In the prior week, reformed pastor Dale Partridge took to X calling for Christians to not enroll their daughters into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or wrestling programs to equip them for self-defense. Seeing the circumstances around the training more of a threat to a child’s safety, he claims that young girls should be trained and versed in weapons training and self-awareness instead.
Parents, stop putting your daughters into Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling.
— Dale Partridge (@dalepartridge) January 23, 2025
You’re letting 14-year-old boys grope, mount, and dominate your little girl.
Yes, teach them self-defense, but do so with self-awareness and weapons training, not ground fighting.
Partridge has fallen for a common misconception amongst non-practitioners in that by training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there is no respect given to the other sex during training. Of course something of this nature can occur, but just as much as an assault in any other public athletic space. With this in mind, to suggest that a young girl cannot learn how to defend herself due to sparring against a boy blatantly ignores the systems of defense Jiu-Jitsu has to offer. Without even learning how to harm an assailant, a novice of the practice learns quickly:
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), an American woman is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds. Furthermore, the FBI reported over 1.1 million aggravated assaults against women since 2020. With violence present in our society, why should we not equip the weakest among us with the tools needed to prevent them from becoming another tally in a statistic? Rather than discouraging them from accessing these tools, we should be enabling those we cherish with the skills necessary to ensure their safety.
To claim that young women should not train in grappling due to the physical contact between the sexes denies the ability to know how to fight against a bigger opponent in a controlled setting. To say that enrolling your daughter in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy enables boys to “grope, mount, and dominate your little girl,” disregards the structure of the martial art. With constant oversight of an instructor and a class filled with eyes watching, a malicious touch is hard to go unnoticed.
If training with men is uncomfortable for these young girls, there are still alternatives available without removing grappling as an option. Many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies offer women-only classes, allowing for not just young girls, but adult women to be able to train without any discomfort of grappling with a man.
If this still makes the martial-art undesirable, turn it into a family affair. Join yourself alongside not just your daughters, but your boys too. Equip your household with the means available to defend itself from any threat. Let the art discipline your children so that they can walk the streets confidently knowing that they are capable of defending themselves from the evils in this world.
Yes, teach your children how to handle firearms and to be aware of their situation, in addition to knowing how to proceed when someone grabs them. Too often, a firearm or a can of pepper spray has given a sense of false security. Once an assailant has grabbed their victim, it can be all too late to draw a firearm or unlock a can of pepper spray to drive back an attacker. In these circumstances, knowing how to create the spaces needed to use these weapons stems directly from these grappling arts. At a bare minimum, it allows for the ability to escape when being physically overpowered.
Empowering the women in our lives with the tools, abilities, and skills to survive an attack should be a non-issue. To do so is not an affront against our values but a recognition of the reality that we face daily.
Those that hold the faith bear the responsibility to preserve and protect the innocent lives of the image bearers of God. Therefore, neglecting or even rebuking the pursuit of teaching your little girl how to defend herself when a man has mounted her is an affront to this charge.
In a perfect world, we would never have to hold a conversation like this. But until Christ’s return, we must continue to equip and teach the skills necessary to stave off those willing to do harm to those in our lives who are most vulnerable. May we all strive to do our part to protect and equip those we love so that they can live a life without fear.
