By:
Kevin Durio, Personal Trainer
Ladies and Gents ... yes, both of you. Do you have a clear picture of what you would do or how quickly you would react if you were attacked in the parking lot at the grocery store? What about if you were surprised by someone wanting to do you harm as you're walking out of the theatre or a restaurant? What if you saw someone hanging out around your car as you walked out from work? Were you aware that your kitchen is one of the greatest weapons caches on the planet?
Hi, my name is Kevin Durio. I’m a trainer here at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. I’ve been practicing martial arts for 50 years and have been teaching self-defense classes almost as long. I have many years teaching Law Enforcement and Military personnel a lot of these very same skills.
We offer three self-defense classes a year, with the classes structured in tiers, Levels 1-3, starting with basics and moving to more advanced skills. It’s helpful to do them in order, but certainly not necessary. There’s something for everyone at every level in every class.
In Level 1, the main subject covered is the greatest concealed weapon you could possibly carry … YOUR BRAIN! This means learning to notice danger before it happens. We’ll cover situational awareness skills for everyday use, self-defense thinking as well as the good and bad of carrying self-defense “tools.” Also covered in Level 1 will be the best targets to hit and how, along with defense/offense drills to make it all come together smoothly. I know, it sounds like a lot, but honestly, you already know much of the course content, you just haven’t thought about it or practiced it in a while, if ever.
In Level 2, we’ll quickly review Level 1 and then go over the main focus of Level 2, which is learning a few of the best “ground fighting” skills that are easy to learn and remember just in case you get knocked down. This will NOT be “sport” throws or “tap-out” moves. These are real word skills that only won’t work if you don’t use them.
In Level 3, once again we’ll quickly review Levels 1 and 2, and then we step it up a notch by introducing you to improvised weapons of opportunity for you to hurt the attacker with. These will be everyday items that you may not realize are just as good as any “specialized” self-defense weapon. We’ll also cover reliable ways to defend yourself from traditional weapons that might be used on you — knife, bottle and handgun. We’ll also cover how to do a “threat assessment” on yourself and on your home so you have a better-than-average chance of avoiding a personal attack or an attack on your home.
GOOD self-defense consists of very few, very high-quality skills.
BETTER self-defense consists of daily awareness.
BEST self-defense consists of avoidance.
I offer three courses a year, quarterly. Generally speaking, they are done in order, but each level goes over the previous one, so join in anytime! Look for them on the Group Exercise Calendar, usually in January, May, and August.
Kevin Durio is a Personal Trainer and Self-Defense Instructor at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at afitmonk@yahoo.com.
