Women’s Safety 4 U Course Saturday 22nd 1.30-3.30pm

As part of our 25th Silver celebration we are offering a free afternoon course on women’s safety, by Master Andrew Sofos. Violence against women and girls has escalated over the years. In overall terms, around half of all women and girls in England and Wales could recall being victims of violence over their lifetime.

 1. Nearly 1 million women experience at least one incident of domestic abuse each year (British Crime Survey (BCS) self-completion questionnaire, 2007/08).

2. Close to 10,000 women are sexually assaulted every week (BCS self-completion questionnaire, July 2008).

3. At least 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence (Department of Health, 2002).

The paradox of self-defence is that the more prepared you are, the less likely you are to need it. When you can recognise and respond effectively to potentially dangerous situations, you are more confident in your everyday activities. You are also less likely to become a target of crime.

We have been a leading provider in positive activities in London since 1986 and are experts in training and helping change lives for many people, through the ethos and positive values of the Chinese martial arts that date back over three thousand years.

New government initiative is under way for Violence against women and girls; it can have a devastating effect on individuals and the communities in which they live. It ruins lives, breaks apart families and has an impact across the generations. I have seen evidence of the devastation it brings.

We are in the business of helping young people and adults to a better and safer environment; we seek to engage the mind, educate the Body, and empower the Spirit to find a new positive person, via our new “Safety 4U” programme devised specially for women and girls that have or may become victims of crime.

I have been teaching women’s self-defence programs for over 25 years and am a tireless advocate of self-reliance and responsibility, encouraging women to actively protect their life through awareness and education.

 Women fight back every day around the world against oppression, crime and brutality. But these stories rarely ever make headlines. The Governments new strategy to end violence against women and girls is a wakeup call. I believe with the help of “saftey4U” women will be taught to replace fear with skills, knowledge and confidence, in a matter of only 12 weeks. This is Life Skills with the true meaning of the words.

SAS Positive Activities Ltd promote The United Nations Development Fund for Women and invites you to join their “Say NO to Violence Against Women” Campaign – an ever-growing movement of people who call for global action to end violence against women.

Sexual harassment and sexual violence thrive on silence. Together we can put a stop to this, by working in partnership, engaging women and girls; I believe we can change state of minds to a positive mental attitude that will be a new start for our children of tomorrow.

 Book now as places are limited

Happy New Year and 25 years of Wing Chun Training

Welcome back to SAS Training another year of positive fitness and life skills training with a difference. Christmas training rota was affected due to the bad weather and illness of many persons, we wish everyone with the bug a speedy recovery, and apologise for the disruption of the classes and the cancellation of our party over Christmas. We have so much happening this year, we are celebrating our 25^th Birthday; we plan to have many celebration events, maybe a martial art show and a dinner and dance later in the year. Although times are difficult for many I believe that we can continue with our “SAS family” this I believe is our success, building relationship with students and enjoying an active social lifestyle for all. Organised parties, awards days, regular grading, weekend trips, and much more, over the 25 years many have come and gone, but many, no matter where they go, stay in touch and some turn up to our events, they stay friends with the SAS Family.

Free seminar for women – Safety 4U street survival Sat 22^nd Jan 1.30-3.30pm

As part of our celebration of 25 years our first event is a free course. With domestic violence on the increase and street attacks on women increasing yearly, SAS has decided to provide a  Free 3 hour course for all teenage girls, women and parents, other friends are welcome for a fee of £25, please book early as place are limited. This is a practical and theory course with handouts.

 SAS Train & Reward programme

A reminder that our train to gain programme is still active every time you train you receive points, when you achieve 2000 you receive a £5 voucher to use on fees or uniform purchase, just turn up and leave the rest to us, the more you train the more the points you gain.

 SAS Adults & Young People Sports

We are to organise a full day of fun and sports on the heath in the Spring for our Charity, we are looking for a member who can take charge of this event and organise the games, prizes and sponsor forms and arrange awareness, please let us know who would like to undertake this task, remember it is for charity, we aim to raise “Loads of Money” for our new enterprise company. To include all members and families, parents and children, and anyone else brave enough. Parents and Members we need your ideas and support.

 SAS Promotion

 1. Two free trial lessons for new persons (worth up to £8)

2. Have a child? They train free if you are paying for “twice a week” training

3. Refer a friend, if they join receive a free private lesson

 Important dates for Jan & Feb 2011 see our website for full details or our white board in studio

 Other Important details

Please ensure you arrive early for class, especially if you have fees to pay, try and pay them before the class. Also ensure that you attend with our uniform or T-Shirt and slippers / plimsolls.

 Fees are paid monthly in advance per calendar month, regardless of how many times you attend. If you miss classes you can attend a different day to make up for the missed lesson, if you are ill, please inform us. We do not have a pay per lesson policy. Thank you for your cooperation.

 We are now on face book and you tube see our website for more details, also you can register for update alerts on our blog so you are always notified off all new posts and news, just go on our home page of our site click blog and subscribe to newsletter.

Even though the system was named after the woman who devised it, the number of female students attending a class is always much less than the male contingency. Wing Chun, the art, has developed since its first conception. The main two people that could be attributed to that would be Dr Leung Jan and Yip Man: Both male.

The philosophy, despite the fact that men have carried the mantle for the art since the demise of the lady herself, remains the same, of not using strength to defeat your opponent.

People are not keen on the idea of getting hurt whilst training, women are even less keen especially knowing that their training partner will more likely be a man. This though should be seen as positive since you are more likely to be in a confrontation with a man, that is where, if you are not used to dealing with some one bigger, stronger than you, it can be very intimidating. However, control is an important aspect in training and trust in the person facing you. Trust in that person not to let ego get in the way of technique, i.e you have executed a technique and it worked; now your partner will react harder if necessary. It happens, but very rarely.

Maybe if Wing Chun as an art was trying to appeal to women they should highlight the physical effect it has on the body. Through the constant use of your arms, deflecting, blocking, throwing and the fact that your arms are never down means they strengthen and tone (No bat wings!). Then there is the footwork, 60/40 and 50/50 which means nothing to you unless you do it, but in short 60/40 means 60% body weight on the back foot and 40 on the front. Knees are bent and you do a series of footwork that works the entire leg but mainly the inner and outer thighs. Whereas 50/50 you’re sitting in a squat position for all the footwork giving the buttocks, quadriceps and hamstrings (front and back of the thigh) an excellent work out.

The pad work and free fighting works your cardiovascular, burning of fat and strengthening of heart, muscle and lungs.

Strength as mentioned is not a perquisite of Wing Chun so the ability to perform 30 presses and run for miles is not a must but none of those will do any harm if total fitness is the plan. Then there is flexibility. Having watched the movies you would be convinced that you must, or at least do the splits. NO. Most of the kicks are no higher than the waist.

I have been practising Wing Chun since 1994. I love the art that constantly challenges me. Requiring mind and body to move as one (my eternal pursuit).

However there was a time that I was no longer feeling her (Wing Chun), just before my 5th rank grading. It included breaking wood using both 1 inch and 3 inch punches. Whilst training for the grade, my technique was bad that my attempts to break the wood resulted in my knuckles being swollen and cut and the wood staying intact. This reflected how I was feeling in that nothing was going right considering I had been training for a while by then I wanted to be better. When the grading was over I reflected on whether I wished to continue training. Whilst I was training I fond that it was still but I took it for granted. To keep a level you have to train at least twice a week. To attain higher heights you need to rain no less than three times a week.

Women at the best of times will not beat a man on strength alone. If she uses the science of the art, trusts the art that takes the power away from the big and is used by little, comes to terms with bodyweight, angles, balance and intuition through the senses, then WING CHUN is the Dom Perignon.

By Judith Jacobs