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Sports Schools
SELF DEFENCE PROGRAMME
The best defence is never being in the situation. The second best is knowing what to do once you are.
Free Athlete AssessmentAbout the Programme
The Self-Defence Programme is Başarı Spor Akademisi’s applied defence programme for teenagers aged ten and over and for adults. Delivered at the academy’s training camp, it trains awareness, distance management and escape techniques through realistic scenarios.
Most of self-defence is not physical. The most effective way out of a situation is not to be in it — and that is a teachable skill: situational awareness, distance management, and deterrence through tone of voice and posture. The opening section of the programme is devoted entirely to this. Technique is the last rung, reached only once those tools are exhausted.
The techniques taught are few and simple. Under stress people lose fine motor skill and cannot recall a complex movement. So instead of twenty techniques we drill five, hundreds of times. The aim is not to widen a repertoire but to build a core that has become reflex under pressure.
Scenario work is kept realistic: standing, seated, approached from behind, wrist held. We also talk about what the participant felt in the moment, because technical knowledge is useless if the body does not know what to do in a moment of panic. At no stage does the programme teach fighting; it teaches leaving, escaping and calling for help.
Programme Content
A scenario-based curriculum running from awareness through to escape techniques.
- Situational awareness: reading the environment, recognising risk early
- Distance management: establishing and protecting safe distance
- Deterrence through posture and voice: resolving before physical contact
- Grip escapes: wrist, arm, collar and rear bear-hug solutions
- Off-balancing and disengaging: shortening contact time
- Ground situations: falling safely and getting back up
- Scenario practice: repetition and decision-making under pressure
Who Can Join?
- Teenagers aged ten and over
- Adults; separate groups are available for women
- Complete beginners with no martial arts background
- Anyone seeking confidence in situations like public transport or late-night travel
- Participants in suitable health
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between self-defence and a martial art?
A martial art is a competitive discipline with rules, categories and a referee, and the aim is to beat an opponent. The aim of self-defence is not to win but to leave safely. There are no points here, no technical elegance and no superiority — the only measure is whether the participant can get out of the situation.
I have no sports background. Will I struggle?
No. The programme deliberately avoids techniques that depend on strength; the solutions taught are built on leverage, off-balancing and timing. You do not need to be stronger than the other person — in most real situations you will not be, and the techniques are chosen on that assumption.
How many lessons does it take?
The core techniques can be learned in a few weeks, but “learning” and “applying under pressure” are not the same thing. Becoming reflex requires regular repetition, which is why we built this as ongoing training rather than a short course.
My child is being bullied at school. Will this help?
Partly. The posture, confidence and deterrence sections help directly, and our experience is that a child whose body language changes is less likely to be targeted. But self-defence is not a solution to bullying itself — it does not replace a process run with the school and the family, and we say so plainly.
Are there separate groups for women?
Yes, we run separate groups for female participants, and the scenarios differ: approaching a vehicle, lifts, walking late at night and similar real situations.
What should I wear and bring?
Comfortable sportswear that does not restrict movement, and water. We recommend long tracksuit bottoms as there is ground work. Jewellery and watches are removed. No special equipment is needed; protective gear is provided.
From the Programme
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FIRST STEP: A FREE ATHLETE ASSESSMENT
We do not write a programme without measuring first. After the assessment you will see, in numbers, how far from your target you actually are.