Trigger warning: This story contains mention of violence against women.
In the Alameda Peeps Facebook group on November 8, 2024, self-defense instructor Edwina Phillips posted: “The whole ‘Your body, my choice’ thing has me thinking I might need to teach more self-defense seminars soon and often. Sure, it’s just words now but better safe than sorry. Two-hour seminars. Free. Who wants one?”
Accompanying Phillips’ post was a screenshot of a post by white nationalist, pro-Trump Nick Fuentes stating, “Women lose again! Your body, OUR CHOICE [cry-laughing emoji] that ceiling is made out of BRICK!” Fuentes, who has dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, took to the internet to proclaim, “Your body, my choice!” after Trump’s recent election win.
Phillips’ Facebook post received 191 likes and 116 comments from Alamedans interested in learning how to defend themselves.
Phillips has been interested in martial arts since she was a little girl. Growing up, Bruce Lee was her hero. But she decided to get serious about self-defense after an ex-boyfriend attacked her when she was in her 30s.
“I thought to myself, I can be killed,” she told the Alameda Post. “The only reason he stopped was that someone happened to knock on the door at the time, and if they hadn’t startled him into stopping and leaving out the back door, I could be dead. I ended up in the hospital. So after that, my brother was already in martial arts and he goes, ‘Come and join me.’ And that was it. That was in the ’90s. And whenever my instructors said, ‘Picture your attacker,’ I always pictured him.”
After years of studying martial arts and self-defense, Phillips started to think about what was missing in the self-defense class circuit. She wanted to create a class that was accessible, easily remembered, and emphasized getting away.
She’s been teaching self-defense officially since 2011, when she and her family, all martial artists, began teaching free workshops at the SF LGBT Center. She also teaches workshops in Alameda, which she calls home, and throughout the East Bay.
At a November 23 self-defense seminar Phillips held at the Alameda Comedy Club, participants were greeted with hot tea and cocoa. It was sprinkling outside following a night of flooding. There were about 20 people in attendance. Once everyone was seated, Phillips began, “The biggest reason we’re here today is fear. In an ideal world, we have laws that protect women and queer people and we’d have resources for those who need it most. But that’s not the world we live in.”
Phillips had everyone pair up. “We’re taught to be polite, to not offend anyone,” she said. “I’m calling bull**** on that. If my niece doesn’t want to hug me, she shouldn’t have to. Remember who the f*** you are. Most attackers want the gentle doe, the gentle prey.”
One person per pair was instructed to put their hand on the other person’s shoulder. Then the person with the hand on their shoulder would look their partner in the eyes and firmly say, “Stop. Your hand is on my shoulder, take it off.” My partner noted the exercise felt “weird but good.” We talked about how common it is for men to touch us at a party or out at a bar without our consent, only for us to laugh it off to avoid causing a scene.
“You don’t owe this person any courtesy,” Phillips reminded participants. “Predators will try to see how far they can get. They’re seeing if you’re going to resist.”
Before diving into the more physical portion of the seminar, Phillips and her husband Michael demonstrated a complicated multi-part martial arts move. “Don’t worry,” she said, “we won’t be teaching you any of that today.” The point of the seminar is to relay easy moves that are simple to memorize. In the event of an attack, the body is flooded with adrenaline. So the simpler the moves are to remember and employ, the better. Phillips suggests practicing the moves she teaches for a few minutes a week to build muscle memory.
While California is a state in which people have the right to stand their ground and defend themselves without retreating, Phillips says retreating is always the best option, if possible. “Give them the wallet,” she said. “Everything can be replaced. Here, we teach you enough to get away. The best defense is always running, if you can.”
Participants were instructed to move the chairs from the center of the floor to the side of the room. Phillips’ brother-in-law and daughter suited up with kick packs to receive our newly learned punches and kicks, both of which were paired with a sound like “Ha!” to help regulate breath and draw attention to the situation.
A looming boxing training dummy called BOB, for Body Opponent Bag, was rolled to the center of the floor where we tried out our new self-defense techniques, including scratching BOB’s eyes, cupping our hands together to smack over his rubber ears, and kneeing where the dummy’s groin (a kick bag velcroed to his base) would be, all in quick succession. Eyes, Ears, Groin. Eyes, Ears, Groin. Eyes, Ears, Groin. We practiced hitting BOB’s throat with the outside of our forearms, one of the strongest places on a woman’s body. We watched as Phillips showed us what to do were we ever grabbed from behind—kick the predator in the kneecaps and elbow him using a skiing motion to the stomach. We watched as she showed us what to do if someone ever grabbed us by the hair—do not pull away, despite the instinct, punch the predator on their side in the kidney, pinch the vulnerable skin near the armpit.
As each of us completed a technique on BOB, onlookers clapped and yelped, not in a bright cheerleading sort of way, but supportive battle cries. The “Ha!” sounds expelled from each kick, punch, and scratch were charged. The room, normally filled with laughter as a comedy club, was dead serious for the two hours of the seminar. We were here to learn how to survive.
Phillips has two self-defense seminars coming up on December 7 and 23. The best way to keep up with classes being offered and additional self-defense tips is through the group’s Self Defense Seminar Facebook page. The seminars are for “anyone who wants to feel safer,” according to Phillips.
Kelsey Goeres is the Managing Editor of the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Kelsey-Goeres.
