Defend Yourself

Defend Yourself works to empower people — especially women and others targeted for abuse and assault — to end violence and create a world where they can be fully themselves. Our students learn skills to help them prevent, heal from, and end violence and abuse. We offer more freedom, more confidence, more safety, and more fun!

Defend Yourself works with people of all ages, genders, and walks of life. We have, for example, held classes and workshops at hundreds of D.C.-area schools, faith groups, workplaces, community organizations, and more.

Defend Yourself’s instructors have more than 110 years’ experience among them! All have training in empowerment self-defense theory, strategies, and techniques; in research on violence; on trauma and recovery; and in teaching skills.