I felt called to take Angela’s Self Defense seminar this past April. I travel quite a bit for work and often find myself on my own. While it is completely out of my comfort zone, I decided to push my boundaries a bit and take the class.
I showed up. I was the only one… It was hella-intimidating. But I was there, and I gave it my all… and so did Ruth and Angela. My private instruction was incredible – it would have been amazing with a group too, but there was something special facing my insecurities about self defense with these strong and supportive women. I went from a mousey helpless beginner, to a much louder and more informed beginner…. I wanted more!
I decided to enroll my daughter, my 9-year-old in her class… as well as myself. My daughter has been asking to take her class for ages, but I could not figure out how to fit it into her already busy schedule – and I was nervous about introducing my sweet little girl to a fighting sport… I was going to make her dad do that.
Three days before our first scheduled class, my daughter found herself injured again. My baby takes after her clumsy mother and is injured a lot. Angela encouraged me to bring her in anyway and we would work around her issues. We came in a little early to get comfortable and help my daughter understand that this class was going to be about what she could do… not what she couldn’t. Watching Angela work with my daughter and how it lit up her spirits brought a tear to my eye!
We are now about 6 weeks into this and it has brought so much to our lives. Not only did she shift her mindset on injury, she has been able to learn something brand new with her mom. ON the mat, we are both students – she likes that. She gets to see that her mom is far from perfect and this is so important. We all fall, we all fumble, we all forget, we all get back up and try again.
The class schedule is flexible. We attend 2 times per week, but it shifts every week as to which days we can make it. The schedule makes it easy to be able to fit in all that we ask these kids to do every week. Angela is a strong and inspiring master of her craft. She creates community. She teaches and demonstrates respect. She is a wonderful role model for both me and my daughter.
We are at the beginning of this journey and I have already learned so much. I am looking forward to many years to come!
~Jayme Gamble, White belt