Ohio University held a defense lecture and demonstration for students Monday in Baker Ballroom.
The event, hosted by the Ohio University Police Department, Survivor Advocacy Program, Women’s Center and Campus Involvement Center, attracted more than 60 students to discuss and demonstrate different self-defense strategies.
Brandon King, an OUPD officer, said the most important thing to take from the lecture is how to be a better bystander.
“We have to change culture ... and keep educating,” King said.
King and John Stabler, another OUPD officer, discussed several different definitions for self-defense, how to be a better bystander, risk avoidance and overall situational awareness. The lecture was meant to be very interactive, so everyone could gain from the discussion.
They also discussed the body’s different reactions to possibly dangerous situations, like its survival instinct and fight, flight or freeze defense instincts.
Students said they felt it was necessary to be able to protect themselves after the sexual assault reports on campus.
Julia Badamo, a freshman studying public health, said it would be beneficial to learn different types of defenses from police officers.
During the demonstration, participants were told to partner up and practice different self-defense techniques. King and Stabler pointed out common items people carry that can be used as weapons, some examples being umbrellas, rings, water bottles, keys and phones.
“People are less likely to be attacked if they’re carrying something that could be used as a weapon,” King said.
Grace Rostetter, a junior studying civil engineering, said she believed the arm technique, which showed attendees how to remove someone’s grip from around their shoulders, was the most important one taught because it is more likely to occur than others.
Other techniques included how to remove someone’s hands from around one’s neck and how to loosen someone’s grip on one’s wrist.
King and Stabler are both certified Rape Aggression Defense, or RAD, instructors. King has been teaching self-defense classes at OU for 16 years.
OUPD will host RAD training sessions throughout the semester. The next RAD training will take place Oct. 28.
