A Sherman Oaks black belt seeks to empower women – with an app. Martial arts maven Helen Anzalone Gordon has created an app that teaches women how to defend themselves against an attacker. Gordon said that, as a woman, she’s always felt the need to protect herself. She’s an actress and acting coach as well as a third-degree black belt. She owns a film production company with her husband who decided to start creating apps a year and a half ago. Before he could pitch an idea, Gordon told her husband that first she wanted to develop a self-defense app for women. “You Can Fight” gives consumers lessons on four different martial arts moves which correspond to the four most common attacks on women. Gordon called upon her colleagues at the Couprie Martial Arts Studio, where she’s taught for seven years, to play her attackers. She took up the sport 20 years ago and has since become a master in Tae Kwon Do. From a young age she knew it was possible she could be attacked, a possibility that became ingrained in her. “I don’t know if I saw too many bad movies or what, but it’s not from personal experience,” she said. Although Gordon has never been attacked, several of her friends have, and she understands how greatly it changes a woman’s life. Studio City’s Shepley Winings Public Relations Group Inc. teamed up with Gordon to promote the app through a national campaign that spans TV, radio, print and online media. The app retails at $1.99 and sits alongside numerous other self-defense apps in the market, some of which are free. “I would recommend that if she really wants to help women, then it should be free,” said Matt Palmer, chief marketing officer for Garden Grove app marketing agency AppClover. “It seems like a good educational app but maybe the first lesson is free. Then charge.” – Megan Diskin
