High heels and combat. Could these two things really go together? Recently, almost 30 women mostly in high heels assembled in a rehearsal place in Midtown Manhattan. These women were not rehearsing for a fashion show or any of it likes. Instead, these women were doing vigorous movements lke fierce kicks, hammer fists, chokeholds.
A former ballerina whose posture is as straight as a ruler, Avital Zeisler is the leader of the group. She said that the purpose of rehearsing these maneuvers is to lock in muscle memory.
CBS New York said that a person may think of Zeisler as a model or an actress, but she is neither of the two. The 26-year old Zeisler is a specialist in hand-to-hand combat. She has trained a number of military and law officers. Zeisler has even trained several celebrities like Megan Boone, Amanda Seyfried, and Keri Russell.
Zeisler strongly believes that women should learn how to defend themselves no matter what she wears on her body or on her feet. This is how the training started. If a woman enrolls for the workshop, the price is usually $80, but this time it has no charge at all.
According to The New York Times, Zeisler shared to her participants that the objective of the combat is to disrupt the attacker's thinking process. One of the participants, Lydia Billings was amazed. She is a 24-year old photographer and a founder of End Rape Now. Billings' best friend was raped in high school.
Avital Zeisler is not the first or the only person who teaches this unique style of self-defense. Jennifer Cassetta, 39-year old personal trainer in Los Angeles initiated a self-defense class in 2007 called Stilettos and Self-Defense. She is also a third-degree black belter in hapkido. She said, "Women feel very empowered wearing heels."
Zeisler began teaching the Soteria Method (Soteria is the Greek goddess of safety) in 2013. This method consists of fitness, self-defense, and empowerment. According to her, self-defense is "having the ability to create, live, and protect a life that you love."
