The Anna Fascitelli Fitness & Wellness Center offered their free for students self defense class on March 3, in order to teach students the importance of learning and practicing defense techniques before leaving for spring break.
The class included students, instructors and alumni from the University of Rhode Island and Innovate Martial Arts, according to instructor Brett Geaver, from Innovate Martial Arts in North Kingstown.
The goal of the class is to give the participants awareness and understanding, according to Geaver.
“We live in a digital age where a lot of us are solely focused on our phone wherever we go,” Geaver said. “Which makes us for a very easy target for somebody who’s lurking.”
The campus self defense classes offer students an instructive environment to practice techniques and prepare for certain situations, according to Geaver.
The classes take place three times a year, twice in the fall and once in the spring, according to Denise Robbins, coordinator of campus recreation/fitness at the fitness center.
Aligning with the center’s ‘Be Active. Be Well. Belong,’ mission statement, the fitness and wellness staff strive to curate an accepting environment, according to Robbins.
“A lot of students might not be able to afford or have accessibility to a self defense class,” Robbins said. “So we commission to have them come here.”
Self defense uses a method of practice that includes repetition and spending time with each technique, according to Shannon Downes, a group exercise instructor and second-year wildlife and conservation biology major at URI. The students repeated one move with partners for twenty seconds each.
“I was able to pair up with my best friend which made me comfortable and allowed me to really try out the moves we were taught with my full effort,” Downes said. “We were taught a few simple moves but most importantly how to use them.”
The goal of the class is to make the uncomfortable more comfortable or confident, according to Geaver.
“When you don’t actually train or practice this, then it’s a lot harder to wrap your head around in that situation,” Geaver said.
Throughout the five years Geaver has run Innovate, his goal has always been to give back to the community through teaching self defense.
The repetitive method of training gives a realistic depiction of defending yourself, according to Downes.
“[The workshop] showed how tiring defending yourself and fighting against someone in a real life situation can be,” Downes said.
There are more ways to protect yourself in sketchy situations, according to Geaver. By attending late night functions with friends or prioritizing well-lit areas on the walk home, a person can protect themselves from possible assault.
“A lot of [self defense] is common sense,” Geaver said. “But when you don’t actually train or practice this, then it’s a lot harder to wrap your head around in that situation.”
Martial arts keeps the body youthful, according to Geaver.
It is important to make people feel safe and comfortable in their bodies, according to Robbins.
