Starting in December I will be leading self-defense classes for women and nonbinary folks at my friend Sifu Michael’s school, North Portland Martial Arts & Movement. We have two December dates scheduled with the intention to continue the series as a weekly class starting in January. Yay!
Dates: Sunday, December 3rd & Sunday December 10th from 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Cost: $20 each or $35 for both.
Location: North Portland Martial Arts & Movement, 728 North Alberta Street
To register, visit the NPMAAM membership page, change the amount shown from $100 to $20 or $35, select “Women’s Class,” and continue checkout.
Each class will begin with introductions, a warm up, and standing meditation. We will connect to our gut area, and practice noticing when we feel good in our bodies and when we feel threatened. From there we will practice spatial awareness and evasive movement exercises (they’re fun!) We will then learn ways to use our voice and body language to set boundaries. Finally, we will learn and practice the best blocks and strikes to use should fighting become a necessity. We will wrap up with a cool down and time for questions, concerns, comments, and feedback.
Wear comfortable clothes you can sweat in and bring a water bottle. And please note: street shoes cannot be worn on the training floor.
My self-defense teaching is largely based on the five fingers of self defense: think, yell, run, fight, tell. Self-defense has very few hard and fast rules, and what is appropriate depends on the situation. Therefore, there is always more self-defense to learn, study, and practice. My intention for the future of these classes moving into 2024 is that the focus be student-led. Students will be invited to bring potential self-defense concerns to the class and we will work through possible ways to handle the scenarios together. In future classes, we could also dive deeper into topics like ground fighting, getting out of grabs and hold, dealing with creeps, and defense against weapons.
For more about my martial arts background, see my Portland Martial Arts & Crafts page.
For other questions about the class, please email NPMAAM directly through their website.
Thank you, and I hope to see you in class!
Michelle Folk Johnson 