Two women from Oldham and Tameside are launching unique self-defence classes for children.
Jess Moreland and Clare Bennett, both mums of two, are experts in Krav Maga, a military defence and fighting system developed for and used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
It is derived from a combination of techniques sourced from boxing, wrestling, judo aikido, jujitsu, street fighting, weapons training and is known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency.
And later this month they are launching Amazonia Junior, a self-protection class that will teach children, aged eight to 16.
Jess said: “This follows a huge demand from parents across the community.
"There has been a significant rise in bullying and, more worryingly, knife crime among youngsters.
“Classes will work on situational and environmental awareness, verbal de-escalation, use of voice, physical skills.
"It will build confidence, boosting self-esteem and how to avoid the fight/conflict.
“We’ll also be looking at anti-bullying and anti-abduction tactics.
“And there will be an element of fitness in there too - working on the premise if you’re not fit enough to fight, you need to be fit enough to run.”
She added: “However, this will all be done in a fun and safe learning environment.
"We believe if youngsters are laughing while they’re learning, they get a lot more out of their training.”
After qualifying as instructors in the Global Kapap International Federation a year ago, Clare and Jess became two of only 10 female Krav Maga instructors across the world within the GKI federation.
Since then, the pair went on to create Amazonia Krav Maga Self Protection school.
They now have more than 30 adult students, both men and women, who attend weekly krav maga classes at two venues at Mossley and Denton.
Amazonia is one of the many projects Jess and Clare have scheduled this year.
They will be running ladies self-protection seminars for women that have experienced domestic abuse or assault, appearing at the Kaizen Martial arts expo in Nottingham and travelling to Israel to attend a seven-day Krav Maga camp, training with members of the Israeli Defence Forces.
Amazonia Jnr classes will be running twice a week - Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6-7pm.
They are due to start March 29, with classes £5 per child. With limited spaces for health and safety reasons and safeguarding, booking is recommended.
Fully insured, first aid qualified and enhanced DBS/safeguarding.
Message Amazonia Krav Maga directly for any enquiries.
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