Hi, my name is Carol Ann. My goal is to make a difference in today’s “violent” world. It is unfortunate how much we have to be on alert, especially women. I have studied Tang Soo Do for about 4 years and currently a Blue Belt in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu under the Royce Gracie Network. After having the opportunity to take this class, I became a certified instructor. At the beginning of the year 2009, "Instinctive Defense" was formed because of the heart and passion that I have for this class.
Since then, Instinctive Defense has taught a a large amount of females. I became very interested in this womens self defense class because it seemed so “natural” for women. There are no “complicated” moves to learn. It is not martial arts. It is fighting like a girl. No men are allowed to attend the class except a male “bad guy”. This is because women are put into their most vulnerable positions. I do not want anyone to feel intimidated. Students are taught not to give up. You have one life – fight for it! The fact that a class is only 3 hours long is a benefit in itself. You don’t have to spend months learning how to defend yourself. Ladies are also educated on the most recent drugs being used to control women. Students are taught to be “smart” about situations they may encounter. Awareness is the first step. College students are the most vulnerable. They are not familiar with their surroundings and trust way too easy.
Ladies come into the class nervous but walk out with confidence. This class is for every female. It does not matter whether you are young, middle aged, or elderly. It is for women who have been fortunate enough to have never been attacked but also great for the woman who has been less fortunate. It will increase her confidence and help her get back to living a normal life.
At the end of every class, ladies will be attacked by a fully protected attacker. This enables them to use the techniques that they have learned. It gives them the confidence to go “all out”. They need to see their strength that is buried within themselves. Women are always amazed at how simple it is and what they can do at the end of the class. Nobody is ever forced to participate in any event. They just simply need to let the female instructor know they are not comfortable. Nobody will be pointed out.
I am very excited about being apart of this class. It will make a difference in your life. I look forward to working with you soon.
Thank you,
Carol Ann
______________________________________________________________________________
Credentials
Carol Ann is a Tang Soo Do practitioner who is passionate about the women's self-defense program.
"I want to make a difference with our community. Women need this training to save their life on a daily basis."
"I am impressed with this 'intense' method of training because it starts from the most vulnerable position for a woman. This class is 100% for women and you need to love yourself enough to do it. You may walk into class nervous and uncertain but you will walk out excited and confident. Love yourself enough to 'Fight Like a Girl'!"
Carol Ann is also a member of the Sexual Assault Response Team in Berkely County.
My certification came directly from the Fight Like A Girl program developer, Brad Parker.
My 2009-2013 certifications include:
Fight Like A Girl Level 1
Fight Like A Girl Level 2
Girls On Guard
Defense Against Weapons
West Virginia Senior Instructor
______________________________________________________________________________
Instructors that I have had the opportunity to train under with.
I have been blessed to have trained with the "Best". I want to say "THANK YOU " to the following instructors for assisting with my training. They have all supported me 100% and I could not have done it without them. They understand the passion that I have in making a difference with sexual assault. My goal is to prepare as many females as possible with defending themselves. Fight back !!!
Brad Parker:
Brad Parker is the director of Defend University, a research and development group dedicated to the exploration of leading edge techniques and strategies for self-defense, security and defensive tactics. Defend U. is also the home of Women's Defense.Org, a community service group with instructors around the world dedicated to the education and training of females utilizing the Women's Empowerment Series.
Parker formed the modules of the program over the course of seven years as he trained literally hundreds of women in self-defense techniques. The course evolved as a sort of living laboratory that dealt with the most common sexual assault scenarios researched from real life attacks. Research and interviews with vice detectives revealed that women were invariably attacked differently than males. And, unfortunately, the techniques usually taught in many courses don't address the realities of rape. The techniques in the program were refined using full contact responses to full power attacks from male role players. This emphasis on realism brought about the Fight Like a Girl philosophy of women's self-defense.
More about Brad
Steve Kardian:
The east coast Lead Instructor for Fight Like a Girl and an expert in Women's Self Defense. Steve is one the nation’s go-to experts on issues of women’s safety, crime prevention and risk reduction.
Steve is a national media consultant for Inside Edition, CNN, Fox News, The Morning Show, CBS, NBC, Men’s Journal, the New York Times, Best Life Magazine, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated. He has been lecturing on crime prevention, campus safety, and women’s safety for 25 years. Prominent martial artists and educators travel from across the nation and Europe to learn Steve’s Women’s Empowerment program.
Steve also lectures across the country at colleges and universities for the prestigious CAMPUSPEAK agency, voted top agency in the country 3 out of 4 years in a row by Campus Magazine. He is also a certified consultant for the NYS Dept. of Criminal Justice.
More about Steve
Tom Striplin:
Mr. Tom Striplin has been involved in Martial Arts since 1983. He began his training in Arlington, Virginia under Master Kang in the art of Tae Kwon Do. He then trained in California in the Japanese art of Koi Kan. He continued his training at National Academy in Lavale Maryland in the Art of Tang Soo Do. In 1998 he opened American Martial Arts Academy in Lavale and now holds the rank of Third Degree Black Belt. He trains and is promoted under Master Kevin Green, 6th Dan, Keyser, West Virginia.
Mr. Tom Striplin became certified in 2004 in the Fight Like a Girl Program.
More about Tom