- Midway Parks and Recreation partnered with Tallahassee Integrated Martial Arts to teach neighbors about self defense.
- Classes are every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Midways Recreation Center
- Watch the video to see what you can get out of attending the classes.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Neighbors in the Tallahassee neighborhood teaching Midway neighbors the importance of self-defense I’m Ashley Engle your neighborhood reporter. Leader here is giving people the opportunity to learn skills that could possibly save their lives. I spoke to the instructor of the self-defense classes, and he says….
"You can't always rely on someone else to protect you."
Teaching neighbors to keep themselves safe.
"Having those tools to be able to use to defend yourself is important."
A passion that Russell Wider, aka Sinsay, has had ever since he was younger.
"Well as a kid I was always interested in martial arts movies, comics etc."
Then, a partnership was made to use that passion to serve neighbors.
Midway parks and rec partnered with Tallahassee Integrated Martial Arts to start offering self-defense classes weekly.
"I started out as a student and then became an instructor."
Jason Jones is the director of midway parks and recreation. He says neighbors ages 13 and up male and female can come to midways recreational center to learn different ways to defend themselves.
"It's not designed to be pretty; it’s not designed to look good, its designed to get you home at the end of the day. We wanted to bring something to the community so they can feel empowered to be in control of their own destiny."
Both Jason and Russell say having these skills is necessary for both women and men no matter where you live.
"One of my instructors he was actually robbed at gun point and being able to defend himself, when he was faced with attackers it helped and saved his life."
"Those awareness things you know and being able to kind of realize something may be hinky and listening to your own inner self that something may be wrong, all of those things develop when being in a self-defense program."
Jason and Russell making sure neighbors in midway are aware, to be able to keep themselves out of harm’s way.
"There was a real desire for us to kind of show that we can do this and to give back."
Russell and Jason tell me neighbors can participate in the self-defense classes every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. if you want to sign up or just want more information, I’ll have it all in this web story on our website on wtxl.tv. In the midway neighborhood, I’m Ashley Engle, ABC 27.
SELF-DEFENSE CLASS SIGN UP INFORMATION:
City of Midway Parks and Recreation - (850) 574-2355
