Why Model Mugging Self Defense?

Violence against women is a crime against society!

Safeguard yourself!

Parents, safeguard your daughters going off to college by giving them a gift of personal awareness and safety that they can apply all their lives!

Survivors of violence, change the ending into an empowered life!

What Makes the Model Mugging® Program Different?

Model Mugging Self Defense provides students with the most significant impact on personal safety and overcoming personal fears of being assaulted through role model mastery. Many self-defense courses are simply comprised of a group of techniques without continuity between techniques, strategy, and the reality of effectiveness for women.

Why the Name – Model Mugging®?

Defensive eye strike applied full force during Model Mugging Self Defense course.

In 1971, Model Mugging founder Matt Thomas originally called the program “Role Model Rape Prevention,” based on Albert Bandura’s work on mechanisms governing empowerment, which teaches people how to overcome fears such as fear of snakes and flying. Matt applied these principles in helping women overcome the fear of rape through rape defense.

While Matt developed the Model Mugging self-defense curriculum, he was a student of Bandura. Almost 20 years later, Elizabeth Ozer and Albert Bandura conducted experiments on personal empowerment in response to physical threats, with women applying for the Model Mugging mastery program.

However, during classes, the students called him the “Mugger” when he wore his Padded Assailant during full-force scenarios. Students found calling the man in the suit “the mugger” to be psychologically less threatening. Matt changed the name to “Role Model Mugging“, which was later shortened to “Model Mugging” in 1973.

Course content and instruction are modeled upon practical and proven methods for how women can successfully defend themselves against common assault scenarios, thus the brand name Model Mugging®.

A team of female and male instructors teaches the program. The female instructor models the transformation of fear into empowerment, while the male instructor, wearing a padded suit, models assailants, providing students with experience in practicing more realistic options.

Realistic Self Defense

Instruction is based on modeling the stark realism of what happens when muggers assault women so that the training closely mirrors reality.

The curriculum is progressive, culminating in full-speed, full-contact, and the full spectrum of options.

The course is modeled on data that captured how women are actually assaulted and then authentically simulated these scenarios, which is constantly updated.

No advanced martial arts training is required, and it is surprisingly easy and safe to learn. Even if you haven’t taken martial arts training or kickboxing classes, or even if you are not particularly athletic or don’t participate in sports, it doesn’t matter. This class is for you, and if you take it, you will be changed for good.

Self Defense in a Weekend

The course conveniently fits easily into any individual’s or family’s time-constrained and busy lifestyle.

It may be available on weekends or in short 5-hour modules capable of being taught in locations close to where you live for those wanting to host a course.

The best self-defense training for women created by experts successively training thousands of women is conveniently available and surprisingly affordable.

Women who have taken this class rave about how the methods affect them in ways that change their lives immediately. Heartwarming and touching Personal Testimonials prove the excellent life-saving effectiveness in defeating attacks, sometimes even long after the course is taken.

Taught in small groups maintains personalized instruction while keeping it affordable, especially for families sending a daughter to college.

Self Defense Designed for Women

Model Mugging is the original Adrenaline Stress Training course, established through crime analysis and organized around the Five Principles of Self-Defense.

The Model Mugging curriculum is founded on researching thousands of crimes, academic literature reviews, martial arts, and decades of experience conducting reality-based self-defense scenarios.

Model Mugging programs are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of women. Since 1971, this martial science self-defense system has evolved into a concise, effective, full-force fighting and crime prevention course. The following links provide some of the many facets of the Model Mugging Self Defense program:

Student attending the Model Mugging Basic self-defense course.

Self Defense Classes

In just one weekend, the Model Mugging Basic Self Defense Course provides crime prevention education and the actual fighting experience that is needed to defend oneself against a single unarmed assailant successfully.

Another weekend of self-defense training involves the Advanced course that addresses options against an armed assailant and multiple assailants.