The Irish Taekwon-Do Association’s Women’s Committee organised the first ITA female self-defence seminar, which took place in Dublin on Sunday 12th June 2022, under the instruction of Mr Carl Smullen. Funding was received from Sport Ireland through the Irish Martial Arts Commission (IMAC) under the Women in Sport initiatives.

Females from a variety of grades trained together, practising turning on their aggression so they could tap into it should a situation arise. As well as aggression, protection and movement were key elements of the seminar. Mr. Smullen explained how to best combine natural instinct with training in Taekwon-Do, helping prepare the participants as much as possible should self-defence be required. 

Several male instructors attended who acted as male aggressors, this allowed the simulation of different real-life scenarios, allowing for a range of strength and size in the attackers. The participants wore everyday clothes to help make the practice have a more realistic feel. Participants found the above extremely beneficial. 

Feedback received was very positive with everyone looking forward to the next one.

Quote by one of the participants: “I found it good to have men also part of the team especially from a self defence perspective. The strength of a man’s choke hold is no comparison to that of a womens and that’s just being honest. I was able to get out of the choke hold easily from a female but struggled with the power of a man. So definitely good to have both male and female participation. Also great to see that the men were supporting this event! Really showed a great team spirit”.