growing.

But can you learn effective self -defense methods from these rolls?

As for you in the style of Steven Seagal’s tricks, it certainly not. It is definitely worth practicing internal strength, learning to say “no” also in everyday situations, take care of our overall efficiency. Self -defense does not start with a kick to the crotch. It starts with an attitude. When a woman goes straight, with an open chest, with a raised chin, he gives a signal: “these numbers are not with me.”

The torturers are looking for victims, not opponents.

They choose weakened, drunk, dispersed, with a phone call. How a woman moves, how she breathes, how she looks, she can decide everything.

A video where someone says “Step one – grab your hand, step two – transfers”, does not take into account the paralysis in which a woman can be found. Everything is forgotten under stress. At the time of direct attack, threat, our body will enter the state of “freezing” – then it is difficult to make any movement, not to mention complicated grips. The voice tightens, the body stiffens and although we know inside that we should shout, react – we are not able to physically.

That is why my friend, conducting self -defense courses for women, mainly focused on learning the ability to extract screaming despite the clenched throat.

In a stressful situation, only what you have “in muscles” and “in the head”. That is why we teach the simplest reflexes at courses: knee, elbow, scream. But most importantly – we teach courage to say “no”, leave, set a border.