If you’re anything like me, you can’t even count how many times you’ve told your child,“Don’t talk to strangers!” But, when I really think about it, I should be asking my children, “If a stranger came up to you, what do you do? What would you say?” We need to give them the chance to think about it, practice it and have it set in their minds on how to act if the situation should ever arise.
Self-defense is not something you think about everyday. But, by giving your child the opportunity to learn these self-defense tools, you will give them the power and knowledge to protect themselves when you are not there. That’s why I’m so thankful that my daughter took Kids Self-Defense with Martin Lopez of Red Team Safety & Security, hosted recently at My Gym.
Martin and his team teach the C.O.B.R.A.™ (Combat Objective Battle Ready Application) Self-Defense System for kids. This three-hour training that I took along side my 6-year-old was eye-opening. They taught Kidnapping Defense, Advanced Child Special Striking, Bully & Confidence Scenarios and how to apply their skills against Bad Guys Scenario. The course is offered to students ages 5 to 12 years old and at least one parent is asked to be involved in the training with them. Martin really demanded your attention as he spoke about the importance of this course. He takes time to answer your questions, be with you one-on-one and easily corrects anything your child maybe doing wrong.
One thing I really appreciated about this course was the idea of exposure to different situations. Martin puts the students through various situations and really pushes the kids to do their best, learn from their mistakes and become comfortable defending themselves. From learning moves to get out of a hold to how to use a car door to help fight off a predator, Martin teaches his students how to think differently about being attacked.
This training is not to be taken lightly. Your child will be pushed to make decisions within a second. And it will be scary to see your child be dragged across the floor by the pretend predator, and they will be scared, too. But, it is what they need — real life situations to help them have the confidence to attack and defend. Predators come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s not the look of a “bad guy” that will make our kids know who is and who isn’t bad. The way a predator approaches them and acts around them is how your child will know. Now that my daughter has experienced this training, I’m very confident she will know what to do if a predator would ever approach her.
Make self-defense a priority for your child and for yourself. And check out these upcoming classes from Red Team Safety & Security. You will be so glad that you did!
Upcoming Classes at Red Team Safety & Security
Starting June 7, Red Team Safety & Security will host a 10-Week Academy will give students the opportunity to refine their self-defense skills week after week so that they become second nature. We discuss a variety of safety topics and are able to clarify and learn the needs of each student. Each student receives a student manual to take home and review, as well as a certificate of completion.
The June 23rd class is a mini-academy (three-hour training session) in which Red Team introduces several concepts and techniques.
Red Team Safety & Security will host the above academy and classes at My Gym located on Beach Blvd. Call My Gym at (904) 223-4966 for more information or to sign up. Additional classes are held at various locations throughout Jacksonville and they also offers private/neighborhood classes, visit their website for details.