Students learn protection in defense class

University students are taking their defense into their own hands. Many recently completed a course called Rape Aggression Defense or RAD, which teaches students skills to deal with dangerous situations. The nine hour program is run by John Wylie, a police officer who works for Victim Support and Special Services. Wylie is one of 300 RAD instructors nationwide and has had 13 years of martial arts training. He said that he begins the course by passing out a questionnaire in order to determine the participants' reasons for taking the course. He then goes through some basic safety awareness tips for being at home, getting in and out of your car and walking on the streets alone. "What we're trying to do is to educate people so that they are not placing themselves in situations where a crime can happen," Wylie said. "A lot of your personal self-defense is really a psychological self-defense as much as it is physical." Some students who have taken the course have had dangerous encounters, or know friends who have. According to Wylie, the course primarily aims to show students that they have numerous options when involved in a threatening encounter. "The physical aspect is the very last resort," he said. Second year graduate student Mary Beth Moore, one of the students who took the class, said she feels especially at risk to crime in a large city. "I feel that as women we are very vulnerable, especially in a city like this," she said. Moore said that while she had read about different defense moves in books, the hands-on approach to self-defense the class offered made her feel more confident. "When you're in that position and you are fighting, there is something that you feel that you just don't feel if you are reading a book [on defense techniques]," Moore said. Wylie said the class usually practices at a moderate pace, but added that as the course progresses, he increases the intensity to reflect the pressure one might face in a real life situation. Wylie explained that punching bags are used so that students can acquire the proper form and get used to striking out. "A lot of times women have not had the opportunity to see that they have as much power doing these moves as a man could," Wylie said. The women learn how to defend themselves against an attacker who grabs them from behind, the side, or the front. Wylie sets up some scenarios in which one person lies on the ground, either on their back or stomach, while another person is lying or sitting on top of them pretending to be the attacker. Each movement, whether it be a punch or a block, is accompanied by a strong "No!" "I thought the course was wonderful," said College junior Looby Similien. "It gives the woman who is usually the victim in an attack a chance to take control of her life." At the conclusion of the course, Similien said there is a formal exercise in which the women must go through two different scenarios and defend themselves against a man who is fully protected by pads. "I would like to see [RAD] offered to the freshman class as soon as possible," Wylie said. "Quite often in the first month, [freshman] are in situations that are unfortunately date rape type situations." Wylie encourages all students to come to the class and try it out. "You will see that you are quite capable of doing one or two things that may at some point in time protect you or save your life," Wylie said.