Students gathered at the Recreational and Wellness Center to participate in a “Self Defense” class held by Kent Interhall Council for Sex Week Friday morning.

The hour-long instructional class aimed to teach students how to defend themselves if they are ever in a position where they are being attacked. 

“The goal of this class is to give people viable options for self-defense and to help people grow in confidence and grow in their ability to defend themselves.” said instructor Helena Skibbe.

Skibbe demonstrated a number of self-defense techniques, including a defensive stance, punch, hammer punch and kneeing an attacker.

“I feel like the arm bars are most helpful because I teach mainly towards women, and it’s something that’s very, very common they come in contact with, but knees and elbows are also really helpful because they are big skills that can do a lot of damage in one swing,” Skibbe said. 

Students were then able to practice these techniques on Skibbe’s partner, Elijah Rieger.

“It was really useful learning how to actually punch without breaking your thumbs or your wrist and using the strength in your body,” said Ashley Hartwell, a freshman Fashion Merchandising major. 

Megan Sideri, a sophomore Fashion Design major, said the class taught her how to defend herself. 

“I guess I’m not very defensive, and I thought I needed to learn how to defend myself, which I feel like I did.” Sideri said. 

The self-defense class is not the first event in Sex Week that focuses on how to respond to an attack. The “Green Dot” event was also aimed at teaching students how to safely protect themselves in a situation where they are witnessing violence. However, it emphasized ways to de-escalate a situation through words, while the self-defense class implements action. 

“No is a full sentence,” Skibbe said to the class. “That doesn’t always mean people will listen though, which is why you’re going to learn how to defend yourself.” 

Skibbe briefly touched on the topic of rape and sexual assault while introducing the class and talking about the importance of safety. She warned against using these techniques in the case of domestic violence in a relationship, as it can potentially provoke the attacker. She emphasized the importance of an exit strategy when using the techniques in question. 

“I think this class fits into Sex Week because it’s relevant within the world of sex,” Skibbe said. “I start the class with something about rape, and domestic violence, and this class relates to sex because it relates to it being safe, and you being able to be safe within a romantic relationship.” 

The class taught students how to defend themselves by using three different strategies. It also taught many safety tips, Skibbe said knowing one strategy can make a big difference when it comes to defending yourself. 

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Skibbe said. “You don’t need to even know how to throw a proper punch as long as you are aware of your surroundings.” Something is always better than nothing.

Kaitlyn Mitchell is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].