We believe that self-defense is one important element in building a world free from violence and the fear of violence. We have found that self-defense includes many elements: physical, verbal and emotional. We emphasize the truth that We Are Worth Defending. Like the Bay Area Model Mugging chapter (BAMM), we are “Building a Safer World, One Woman At A Time.”

Washtenaw Area Model Mugging (WAMM) Self-Defense is a non-profit, charitable, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization run primarily by volunteers. We have been teaching classes in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area since 1994, and are currently the only IMPACT-style self-defense organization in the state of Michigan. We are affiliates of the national IMPACT organization of chapters teaching self-defense.

WAMM classes incorporate several key elements:

THE SUIT: The padded suit worn by the male instructor allows students to practice techniques full force with full contact, without worrying about the usual restrictions. In this way, students can practice and assess their own ability to respond with all their physical power to an attempted assault.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT: WAMM understands that to effectively protect ourselves requires using not only the physical body, but the spirit as well. Most of us go through a tremendous emotional process when we break through societal prohibitions against fighting back, when we see that we are strong and courageous, that we are worth defending, and that past abuse does not have to rule our lives.

SIMPLE TECHNIQUE: The physical techniques that are taught are movements that the body does naturally and easily. No lifelong training or special physical fitness is required. Instructors work with students to recondition the natural “freeze response”. The course starts slowly and builds progressively as the students' skills develop.

REALISM: The course is based on research into the ways in which assailants typically fight women during sexual assaults. By having the class be as realistic as possible, students fight in an adrenalized state. This aids incorporation of the techniques into “muscle memory” and gives students the knowledge that they can fight even when scared.