Indian women counter rape with martial arts training

[Syn7]

I am having trouble imagining this...........I am picturing the rapist now being attached to his victim..............both stuck together kind of like when dogs do it.......if this is correct then I am not sure this would be a good thing for the victim as they would be stuck with their attacker till surgery

Of course, if it is somehow removable by the victim and stays stuck on the attacker then that would be another story. Imagine having to walk around with this thing stuck on you until you could get to a hospital.

Of course it doesn't stay in the woman. Think of it like a plastic test tube that is smooth on the outside but barbed on the inside. They push in easily enough, and when they pull out the whole thing goes with them. And then they have a decision to make. Take their chances with their tool box or go to the hospital and explain themselves.


Like I said before, not sure how a guy would not notice this thing, but it seems to have some promise. Again, if I come across the article, I will post it up.

That whole medieval torture angle appeals to many. If anyone deserves it...

In the US a rapist would sue the victim.

In India, walking into a hospital would be far more preferable than dealing with an angry mob who found out. Often the accusations are made but they just deny it and that's that. Ain't no denying it when they have this thing stuck to them. So not only does it employ a sort of swift retribution, but it also functions like a dye pack. Marked! Even if they get it off, they still have to explain the unique wounds. So while it's main purpose is defense, it does act as a device for creating some pretty strong circumstantial evidence.

[Sihing73]

Okay, that sounds cool and appropriate.

I have three dogs and one just went into heat so the image of two being stuck together was in my head already. LOL

[Syn7]

Okay, that sounds cool and appropriate.

I have three dogs and one just went into heat so the image of two being stuck together was in my head already. LOL

lol

That would be absolutely horrible. Being stuck to your rapist by some badass contraption that hurts you both. Not a good look.

[GeneChing]

Neetu’s petition to make martial arts compulsory for girls
Hiren Kotwani, TNN Aug 25, 2013, 12.00AM IST


(Neetu Chandra )

In the wake of the recent gangrape of a 22-year-old photojournalist in Mumbai, actress Neetu Chandra has filed an online petition asking the Government of India to make martial arts training compulsory for girls from classes 4 to 12.

Neetu is a 4th Dan black belt in Taekwondo and has represented India at the Asian level twice. The actress, who is supported by an NGO in this cause, asserts that martial arts training will "give our girls self-confidence, a sense of security and the willpower to fight back instead of surrendering meekly when shown a knife or a gun."

The petition states, "It might not train them to use a gun or carry a knife, but it will certainly give them the voice to scream, teeth to bite and limbs to pack a punch on the face of her tormentor, and bounce back when he is trying to force himself on her."

She adds, "It's time we unite to affect a change in people's mindset and get the authorities to act seriously."

Neetu Chandra is someone to watch.

[GeneChing]

There's a video there that is well worth your attention.

The World Before Her: women learning to kill or wear a bikini in India - video extracts

Extracts from award-winning film-maker Nisha Pahuja's new feature-length documentary, The World Before Her. Pahuja's film examines the contradictory realities between a Hindu nationalist training camp where girls are trained to kill in self-defence and the bikini-clad women of the Miss India pageant. Tradition and modernity are on collision course


Source: Docbeat
Length: 5min 48sec
theguardian.com
Thursday 12 September 2013

[GeneChing]

love the language in this article

Learning self-defence, this time the martial arts way
STAFF REPORTER


The Hindu Students participating at self defense training camp for girl organised by A.P.Balala Hakkula Sangham in association with Indian Academy of Martial Arts in Hyderabad. -- PHOTO: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Martial arts experts share tips with girls of Mahbubiya Govt. School on self-defence

If someone tries to grab you from behind, do not panic. Just wait for the opportune moment and go for the solar plexus located below the chest and above the stomach with maximum force that you can muster. This will ensure that you have stunned and knocked the wind out of the attacker. Take a quick punch at the throat or the eyes of the attacker which will buy you some time. Be aware of your surroundings and do not get bullied by anyone.

Such instructions on self-defence from martial art experts came thick and fast like the fierce punches thrown by girls at Mahbubiya Government Girls High School on Monday. The school campus echoed with the intense shouts of over 150 girls, who learnt a few tricks on how to land a punch with strength and power onto the attackers.

The enthusiastic girls quite eagerly lined up to learn the tricks to fight and defend. “They told me that if I learnt self-defence techniques, I would not get intimidated by strangers, and that it would also enhance my self-confidence. Such classes should be a regular affair in schools,” says Fathima Begum, a class IX student.

Hyderabad District Education Officer (DEO) Subba Reddy, who inaugurated the self-defence training camp organised by Balala Hakkula Sangham, assured girls that he would strive to include martial arts in the curriculum. “Such training camps on self-defence should be organised in all parts of the State,” he said.

Some trained girl students presented slick karate moves for the uninitiated. “I am planning to join karate classes as I think it will make me more confident in dealing with tough situations. It will be easier for us if they organise such programmes in our schools,” said T. Padma, another student. A.P. Balala Hakkula Sangham president Achyuta Rao said efforts were on to organize such camps throughout out the State.

[GeneChing]

Anyone know anything about Tolpar?

Akshay in favour of martial arts training for kids
Niticentral Staff29 Apr 2014



Actor Akshay Kumar who is known for his stunts and action feels that training of martial arts should be made mandatory in all the schools, as self defence is important for everyone.

“I urge the Government to make it compulsory for boys and girls. I look forward to that day where every student compulsorily learns martial arts in schools for at least three years and martial arts becomes more famous than cricket. It is my dream,” Akshay said during a workshop on Russian knife fighting system called Tolpar.

In China and Singapore, martial arts training is a must and after the programme, a certificate would be handed over, recalled Akshay, who has appeared in more than 100 films in Bollywood.

In association with Mumbai Police and a team of Russian martial arts experts, NGO Mukti, founded by Smita Thackeray, organised a one-day Tolpar training event at Naigaon police grounds in central Mumbai on Monday.

As many as 35 female police constables and Mukti’s 12 female marshals, who guard Western Railway locals, underwent the day-long fighting technique using a small knife.

“It’s a very big initiative by Mukti foundation. A woman should take care of herself. I think for knife fighting you do not need power but you need to be intelligent to tackle the situation. I am sure this technique will be helpful for those undergoing training,” the actor said.

He also spent time with the Tolpar experts and practised moves with them, learning the nuances of the art.

Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad chief Himanshu Roy extolled the initiative saying “Each woman should stand up for herself and not fear offenders. This specialised training empowers her and we would like every woman to train to be empowered to protect herself.”

Smita Thackeray said, “Tolpar training aims at empowering the female personnel, that is both the cops and our NGO marshals, whose task is to take care of women.”

“The Russian Tolpar experts work on empowering police and army, the globe over. When Mukti marshals got this opportunity, we wanted the women cops to benefit from it and are glad the Mumbai Police agreed to the same,” she said.

[David Jamieson]

Sadly, as many of us know, it's 1 person in 100 or more that can actually develop a viable skill and it takes time.
While I like the idea that martial arts is being promoted, is it an effective defence for a woman against multiple rapists?
Not as much as having children learn the value of another human being or young men being actively taught to be protective instead of abusive of those who are weaker in society.

I don't see this story as much more than feel good stuff that is not going to work in reality in any viable way towards a solution to the issue of rape.
It hasn't worked here in North America, or anywhere else for that matter and it keeps getting trotted out.

Teach your children well. That is the solution. Give us the boy, we give you the man. That's the way forward with this issue in my point of view.
a 120 pound girl will not karate chop a group of criminal thugs. It ain't gonna happen, it only happens on TV or in movies and the evidence to show it's ineffectiveness is staggering and the size of a mountain. Rape is a real problem since the dawn of time and we seem to stupidly visit the well of fire vs fire over and over again. I don't get it.

[GeneChing]

Schools must train girls in martial arts, says Governor Droupadi Murmu
Posted on: Aug 22, 2016 08:44 AM IST | Updated on: Aug 22, 2016 08:44 AM IST

Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said that PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik's performances at the Rio Olympics are live examples of what girls can do.
Governor Murmu, while addressing the girl students at the Jamshedpur Women's College 2009-12 year convocation ceremony, said that girls are highly talented and have the potential to make a name for the themselves and the country in the field of their interest, provided they get an oppurtunity, says a report.


Governor Droupadi Murmu (File photo)

She urged all schools and colleges to introduce karate, judo, taekwondo that shall help girls become self-confident, self-reliant, while referring to growing rising crimes against women. The sociey needs to shun their rigid mindset regarding capabilities of girls.
Murmu said to the degree holders that their acumen will be tested when they step out of college to compete to make a mark in the field of their interest.
Governor Murmu lauded the college for earning a place for the state by becoming an autonomous college with "A" certification from NAAC, Bangalore.
She said that introducing new courses, including professional and vocational programmes, in college is always a good thing, but the quality of education needs to be maintained at every level. "By shaping the careers of girls, this college is contributing in the nation building exercise," she said.

karate, judo, taekwondo - bring it. Great post Olympic idea.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

Interesting perspective. My wife was just complaining about my non-existent culinary skills last night.

Men should learn to do household work, women martial arts, says Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj said that encouraging men to study home science will help break the traditional mindset about women.
INDIA Updated: Apr 28, 2017 07:28 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi


External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told GoM meeting that men should be encouraged to study home science. (Reuters File Photo)

Men should be encouraged to study home science in college and hone their culinary skills, while women should be motivated to take up physical education, especially martial arts, as an effort to banish gender bias from society.

The suggestion was made on Thursday by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting to review the national policy for women.

The policy, which is being revised for the first time in 16 years, will address current and emerging challenges involving women, especially issues related to their health, education and employment.

One of the top woman politicians in the country, Swaraj heads the GoM.

“She told the meeting that encouraging men to study home science will help break the traditional mindset about women. In this way, men can also contribute to making women’s life better. Swaraj said though men and women are working, the workload on women is far more,” said a government source.

For someone who had juggled politics, high office and family duties with finesse, her suggestion gave perspective to a growing call to shut out the age-old stereotypical role women are restricted to.

The GoM has 11 members, including commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu, WCD minister Maneka Gandhi among others.

Naidu, also present in the second meeting of the GoM, rooted for reservation for women in educational institutions.

“This will help women get better opportunities,” Naidu said.

He also recommended that women starting business should be given more loans, a source said.

Another interesting suggestion came from Prasad who said women under-trials, accused of non-heinous crimes, and if convicted, should be released once they have served one third of their time.

Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman wanted women under-trials to be put up in special homes.

The WCD ministry, which is anchoring the policy, will go through the suggestions made by the GoM before deciding what all to incorporate.

The ministry is also crowdsourcing innovative ideas from citizens to make the policy more contemporary.

For the first time, the draft policy has also addressed issues related to single women and widows.

[GeneChing]

AUGUST 24, 2017 / 5:10 PM / 14 HOURS AGO
Kung Fu nuns strike back at rising sex attacks on women in India
Nita Bhalla


Buddhist nuns in India's remote Himalayan region of Ladakh teach around 100 girls and young women the martial art of Kung Fu amid rising reports of rape in India. Taken on Aug 18, 2017. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/NITA BHALLA
LADAKH, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As dawn breaks, the sun edges over the expansive jagged mountains of Ladakh - a remote Buddhist ex-kingdom in the Indian Himalayas bordering Tibet - to reveal a world where time appears to have stood still.

The chant of monks in a centuries-old monastery can be heard in the distance. Villagers slowly emerge from whitewashed stone cottages to tend to their wheat and barley fields, and ready their goats to search for pasture.

Complete with its picture-perfect temples precariously perched atop rocky mountain outcrops, giant shrines and mantra-engraved walls, Ladakh’s age-old Tibetan Buddhist way of life appears almost untouched by modernity.

Until, that is, you hear the energetic yells of scores of young women, clad in sweatpants and trainers. Fanned out in front of a majestic white temple-like structure, they stretch, lunge, jump, kick and punch on the orders of nuns.

Meet the Kung Fu nuns - women from an age-old Buddhist sect who are using their martial arts expertise to challenge gender roles in this conservative culture and teach women self-defense, as reports of rapes rise in India.

Unlike other nuns, their chants and prayers are followed by jabs and thrust kicks. Between meditation sessions, they attend gender equality lessons. Even their traditional maroon robes are periodically swapped for martial arts attire, with black belts.

“Most people think nuns just sit and pray, but we do more,” said 19-year-old Jigme Wangchuk Lhamo, one of the Kung Fu trainers, as she rested after an intense two-hour session in Hemis village, 40 km (25 miles) from the northern city of Leh.

“We walk the talk. If we act, people will think if: ’If nuns can act, why can’t we?’”

“Kung Fu will make them stronger and more confident,” she said, adding that they decided to teach self-defense after hearing of cases of rape and molestation.

HEROES

Wangchuk is one of around 700 nuns globally who belong to the Drukpa lineage - the only female order in the patriarchal Buddhist monastic system where nuns have equal status to monks.

Traditionally, nuns are expected to cook and clean and are not permitted to exercise. But this changed almost a decade ago when the leader of the 1,000-year-old sect, His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa, encouraged the nuns to learn Kung Fu.

Inspired by his mother to advocate for gender equality, he also gave the nuns leadership roles and helped them study beyond Buddhist teachings to become electricians and plumbers.

The nuns are active in the communities where they live, mainly in Nepal and India, treating sick animals and organizing eye care camps for villagers.

They trek and cycle thousands of kilometers through Himalayan mountain passes to raise awareness on issues ranging from pollution to human trafficking.

Following a massive earthquake in April 2015 in Nepal, they refused to leave but trekked to villages to remove rubble, clear pathways and distribute food to survivors.

Carrie Lee, president of Live to Love International, a charity which works with the Drukpa nuns to support marginalized Himalayan communities, says they are exceptional role models.


Buddhist nuns in India's remote Himalayan region of Ladakh teach around 100 girls and young women the martial art of Kung Fu amid rising reports of rape in India. Taken on Aug 18, 2017. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/NITA BHALLA
“The Kung Fu Nuns are heroes of the Himalayas,” she said.

“They are fiercely compassionate and brave. Not even earthquakes, avalanches, monsoons and cloudbursts can stand in their way.”

CAT-CALLING

Lee isn’t far wrong.

The nuns are now taking on one of the biggest threats facing women and girls in India today. Rape.


Slideshow (8 Images)

Stories feature daily in Indian newspapers and television channels of girls being raped on their way to school, students molested in taxis, and women stalked heading home from work.

The National Crime Records Bureau says 34,651 rapes were reported in 2015 - or four rapes every hour - a rise of 43 percent from 2011.

There were 82,422 sexual assaults, an 67 percent increase over the same period.

These figures are just the tip of the iceberg, say activists, as many victims are afraid to report cases, scared they will be blamed and shamed by their family and community.

A wave of public protests after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012 jolted many in the world’s second most populous country out of apathy, and forced the government to enact stiffer penalties on gender crimes.

Since then, a spike in media reports, government campaigns and civil society programs have increased public awareness of women’s rights and emboldened victims to register abuses.

But with reports continuing every day, and many women feeling increasingly concerned about their safety, the Drukpa saw an opportunity to help in their own way.

"We thought we must share what we know with others," said 28-year-old nun Jigme Yeshe Lhamo at a five-day workshop at Naro Photang - a majestic Buddhist palace-like building belonging to the centuries-old nearby Hemis monastery.

Almost 100 women aged between 13 to 28 followed a rigorous 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule during the course in August.

It included techniques on handling being attacked from behind, moves such as takedowns and strikes, and discussions about how to react in possible sexual assault scenarios.

"It's been tough and my whole body is aching but the nuns were very inspiring. All girls should learn Kung Fu," said one participant Tsering Yangchen, a 23-year-old student.

"I am often uncomfortable going to the market as there are boys standing around looking, whistling and cat-calling. I was always hesitant to say anything but now I feel much more confident to speak out and even protect myself if I have to."

There are more images in the slideshow if you follow the link.

Kung Fu Nuns & Shaolin Nuns & Indian women counter rape with martial arts training.

Here's the official website of the Druk Gawa Khilwa Abbey.

[GeneChing]

18-Year-Old Martial Art Expert From Bengal Beats Up 3 Men Who Tried To Sexually Assault Her
By Neha Tanwar - 30th March 2018

At a time when crimes against women have seen a steady rise, self-defence has become the need of the hour. Women have taken their safety into their own hands and have invested their time in equipping themselves with the proper form of self-defence so that they can protect themselves from predators. However, just learning martial arts is not enough and you need to keep your head together to apply your knowledge.

A prime example of this was recently set by an 18-year-old girl who taught a lesson to 3 men who tried to sexually assault her. The girl, Priyanka Singha Roy was on her way to a shop at Kamarpara, Sainthia municipality, in West Bengal reportedly with her younger sister when the men tried to assault them.

View image on Twitter

Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏

22:58 - 27 Mar 2018
4,132
2,351 people are talking about this
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The men made lewd remarks at her and blocked her path. One of them also allegedly held her hand. The girl started learning martial arts 10 months ago and warned the men to back off, the police said on Tuesday.

When they didn’t listen to her, she overpowered and beat them up. The mother of the girl told Hindustan Times,

“MY DAUGHTER IS A KEEN STUDENT OF MARTIAL ARTS. THE YOUTHS WERE NOT AWARE OF HER SKILLS. MY DAUGHTER INITIALLY ASKED THEM TO RESTRAIN THEMSELVES, BUT THEY PAID NO HEED AND CONTINUED WITH THEIR LEWD BEHAVIOUR. THEN SHE BEAT THEM UP. “

Anirban Sen, a local resident witnessed the girl’s ferocity first-hand and saw the goons lying on the ground with his own eyes. He said,

“AFTER HEARING A COMMOTION, WE RUSHED TO THE AREA AND FOUND THAT THE GIRL HAD PUT THE THREE YOUTHS ON THE GROUND. SHE TOLD US THAT SHE PUNISHED THEM FOR MISBEHAVING WITH HER. HER COURAGE WILL INSPIRE OTHERS IN THE AREA.”

The news quickly went viral and people are lauding this teenager for having her wits about her and applying her knowledge to overpower her perpetrators.
1. True!

GetafixtheDruid
@onecosmicbeing
Priyanka, the brave young 18 years old Indian girl is a role model for all young ladies in the world who are forced to defend themselves against male predators. 💪👇👇👇#PriyankaSinghaRoy 👏👏👏👏🙏 https://twitter.com/tota_rc/status/978874056928841728 …

13:17 - 29 Mar 2018
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2. So proud!

Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


Rajkumar Saha
@Rajkumar517417
really proud of u #priyankasingharoy pic.twitter.com/dpoJHk3M4F

02:55 - 29 Mar 2018

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3. We need more like her.

CHANDI
@DebRoyChandi
Lovely👏👏👏
We need more daughters like her in every household. So proud of this daughter #PriyankaSinghaRoy
Love and blessings to this strong & beautiful soul ❤️ https://twitter.com/tota_rc/status/978874056928841728 …

09:08 - 28 Mar 2018 · Fremont, CA
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4. Beti se bacho…

Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


kumar srivatsa
@kumarsrivatsa
Yeh Beti se bacho ... proud of her

09:29 - 29 Mar 2018
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5. You rock!

Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


Nilanjan
@Nilanjan1180
The power of discipline and self confidence. U rock, girl !!! 😀😀😀

05:47 - 28 Mar 2018
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6. Yes!

Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


Prashant Kamath
@PrashantKamathA
Hope all girls take cue n learn from this episode. It's never late to take lessons in self defense. Always be alert. Kudos Priyanka. Teach many of your neighbours. Encourage them

08:30 - 29 Mar 2018
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The girl could not be contacted as she went to give her class 12 board exams. The accused identified as Amit Sahani, Dip Mandal and Bhaskar Mandal and have now been caught by the police. They were all in their mid-twenties.

This girl’s bravery and confidence will inspire many women and children to take an initiative towards learning self-defence. You go, girl!

This one is definitely a Successful Street Application but also copy-worthy to our Indian women counter rape with martial arts training thread.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

Kuwait surely isn't India but the approach is so similar that this news piece will sit best here.

Kuwaiti girls use martial arts to counter bullies
Kajukenbo academy teaches more than 120 girls and women between ages of 4 and 50
Published: January 10, 2019 15:52
AFP


Kuwaiti girls and women practise Kajukenbo, a hybrid martial art form, in a club in Kuwait City.
Image Credit: AFP

Kuwait City: Asma Hasnawi and her daughter Riham spend more than 12 hours a week learning kajukenbo, a mixed martial art the mother says boosts her child’s confidence and thwarts bullying.

In a small hall in Kuwait City, women and girls in black uniforms gather to learn the basics of self-defence.

On their left sleeves are the flags of Kuwait and the US state of Hawaii, where the hybrid martial art of kajukenbo was developed in the 1940s.

The sport’s name was derived from the various forms of martial arts it includes: karate (KA), judo and jujitsu (JU), kenpo (KEN) and boxing (BO).

Each form teaches techniques that can be used to fend off an attack, says Hasnawi, 33, who stands in class alongside her 12-year-old daughter and other girls.


Kuwaiti Asma Hasnawi (L) and Fai Al Fahad, Kajukenbo hybrid martial art assistant-master, practise in a club in Kuwait City
Image Credit: AFP

“I initially wanted to explore this sport, but I continued to practise it to be able to defend myself,” she tells AFP.

Hasnawi still remembers being bullied as a child - something her daughter has struggled with at school too.

But she says Riham has “changed a lot” since they started practising kajukenbo, gaining patience and strength through the sport.

“She has transformed. At school, she used to get really angry and quickly agitated if someone would say something to her,” Hasnawi says.

“Now, it’s something normal that she can (healthily) deal with.”

There is no recent data in Kuwait on cases of violence against women, who enjoy more freedoms than those in neighbouring countries.


Kajukenbo was born in Hawaii in the 1940s. The sport's name was derived from the various aspects of martial arts it includes: karate (KA), judo and jujitsu (JU), kenpo (KEN) and boxing (BO).
Image Credit: AFP

A 2010 study found that a woman is assaulted a day in Kuwait, according to Ghada Al Ghanem, of the Women’s Cultural and Social Society (WCSS).

The WCSS, whose goal is to help and encourage women’s participation in the Kuwaiti community, has dealt with a number of assault cases and Ghanem believes the actual figure may be higher.

Hung on the red and black walls of the Street Warrior Academy is a poster of two men practising the sport.

“Kajukenbo teaches your child the methods and arts of self-defence,” it reads, complimenting the mottos of “strength and honour” and “street warrior” on the backs of the girls’ uniforms.

The students closely watch their instructor, Faisal Al Gharib, as he explains how to counter an attack with the help of his son.

The girls then pair up to take what they have learnt and put it into practise.

In another instance, the instructor’s son mimics an attack with a wooden knife on one of the more experienced pupils, who wears a black belt.

Already familiar with the exercise, the student explains: “I pretend that I have surrendered... and then I grab his hand on my neck, push it down and move it away.”


Kuwaiti women practise hybrid martial art Kajukenbo in a club in Kuwait City on October 22, 2018. Kajukenbo was born in Hawaii in the 1940s. The sport's name was derived from the various aspects of martial arts it includes: karate (KA), judo and jujitsu (JU), kenpo (KEN) and boxing (BO). / AFP / Yasser Al-Zayyat
Image Credit: AFP

More than 120 girls and women between the ages of four and 50 participate in the academy’s different kajukenbo classes, which are held in a room with training weapons lining its walls.

Some 40 men and boys also currently take part in kajukenbo classes at the club on different days from the women.

For Um Saleh, the sport has helped her twin 13-year-old daughters become more independent and decisive.

“It gave them something to focus on other than social media,” she says.

Gharib, the instructor, established the academy in 2014 after learning kajukenbo in the United States. He says he wanted to teach the sport to women back home as a way to stay fit and to defend themselves against any attack.

As part of the training, he presents his students with different scenarios, including assaults and knife attacks.

“We focus on self-defence skills and place the girls in conditions similar to those on the street so we can build their self-confidence and teach them exactly when and where to expect the hit,” Gharib says.

The academy, which has a strict confidentiality policy, has become a safe haven for many girls and women that have been victims of assault or bullying.

It is one of dozens of similar clubs and academies that have opened in Kuwait as kajukenbo gains popularity. Although in the rest of the Gulf, the sport remains relatively unknown.

“Being a (victim) of assault, whether in school or on the street, is what pushed some of these girls and women to pursue the sport,” says Fai Al Fahed, one of the instructors.

“Ultimately, girls are embracing this kind of martial art and we see it boosting their self-confidence.”

Khalida Bashir says she was drawn to kajukenbo after watching clips of the sport online.

“I used to be afraid of everything, but this sport changed me,” she tells AFP.

“I have become more confident and more patient. Some say this is a man’s sport, but that is, in fact, not true.”

Kajukenbo