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Self-Defense Class Pays Off

In the fall of 2023 I taught a self-defense class to a group of pre-teen girls and I could never have guessed what would come out of that class.

One girl in particular, Sophia. She was so shy in the first part of class that she struggled to hit and kick me (I have pads to hit and kick). As the class went on I saw her power start to emerge and she perked up to getting out of wrist grabs, shoulder grabs and other situations she was put in.  I was just so proud to see her come alive during the class and I hoped this would be a class she would never forget and I thought the story ended there…..it didn’t.

I recently got a text message that was titled See What You Started. 

I opened it to see a picture of Sophia.

After the self-defense class Sophia’s parents said a higher level of confidence in herself to handle different situations and three months ago she enrolled in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy owned by Jason Clarke has created a place where Sophia could be challenged and made to feel comfortable and is a safe place.

Sophia’s Dad Trent said “she is a totally different girl. Cleaning her room has always been overwhelming for her and after 3 months of Jiu Jitsu, she can break up the cleaning tasks into manageable tasks. Her confidence and her ability to handle adversity/conflicts in her life has increased with every week of training”.

The text Sophia’s Aunt Polly sent me was a picture of Sophia standing on the podium in 1st place because she won her first match!  I was so excited to see that and I was so proud and got all teary eyed knowing this young lady found the power within herself and is embracing it.

Trent told me Sophia definitely will continue with Jiu Jitsu and he and his wife are very supportive and enthusiastic about every accomplishment she has experienced/worked for.

Congratulations Sophia and maybe you can help me teach a self-defense class sometime.