By: Gary Mabis, Pistol Range Chairman On August 22nd and 25th, the Antwerp Conservation Club held a Women’s Self Defense class.
I would like to acknowledge Chris Horvath from Woodburn Indiana and Deputy Rob Garcia from the Paulding County Sheriffs office for their time and expertise. It is great to have people like this that get involved in the community. Check out our website and Facebook pages on all the upcoming events. Here is a statement from a class attendee: On the third week of August, I went to a self-defense lesson. It was a two-day event held by the Antwerp Conservation Club. I was a first timer to self defense class, and I was eager to learn. In this article, I will tell you about my experience. Women from every age group were represented in the class.
Everyone listened attentively as our instructor began to show us techniques. Some of us, myself included, were skeptical of these techniques. How was it possible to pull these off? A few of the techniques appeared as though we would need to use a great amount of physical strength to accomplish them. As we tried the moves out for ourselves, our group realized that we were wrong. Every last one of us was capable of mastering the techniques on our own. Our instructor said something during class that stuck with me. He said that technique can be greater than strength.
There was a heavy emphasis on using tools in the courses that proved his point. He showed us multiple techniques using tools to help us survive a less-than-ideal situation. Once we were shown the techniques, we paired off into groups of two and tried them out for ourselves. By the end of the second class, I definitely felt more confident. What I learned in these two classes gave me a better understanding of self-defense. Nobody wants to be in a bad situation but thanks to these courses, I believe that I stand a far more substantial chance of surviving. If you are interested in learning self-defense, I would encourage you to look into taking a course.
*Note: The original newspaper story was titled “Women’s Self Defense Class Coming Soon!” That was incorrect as this was written about an event that had already happened
