In my Wing Tsun course I learned that self-defense also includes self-assertion . While one part is about being able to defend yourself physically, self-assertion is about being able to defend yourself verbally. It’s actually harder than I thought! How often, especially here in the big city, have I been accosted or attacked on the street? We practiced asserting ourselves in the course. It strengthened me so much that I immediately blocked a guy who kept sending me lewd messages on Instagram. It’s so important to set boundaries! That’s why self-defense and self-assertion are so important – both together.
Why I find self-defense so important
Never have I ever hit a stranger. If I were in the situation of being really attacked, then I would have an incredibly large inhibition threshold to defend myself at all . In the first Wing Tsun lessons, I found it incredibly difficult to even roughly touch strangers. A course that lasts over a weekend would bring me little. Dealing with it every week, all the more so. I’m not only interested in being able to defend myself at some point. Much more the psychological effect. The newly won self-confidence!
Self-defense and self-assertion – both are so important
One exercise was about stoically and steadfastly responding to any harassment with a “No!” to react. Loud, loud and clear. Try it out, practice it with friends or family. Even then it’s not that easy.
What is my body language expressing ? How does my voice sound? All of this is self-assertion. A lot goes on in your head. You can also practice verbally defending yourself against an attacker at home in front of the mirror. On Google you will mainly find articles with courses for children and young people, which I think is very good, but also a bit of a shame. Because the topic is often very important for adults too!
In the end, it’s all about saying no and setting boundaries. I have also written articles about this before: “ Set clear boundaries ” and “ I’m saying no now ”. It’s a process, and frankly, I’ve been working on really enforcing it for years. To really assert myself and stick to my limits.
Are you an assertive person yourself, can you assert yourself well or do you still have difficulties with it from time to time? How do you deal with it?
