BALTIMORE — Jesse Swain, the Owner of American Muy Thai in Parkville, is sick of seeing his neighbors become victims.
“Things are happening mid-day, 3 o’clock 4 o’clock in the afternoon,” said Swain. “You’re looking at situational awareness as the number one rule, it’s really hard to follow that rule when you’re literally just walking out of your house.”
“I think the big problem is those kinds of things are happening everywhere,” said Swain. “The Patterson Park brought it home to me, and I’ve had a few people come into the gym and ask for tips to keep themselves safe.”
Swain extended an invite to everyone on the Patterson Park neighborhood page on Facebook to come take free self-defense classes.
Techniques that people of any size or strength can use.
“Your legs tend to have a lot more power than your upper body so you can push somebody away from you, create space and that gives you enough time to turn and get away if you need to,” Swain explained as he displayed a properly placed front kick on a heavy bag.
Kaitlyn Ulrich moved to Patterson Park two years ago, it was the first time she had ever lived in a city.
She’s seen the harassment her neighbors face and took the opportunity to learn how to fight back.
“You can’t be too safe, so I’d like to learn how to protect myself a little bit,” Ulrich said. “I usually carry a taser or pepper spray but it’s good to know some other things.”
Hoping they never need to use what they learn outside of the gym.
“I’m giving you an opportunity to create distance and then get away from a situation that’s life threatening,” said Swain.
To learn more about American Muy Thai or to sign up for a class click here.
