Self-defense classes, a class to learn non-weapon methods to help defend yourself and it’s a class that everyone should have the chance to learn. That’s why many children’s programs teach kids self-defense to protect themselves. The purpose of self-defense programs is not just to learn how to fight, but also how to protect yourself without getting hurt. According to a definition on concealedcarry-ed.com, self-defense programs aim to survive and escape without injury by deterring or topping aggressive behavior.

However, according to Master Ko from the Koma, the price to be in a martial arts/self-defense program can go up to $500 a month. Because of this pricing, not everyone can afford to learn how to protect themselves, giving some people little to no education or knowledge on self-defense. Due to this, schools should provide self-defense classes.

Schools provide safety drills like fire drills, lockdown drills, and tornado drills all the time. But we don’t even get to learn how to protect ourselves? Isn’t it more important to learn how to protect ourselves in situations that may require action?

Self-defense is good to be taught to people since there may be times when you have no one but yourself to rely on. This can be extremely important when situations like your opponent have a weapon which is pretty common according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2020, “about 47% of violent victimizations reported to the police involved an offender using a weapon, emphasizing the importance of self-defense training.”

You can learn self-defense anywhere, but schools specifically should provide self-defense classes. For a student, they may walk or bike home, and because of this, they could become a target of danger, especially since most of the time, students don’t pay attention to their surroundings. 

Luci DiBonaventura, a detours editor from ‘The Panther Press’, expands on learning self-defense in schools, “Teenagers’ situational awareness is getting worse, as they are constantly looking down at their phones.” This exhibits that students can easily get distracted and feel safe, but if danger occurs, then they won’t know how to protect themselves especially after the option to run away is out of the question.

Self-defense can help prevent kidnappings if the student lacks the awareness to run away. According to Dany Zelig, a self-defense trainer, “In general, you should always try to run away and find help if you can, but fighting is your next best chance if the attacker is unarmed.” So, learning how to protect yourself could give you more options on how to avoid things like kidnapping.

As expected, there are some people who may have concerns about learning self-defense in schools. Krav Maga, who does Karate and Taekwondo, shares the cons of learning self-defense, “It could be dangerous to let children believe that they’re untouchable just because they know a few self-defense moves and techniques.”

In other words, if the student meets someone stronger than them, the minor may believe that they can defeat that person without a problem. Maga also shares, “The defensive moves a child learns in her martial arts class could easily turn into offensive moves. Some kids may take advantage of what they just learned to hit other kids just for fun.” They may use it to bully another student. 

But this is another reason why we need self-defense for the bullied to learn how to protect themselves in a way that they shouldn’t get hurt. They can handle these types of situations without having been harmed in any way.

Self-defense is something that only well below 1% of the population knows how to do according to Carla Hoch from ‘Writers Digest’. It’s a very valuable asset to learn, especially for a student in a crisis of danger. Self-defense classes provided in schools could protect way over thousands of students.