Where Kenya women learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu for self-defence

Before this particular incident, the lifelong martial artist, who worked as a bouncer for 15 years in the United Kingdom, including managing security for the 2012 London Olympics, had never felt as useless as she did that night.

“I ended up on the ground trying to manage the fracas and didn’t know what to do. I had never felt so useless and hopeless despite being a martial artist, especially when I was on the floor. I never wanted to feel that way again. I didn’t have the skills to defend myself while on the floor. That’s why I started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ),” she says.

Jiu-Jitsu is an age-old martial art.

The 39-year-old has now risen in ranking and holds a one-stripe purple belt in BJJ after seven years. A practitioner gets a purple belt after acquiring a significant amount of knowledge and skill in Jitsu.

Having returned home after years overseas, Ms Pakter has made it her mission to empower Kenyan women with skills, to respond to some of the common physical threats, besides building strength and fitness, improving balance and helping one think strategically.

BDLife meets her at the Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy, where she and her apprentice Salma Abdi have been conducting self-defence workshops for women. Ms Abdi, a 24-year-old software developer, currently holds a white belt after two years of BJJ training.

Why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

“BJJ stands out as one of the most effective self-defence systems, but also while doing it one improves one’s fitness level because she does bodyweight exercises. For self-defence, BJJ helps you learn what to do when someone attacks you from a standing position and when you go to the ground. It’s how you get away with not attacking unless you’re provoked.

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“So every time I train people, I insist that the focus is not to engage the person but to disengage as quickly as possible. You may need to subdue the person a little while you disengage. We teach how to control someone when they are on you, how to manage distance with the ultimate goal being to get away,” says Ms Pakter.

BJJ techniques are designed to neutralise an opponent through the use of leverage and positioning. From escaping dangerous holds to subduing an attacker.

“This makes it ideal for people, especially women who may face bigger, stronger attackers. When you look at me, you might think differently before you attack me because of the way I probably look (built and muscle-toned). But if you look at Salma, you might think she would be an easy target, right? The majority of women are like her, they appear tender, soft and not built but with these skills you will be in for a surprise,” she says.

With the rising cases of domestic violence, assaults against women, and femicide incidents in Kenya, this ancient martial arts offers the practicality of how one can effectively defend oneself.

The BJJ is as much a workout for the mind as for the body and the academy founded by Julio DeSouza, seeks to tap into this relatively new fitness segment.

“If you are out in the dark and suddenly a stranger, a man, grabs your hand, no matter how strong he is, you can get away by applying the ‘wrist lock’. You do that by griping their wrist and then rotating it in a way that applies pressure on their joint and if you do that while pulling their hands towards you, you create leverage and pain.

If someone is threatening to attack you with a knife or a gun, you can apply the arm-locks technique to de-escalate. Arm locks are versatile and can be applied from almost all positions. If someone tries to attack you in a taxi, there are things you can do in that situation. There is the rape chock if someone ends up on top of you,” she says.

Ms Pakter maintains that women need to understand that violence is sometimes necessary.

“A lot of people are pacifists but I say love and fight. If someone is going to be violent, at least have them think twice. In most cases violence is opportunistic, so the question is will you just stand there and let someone get violent at you without wanting to push back?,” she adds.

Best martial art for women

To master Jiu-Jitsu, Ms Pakter says the art requires consistent practice, ensuring that techniques become second nature. This long-term engagement builds muscle memory, enabling women to react instinctively in high-stress situations.

“If you are consistent with the training, it would take you probably six to eight months to effectively master and execute the techniques,” she says. From her insight, it’s the best martial art especially for women because it does not use striking, it is more of a grappling art where one learns sweeps, chokes, submissions, takedowns and other ground moves.

“You learn how to fight from your back and have guards. Guards are positions where you learn to create leverage to increase and utilise every kilo of your body strength, to subdue the opponent. You learn how to use bodyweight strength for submissions and locks, how to use your hips to lock and chock if on the floor,” she adds.

She gives an example of being grabbed or pinned down. A majority of women would panic. But Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training equips the woman with the skills to stay calm.

“With calmness, you build confidence and with confidence, you will be able to execute the techniques effectively to escape or control the situation. That’s how I feel now after two years of Brazilian Ji-jitsu training,” says Ms Abdi.

Although Ms Abdi is not sturdily built, she is content with the level of confidence the martial art has installed in her.

“Self-defence is not just about physical attributes and techniques, it’s also about confidence. It does instil a sense of empowerment that extends to other areas of life. Knowing that I can handle myself in threatening situations reduces fear,” she adds.

Ms Abdi started doing Jiu-Jitsu because of fear: “The fear was of me being slapped or being assaulted by a man and not knowing what to do. I have always loved watching martial arts films because of the defensive moves. One day I walked into a martial arts gym in Nairobi, just to see the practicality of it. That was the first time I met Shiggi who would later introduce me to BJJ,” she says.

Ms Pakter says to master Jiu-Jitsu one does not have to be extra fit. However with time, being a martial art, it sweeps one into shape.

“There are a lot of cardio exercises involved when it comes to BJJ. You need to have a strong core to execute techniques. Mobility and flexibility are also key as they address the joints. A lot of the exercises involved in Jiu-Jitsu, we do them using our body weights which helps with toning and body conditioning,” she adds.

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