BYU Martial Arts and Self Defense classes are taught to prepare students with life skills for different situations in life.
Students taking the classes show up with a desire to learn skills that will help them compete in martial arts as well as defend themselves whenever faced with danger.
Coach Michael Pease, who has been teaching at BYU since 2001, said Jiu Jitsu, a form of martial arts, teach students relevant skills for a variety of situations.
He said, “This class is meant to get people to a place where they play with grappling the Jiu Jitsu is where they can attack people, they can learn how to go live…how to submit them or choke the joint locks.”
The coach added that the self-defense class on the other hand prepared students to diffuse attacks quickly before they get out of hand.
Pease used the skills to get out of danger himself and revealed that he had received reports from students who dealt with threats and walked away unharmed.
Caitlynn Boyer, a martial arts student who was motivated to join the class after watching Kung Fu Panda and Karate Kid, is excited to gain skills that will boost her confidence to deal with different situations that she encounters.
She said, “I feel like this is an area that I haven’t really developed in my life and I really wanna have that confidence, …if I were attacked or something, that I’ll have confidence in my skills.”
Boyer added that she has learned a lot about what her body can do and its limits. The class teaches students softer skills that enable them to diffuse situations by calming an aggressor before taking any further steps.
Students who want to join these classes can sign up just like they do for other normal classes and have a life-changing experience.