Self Defense Class - Sunday 30 Sept 1:00 PM - Rainier Valley Kim's TKD

This next class is now on the schedule...
Sunday, Sept 30th 1:00 PM at the main Rainier Valley studio...
The Hashimotos (for those that know them) had a super time at the last class...

You should be able to sign up at the link below...

http://www.rainiervalleytaekwondo.com/


Men are also allowed to take the class now. Out of a typical class of 30 students we usually now get about three to five men who are usually the boy friend or spouse of a female student who really wanted to take the class but was hesitant to go to the class by herself.

Here’s an excellent write up that one of my coworkers did about the class for our company newsletter.

The course was excellent, and I walked away with a better understanding of how to defend myself as well as additional confidence in my own abilities. I will emphasize that you do not have to be in great shape to learn and benefit from these techniques. I took this course again with a friend in January 2018 as a refresher, and I continued to improve my technique and work on muscle memory.

In 2015, one of my employees approached me about a women’s self-defense course being hosted at the TaeKwonDo studio where he trains as a black belt. The majority of the women in our organization had taken the course, and they each spoke very highly of the skills they learned and the confidence they gained as a result of the course. I had been interested in taking a self-defense course, but I hadn’t made it a priority. Knowing one of my employees would be there motivated me to commit to taking the course, and it most certainly did not disappoint.

The course is taught by Master Jeanie Ahn who begins the class by discussing situations she has experienced where she was able to escape unharmed. Master Ahn is accompanied by male black belt students from the school who volunteer their time to help teach women how to defend themselves. The first portion of the class concerns tips on how to keep from being seen as a potential victim. The next phase is about learning which portions of your body can be used as weapons and the most vulnerable spots on the attacker to utilize these weapons upon. We practiced each weapon individually on large pads held by the male volunteers. The volunteers also helped hone the techniques we were using in order to increase the power of our strikes to create the maximum impact that would stun the attacker and enable us to escape. Master Ahn emphasized more than once that the goal was not for us to learn how to beat up attackers but rather to catch them by surprise by knowing how to respond in a way that incapacitates them long enough to allow us to safely escape.

After learning and practicing strikes, we began learning about different ways women are commonly attacked and the best way to escape from each attack. The attacks we practiced were being grabbed by the arm, being grabbed from behind, being grabbed by the hair, being choked, and being pinned down on the ground. The women taking the course initially practiced these attacks and escapes on each other, but there was also an option to have the male volunteers attack us. This gives a much better understanding of what an attack will actually feel like from someone that’s larger and stronger than you, as well as how to best utilize your own personal strengths to successfully escape. For me it definitely made a difference in preparing myself for an increased level of difficulty which required more precise technique to facilitate an escape.

I am and advocate for empowering women, and I can say with confidence that this course will be beneficial to you and other women in your life.