Take that! Self-defence specialist Andy Williams (right) demonstrates how to fend off an attacker
Shruti Sheth Trivedi
18:00 Monday 23 November 2015
A ‘car confidence’ workshop in Dunstable saw town mayor councillor Liz Jones, join 60 mostly female visitors to learn self-defence against road rage.
The Women in the Driving Seat event, which was hosted by Vauxhall retailer Thurlow Nunn Dunstable last Wednesday, included a series of presentations on how to combat road danger and possible attackers.
With dark, cold winter evenings firmly in place, the mayor advised women to be prepared for potential attacks by carrying personal panic alarms and keeping their mobile phones handy, and said workshops like these helped more people to re-engage with the highway code.
She said: “If ladies stay alert, they can stay safe on the roads.”
Self-protection specialist Andy Williams, 53, gave an entertaining and practical demonstration on how to ward off potential assailants which included disarming techniques using everyday objects such as keys, deodorant and a pen.
He also offered valuable safety tips such as keeping doors locked and windows closed when in inner-city areas to prevent possible attacks while at a standstill, keeping valuables on the floor of the passenger side rather than on the seat to avoid them being taken when the car has stopped and making sure to only unlock car doors when at the car to stop someone getting in to attack or steal.
Andy, who started his martial arts training in 1980, said: “It is important for anybody to learn how to be safe on the roads, but women are perceived as being more vulnerable than men and are seen as an easy target when it comes to road rage.
“Also, other people are often scared to get involved, even if they see it’s a woman being attacked, so you have to be able to defend yourself.
“The reactions I teach come with a personal safety and awareness angle. There are a lot of bad habits out there and it’s a case of educating people.
“It’s like learning first aid; these are things that anybody can do in a threatening situation. The reactions need to be as natural as pushing the right pedals when driving a car.”
He also explained the difference between types of knives assailants can use,“If someone threatens you with a knife, just give them what they want.”
Rukhsana Shaikh-Zaidi, 48, from Luton, heard about the event from a friend and said she found it ‘most useful’ especially the self-defence demonstration.
She said: “I think it’s very important for women to be aware of themselves. I’m very cautious of what I can do in terms of defending myself when I’m out there.
“I thought the tip about not unlocking your car from miles away was great as it wasn’t something I had ever thought about. I will now be more aware and self conscious.”
Inserted from <http://www.dunstabletoday.co.uk/news/local-news/self-defence-workshop-puts-women-in-the-driving-seat-1-7077661
Laura Jane Wyatt
if it wasnt for this man i could have been seriously hurt or raped this friday, i
was on a date from a well known dating website, and i was attacked by a guy that
i thought was a decent guy, he shoved me and pushed me into hedges and
lampos...ts, put his fist's up to me, i kept calm and felt
strong against him i didnt fight back i took the abuse, but i was ready for
everymove and thinking the next step beyond him, only by the 2yrs xperience i
had with andy and 5yrs Kickboxing with the B.C.K.A ..im still shocked but i knew
i could defend myself just by having the confidence these organaization's have
given me...so i thank you andy :-)
Due to the type of environment that we work in we felt that it
would be beneficial for our work force to attend Andy Williams
self defence training session. All of the people who attended the course have
commented on how much fun the course was and everyone said that they found the
information very helpful. The course was tailored to the companies needs and
highlighted areas which we hadn't thought about. The team are more confident on
how to handle any potential bad situations in the future and we would recommend
this sort of self defence course to any business.
Sonja Robinson
Simply Recycling Solutions Ltd
T: 01604 745442
F:
01604 639280
if it wasnt for this man i could have been seriously hurt or raped this friday, i
was on a date from a well known dating website, and i was attacked by a guy that
i thought was a decent guy, he shoved me and pushed me into hedges and
lampos...ts, put his fist's up to me, i kept calm and felt
strong against him i didnt fight back i took the abuse, but i was ready for
everymove and thinking the next step beyond him, only by the 2yrs xperience i
had with andy and 5yrs Kickboxing with the B.C.K.A ..im still shocked but i knew
i could defend myself just by having the confidence these organaization's have
given me...so i thank you andy :-)
Due to the type of environment that we work in we felt that it
would be beneficial for our work force to attend Andy Williams
self defence training session. All of the people who attended the course have
commented on how much fun the course was and everyone said that they found the
information very helpful. The course was tailored to the companies needs and
highlighted areas which we hadn't thought about. The team are more confident on
how to handle any potential bad situations in the future and we would recommend
this sort of self defence course to any business.
Sonja Robinson
Simply Recycling Solutions Ltd
T: 01604 745442
F:
01604 639280
Dear Ian,
The training today by Andy Williams was excellent - very fast, very thorough, very involved.
The name of the company - Realistic Self Defence Organisation - is very appropriate.
I really hope none of us have to apply any of the skills we learnt and above all practiced (on one another) during the session.
If he / R.S.D.O. run another course, I will be one of the first to sign for it.
Thank you for arranging this.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas D. Wood,
room PRMB1041 (previously coded MB155),
School of Pharmacy and Chemistry,
Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Computing,
Kingston University,
Penrhyn Road,
Kingston-upon-Thames,
Surrey, KT1 2EE.
The training today by Andy Williams was excellent - very fast, very thorough, very involved.
The name of the company - Realistic Self Defence Organisation - is very appropriate.
I really hope none of us have to apply any of the skills we learnt and above all practiced (on one another) during the session.
If he / R.S.D.O. run another course, I will be one of the first to sign for it.
Thank you for arranging this.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas D. Wood,
room PRMB1041 (previously coded MB155),
School of Pharmacy and Chemistry,
Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Computing,
Kingston University,
Penrhyn Road,
Kingston-upon-Thames,
Surrey, KT1 2EE.
Andy,
Thank you so much for an informative, thought provoking yet hilarious presentation. I'll be so much better prepared for the unexpected thanks to you.
Claire
Ladies Night, Wessex Garages, Bristol. 18 Feb 2014
Thank you so much for an informative, thought provoking yet hilarious presentation. I'll be so much better prepared for the unexpected thanks to you.
Claire
Ladies Night, Wessex Garages, Bristol. 18 Feb 2014
