Even the most timid member of the Eastern community who has never used physical force can learn self-defense techniques and build confidence with practice, the university police chief said.

The University Police Department is hosting a Rape Aggression Defense course Dec. 16-18. There is no cost for the program, and it is a 12-hour course split into three sections.

University police Chief Adam Due said the course consists of a three-hour session on safety, and the remainder of the course is spent on practical training and simulation experience.

“The purpose is to provide an opportunity for people to defend themselves,” Due said. “We don’t tell you to fight back because that is your decision, but if there is no chance to run away and you decide to defend yourself, then we can teach you how to do that.”

The practical training includes participants striking pads using the self-defense techniques, and the simulation portion consists of the participants using what they have learned to defend themselves from instructors in padded suits, Due said.

“Striking a person is a lot different than striking a pad,” Due said. “It seems to be a little bit intimidating to people at first, but that seems to be what participants like the most. Usually after they are done they want to go again.”

During the first few times in simulation, people who have never imagined hitting someone may be more timid and will not react, he said.

“That is why the practice is so important to get a little bit better and more confident with each try,” Due said. “The participants will learn to react quickly, and that is a benefit to being more cautious and aware in the future.”

He said participants also become more confident after seeing what they can do.

“When we do simulation we usually videotape sessions and show it to the participant so they can see how they did, what they could have done differently and what they did that was excellent,” Due said.

This program was implemented at Eastern during fall 2006 and they provide this course about once a semester.

“We have about five or six instructors and we are set to accommodate about 30 people, but we usually get five to 15 participants,” he said. “We have had as few as two participants and still ran the program.”

Due said some of the aspects involved in the course include talking about safety on-campus and when one travels, deciding to defend oneself, and avoiding problems concerning legal issues such as what is justified to use force.

The techniques are different defense tactics such as ground defense and how to escape holds, he said.

“The usual response of women talking about self-defense is to kick the attacker in the groin, and that is a good one but there are other targets as well,” Due said. “Another important factor to learn is how to make a strike without hurting yourself and taking yourself out of the fight such as throwing a punch without hurting your hand.”

They also teach people to be more verbal and yell, and the ones who are most quiet during the beginning usually become the loudest participants by the end of the program, Due said.

The course is open to Eastern students, faculty and staff, and those interested in registering can contact Due at 581-3213 or [email protected].

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].