Womens Self Defense Boston

Women's Self-Defense Boston has been running a completely free self-defense program since 2010, training thousands of women and young girls across the Boston and Greater Boston area. The program receives no funding or assistance—it's offered as a direct service to the community.

Instead of teaching isolated techniques, Women's Self-Defense Boston uses SEPS (Situation Effective Protection System)—a research-driven framework that teaches you to predict, identify, and avoid violent situations before they escalate.

The math behind their approach: - 70% of potentially violent situations can be avoided through preventative measures - 20% can be handled with solid situational awareness - 5% require de-escalation and disengagement - 5% actually require physical solutions

Most self-defense programs start with that last 5%. SEPS starts at the beginning.

Their training focuses on realistic contexts. They don't teach self-defense in a vacuum—they look at how violence actually happens to women:

• •Victim facilitators: Identifying the habits and behaviors that put you on a predator's radar
• •Pre-indicators: Recognizing the signs that someone has harmful intent before they act
• •Relationship dynamics: Understanding that most assaults on women come from people they know (partners, ex-partners, acquaintances)—not strangers
• •Predatory grooming: Recognizing how predatory individuals assess, target, and manipulate victims
• •Decision-making under stress: Learning how to make effective choices when emotionally stressed
• •Disengagement techniques: How to back away from dangerous situations without escalating them

Their physical training borrows from Krav Maga Yashir (an Israeli martial art designed for real-world violent encounters), but it's always taught in context—not as a standalone fighting system.

The program uses a mix of online and in-person training:

• •Campus Safety Seminar: Annual training for young women heading to college for the first time
• •Corporate Training: Custom programs for organizations
• •Private & Small Groups: Tailored instruction
• •Free Online Self-Protection Course: Virtual self-defense education

Gershon Ben Keren, the program creator, is a criminologist, security professional, and self-defense instructor with 30+ years teaching women's self-defense. His approach is academic and evidence-based, using peer-reviewed research rather than outdated self-defense mythology.

Liz Berrien teaches the physical components of the program and has led the annual Campus Safety seminar since 2012.

Situated just north of Boston, accessible from I-93 North (exit 30) and I-95 South (exit 54).

This isn't a belt-rank program or a general self-defense class repackaged for women. It's built from the ground up to address the actual threats women face in the modern world. The program recognizes that violence against women is largely predictable—and that the best defense is never being in danger in the first place.