“It works two folds,” says Green, of New Castle. “It lets you understand the simple part of jiu-jitsu and how devastating it is, all at the same time.”
The workshops offer hands-on lessons that teach women how to defend themselves in an unsafe or threatening situation. The women who attend learn how to maneuver several different jiu-jitsu moves that would get them out of a perpetrator’s hold, ultimately choking the culprit into unconsciousness.
I watched a woman of my size – no more than 120 pounds and just a few inches above five feet tall – flip a full grown, heavyset man over onto his back, then commence to choke him until he could longer speak.
The first move the members taught the women was the collar choke. Each woman was instructed to grab hold of their partner’s collar, while twisting and squeezing both hands towards each other. If done correctly, this would unfailingly block blood passage through the carotid artery, causing the culprit to lose consciousness. After practicing this maneuver several times, we learned how to fasten this grip from inferior positions. Midway through the seminar, every woman was successfully able to execute the protective move that would release her from a choke hold, restrain the attacker and flip the person onto his or her back.”