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The Anatomy of Self-Defense

ARTICLE in ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION · MAY 2008

Impact Factor: 2.98 · DOI: 10.1002/ase.29 · Source: PubMed

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SHORT COMMUNICATION

The Anatomy of Self-Defense

Pamela Sparks Stein,1* April D. Richardson,1 Sandra D. Challman2
1
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine,
Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky
2
Instructional Technology Center, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry,
Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky

The following study describes a creative application of anatomical principles in the

instruction of self-defense. Undergraduates at the University of Kentucky were invited to
a special lecture that featured a series of self-defense moves introduced by a local police
officer. Following a demonstration of each self-defense tactic, the students were briefed
on the anatomy of both the victim and the assailant that contributed to the overall effec-
tiveness of each move. This approach was unique in that students learned critical knowl-
edge of self-defense while reinforcing anatomical principles previously introduced in class.
Moreover, this integration of topics prompted students to think about their response to
potentially dangerous situations on campus. Anat Sci Ed 1:130–132, 2008. © 2008 American
Association of Anatomists.

Key words: self-defense; gross anatomy; anatomy education

INTRODUCTION the Mount Sinai School of Medicine developed The Living

Young women on college campuses have a higher risk for
assault than women in the general population (Koss et al.,
1987). In fact, data released from the United States Depart-
ment of Justice suggest that nearly 5% of female college
students are assaulted each calendar year (Fisher et al.,
2000). In response to these risks, many universities offer
courses on self-defense for their students. This article
describes an innovative approach to a self-defense course
developed for undergraduate female college students by both
a police officer and an anatomy professor. The course high-
lights the anatomy of self-defense; specifically, the student’s
own anatomy that may be used as personal weapons in an
assault, as well as the vulnerable anatomy of the assailant.
The goals of the course were to help students to learn critical
knowledge of self-defense while reinforcing anatomical prin-
ciples previously introduced in class.
Other anatomy professors have successfully implemented
unique teaching modalities to augment traditional anatomy
classroom and laboratory teaching. Faculty and students at
*Correspondence to: Dr. Pamela Stein, MN 210 Chandler Medical
Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY
40536, USA. E-mail: pam.stein@uky.edu
Received 20 March 2008; Revised 15 April 2008; Accepted 21 April
2008.
Published online 19 May 2008 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.
wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ase.29
© 2008 American Association of Anatomists
Anatomy Project. This program was designed to enhance the
standard teaching of anatomy by encouraging medical stu-
dents to identify the anatomy being utilized in yoga and
pilate exercises (Pieczenik et al., 2006). The current study
makes use of another alternative creative application for the
learning of anatomical principles by encouraging undergradu-
ate anatomy students to identify the anatomy being utilized
in self-defense.
COURSE DESIGN
This course was developed through the collaboration of a
police officer from the University Crime Prevention Office
and the course director for two undergraduate anatomy
courses: Principles of Human Anatomy (Anatomy 209) and
Anatomy and Physiology for Nursing (Anatomy 109). The
self-defense course was offered outside of normal class time,
one evening from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and was completely
optional. No extra credit was given for attending. Announce-
ments about the self-defense course were made in both anat-
omy classes several times before the course was held. All
anatomy students were invited to attend regardless of gender.
Although the course was not publicized at the main campus
level, the course was open to any university student, faculty,
or staff member.
Several weeks prior to the course, the police officer and
anatomy professor met to develop a basic outline. The officer
provided a manual that had been developed by the campus
police department and used previously for the instruction of
self-defense. Using this manual and illustrations from the

Anat Sci Ed 1:130–132 (2008) MAY 2008 Anatomical Sciences Education

students’ anatomy textbook (Shier et al., 2007), the professor
created a PowerPoint slide show explaining in detail the anat-
omy behind the effectiveness of each self-defense technique.
The self-defense course was held in the classroom where
the two anatomy courses routinely met. The center stage was
shared by both the police officer and the anatomy instructor.
The course began with the police officer delivering an over-
view of safety tips and basic personal protection adapted
from the Rape Aggression Defense System Instructors Manual
(Nadeau, 2006). The introduction prompted students to think
about a potential assault and ask questions like ‘‘What are
my personal weapons?’’
This cued the anatomy professor to explain that knowl-
edge of the student’s personal anatomy and the vulnerable
anatomy of their assailant may help protect them. The police
officer then demonstrated the most common self-defense
moves including the elbow strike, hammer fist to the face,
temple blow, shin kick, groin injury, finger lock, and radial
nerve strike. After the demonstration of each individual tech-
nique, the anatomy professor presented a few PowerPoint
slides explaining why that particular self-defense move would
be effective in stopping an assailant. For example, the stu-
dents were shown the olecranon and how this bony point on
the ulna can be very effective in an elbow strike against an
assailant. An illustration of the homunculus of the postcentral
gyrus was used to help students understand why a hammer
blow to the face really hurts, as a significant amount of brain
tissue is devoted to sensation in the face. A review of the fetal
development of the testes on the posterior abdominal wall
and their descent into the scrotum helped students to under-
stand why a groin kick may refer pain to the abdominal
region.
EVALUATION OF THE COURSE
Twenty-eight students attended the course, 27 female and 1
male. Before the course began the objectives/goals were out-
lined for the students. At the end of the self-defense course,
students were asked to complete an anonymous survey
approved previously by the University of Kentucky Internal
Review Board. The survey was designed so that the students
could answer with free comments. The survey included three
questions:
1. Do you feel this anatomy/self-defense course was helpful
and of value to you?
2. How was it helpful or valuable to you?
3. What if any changes would you recommend?
Fifteen students stayed after the course to complete the
survey. All 15 students felt the course was of value. Most
indicated that it was valuable because it helped them think
about and prepare for a dangerous situation. Three students
recommended making the course longer and more in depth, 3
recommended including audience participation, and 1 student
felt the course should be offered during normal class time,
commenting: ‘‘It would be beneficial to everyone.’’
DISCUSSION
The goal of this course was to help students protect them-
selves in the event of an attack and to promote awareness
Anatomical Sciences Education MAY 2008
about campus victimization and the importance of preparing
for it. Comments from the student surveys indicate that this
goal was achieved.
The anatomy covered in the self-defense course had been
previously introduced in the anatomy courses. However, rein-
forcing these anatomical concepts in the context described
may have enhanced learning outcomes, as the anatomical
relationships were correlated with practical and effective self-
defense tactics. One student commented, ‘‘I liked seeing
the anatomy of the injury and how what we learned in class
corresponded to it.’’
Although not initially a goal of the self-defense course,
improved instructor-student relationships may have
resulted. Taking the time and effort to develop and deliver
a course like the one described, may have demonstrated to
students that the faculty member cared about them beyond
the classroom. One study found that students who feel their
instructor genuinely cares about them do not want to disap-
point the instructor (Davidson, 1999). This could lead to a
higher level of performance by the students. In fact, the
student-instructor relationship is one of the best predictors
of student engagement and effort in the classroom
(Osterman, 2000).
This self-defense course will be offered annually at the
University of Kentucky to students in undergraduate anat-
omy courses. We plan to further investigate the value of
this course in terms of helping the students to learn and
retain anatomy by administering a pretest surveying the
extent of anatomical knowledge prior to the self-defense
course and a posttest after the course to see if there are
any statistical differences. A follow-up test will be given at
a later date to determine if presenting the information in
this unique format helped the students retain the anatomy
covered.
In addition, the course will be announced in the campus
newspaper inviting all students, faculty, and staff members to
attend. The course was designed to be replicated and could
easily be adapted for use by other institutions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Officer Alan Saylor from the Office
of Crime Prevention & Executive Protection at the University
of Kentucky Police Department. Officer Saylor was instru-
mental in developing and delivering this self-defense course.
There are no potential conflicts of interest with any of the
authors or their institutions pertaining to relationships with
industry or other corporations.
NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS
PAMELA SPARKS STEIN, D.M.D. is an assistant professor
in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Uni-
versity of Kentucky College of Medicine, Chandler Medical
Center, Lexington, Kentucky.
APRIL D. RICHARDSON, B.A. is a doctoral candidate in
the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Univer-
sity of Kentucky College of Medicine, Chandler Medical Cen-
ter, Lexington, Kentucky. She currently instructs prenursing stu-
dents in ANA 109/110 course at the University of Kentucky.
SANDRA D. CHALLMAN, M.S.L.S. is a manager in the
Instructional Technology Center, at the University of Ken-
131
tucky College of Dentistry, Chandler Medical Center, Lexing-
ton, Kentucky.
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of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. URL: http://www.ojp.usdoj.
gov/nij [accessed 11 Apr. 2008].
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Nadeau L. 2006. Basic Physical Defense for Women: Instructor’s Manual. 2nd
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