Dubai may have the reputation of being a safe city, but that does not mean it is free from dangers. Like any big city in the world, threat to life and limb exist and in a one-on-one situation, self-defence is the only option.
And this has led to the growth of self-defence classes, which have been witnessing a growing number of people wanting to learn how to protect themselves, be it against aggressive behaviour or weapon attacks.
Intimidating act
Emma Garside, a 15-year-old pupil at Wellington International School, has been learning self-defence, involving a mix of martial arts, since the age of 12.
She said: “Dubai is meant to be a safe city, but I've found that a lot of men approach me in malls and that can be quite intimidating.
“I feel a lot safer now because I have learned how to deal with potentially dangerous situations.''
She said the pupils in her class had increased from six to around 15 young people in the three years she has been involved.
Her British instructor Steve Drake, who is with the Self Defense Company, runs classes for everyone from young children to adults, and believes that dangers have increased in the four years he has lived here. This is reflected in a survey compiled by consultancy firm Mercer for 2008 which sees Dubai ranked 47th in a list of the top 50 safest cities in the world, below Glasgow, Berlin and Hong Kong.
“I see people worried about how they would react in a potentially violent situation in Dubai and also a lot of students who are going to university abroad and want to learn how to protect themselves,'' said Drake.
In the Black Belt Centre, off Shaikh Zayed Road, people from all backgrounds meet up twice a week to learn a martial art that aims to teach people how to defend against weapon attacks.
Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, known as kali, is a martial art developed in the Philippines that focuses on both armed and unarmed combat.
It has been taught to military and police units in the United States and Canada as well as across Europe. Its no-nonsense style is attracting a growing number of converts from the more traditional martial arts.
Kali classes
Ritchie Soriano, 32, a Filipino, has been running kali classes here since 2007. He said: “I was a university student and was living in a violent neighbourhood in Manila which had problems with drug users and gangs.
“None of the fighting systems I had learned taught you how to defend yourself against people with weapons or multiple attackers.
“The great thing about it is that the movements are fluid and are the same if you are fighting with a weapon or without.
“It means it is more natural and you can react quickly to any given situation.''
His first student in Dubai was a former member of the elite Swedish Parachute Rangers' special forces unit who is now a pilot with Emirates airline.
“We get people from all backgrounds, people who do a lot of travelling, contractors, and office workers,'' said Soriano.
Tomohiko Natori, 40, visits Dubai regularly for his logistics business in Tokyo. He said: “I wanted to learn how to defend myself and others if the need ever arose and this system is very good at it.''
Tomohiko, a black belt in Kyokushin full-contact karate, who also learned kickboxing, felt the self-defence he had been taught may not have been effective in a real-life situation.
He said: “When I was young I was always sick and weak and I wanted to get stronger, which is why I studied karate.
“As part of my job, I go to some dangerous places like Iraq and didn't feel confident in defending myself if the need arose.
“I did some research and spoke to some friends in the US Army who advised me to take up kali, because it had one of the best systems about defending against weapons.''
The basics
Beginners are taught footwork, angles of attack and how to use sticks, knives and bare hands, the idea being that they get a better understanding of how to defend against weapons once they know how these are used. In the last six months the number of people taking part in sessions has increased from two up to 15.
Swedish expat Oskar Andermo, 31, has been training in kali for two years. He said: “I did wing tsu kung fu and before that jujitsu, but I realised once weapons were introduced, it was a different story.
“Weapons are everywhere and can be anything from a bottle to a stick, so there is a good chance that if you are attacked, then the other person will have a weapon of some kind.''
Rape attempt: Fighting back
If it came to self-defence, this Lebanese woman would win hands down.
The 26-year-old saleswoman fought off a knife-wielding attacker who attempted to rape her as she slept in her bed.
The Dubai Court of First Instance was told the woman, R.F., punched and kicked her would-be attacker after he threatened her with the knife and told her he would kill her if she did not have sex with him.
The woman landed several punches to her attacker's face before kicking him off her bed. He was later revealed to be her gardener H.A.
The attacker had broken into her villa in Jumeirah.
He denied charges of attempted rape, making threats to kill, molestation and trespass, but was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.
While Dubai may be among the safest cities on the planet, rising instances of personal attacks have made many people take up martial arts classes
Crimes on the rise in Dubai
Dubai Police statistics from 2008 show a slight increase in crimes in Bur Dubai, Al Muraqqabat, Naif and Jebel Ali. Offences in these areas made up more than 75 per cent of the total number of crimes committed in the emirate last year.
Bur Dubai area had 609 cases, while Al Muraqqabat had 517 cases, Jebel Ali 374 cases and Naif had 292.
The majority of the crimes committed are low-level offences that include thefts of bags and mobile phones, home burglary and thefts carried out by beggars.
Police believe the increase is due to construction work in some areas and higher density of people living together in others. However, Dubai Police say the city still has a low crime rate per capita.
Did you know?
According to Dubai Police statistics, Bur Dubai, Al Muraqqabat, Naif and Jebel Ali accounted for 75 per cent of all crimes committed in the city in 2008
You speak
- Have you been attacked or felt threatened?
- Do you think learning self-defence is the key to warding off such attacks?
- Are women more likely to feel threatened?
- Tell us what you think.
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