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ESCAPE
Women's Self Defense and Empowerment Training
• ESCAPE
• The Physical Feminism of Women's Self Defense and Empowerment Training
• Lorne Coleman, ESCAPE Founder
• Essential Readings and Other Resources
In addition to debunking them myth that women are somehow responsible
for male violence against them, the ESCAPE program also dispels another
myth: that women are incapable of defending themselves against a male
aggressor/attacker. We know from crime reports that women who have the
highest success rate in escaping sexual assault are those who use a combination
of early verbal and physical resistance. Men often test a woman's boundaries,
both verbally and physically, to determine whether or not she will prove
an easy victim. Crime reports verify that women who are aware, assertive
and who set verbal and physical boundaries have an excellent probability
of avoiding or escaping from would-be attackers. Understand that the decision
to submit to a rapist, or to any other criminal, is a perfectly valid
one, if that's what a woman feels she must do to survive. The goal of
realistic self defense training is to make one more aware of options and
better able to utilize such options should one choose to do so. Role-playing
realistic self defense scenarios with properly trained instructors allows
women to gain invaluable experience in setting verbal and physical boundaries
under stressful conditions. It is a documented fact that training of this
kind has enabled would-be crime victims to break out of the normal "freeze
response" and take effective action when attacked. Taking personal
responsibility for your safety is one of the most empowering things you
can do for yourself, and this is what the ESCAPE program is all about.
The ESCAPE program topics include:
• Awareness
• Intuition
• Setting Boundaries
• Assertiveness and Confrontation Skills
• Self Defense in Various Environments
• Legal Issues in Self Defense
• Advantages/Disadvantages of Various Weapons
• Realistic Physical Self Defense
Self defense training is not about second guessing ourselves. It's about
acquiring new information we can use now and in the future. The ESCAPE
program is taught by a team of certified men and women instructors who
are dedicated to empowering women by enabling them to experience the options,
tools and resources with which they can protect themselves and work to
create change for the next generation.
ESCAPE Self Defense Programs
P.O. Box 723172 Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 433-9371
Website: http://www.escapeselfdefense.com/
Awareness, Intuition, and Boundary Setting: The Physical Feminism of
Self Defense and Empowerment Training
The women's self defense movement is feminist in that it challenges many
of the myths and assumptions of our rape culture. When a woman embodies
her feminist consciousness through self defense training, she inevitably
experiences a new sense of personal power and freedom. Because women's
self defense and empowerment training challenges rape culture on both
ideological and physical levels, it is gaining the attention of feminist
writers and groups like the National Organization for Women. All are welcome
to participate as Lorne Coleman, Founder and Director of ESCAPE Women's
Self Defense & Empowerment Training, shares women's self defense success
stories and what can be learned from them.
Lorne Coleman, ESCAPE Founder
Lorne Coleman is the founder and director of ESCAPE Self Defense Programs.
Since it was founded in 1990, ESCAPE has been featured on all the major
television networks, as well as in radio and print media. Mr. Coleman
has studied with the nation's leading experts in crime prevention, criminal
psychology and behavior, law enforcement defensive tactics, weapons, martial
arts, and programs specific to women's self-defense. Mr. Coleman volunteers
his services as a crisis counselor, a public speaker, and a member of
the training staff for all the Atlanta area rape crisis centers and battered
women's shelters. He has also done volunteer work with Men Stopping Violence.
Men Stopping Violence is an Atlanta based program in which men confront
other men about their choice to use violence against women, hold them
accountable for that choice, and challenge them to change their behavior
in a 24-week program. The Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission and The
Georgia Crime Prevention Association sponsor Mr. Coleman to speak to corporations,
government agencies, educational institutions, community groups, and the
media about personal safety.
Mr. Coleman is on faculty at Agnes Scott College, where women receive
college credit for taking his ESCAPE class. He also teaches his ESCAPE
program to women through Emory University's Community Education Program.
ESCAPE Self Defense Programs: Essential Reading List
Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women's Self-Defense,
by Martha McCaughey.
Back Off! How to Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers,
by Martha Langelan.
Defending Ourselves, by Rosalind Wiseman.
Stopping Rape, by Pauline Bart and Patricia O'Brien.
Safe Without Sight, by Kerry Kollmar, Wendy dAvid, and Scott McCall.
The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker.
Strong On Defense, by Sanford Strong.
Self-Defense: Steps to Success by Joan M. Nelson.
Her Wits About Her by Denise Caignon.
Jeet Kune Do: Its Philosophy and Concepts, by Paul Vunak.
Transforming A Rape Culture, Emilie Buchwald, Pamela Fletcher,
and Martha Roth.
The Stronger Women Get, The More Men Love Football, by Mariah Burton
Nelson.
Talking Back, by bell hooks.
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