Strike Back Self Defence for Women & Girls - Eastbourne & Hastings

The reality is… most women have already changed their behaviour to stay safe.

Different route home.
Phone in hand.
Keys ready.
Letting someone know when they arrive.
Tracking each other on apps.

We’ve all done it.

Strike Back Self Defence exists because women deserve more than just managing risk. They deserve skills. Confidence. Knowledge about what to do if something doesn’t feel right.

Girl parent? Then you need to read this….

We need to stop pretending self defence for teenage girls starts with punches and kicks.

It doesn’t.

It starts with conversations.

Real ones.
The ones most people feel uncomfortable having… but our girls are living every single day.

In our classes, before we teach a single physical skill, we talk about:
• What a healthy relationship actually looks like
• What control, manipulation and coercion look like in real life
• The red flags girls are told to ignore
• The influence of p**n and what it’s normalising
• What is acceptable… and what is not

We talk about peer pressure.
We talk about being pushed into situations they don’t feel safe in.
We talk about girl vs girl dynamics - because that’s real too.

And then we go even deeper…

Because many of these girls know people carrying knives.
They walk past it. Sit next to it. Hear about it.

So we don’t sugarcoat reality.

We prepare them for it.

Because self defence isn’t about winning a fight -
It’s about recognising situations early, setting boundaries, trusting your gut, and getting out.

The physical skills?
They matter. Of course they do.

But without awareness, without understanding behaviour, without confidence to use their voice…

They’re just techniques.

So I’ll ask you something straight:

When your daughter is navigating friendships, relationships, pressure, risk…

Who is actually guiding her through it?

Because at Strike Back, we are.

And that’s why what we do goes far beyond a class.

It’s education.
It’s prevention.
It's boundaries.
It's self worth
It’s giving girls the tools to think, decide and act - before it ever gets to a worst-case scenario.

For so many women, safety is something they think about every single day.

The route home they choose.
The phone call they make when walking alone.
The keys held in their hand.
The constant awareness of what’s happening around them.

These things have become normal. But they shouldn’t have to be.

At Strike Back Self Defence, we believe women deserve more than just being told to “be careful.” They deserve the knowledge, the confidence, and the practical skills that help them feel prepared and in control.

That’s why we do this work.

We teach simple, real-world self defence skills that women and girls can actually use. Skills that build awareness, confidence, and the ability to respond when something doesn’t feel right.

Women teaching women.
Communities supporting each other.
Confidence growing where it’s needed most.

NO MEANS NO - ALWAYS

*trigger warning- r**e*

************************

Every time we walk into a school to speak to young people about consent, boundaries and respect - this is why.

This week a court heard how a 13-year-old girl was allegedly r**ed by three boys aged just 12, 13 and 14.

Children.

The girl said no.
She was still overpowered.

Parts of the attack were filmed and shared.

This is not just a horrific crime.
It is a stark reminder of why education around consent, respect and relationships cannot be optional.

At Strike Back Self Defence for Women, our work in schools isn’t about teaching girls how to fight.

It’s about giving them something far more powerful:
👉🏼the confidence to use their voice
👉🏼the strength to set boundaries
👉🏼the clarity to recognise red flags
👉🏼the belief that they never have to tolerate pressure or coercion

And equally important - we speak to boys.

About respect.
About accountability.
About what consent actually means.

Because if we only ever talk to girls about safety, we are ignoring half of the conversation.

Let’s be absolutely clear:

R**e is r**e.
The responsibility will always lie with the ra**st.

But education changes culture.

When girls understand they can set boundaries and trust their instincts, they carry themselves differently in the world.

And when boys grow up understanding consent and respect, we prevent harm before it ever begins.

This is why these conversations matter.
This is why we go into schools.
And this is why we will never stop.

Because the next generation deserves better than the world we inherited.

THIS
⬇️⬇️⬇️

It's not about 'fighting'
It's not about ego
It's not about who hits harder

✅️Its about confidence, empowerment, personal safety, safe escape, boundaries, using your voice, protecting your space and easy to use techniques.

Most of us were never taught what real safety feels like.
Not in school.
Not at home.
Not in the world around us.

We were taught to be polite.
To stay quiet.
To avoid conflict.
To put others first — even when it made us uncomfortable. Even when it didn’t feel safe.

But safety isn’t about shrinking.
Safety is about clarity.
It’s about knowing who you are, what’s okay, and when it’s time to act — or walk away.
It’s about trusting yourself enough to respond instead of react.

That’s what sessions are really about.
Not just self-defence — but feeling emotionally safe.
Clear-headed. Grounded. Powerful.

Most women don’t want to “fight.”
They want to feel prepared.
They want to feel in control.
They want to stop living on high alert.

One of the many great quotes that we love from Victoria at Muma Nurture 🤣

Just because he's pretending to be a peacock, doesn't mean he isn't just another plucked pigeon! Don't waste your life with the wrong man. #mumanurture #happiness #relationships relationshipadvice #relationshipstruggles #singlelife #dating