What type of self-defense do you teach?

Our goal is to empower individuals to make effective personal safety choices. In an emotionally supportive environment, you will practice both verbal and physical skills with our fully padded mock assailant. With this unique physical training method, you can deliver full-force, full-contact knock-out blows to vulnerable areas on the padded assailant’s body in dynamic, interactive fights. Training also includes verbal self-defense strategies practiced in role playing scenarios in a wide array of contexts, dealing with strangers as well as people you know.

Is IMPACT a form of martial arts?

No. While the IMPACT system owes credit to many different martial arts such as Krav Maga, Aikido and Tae Kwon Do, it does not share the discipline or fitness goals of martial arts. It can best be described as street fighting, which is appropriate as most attacks are scrappy, no-rules attacks.

What will I learn?

You will learn the most common ways that individuals are attacked as well as the strategies and psychology of assailants. Classes prepare you mentally and physically to handle the full range of challenging situations that we all face in our daily lives, including the danger of extreme circumstances. Specifically, you will learn to:

• Avoid danger by heightening your awareness.
• Shorten your body’s natural “freeze” response.
• Capitalize on the adrenaline rush (your body’s response to fear and danger).
• Assess situations quickly and respond decisively.
• Use your voice, brain, body and spirit to stay safe.

What other benefits will I receive?

The benefits of class go beyond learning how to stay safe or how to intervene in a potentially violent encounter. Our graduates report positive effects such as:

• Greater general awareness and confidence.
• Increased self-esteem and assertiveness.
• Ability to communicate clearly and directly.
• Creative and flexible problem solving skills.
• Improved leadership skills.
• More focus and effectiveness at work.
• Calm and clear-headed thinking during stress or crisis.

Who teaches the classes?

Our instructors undergo hundreds of hours of training and supervision to earn their certification from nationally recognized instructor trainers. They are professionals dedicated to ending the cycle of violence. Both our padded and lead instructors are vetted and screened before being accepted into our training program.

Will these techniques work for me?

That is really up to you. Once you are in touch with your fighting spirit and know your life is worth fighting for, you will fight successfully. We believe that the one who decides to win the fight does just that.

What if I have special needs?

We are committed to removing barriers for all interested students. Our instructors will adapt the techniques to work with your physical challenges or pre-existing injuries. We’ve taught 90-year olds in walkers, people with cerebral palsy, and people with typical athlete joint injuries. In fact, the blindfold fighting techniques in our Advanced Course came out of working with a group of blind students.

Do you have payment plans/financial assistance?

Yes, for all courses over $100. We never want money to be the reason a person doesn’t get this life-saving training. Payment Plans: We require $100 deposit and then we can break up the remainder of the tuition into two, three, or four monthly payments as best fits your budget. If a class has a minimum number of students, we are able to offer a scholarship spot. Scholarship recipients will have demonstrated financial need and will write an essay of their class experience to be shared in our materials.

What is “Personal Safety”?

We define personal safety in a broad context. Personal safety is external awareness of our environment, choices about how we behave, how we speak to others, and how we let others speak to us. In its simplest sense, it is the skills needed to set limits in situations that make us uncomfortable or are potentially dangerous. It includes how we feel about ourselves (self-esteem, self-efficacy, and confidence), how we relate to our bodies, and how to trust our instincts.

How do you teach personal safety skills to children?

Our educational model emphasizes concept-based, learned, repetitive role-plays. We teach positive reinforcement and learning through success. Simple safety rules are presented in a straightforward and understandable manner. All of the teaching material is age appropriate so students can easily learn the information. The curriculum follows the recommendations of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It’s not a scary class but a fun process where kids tap into their inner superhero.

How can this program lower children’s anxiety?

Giving children information about safety is part of our responsibility as adults. Education does not raise children’s anxiety; it actually can lower anxiety by providing them with a plan and teaching them self-reliance. Teaching self-defense is similar to teaching your children other safety skills, such as how to cross the street or how to use a kitchen knife. It is not necessary to discuss the details of being hit by a car or cut by a sharp knife to learn safe conduct, just as it is not necessary to discuss the details of child abuse or molestation to learn self-defense.