Self-defense should be part of gym class

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Self-defense should be part of gym class
Self-defense classes should be taught as part of regular gym classes. I Pixabay

Last weekend we caught a glimpse of the spring that should be coming soon. I saw dozens of people outside, going for walks and enjoying the sun that we’ve missed for so long, but as the weather gets nicer and we’re itching to get outside, I remembered something that happened last fall. 

I was running on the Baw Beese trail one morning and I approached an unshaven man in a red sweatshirt that was far too big. And I’m pretty sure he had a cigarette in each hand. As I got closer, I prayed this strange man wouldn’t do anything to me. 

I felt guilty for being so judgmental. Though he kept to himself, that isn’t the way it always goes. Men have slowed down to drive alongside me while I run. They’ve whistled and beeped as they go by. Once, a man even tried to find out where I live by asking one of my friends. 

We live in a dangerous world, and Michigan high schools should respond by teaching self-defense and equipping kids with the skills to protect themselves. The lessons could last a lifetime — and save lives, too. 

I hate that we live in a world where I feel the need to pray for safety when I’m alone, that my mom makes me carry pepper spray when I run more than five miles, and that my roommate wants to monitor me on Find My Friends. I like to think things aren’t that bad, but the data shows that there’s plenty of danger out there. 

In 2018, the Michigan Incident Crime Report recorded 3,670 first-degree rape cases, up 10% from 2017 and up 22% from 2014. More than a quarter of the cases — 936 in all — involved 15 to 19 year olds. The second highest age group was the 10 to 14 year olds, with 790 incidents.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System report in January, more than 15,000 people were missing across the country. Detroit ranked among the top five cities with the most missing people, 150. 

Just over a year ago, the Detroit Missing Child Recovery Unit attempted to rescue 301 reported missing children in Wayne County. With the help of the Michigan State Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and several other organizations, 123 of those kids were rescued in the one-day Operation MISafeKid.  

After an interviewing process, officials found that several of the cases were linked to sex trafficking. Even after that operation, however, 178 kids were still missing.  

Gym teachers in New York and Chicago have taught self-defense for years. It’s time Detroit and the rest of Michigan follow suit. 

Charles Schweizer, a physical education teacher in Hicksville, NY, just outside of New York City, began a five-week course on self-defense in 2001. His class has grown into 10 sections of semester-long classes to accommodate the many high school students who want to participate. 

Linda Carlson, an award-winning physical education teacher in Chicago., teaches a nine-week self-defense class to more than 800 students a year. She adapted self-defense techniques developed by the Rape Aggression Defense Systems in 2003. The course is now a requirement for students at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

When I was in high school, the closest thing I received to a self-defense lesson was practicing our lock down drills in case of an intruder in the building. Teachers told us to hide, be prepared to throw a textbook, and jump out of the window if possible. None of that, however, is going to save me when I’m by myself on a long run.

Thankfully here at Hillsdale, Master Brian Anderson, who has taught taekwondo for more than 40 years, also offers self defense classes. Junior Carmen Botha took his class during her sophomore year and said it has helped her feel more safe. 

“I think self defense is important because you don’t know how bad you are at it until you’re forced to try it,” she said. “You see it in movies and it seems really easy, but when you try to do it yourself it is very hard.” 

High schoolers today miss class time to attend assemblies on bullying, “stranger danger,” and internet predators. They’re taught what to fear and how to act in dangerous circumstances, but they’re not taught the actual defense skills that might keep them safe in worst-case scenarios. 

By teaching self-defense in gym classes, kids won’t need to miss time in the classroom. Sure, they might miss a few days of playing dodgeball, but dodgeball isn’t going to save their lives. 

 

Calli Townsend is a junior studying sports management. She is the assistant sports editor for The Collegian.