Cliffies may soon outrank the Cambridge police as crime fighters. Beginning Oct. 9, Radeliffe girls will be studying Tae Kwon Do, the Korean art of self-defense.

In Tae Kwon Do the student learns to punch, chop, spear, twist, choke and block in self-defense, according to Dongpil Kim, who will teach the class. It "employs a full range of body use from the graceful movements of ballet to the power of weapons."

Kicking

Tae Kwon Do is more useful than karate or judo for training women in self-defense, according to Mary G. Paget, Coordinator of Recreational Activities at Radeliffe. Unlike karate, which uses hand motions, and judo, which uses throws. Tae Kwon Do uses mostly kicking movements.

The idea for the course came last spring from 50 girls in Mabel Daniels Hall, who petitioned Miss Paget for instruction in self-defense. "We felt that Cliffies should be offered instruction in what to do when someone snatches a pocketbook, grabs your wrist, or pulls a knife on you," said Marilyn De Vries, author of the petition. Students at the Radeliffe Graduate Center also asked for a cause in self-defense.

Thirty-three Cliffies have signed up for the course. More are expected to register at the first class at 7:15 p. m. on Oct. 9 at the Radeliffe Gym. Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings form 7:30 to 9:30. Each five week course will cost $10.

Enrollment is not limited and all Cliffies and grad students are eligible. Classes are not coed, said Miss Paget, because the Radeliffe Gym is crowded. Kim will teach a similar program at Harvard this year.

The Kwon Do is the most popular martial art in the United States, Kim raid. Because of the rate of city crime and the lack of suitable physcical fitness opportunities for women. Ten thousand women took it up last year.