Article by Jake Ross

In these early years of the 21st century, a significant number of women of all ages are learning self defense systems. Women’s self defense has become a top priority for both adults and children. In fact, many people consider women’s self defense a necessary activity in this day and age.

Of course, the primary reason that women’s self defense has become so prevalent in the 21st century is that many women are concerned about becoming victims of crime. The crime rate throughout the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century has been on the rise in many countries around the world.

Throughout history, women’s self defense has been a vibrant and compelling activity for women around the world. (While more women are involved in self defense now than at any other time, large numbers of women took up women’s self defense in earlier eras, in particular during World War One and World War Two.)

In Western nations, women’s self defense started to become more organized during the First World War. Initially, it was Germany that organized its female population to become involved in women’s self defense. The Kaiser and his ministers determined that in order to have the nation fully prepared for the possibility of invasion, ensuring that both men and women were well equipped in self defense seemed an appropriate course.

In addition, women in both the United States and United Kingdom slowly started to take up women’s self defense during the years of the First World War. While the governments of these nations did not order the civilian population to do so, many men and women learned self defense because of fears and concerns of being in the midst of war.

Although not widespread, some elements of the martial arts began to be introduced into women’s self defense during World War One. Many of the people who taught self defense in the United States and the United Kingdom had a background in the martial arts themselves.

However, it was not until the start of the Second World War in which the martial arts became more prevalent in women’s self defense programs in the United States and United Kingdom. Once again, with the start of worldwide war, the Axis countries of Germany, Italy and Japan began to make certain demands of their civilian populations. The governments in these countries realized the necessity for men and women to engage in coordinated courses of self defense.

In the Allied countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, the governments took a bit of a different stance when it came to women’s self defense, than they had during the First World War. Although self defense instruction was not mandatory as in the Axis nations, the civilian populations of the Allied countries were strongly encouraged to study self defense.

During the Second World War, the martial arts became far more prevalent in women’s self defense programs, in European countries. One of the reasons that American women became interested in women’s self defense incorporating martial arts techniques arose after Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. There was real concern amongst the U.S. population American civilians needed to be fully prepared to defend themselves against the forces of Imperial Japan.

In addition to fear surrounding the machinations of Imperial Japan, women in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom also found the martial arts very practical components of overall women’s self defense. When it came to women’s self defense, the martial arts allowed even small women the chance to develop a viable and effective self defense plan. The martial arts are designed to be effective no matter the size or strength of the person using it.

As it turned out, when it came to women’s self defense, the martial arts proved quite easy for women of various ages to master. Therefore, many instructors throughout the World War Two era adopted the martial arts as a part of overall and comprehensive women’s self defense programs.

In the future, women’s self defense programs are expected to include a major emphasis on the martial arts. The martial arts are expected to continue to be attractive to women of all ages.

About the Author

Jake Ross is a world renowned author, researcher, and student of the martial arts, Western hand to hand combat, and military fighting skills of the 19th to 21st Centuries. More of his writings are available at http://www.combatclassics.com

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