ALLENTOWN, PA - At Leading Edge Martial Arts in Allentown Pennsylvania, women and girls are learning life-saving self-defense skills in an hour and a half long workshop...for free. Owner, Sensei Rob Wetmore says, “We’re trying to heighten awareness in the community, letting women know that they have a fighting chance, they’re not stuck being a victim, that they can take a stand and be prepared. “
From tips on how to avoid being a target and potential victim, to learning effective striking...and even how to grapple your way out of the most dangerous situations, these women are learning the skills needed to protect and empower themselves. A lesson Monique says, as a woman, you’ll never know when you’ll need to put into action.
Monique Merino from Wescosville, Pennsylvania says, “I think that’s important that all of us know that we need to be able to protect ourselves and our children, our families. When they grabbed me from my neck and just using my body weight, to just flip the attacker over, that was fairly easy, and I couldn't believe I did it."
Owner Sensei Rob Wetmore says the martial arts school is welcoming dozens of attendees for the workshop at its two locations in Allentown and Bethlehem. The studio has been hosting women’s self-defense workshops for nearly 20 years now for zero cost to female attendees. From young girls to mature women, there’s easy ways women of all ages can learn to create windows of opportunity to escape. And making the warrior workshop free was a no-brainer for Wetmore who says you never know when you’ll need to fight off an attacker and for women, the confidence gained when learning how to protect themselves is a privilege often times forgotten by men who don’t face the same experiences and threats women do.
Sensei Rob goes over how to deal with a dangerous situation once it’s presented itself with hands on self-defense moves when grabbed by an attacker. The women are able to practice all their newly acquired skills on volunteers from Leading Edge Martial Arts and when they walk outside the studio doors, that new confidence is powerful.
But the most important take-away; practice makes perfect. While the skills learned on the mat aren’t going to be used every day, it’s important for students to train consistently; creating muscle memory that will jump into action when a threat strikes. Wetmore says self-defense is like wearing a seat belt; you don’t put it on everyday hoping to test it, out but you have it just in case. “In order for it to work for them, repetition is the mother of skill. Doing something a hundred times, they know how to do it. Doing something a thousand times, they can do it without thinking about it, ten thousand times, it’s instinctive. So, we’re going to show them what they’re capable of. Once we open that door and open their minds so that they know they’re capable of this, hopefully they’re going to take the next step, and pursue it so that they no longer put themselves out there to be a victim,” explains Wetmore.
The free workshops come just in time as April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month; 30 days dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence and educating communities about how to prevent sexual violence.This year’s theme for sexual awareness month is awareness to action and the women here have taken that theme and conquered it; proving prevention is possible.
Free Self-Defense Workshop for Women
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Free women's self-defense workshops at Leading Edge Martial Arts Club
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