After being signed up for a self defense class and getting dragged out of bed, I realized by the end that it was worth taking and I was glad I did. The class is called T.A.K.E., which educates women any age how to stay safe and protect herself, and was started by two parents who lost their daughter, Ali Kemp at age 19 after she was attacked and murdered at a Johnson County pool. Ali’s parents then decided that they did not want any other women to experience what their daughter went through and decided to start something to make a change.

The course started with Kemp’s father, Roger Kemp, talking about why he started the program and what his mission was. Then the class was taken over by a husband and wife who taught the rest of the class.  The couple were both black belts in karate and very experienced. After they both talked about self defense and things you can do to keep yourself safe, we went on to learn some self defense moves.

While the class did contain many different ways to act against someone in a violent way, that was the last thing they wanted us to resort to. Their mission was more focused on education and learning rather than the idea of violence.

In the part of the class that was focused on the different ways you can defend yourself we learned how to react in different scenarios. This included what to do if someone approached you from the front or behind. The group all practiced these certain scenarios multiple times with a partner to try and memorize these actions.

After practicing and learning these new moves, the teachers told a few stories about women who used the skills they knew to protect themselves when they were in an unsafe situation. The stories inspired me to keep practicing and learning new ways to protect myself.

The T.A.K.E. class was free for all, but they accepted donations. There are many different classes that take place all across the country including many that are taught on college campuses to educate college students.

The next class is Dec. 14 at St. Pius X high school at 6 p.m.