WISE Training Program seeks to empower, educate women

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Dara Zink, right, teaches Vanessa Beattie the proper technique for a palm strike during Tuesday's class.

PHOTO BY CHRISTIE WISNIEWSKI

Posted Thursday, September 20, 2018 6:36 pm

 

By Christie Wisniewski , Bennington Banner

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BENNINGTON — A local women's self defense instructor is hoping to give women the confidence they need, whether they want to feel more comfortable jogging at night, hiking alone, or going about daily activities. 

Dara Zink, of Arlington, had her first black belt by age 12 and her second before she turned 16. She's been involved in taekwondo since she was 8 years old, played rugby throughout college, and is currently a long distance runner. 

Now, Zink wants to help other women feel confident, both in defending themselves if a situation arises and in everyday life. After taking a local entrepreneurship class earlier this year, she launched WISE — The Women's Institute of Self-Defense and Empowerment — to teach women to be able to move through the world with confidence and strength. 

As part of this, Zink teaches the WISE Training Program, a series of self-defense and empowerment classes for women. Recently, this training program has come to Bennington as part of a six-week course taught by Zink at Catamount Connections on Tuesday evenings. 

Zink's mother put her through her first self-defense class at a local aikido school when she was younger, and she clearly remembers a time where the instructor put her in a room with two men who she had to fight off. The men were wearing padded suits, but the instructor tried to make the situation as realistic as possible. 

"To have that experience was very eye-opening for me," she said. "It would be eye-opening for a lot of women, but it's not something for everybody." 

Motivation for teaching the class stemmed from hearing her female friends say they were too afraid to run alone or run at night. While Zink runs and hikes alone, she understands why some women don't feel comfortable doing so. 

"It's really sad because these women won't do these great things because of that fear level," she said. "I wish everyone was able to be as comfortable as I am moving about the world." ­

The course

Zink's class still offers hands-on aspects — like learning how to do palm strikes — but also ensures participants feel safe and comfortable. Students can sit out, no questions asked, if they don't feel comfortable participating in a part of the class. 

In addition to hands-on defense training, Zink discusses how women can be more assertive and confident in a range of situations. The course covers how to build trust in oneself and improve intuition in order to avoid situations. It also teaches de-escalation techniques.

"The main move I teach is avoidance," Zink said. "After that, it depends on the severity of the situation." 

What may merit a brush-off in one situation, the next could merit an eye jab. 

"Only you and the situation knows what happens," Zink said. 

For those times where women may have to react, Zink focuses on teaching women gross motor skills to use when they are panicked. She wants to focus on easy-to-remember skills so women can recall these moves if they are ever in a dangerous situation. 

Fine motor skills are the first things people lose in a fight or flight situation. 

"Even after all my years in training, if I am ultimately very frightened and scared am I going to be able to put you in a figure-four wrist lock?" she said. 

While she describes the moves she teaches as "basic," she knows even these simple skills can go a long way in helping build a woman's confidence. 

She also teaches to different situations: a person grabbing your wrist, pinning you to a wall, or climbing on top of you. 

Another major part of the course is teaching women to read the danger level of situations. Zink teaches to what she calls the "danger clothesline," which she explains as an imaginary line with different levels of severity from one end to the other. 

This line begins with "irritating" — a situation like a catcall which can be embarrassing, but doesn't necessarily merit a reaction. Next, is "dangerous," like a woman noticing that a car may be following her. Last on the line is "life threatening," the most serious situation that may require a physical reaction to preserve one's safety.

She encourages women to stay aware of their surroundings and look for abnormal situations around them. 

Zink hopes to eventually teach different levels of self-defense classes and welcome returning students for classes that build on previous training. 

She would like to find a way to provide scholarships for women who would like to take these classes, and plans to reach out to businesses that may want to sponsor a student or an entire class. She would also eventually like to offer training to employees from local businesses to help their employees feel safe, and possibly extend that training to local college students too. 

For those who missed this round of classes, Zink will teach a one-day intensive self-defense and empowerment course at Catamount Connections on Saturday, Nov. 3. Any woman or girl 12 years old or older is welcome to participate as long as they are comfortable with some mature subject matter. 

Those interested in signing up for this $40 one-day class can call (802) 442-8700 or email admin@catamountconnections.org.

Christie Wisniewski can be reached at cwisniewski@benningtonbanner.com and at 802-447-7567, ext. 111.

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