‘Self-defence is for everybody’ – free course planned
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- Published on Friday, November 25, 2016
By Tony Eu
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
On Saturday, Dec. 3, the combat sports club Boxe Neepawa will be shifting focus, from how to win a fight to how to get out of one. Derek Pearson, owner of Boxe Neepawa, will be leading a free self-defence program.
“I ran a similar course about the same time last year and it had fairly good attendance,” Pearson said. “Basically, [attendees] learn everything from how to avoid a confrontation to how to defend yourself from a confrontation,” he added, explaining the content of the program.
The program teaches people what to look for in a potentially dangerous situation, as well as how to avoid them and how to get out of them if they can’t be avoided. “It’s not a course where we teach you how to stick around and fight. It’s defend and escape,” stressed Pearson.
For Pearson, there are two goals for the program: to bring awareness to the gym and what it is and to share his passion with people. “Self-defence is for everybody and it is important that people know how to protect themselves,” he remarked.
Though the program this year is similar to the one Pearson put on last year, there are a number of differences. Most notably is who the program is open to.
“Last year we ran just a female only [program],” Pearson stated. This year, there will be two classes available. The first class, which starts at 1 p.m. and is 90 minutes long, will only be open to females. The second class, which is also 90 minutes and starts at 2:45 p.m., is primarily for people who are already in security, law enforcement or military.
“The second class, if it’s not full, I’m opening it up to everybody. We’re not trying to exclude male members; they’ll get into the second class if it doesn’t fill up,” Pearson reassured.
Another difference from last year’s program is that this year, at the completion of the class, participants will be given a certificate. “We’re going to give a certificate to those who complete [the class], saying they took the Boxe Neepawa Self-Defence Course, intermediate level,” Pearson said, adding, “We’ll have multiple levels so they can come get more advanced training.”
With any luck, those individuals who want the extra training won’t have to wait a year for the next self-defence program, as Pearson has plans to make it a regular event. “If this goes well in December, we’ll probably do two or three a year, maybe even once a month,” he mentioned.
Pearson will be teaching the course, aided by a couple of the senior students at the club. For more information, contact Pearson at 204-841-1425 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
