I am pleased to announce that the Al Lenzmeier West Side Boys and Girls Club is offering self defense classes for young women aged 11-18. These young women have made the commitment to meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30-5:45 pm for one month.
Our first meeting went well. We are fortunate enough to have Gabriel Lopez as our self defense instructor who comes to us with 30 years of martial arts training. The women learned agility training warm ups and then progressed in the importance of being aware of their surroundings at all times.
Mr. Lopez gave them several scenarios where if you are looking at your phone or preoccupied, many may see you as an easy target. He then taught them three stances. The first stance was the passive stance, the semi passive stance and the fighting stance and explained how and when you would use these. They ended class with practicing these stances as well as learning how to do one basic kick.
In the second meeting, members did a warm up and then went into learning strikes. Mr. Lopez explained the different scenerios that one may be faced with where they may need to use these strikes, but always stresses being self aware and using these techniques only as a last resort. Members learned two different types of strikes: the knee and the front kick. Members practiced these strikes by paring up with a partner and practicing these skills with pads having Mr. Lopez correct their form where needed.
Overall, these young women are really enjoying these classes and look forward to the next one.
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