Marine Offers Free Self- Defense Classes to Empower Women Against Violence

Using props such as soccer balls, kicking shields and boxing gloves for women to practice striking accuracy, Watson’s weekly self-defense sessions are free and open to any woman who wants to attend.   

“My goal is to help women know how to protect themselves and to pay it forward by teaching their children and grandchildren,” said Watson, who lives with his wife, Pat, in Rim Rock.

Conducting his weekly classes at the Calvary Chapel Church in Camp Verde, Watson generally has a group of up to 10 women who range in ages from 40 to 80. “It doesn’t matter if one person shows or if I have a full classroom. What is important to me is to be sure I make my student(s) become safer in that hour.”

Watson teaches the A, B, Cs of self-defense. “Awareness is avoiding the threat. Boundaries are protecting your space. Combat is fighting your way to safety or freedom.”  

Yelling and shouting loud vowel sounds, like “ay,” is also important, says Watson. “The purpose of yelling is to attract attention and secondly, to create distance. It’s also important to breathe, and when you hear your own voice, you are hyping yourself up to defend yourself.”

By focusing on mental awareness and observational skills, Watson highly recommends his students view Gavin De Becker’s The Gift of Fear website. “You have to be smart before you get tough. It’s way more important and De Becker contains valuable information on using your intuition for threat assessment,” said Watson. “The mindset is the engine of the whole training. The physical assault follows after.  You don’t have to be a martial artist to defend yourself.”

“I’ve taken other self-defense classes and what make’s Bill’s approach different is his focus on environmental awareness and preventive strategies,” said Aileen Dyer, a retired educator. “His training is simple and practical yet effective, and I’ve incorporated [his lessons] into my everyday life. I practice what we’ve learned at home and my husband has also gained some knowledge in self-defense.”

Next, Watson focuses on physical training and demonstrates methods he learned from Target Focus Training (TFT), which was developed by Tim Larkin, a well-known self-defense and close-combat trainer based in Las Vegas.

“TFT teaches the dynamics of injury and the usage of a tool powered by body weight. This allows you to stop any attacker dead in his tracks by inflicting crippling pain. I highly recommend a tactical flashlight. Not only can the flashlight be used as a weapon, but if it’s dark, the flashlight can blind a potential assailant,” said Watson.

Another approach that Watson uses is Rapid Assault Tactics (RAT), a technique developed by Navy SEALs trainer Paul Vunak. “I changed a few things because this takes so much practice,” said Watson, noting his training classes do not focus on guns.

Watson says he has been trained in several forms of martial arts, such as Jujitsu and Taekwondo, but says he couldn’t connect. “I found that the self-defense modules didn’t focus on personal boundaries and dealing with the emotional aspect, which to me is very important.”

Rhonda Kinsman of Camp Verde has been attending Watson’s classes since he began teaching. “Bill has a passion for helping women protect themselves. He teaches the same concepts, situational awareness and how to react when there is a potential threat in different ways, week after week. He makes it fun and interesting.”

Claiming he will never charge for his classes, Watson says he made a promise to God that he would teach for free. FBN

By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN

For more information, call Watson at 928-301-0320.

Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Bill Watson makes it his personal mission to help women know how to protect themselves.