ABOUT SELF-DEFENSE 101
COVID-19 UPDATE (February 2023): Classes are in person. Class size is limited. Please be vaccinated for COVID at least 2 weeks beforehand, and masks are mandatory.
Research shows that those who successfully defended themselves quickly recognized threatening situations and enforced their boundaries, if necessary by physical means. In this six-week self-defense course you will learn to recognize assailant ploys and manipulations and how to thwart them. Practice releases from common grabs and decisive strikes to vital targets. Use your voice and body language with impact. Recognize the signs that will let you defuse, de-escalate or evade before a physical assault ever happens. Assess your risks, and plan around them. Understand the connections between awareness, threats, and our media environment. The six sessions give you time between classes to practice your self-defense moves and become more comfortable with them.
This is a progressive skill-building course. You will learn the most basic elements early on, and practice them in later drills. The first sessions will focus more on physical skills: strikes to vulnerable targets, releases from grabs, body language, and using your voice. Later sessions will put your new skills in various contexts, look more at setting boundaries, and different verbal strategies to control uncomfortable situations. Finally, you will learn to recognize domestic violence, and how to get help if you (or someone you know) are in an abusive relationship.
There will be review in each class. There is also some extra enrichment activities (some call it “homework”). What you get out of your time in class will be greatly enhanced by just a small amount of time spent practicing between classes.
Come prepared to challenge yourself – emPOWERment doesn’t get more fun!
Class Schedule
Self-Defense 101 for Women, Transgender, and Non-Binary Persons:
- Six Thursday evenings, April 6 – May 11, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
- Location: Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Room 31 (Brick Bldg), Seattle WA 98103
- Cost: $269
- Register online.
Self-Defense 101:
- Six Tuesday evenings, April 11 – May 16, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
- Location: Seattle Central College, Broadway-Edison Bldg, 1701 Broadway, Room 1139B
- Cost: $269
- Register online
Self-Defense 101 for Women:
- Six Monday evenings, April 24 – June 5, 6:30 – 8:30 pm (no class May 29)
- Location: Bellevue College, Fitness Center Room G 110
- Cost: $269
- Register online
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