Defend. Disarm. Disappear.

Find out how to start your training in Stephen K. Hayes’  To Shin Do.

21st Century Ninjutsu – Today’s martial art rooted in the teachings of Japan’s legendary phantom warriors.

Interested?

Please call to find out about a training group starting soon in the Kennebunk, Maine area.

Contact instructor Bill Carey for details at 207-939-6985

Martial Arts for Kids – Portland Quest Center

Martial arts training for children is not just about fitness, respect, coordination – although it incorporates all of those things. Kids should come away from any positive learning experience with a set of problem solving skills that they can apply to any aspect of their lives. They should learn how things work – in the case of martial arts, how their bodies are put together and which points can be targeted or vulnerable on an attacker. They should learn confidence – that they are capable of new skills, and most importantly that learning new things is a positive experience which takes time and effort but is rewarding. They should learn teamwork – how to include and work with different people with different skills, and how to make sure each team member can contribute their maximum and be fully included in an activity.

I also believe that one of the most important things for a child to learn is how they learn, what their learning style is and how to ask for that type of instruction. One of the best ways for them to understand this is by teaching their peers. In youth classes at the Portland Quest Center we discuss the different ways to teach martial arts – taking into account visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. Kids are given a chance to try learning and teaching in each of these ways, and encouraged to remind instructors and each other about which way they like the best and find most effective.

Prevention. Action. Change.

Prevention. Action. Change. works with people of all ages to prevent, respond to, and heal from violence. We do not teach martial arts but rather focus on building tools to reduce people’s risk of harassment, assault or abuse through safety strategies, verbal and physical skills, and healing and self care.

Prevention. Action. Change. was founded by Clara Porter in 2004. Clara is a certified self defense instructor with the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation and the Center for Anti-Violence Education in NYC with 15 years experience in the field. Prevention. Action. Change. is designed to be flexible in meeting a range of safety needs.

Whether working with young men recently released from jail, adult women in a law firm, or survivors of domestic abuse, the focus of our work is the same: helping people understand and avoid risk, gain confidence in making safe choices and in expressing what they want, need, and feel, and add to their tool box of skills for addressing violence in all its forms.

For the young men, it means looking at the impact of violence on their lives – both that which they have perpetrated and that which they have experienced – and learning to feel strong making choices that de-escalate a situation rather than leading to a physical confrontation. It means getting in touch with their bodies’ responses to stress and threat and learning to recognize and deal with situations that are triggers for them.

For women at the law firm, it may mean looking at some of the myths they may hold around attacks by strangers, looking at what stops them from asserting themselves in various situations, and helping them gain physical defense skills.

For survivors, it may mean dealing with issues of self blame, gaining tools for dealing with stress and anxiety and healing from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), regaining the “voice” in their lives, and joining with other survivors to take action and engage in social change.

Prevention. Action. Change. also works with children beginning in Kindergarten through the Children’s Safety Course, helping kids gain skills in problem solving, peer to peer interactions, and using the 5 fingers of self defense: Think, yell, Run, Fight, Tell, in their daily lives.

We welcome the chance to partner with martial arts schools and have developed a course entitled: Non Physical Self Defense for Martial Artists that we’d love to share with you.

For more information please contact:

Clara Porter, Program Director
Prevention. Action. Change.
P.O. Box 10843
Portland, ME 04014
(207) 232-0484

www.preventionactionchange.com

Prevention. Action. Change. – Building Skills to End Violence

Adult Women’s Self Defense Course:
Raise your awareness, enhance your safety skills and discover strengths you never knew you had!

Saturdays Sept. 12 and 19, 8:30am to 12:00pm
Brackett Memorial United Methodist Church
9 Church Street, Peaks Island Maine
Sliding fee scale $25 to $50
For more information call 232-0484 or visit:
www.preventionactionchange.com

Fall Parent Child Safety and Self Defense Courses:
These courses raise safety awareness and enhance prevention, verbal, and physical skills while building relationships and encouraging intergenerational understanding. All classes open to youth and a parent or other important adult.

Self Defense for Homeschoolers: Mondays Sept. 14 through Oct. 26
11:45am to 1:15pm – girls (13 & up) / 1:30pm to 3:00pm – girls (10 to 12)
@ Full Circle Synergy – 500 Forest Ave. Portland
For more information call 232-0484

Maine Health Learning Resource Centers:
Tuesdays 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. for parents and youth ages 10 to 14
October 6 & 13 (girls) / October 20 & 27 (boys)
Stroudwater Station (1577 Congress St, 2nd floor) – Portland
To register call: 1-866-609-5183

Portland Adult Education
Mother Daughter Self Defense ages 14 and up
Thursdays Oct. 22 & 29, 6:00 to 8:00pm
@PATHS, Allen Avenue, Portland Cost: $29 for Portland residents
To register call: 775-0432 or visit: www.portlandadulted.org

Interested in a safety or self care/stress reduction workshop for your group or office? Contact us.

P.O. Box 10843 Portland, Maine 04104
(207) 232-0484
www.preventionactionchange.com

Women’s Self-Defense Seminar and Fundraiser (part two)

Our first evening of Women’s Self-Defense was a really great experience for everyone. We are looking forward to the next evening in July, and will add a half an hour at the end to try out what we have learned with some of the guys from the Quest Center who have volunteered to be the “bad guys”.

This series of Women’s Self-Defense seminars is a fundraiser for the Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine. This series of seminars will introduce teenage and adult women to a variety of strategies designed to help defend against physical and sexual assault. Techniques will focus on practicing verbal and physical options for dealing with the threat of violence.

The probability of escaping an attack increases with the number of escape strategies you are familiar with. Because physical self-defense will be most effective if you target vulnerable areas of the body, the skills taught include multiple strikes to those areas, as well as escapes from chokes, avoiding grabs and strikes, and defense techniques from the ground. We will cap attendance for each seminar at 30 women, so please call or email to reserve a space – 207-772-7763 or info@questmartialarts.com.

Regardless of class size, you will practice physical and verbal skills in a small group with female martial arts instructors who volunteer their time to teach these classes. Your instructors will encourage you to challenge yourself, as well as take care of yourself physically and emotionally while in class. Our class is designed for teenage and adult women, and the material taught is for that level of understanding and experience.

The next two seminars will take place on Friday evenings: July 17th and August 14th from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, at our martial arts school located at 19 Rainmaker Drive in Portland. Each one can be taken independantly of the others, and students should wear comfortable excercise-oriented clothing. For each seminar, the Quest Center will collect a suggested donation of $20 (or the amount you feel comfortable giving) which will benefit SARS of Southern Maine.

For more information about the Portland Quest Center or the Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine, visit us online at www.questmartialarts.com.

Simon Yeo Seminar in VT

Here is a chance to train with Simon Yeo, a Bujinkan 12th Dan. Simon normally resides in the UK, so this is a unique opportunity to train with this Shihan instructor. Simon has trained with Soke and the Japanese Shihan since 1989 with numerous trips to Japan and a multitude of international Tai Kais. He is also the author of the well known book Ninjutsu: The secret art of the Ninja. This will be a fun filled weekend of training and Simon will teach rather than just show technique. Everyone who attends will leave with many more skills.

Please make the effort to support this event as it is your attendance that makes these events possible. We are not interested in politics and everyone is welcome.

The cost is $120 for 2 days training. Please contact Jessy Amblo for cheap accomodation details and instructions for the venue at jessy@kongoshindojo.com or (802) 425 2810.

www.kongoshindojo.com

The Cateran Society Broadsword Academy

At the Broadsword Academy in Portland, ME we study the realistic use of the historic weapons of the Scottish Highlander, especially the basket-hilted broadsword. This weapon- a very broad, thin and flexible double-edged blade, optimized for the cut rather than the thrust, with a cage of bars to protect the hand- was in use from the 16th century through the 19th. It saw battle in the feuds of the Highland clans, the Jacobite rebellions against the British government, and on battlefields in every corner of the world, against a wider variety of weapons than almost any other sword in history, from the smallsword to the tomahawk to the tulwar.

The broadsword method of the Highland regiments was one of the most versatile systems ever created, proving triumphant both on the battlefield and in single combat, against both tribal warriors and classically-trained European fencers.

We base our study of the Highland broadsword on a series of fencing manuals that were published throughout the 18th century and into the beginning of the 19th. Training in the Broadsword Academy is conducted according to a simple system originally designed to turn raw regimental recruits into competent swordsmen. New students begin with footwork exercises, learning how to advance, retreat, traverse, lunge and shift. After this, they are taught the guard positions, a set of eight stances that include every parry and attacking position they will need in combat. The next stage is to learn the seven cuts and the three thrusts, and to practice these in conjunction with the footwork. In the manual exercise, students are taught all of the basic attacks and parries as a solo form. After this, they move on to the Ten Lessons, two-person combat forms designed to imprint the simple yet effective principles of Highland swordplay in the student’s mind through repetition. The next stage is “loose play,” or free fencing with wooden broadswords and other weapons.

After the student has achieved a degree of competence with the Regimental broadsword, he or she can move on to study the older methods used by the Highland clansman before 1745, as well as the “targe” or small round shield. We also offer classes in the use of the Cutlass, a short sword once used by sailors and pirates in their battles on the high seas, as well as in the MacGregor Method, a system for instantly assessing any weapon and using it effectively, in the context of sport fighting, historical fencing, backyard sparring, or serious self-defense.

Advanced students of the Broadsword Academy can fight effectively with any weapon that comes to hand, from swords to walking sticks and everything in between.

Caribou School of Martial Arts Snapshot

The Caribou School of Martial Arts opened in the fall of 2004. The initial intent of the school was to be a place where a few people could come and train in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. Soon after opening it became apparent that a youth program was needed in the community. The school started a Little Dragons program (ages 6-11) and a Juniors Program (ages 12-16), along with the already established Adult Programs.

CSMA has continued to grow to meet the needs of the community and it’s students. The classes are high energy and the enthusiasm is truly enjoyable to be a part of. It has become a place where people go on a weekly basis to have “their time” with people that have become friends and learn something that is truly worthwhile.

The instructors and coaches are a group of people that work smoothly and efficiently together who are continually seeking out new and unique ways of showing and making the art alive and real.
CSMA covers many aspects of self defense such as ground fighting, grappling, close quarter situations, weapons, women’s self protection programs, awareness drills, along with many other areas. Contact us at www.cariboumartialarts.com.

Maine Budo Snapshot

Maine Budo offers safe, qualified, and structured training in Ninjutsu. Our emphasis on the use of both armed and unarmed strategies to deal with conflict provides an intelligent method of self-protection and an understanding of the historical origins of Bujutsu.

At Maine Budo, we believe the key to a meaningful experience lies in Keiko. Keiko means “practice”, but the word carries a meaning deeper than this simple definition. Keiko is the process of learning to be fully present through the constant awareness of controlling the mind and body.

Our focus is training for the sake of the training itself. Studying this way opens the door for the practitioner to have a personal and meaningful experience without the hindrance of a “ready made” philosophy.

The physical training is demanding and therefore best suited to those seeking sincere training in traditional Japanese fighting arts. Classes are open to men and women age 16 and up who possess the emotional capacity and maturity to endeavor in the authentic study of Bujutsu.

Weaponcraft – defensive firearms training

Weaponcraft was started in 1993 when Peter Joyce saw the need for Maine civilians and Law Enforcement personnel to learn the firearms skills they needed to survive and prevail in life threatening situations. Weaponcraft was purchased in early 2007 by Preparedness Experts, LLC, a Maine company that promotes disaster preparedness and provides contingencies to Maine schools, families and businesses.

Weaponcraft is staffed with current SRT/ SWAT operators and instructors, former operators and competent civilian instructors. The techniques and tactics we teach are not watered-down for our civilian courses. Rather, they are the most up-to-date available and are presently taught to law enforcement and military units worldwide. Our instructors train not only civilians, but also military, private overseas contractors and law enforcement agencies. Our instructors are professional operators that train constantly with state, regional, national and international agencies and organizations to bring cutting-edge techniques to our law enforcement and private citizen clients. Our philosophy is simple: offer world class training and instruction at a reasonable cost.