By popular demand, Self-Defense 201 is coming this fall!  This class is open only to students who have taken Self-Defense 101, or equivalent basic self-defense classes elsewhere.  This initial offering will be a 3 session course, with each session lasting 4 hours.  In these sessions you will learn and practice:

1. Session 1:   
   • Review of basic physical and verbal skills
   • Review and expansion of physical (3+) combinations, including adding footwork and fluidity to movement 
   • De-escalation and assertive verbal skills
2. Session 2:
   • Pepper Spray
   • Dealing with multiple attackers
3. Session 3:
   • Other weapons (defending against and using)
   • Human trafficking (yes it happens here, and why it matters to you) 
   • Keeping your community safer:  education and bystander intervention

You will have three choices when you register:

1. You can sign up for the first session only, as a review/refresher class,
2. You can sign up for the first session plus either Session 2 or 3,
3. You can sign up for all three sessions!

Please note that signing up for either Sessions 2 or 3 alone are NOT options, as basic skills and concepts from the first session will be critical to 2 and 3.  This class will be a bit more physically challenging than was Self-Defense 101. 

 

To register, visit http://www.StrategicLiving.org/self-defense-201.php 

The Second Annual Self-Defense Fundraiser for DAWN (Domestic Abuse Women's Network) took place on August 4th.  You may know that I volunteer for DAWN, initially answering the Crisis and Advocacy phone line and currently training to facilitate an orientation for women new to DAWN's services.  Offering this class is another way for me to contribute to overall community safety, both by teaching personal self-defense skills as well as raising money to support DAWN's critical services.

And DAWN's services are indeed critical.  There is no lack of demand for shelter, for counseling, for legal expertise for those who've experienced abuse and domestic violence.  Yet there is a serious lack of resources.  On so few of the days when I answered the calls of women in crisis was space available in the confidential shelter.  On so few of those days were enough people available to assist with court appearances.  And on so few of those days were there enough hours to keep up with the incoming stream of calls.

But back to the class . . . participants learned their strikes to decisive targets, assessing when to use them, and of course the "red flags" of domestic violence.  We practiced what to do when someone meant you harm, when someone was acting inappropriately, and when you needed to set a boundary with a friend.  We had fun!

And we raised funds and awareness for a righteous cause.

PS - Special thanks to Kerry Lynne Copeland, fellow self-defense instructor and avid photographer, for these pictures!

PPS - Even if you missed this class you can still donate to DAWN!
 

 

Lovage and Leavage

 

Class Schedule
Fall 2013:

Self-defense skills are like CPR, you should review and practice them annually. 

If you've already taken a class and want to keep it fresh, Strategic Living offers a 50% discount on select classes. And, if you refer your friends to a Strategic Living class and they sign up, I will donate $25 to one of three awesome organizations for women and girls. Visit my Paying It Forward page for details.

Do you work with a non-profit or community organization that holds silent  auctions? Ask me to donate a gift certificate for a private 1.5 hour seminar.

Do you work with a non-profit or community organization whose staff/volunteers/members/clients would benefit from a safety skills seminar? Visit http://www.StrategicLiving.org/donated-class.php for information on requesting partly subsidized training sessions. 

Hazelruth A, who works with teen girls in foster  care, said this about the session she arranged: