Self-defense series aims to protect women

The Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA and Mountainside Martial Arts are teaming up to offer a three-part self-defense series for women beginning Saturday.

Classes are 10-11:30 a.m. this Saturday, as well as Oct. 18 and Nov. 1 at Mountainside Martial Arts Center, 3173 E. Chandler Blvd.

Mountainside head instructor Rick Savagian, who has a fifth-degree black belt, said he will teach women simple but effective ways to protect themselves against attackers. Participants must be at least 16.

"I don't want anyone to become a victim," he said. "You don't have to be a big brute to protect yourself. The course teaches you how to use your body to strike an attacker's vulnerable areas."

The series costs $65 and is offered in conjunction with the YMCA's Women's Wellness Program. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the YMCA's Strong Kids Program.

Kimberly Husband, a Mountainside martial-arts student, took her teenage daughter to the self-defense classes last year and said they both walked away feeling confident they could escape if cornered.

"I know my daughter was really impressed with the strategies for breaking a hold when someone is trying to grab or pull you," she said.

Husband said it hadn't occurred to her to spit in an assailant's face, but that was among the tricks she learned at last year's workshop.

"Their first reaction would be to wipe it away and that gives you time to escape," she said. "I weigh 100 pounds and it wouldn't take much to overtake me, but I really feel like I'm so much better prepared to protect and defend myself."

Rae Miyasaki took the same self-defense classes.

"Even if you live in a safe community things can happen and knowledge is power," she said. "We learned how to use our fingernails and keys to get away, and we did some punching and kicking. If you know how to throw a proper punch or kick, it's a lot more effective."

Savagian, who has 44 years of martial-arts experience, said the second and third sessions will begin with reinforcement of skills learned in a previous class.

"Often, one-day seminars leave students with very limited knowledge and they may forget what they were taught," he said. "The techniques they'll learn can be practiced and utilized every day."

Anyone interested in registering for the series can do so at the Ahwatukee Foothills YMCA or by visiting www.mmacaz.net. For more information, call Savagian at 480-759-4540.