Sandra Ung Hosts Self-Defense Class for Women

In light of the recent anti-Asian attacks, many of which targeted women or elderly individuals, Sandra Ung joined with the NY Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Institute on Northern Blvd to host a free self defense class for women. There, a group of women learned important self defense skills including how to identify threatening situations, escape tactics and how to fight back if approached. 

Sandra Ung said, “I hope we never have to use these skills in the real world, but it’s important that women know how to react should they find themselves in uncomfortable or dangerous situations. I am incredibly thankful to the NY Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Institute for supporting the community by hosting this class for free. Moving forward, I hope to host more classes like this in order to empower our community to feel safer and more confident.”

The NY Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Institute said, “We recognized the need to help our community from unprovoked attacks. We wanted to empower women to fight back and fight back effectively against those who might want to do them harm. Never let someone treat you like a defenseless target. Fight back!”

The Wu Tang Institute taught the students that the best strategy is to avoid altercation altogether. If you feel like a situation is dangerous, it’s best to walk away before any violence ensues. If the danger is then confirmed, for example if the person follows you, running is the best option. Individuals should make a lot of noise to bring attention from bystanders to themselves and to scare off the attacker. Awareness is also critical - aggressors look for “soft” targets who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings, for example because they’re looking at their phone or digging through their bag. By remaining alert, you are more likely to sense a dangerous situation ahead of time and might also dissuade aggressors. 

However, running isn’t always an option and the students learned how to fight back if they find themselves in close proximity to an attacker. If you find yourself under attack, you should fight back while always looking for a way to escape and run away. 

The teacher also stressed the importance of making sure that bystanders are aware that you are in danger and not simply playing with a friend - it might not be immediately obvious to somebody walking or driving by. People should yell for help and tell the threatening individual to “back up” in a loud voice.

Individuals can learn more about the NY Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Institute at their website: http://wutang.org/