Fighting Spirit Personal Safety provides a self-defense program for women and teen girls. This one-day course from noon to 2:30 p.m., July 15, inside Midwest TKD, with both classroom instruction and practical work on the mat, allows students to learn with a hands-on approach. Skills are demonstrated, explained and practiced through repetition with and without padded targets.

            Simulation practice means students use skills they have learned against a padded attacker with full force. This helps them realize their physical power and also reinforces their need to verbalize initially and throughout the exercise. Students are coached through each step, which provides a supportive environment for all women, including those that have survived assault.

            Instructor Tanya Panizzo says, “We emphasize strong communication skills and strategies to escape danger such as de-escalation, assertive skills, boundary setting and more. We also teach students how to manage the adrenal response and the emotions that accompany high-stress confrontations. All of this and more are taught in an environment that is physically safe and emotionally supportive.”

Cost is $55. Location: 584B W. Ann Arbor Tr., Plymouth. Get tickets at Tinyurl.com/Self-Defense-Course. For more information, visit FightingSpiritSafety.com.