Learning Self Defence
On the 8th of February, the Royal Holloway Karate, Judo and Ninjutsu ran Royal Holloway’s first free self-defence lesson. I arrived in the SU to discover a large group of 50 or so students already waiting. Before the class started, I asked some students why they had chosen to come. Most people replied that they had come because self-defence was a useful skill, that it would make them feel more secure. On being asked if they felt safe on campus, there was a unanimous agreement that the campus was very safe. A lot of the students there had little to no prior experience in self-defence, though a few people came with some previous martial arts experience under their belt.
Once everyone had entered the class, the martial arts groups formed us in a loose circle and the instructor, Preside...