Published: April 16, 2009 07:27 pm      

DPD to teach Self-Defense for Women at DSC

Dalton State College, in conjunction with the Dalton Police Department, offers Self-Defense for Women at the James E. Brown Center beginning Tuesday, April 21.

The 12-hour course, taught by Officer Brian Pack, will educate women on safety strategies to minimize their chances of becoming a victim, and physical tactics aimed at disabling an attacker long enough to escape.

Pack, certified in the RAD System of self-defense, will wear a padded “Red Man” suit for some of the exercises which allow the women to practice defensive maneuvers they have learned in the class without the fear of injuring the instructor.

Among other topics covered will be laws in Georgia governing self-defense, ways to stay safe while dating, how to be safe in a parking lot, pros and cons of different types of weapons, and strategies for keeping the home safe and minimizing chances of becoming a target of violence.

“Our 12 hours go by real quick,” Pack says.

The program is for women only — wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends — and all who successfully complete the course will have a lifetime return policy allowing them to participate in any RAD System program to refresh their skills at any time, he said.

“Our ultimate goal is to promote safety and build confidence,” said Pack. “Our hope is that no one will ever have to use the skills they’ll learn in this class, but we want them to feel safe wherever they go.”

“We’re not teaching people how to fight, but to have some skills they can use to create enough of a diversion to create distance and get away if they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation,” he said.

Self-Defense for Women will be at Dalton State College Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 21-30, from 6 to 9 p.m. Cost is $10 to cover materials. For more information, or to register, visit www.daltonstate.edu/cce or call the Center for Continuing Education at (706) 272-4454.