Child Safety & Self-Defense Classes
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Child Safety & Self-Defense Classes
Nov 2009
Has anyone heard of this new kids self denfense program for children in
Berkeley called Krav Maga kids? www.berkeleykravmaga.com
J.
Since you included the link to Berkeley Krav Maga in your question, I'll
assume that you've read the site and already know quite a bit about it. My
son began doing krav when he was 15 and it has been great for him. I hope
he'll never need to use the self-defense skills he has developed; the big
benefits from my perspective are the improvement in fitness and the fun he
has
during the classes. The best way for you to learn about the programs is to
give Berkeley Krav Maga a call and go in to observe a class and talk with the
staff. It's a very friendly group, both the instructors and the students.
jane
2001
I'm looking for someone who can do a 2-3 hour self-defense/protection
workshop for 4 ten-year-old girls. Perhaps sometime along the lines
of what Kidpower offers but much shorter. I'd appreciate any leads.
Thank you.
Re the request for a self protection workshop for a group of girls, "perhaps
like what Kidpower offers but much shorter":
Shorter workshops are not offered *publicly* through Kidpower, but they are
easily -- and frequently -- arranged. The vast majority of Kidpower
workshops are privately coordinated for groups (scouts, schools, clubs,
etc.) and range in length from one half hour to eleven hours, based on the
age, life situation, and time constraints of the group. All workshops are
tailored to meet the needs of the group being served, and, as with our
public classes, we never turn groups or individuals away for financial
reasons.
Feel free to contact me, Kidpower East Bay Program Coordinator
Erika Holmes, at eastbay at kidpower dot org if you would like more information.
BAMM ( Bay Area Model Mugging)
April 2004
[Editor Note] BAMM has now changed its name to Impact Bay Area,
per email from Carolyn Wales:
"I noticed that you have a couple of testimonials about Bay Area Model Mugging (BAMM). Would it be possible to change the name and contact information on those pages? Cori Couture left us a couple of years back, and we've changed our name to Impact Bay Area to more closely align ourselves with the other Impact self defense chapters. We're still the same organization, though - only the name is different.
Our current web site and phone number:
www.impactbayarea.org, 510.208.0474
Kid Power from Santa Cruz (affiliated with Model Mugging) provides
excellent classes in Berkeley for teens. They teach a quick and effective
physical self defense technique and provide real practice against men
wearing heavy padded protection. The training also includes avoidance of
trouble, including adult sexual overtures (counselors, teachers, etc),
being followed in a Mall, bullied at camp, and urged to smoke, drink or
take drugs. The teachers are well trained. Sandra
I, my husband and our 4 year old daughter took KidPower training last
October. We learned a lot. The instructor was excellent. I like the program
because they don't just teach "stranger danger." They teach the difference
between someone you know and someone that you don't know and how to keep a
safe distance. They teach how to handle manipulative people and bullies.
They also emphasize that the parents go over the training at home. My
daughter still remembers a lot of the training and we review it
occasionally, especially the part about putting hurtful words in the trash
and not letting them into you heart. My daughter participated fully in the
class exercises. There were some children who did not participate so much,
but the instructor emphasized not to worry about it because those kids
still get the concept and will bring up the exercises later at home. I
highly recommend KidPower!
Jeanne
I would like to highly recommend Kidpower to other families. Our family
(husband, 6 yr old daughter, 4 yr old son) participated in late January
at Black Pine Circle School. The course was taught by the founder,
Irene, and was very: interactive, appropriate, practical, empowering.
Many exercises in which everyone listened and then the kids had to
"teach" their parents the various responses to unsafe situations. My
kids are now going around the house using some of the techniques we
learned (like creating an imaginary garbage can and "throwing away"
hurtful things that people/kids say). The class included lots of common
scenarios: what to do if lost in a crowd, how to go to a firefighter if
there is a fire even if he/she is a stranger, how to preserve
appropriate physical boundaries from others, etc. Lots of useful
knowledge, definitely fine for the older preschool set, as well as
elementary school kids. A good investment of your family's time.
Deborah
When AWARENESS of a risk is increased without an increase in SKILL to
deal with that risk, FEAR goes up, and the quality of life goes down.
It sounds like your family's awareness of home invasion has gone way up,
and so has the fear of what would happen and what you could do if it
happened again.
This intense fear is common among people of all ages -- especially kids --
whose personal space has been violated in some way. Developing and practicing
realistic, age-appropriate self protection skills can reduce that fear. No,
nothing works all the time, and having someone break into your home while
you were there would always be a very dangerous situation, especially for a
child. However, if a child is ALREADY AWARE of this risk, having NO plans of
what s/he might try if it were to happen can make the fear of it absolutely
overwhelming. ecoming familiar with the power we DO have -- to think, to move,
to yell, to talk -- often helps bring overwhelming fear down to a manageable
level.
Alarms are great, and I hope you find a good one. In addition to having tools
like strong locks and reliable alarm systems, taking steps to increase the
skills
we carry inside our brains & bodies all the time often increases the sense of
safety and therefore the quality of life for people of all ages. You can do
that
through KIDPOWER, which trains people of all ages and never turns anyone
away
for financial reasons, and probably through some other places; ask your
friends
for ideas and references.
You may have done all this already, including actually practicing with your
kids ways to deal with the risks they're imagining. (Research shows that kids
in a potentially dangerous situation are more likely to do not what they have
been told but what they have actually PRACTICED.) However, I wanted to get the
idea out there just in case it might help you or anyone else whose quality of
life is brought down by this particular fear
ebkidpower at mindspring dot com
A non-profit organization called "Kidpower" does weekend workshops in
the Bay Area on child safety issues and in particular Stranger Danger
for kids ages 4-14. They may come into schools as well. They do a good
job with the younger kids of delivering the information in an objective,
non-scary way and including activities in which the children feel
empowered by their success. They're based in Santa Cruz. Their office
number is (831)426-4407. They also have an 800 voicemail number at
(800)467-6997 and an e-mail address of safety at kidpower dot org.
My kids (girls aged 11 and 8) do NOT want to hear about safety from me.
But they love learning and practicing self-protection skills with Erika
Holmes, a former Albany middle-school teacher who heads East Bay
KIDPOWER. She is funny, non-threatening, and teaches kids how to act
aware, take charge, and get help if they need it.
Erica is leading a KIDPOWER workshop in Berkeley, July 15-18. Parents
meet (without kids) on Thursday night, July 15; kids meet on Saturday
and Sunday from 9-1pm; parents join the kids for the last hour on Sunday
from 12-1, to see what they have learned. This is a great chance for
kids to learn safety skills and have fun at the same time. Call Erica
Holmes for more info at 510/243-0 (zero) KID (510/243-0543).
Merry (6/99)
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