With knives, not guns.
It’s a beautiful day in Washington Park with real estate agent Adele Lewis. But she’s not learning to keep her fit, she’s learning to fight.
Self-defense instructor Eric Mayes, founder of Reflex Mode Self-Defense, said the first step is not to become a victim. This is no easy task for most people.
“We are conditioned by society to be polite, so for most people this is a big step,” Mays said.
Lewis says he decided to take such classes after hearing stories of realtors being attacked while showing properties.
“I was completely shocked. I actually said to our team, because we were all using text threads, ‘We need a self-defense class. We should do it,'” Lewis told FOX31’s Dan Dal.
If a person is targeting you, the verbal skills, knife-handling techniques, and simple concepts Mayes said can make all the difference.
“Once you decide, ‘I’m going to do this to keep my family and myself safe,’ that’s the biggest step. Then find responsible training,” Mays said.
Maze’s students are taught not to kill, but to neutralize the situation and escape.
“Sometimes it’s causing damage, other times it’s just going to do damage, and people pick it up or back off,” he said.
His students said the lessons they were taking fit the bill.
“This is a hands-on experience that you won’t get anywhere else. I want to know,” said one of the students, Theresa Byrne.
The last time Lewis thought she was going to be in danger was to show her list, but she’s grateful she now knows how to respond if that happens.