“Have you ever been punched by a man before?” And before she knew it, his right fist connected with the left side of her face. The next thing she knew, she was barreling through the sliding door writhing on the kitchen floor in shards of glass. She was now officially part of an unfortunate yet growing group of women: victims of assault.
According to The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lives and one in five women in the U.S. has been raped in her lifetime. These statistics are staggering and sadly, they continue grow.
Protecting yourself is vitally important and having the proper tools and training on hand could mean the difference between life and death.
Tiffany Richards, founder of the Peaceful Warrior, who has experienced her own physical attacks, is helping women become their own first-line of self-defense.
“When I opened our martial arts school, I vowed to help as many women as possible learn how to protect themselves and not become victims,” says Richards. “Learning self-defense and being confident in your own strength will help women of all ages stay safe if they ever encounter a violent situation.”
That is why Richards and her team are putting together an upcoming self-defense and empowerment workshop for women and teens in February. She has trained in martial arts since 1998, is a second-degree black belt, and a nationally sought-after self-defense expert.
The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, February 6 from 2 – 4 p.m. It is open to the public, teens and women ages 13 and up, and is limited in space. For more information and how to sign up, log onto peacefulwarriorphx.com.
If you’re a victim of assault and in need of resources, visit acesdv.org.
