This story does mention violence and sexual assault. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7/365 at 1-800-799-7233.
Women and girls of all ages gather on the mat at WNYMMA’s Great Arrow location waiting for instructor Dusty Mueckl’s class on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. to start.
Mueckl wrote out the free self-defense program at the beginning of the now-19-monthlong COVID-19 pandemic when cases of domestic violence exploded to help empower women, give them confidence and a peace of mind.
"There was an explosion of domestic abuse and abuse against women which was a pandemic parallel with the one that we are currently going through," she said.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
More than 1 in 3 U.S. women will experience rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetimes, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
"Obviously, as women, we’ve suffered — everyone has been harassed," Mueckl said. "It just gets worse and it gets pushed under the rug and we just have to be comfortable being uncomfortable ourselves."
The class happens every week so that participants can build the muscle memory of the techniques and are designed to be effective against all attackers, even those much larger than the victim.
"It’s every week for everybody, every body type, every age," she said. "We have girls come as young as 5 and older people come as too. It’s never too late to learn."
Women are anxious and nervous that something violent or violating can happen at any given time, Mueckl said.
What’s more, experiencing something traumatic like sexual or physical violence can impact a person’s mental health long after the event is over.
People who were victims of rape or sexual assault are at an increased risk for depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance use disorders, eating disorders and anxiety, according to Mental Health America.
Domestic abuse (also called domestic violence or intimate partner violence) is a pattern of behavior in any relationship that uses physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions to gain or maintain control of another person, according to the United Nations.
"It’s all about power and control," Holly Franz, the Crisis Services sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator, said regarding sexual violence and harassment. "It’s not even about that other person, it’s not about the victim, it’s about the perpetrator or assailant — it’s about making them feel more important and with power — and they do that by hurting somebody else."
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, educational or socioeconomic status.
Crisis Services offers services for domestic and sexual violence survivors.
This class not only helps women defend against potential threats, but it also gives them confidence and a community that’s inclusive for all, Mueckl said.
"We have people come here with disabilities, or back issues or any kind of issues or people who have never done it or people who don’t feel comfortable in their skills," she said. "Anybody can do it. Anybody.”"
The classes are every Sunday at 11 a.m. at WNYMMA’s Great Arrow location.