Field Hockey Practicing Defense - Off the Field
March 05, 2013 | General
March 5, 2013
The University of Louisville Field Hockey team is a force to be reckoned with on the field, but now they are off the field as well. The team participated in a Women's Self-Defense class at Louisville Martial Arts Center over the weekend as part of the Athletic Department's LCare program.
The two-hour session focused on techniques and tactics of how to protect themselves against an attacker and in unsafe situations. This involved learning how to get out of various grips from an attacker, how to get up off the ground if you're knocked down, and how to take advantage of opportunities to flee. They also learned about preventing unsafe situations early before they escalate to a more serious scenario.
"Prevention is better than any remedy," advised instructor Allan Manganello. He spoke to the team about various actions they can take that might make a big difference, such as locking car doors, being aware of their surroundings, and walking strong and confidently.
"Self-defense is something every woman needs to know no matter where they live because you never know when you might find yourself in an unsafe situation. It's important for us to look out for the total well-being of our student-athletes and this is one small way we can do that," commented assistant coach Kirstin Gebhart during the seminar.
"The session made me more confident. I learned how to escape an attacker and now feel that if anything really ever happened to me I would have an idea of how to defend myself," said sophomore goalkeeper Sydney King.
"I didn't really know what to expect but I ended up learning a lot. When we learned to get out of grips it was easier than I thought because it wasn't about strength but more about timing and learning how to leverage your body weight," said junior Kelsey Rosenmeier.
Louisville Field Hockey and Cardinal Athletics would like to thank Allan Manganello and his staff at Louisville Martial Arts for conducting the Women's Self Defense class.
The LCare program is the comprehensive student-athlete welfare and development program of Louisville Athletics. The program focuses on providing personal, leadership and career development as well as community outreach opportunities for the 700 student-athletes at UofL. To find out more information about the LCare contact Amy Seng, Director of Student-Athlete Development at AmyS@GoCards.com.
