Public Classes/Courses
Weekly Public Classes
Imagine learning the most realistic self-defence training from NZ's leading organisation, in a safe, friendly, supportive environment with a group of cool like-minded people!
If that sounds like a good thing...Read on!
We cover, in a relaxed and open format everything you need to know to stay safe in your personal life, job, travels, and to keep your loved ones safe from all forms of violence.
Auckland Class:
Monday nights
Howick College - Mini Gym, Sandspit Road, Howick
Pull in to the driveway and veer down to the left into the main carpark. There are two gyms, we train in the one on the left (smaller gym).
Time: 6.15pm to 7:45pm
Training is held every Monday except for public holidays.
For more information make an enquiry
Fees:
First class is FREE!
1 MONTH: $65
3 MONTHS: $175 ($20 discount)
SINGLE CASUAL SESSION: $20
Protect are NZ's leading training organisation for Corporates, Government Departments (including Police and United Nations Dept of Security), and front-line agencies (including Women's Refuge, RPE, and others). The training is based on working at the coal-face of violence and over 20 years of research and development working with over 150,000 people and hundreds of survivors. It is real, no BS, and highly effective.
Not only that...But it is enjoyable and interesting to learn! Everything is at YOUR own pace and there is no minimum fitness level required (your fitness and strength will improve regardless of where you start from).
The classes are kept small for maximum value to the members so is genuinely limited to 20 people.
Because it is serious stuff, the minimum age is 16 years.
These classes are perfect for women and men who want to get massive value from training in a safe environment without all of the ego and fantasy-based training. There is no martial arts, sports-based content, or anything which isn't reality-based and proven to work under stress in any situation.
You will be learning effective skills in all aspects of self-protection including;
Avoidance, Recognition, and Awareness tactics and strategies based on real-world cases and research
De-escalation, Diffusion, and Tactical Communication (Jedi level stuff to help talk down situations and make you an effective communicator)
Physical Response/Self-Defence: Covering all bases including the legal (you will be training alongside Police Officers), moral, and ethical aspects. You will learn defences against common attacks, edged weapons, multiple opponents, Ground defences, Opportunity weapons, bludgeon weapons, Extreme Close Range assaults, Variable environment factors (in the dark, off balance, impaired physical abilities etc), Gender-specific attacks (female sexual assault prevention for example) and a lot more...
Post-event issues: Dealing with the aftermath including Police, Witness Perception, Emotional Impact, Retaliation, and more.
You will be learning from both male and female instructors with decades of experience who really care about you and your results.
Oh, and there will be laughs. It is a serious subject and we are there to get results, but who needs all of the dark gloomy stuff?? We learn best in a safe, enjoyable and engaging environment. And we would love to share it with you!
Come and check us out and give it a go. We will even cover the cost of your first class so you can make sure you love it!
If you are keen, let us know you're coming and ask any questions you may have. We can't wait to see you there!
:-)
Phil, Corrina, Suz, Glen, Aaron B, Aaron W, Sang (Protect Class Instructor Team)
A few common questions about our public classes:
Q. What do I wear?
A. Whatever you like as long as you don't mind having the clothing pulled around a bit. We train in clothes we wear on a normal daily basis but also for comfort's sake we recommend 'gym-type' clothing (especially in Summer) and soft-soled shoes.
Q. Are there minimum contract terms?
A. No. Nobody likes that and we like to be cool. Train for as long or as short a timeframe as you like.
Q. How much is it?
A. Cheap as chips. This is not designed to make profit (we make profit from our core business), it is designed to cover it's costs and be accessible by anybody. Fees are only $65 per month ($16.25 per session, cheaper than a casual gym session) or $175 for three months (save another $20). The value is substantial.
AND...We will cover the cost of your first class to make sure you love it.
Q. I have a history of dealing with violence in my own life, will this help me and will I be safe?
A. You are in very safe hands at Protect. We have worked with many hundreds of survivors of every type of violence over 20+ years. Everything you do, at all times is at your own pace and you are always in control. In saying that, if we feel that you would benefit from a bit more time before you start with us, we will let you know.
Q. Do I need to be fit?
A. No. Your fitness and strength will improve through training but you can start at any level.
Q. I am a beginner, when is the best time to start?
A. Anytime. Today! Classes are designed so that you can start at any time and feel right at home.
Q. Do you cover specific women’s self defence strategies too?
A. Absolutely. Group classes are mixed gender but we make sure that everyone gets the important information and skills specific to their own needs.
Please note: We reserve the right to refuse anyone we don't see fit to participate in our classes and programs without having to provide any reason.
Safe For Life: Women’s Self Defence Course
Self defence, confidence and empowerment skills for women
Every woman deserves to live a life free from unnecessary fear and worry. And that's what Protect's 1-day Safe For Life programme, which caters exclusively to the self-protection requirements of women, can give you.
Violence against women is an unfortunate reality of modern life. While we hope it will never happen to us, the truth is that an incident of violence against a woman occurs approximately every 23 minutes in New Zealand. A rape or sexual assault occurs every few hours. Currently 1 in 4 women in NZ are sexually assaulted before the age of 16, and approx 1 in 3 are sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Safe For Life exists to reduce these statistics.
Live a life of freedom without the threat of physical or sexual abuse and scare tactics – This course is a totally new approach to self-protection that gives you the ability to identify and diffuse potentially dangerous situations before they even occur. This comprehensive 6.5 hour course will teach you to understand the psychology and behavioural patterns and techniques of potential attackers, and maximise your ability to recognise and avoid danger at the earliest possible stages. The psychological component of self defence for women is especially important, because the reality is that not all assaults simply come out of the blue: in fact, the majority of sexual attackers are already known to the woman.
A physical response is only ever a last resort, usually when there is no other option. But should that become necessary, Safe For Life will equip you with easy to learn, highly effective physical defence skills which work under pressure and stress in any situation against a larger and stronger male.
Safe For Life has been designed by Protect's senior trainers, including consultation from our partners in Women's Refuge, Rape Crisis, NZ Police and is based on research from our work with hundreds of female survivors of all types of violence.
Safe For Life is the only programme endorsed by Rape Prevention Education (formerly Rape Crises) and has helped empower thousands of women with the skills and confidence to stay safe.
This course is attended by women who are looking to ensure that they never become victims of sexual violence, assault, or any other form of violence and by survivors of past assaults looking to ensure that it never happens to them again. Safe For Life helps to eliminate un-warranted fear and worry by instilling confidence, awareness and empowerment. This is a real-life programme open to women of all ages (14+), sizes and levels of physical ability.
Just a few of the things you will learn at Safe For Life:
Self defence, confidence and empowerment skills for women
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The most common manipulation techniques used by males against females to gain control over them and lure them into dangerous situations. Once you know these you will recognise them in almost every story of predatory assault you ever hear. Recognise them at their earliest point to stay safe!
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Understanding the psychology of fear and how to use it to your advantage.
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The two types of predators you could face, how they operate, and how to defend against them both.
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Ensuring your heightened awareness does not become un-necessary fear or worry, but instead confidence, self-belief and empowerment.
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The most common myths about women’s self defence dispelled so you will be prepared with the most effective, relevant, and proven strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones.
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How to de-escalate and defuse potentially violent situations.
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Highly effective physical responses which work against anyone including much larger, stronger and aggressive males in any situation, under extreme fear and pressure.
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Dealing with the post-event issues.
Taught in a highly supportive, positive and professional environment, Protect's Safe For Life is a comprehensive course that gives you all of the above and A LOT MORE.
To find out more about Safe for Life, get in touch with us today
Just a few of the things you will learn at Safe For Life:
Self defence, confidence and empowerment skills for women
-
The most common manipulation techniques used by males against females to gain control over them and lure them into dangerous situations. Once you know these you will recognise them in almost every story of predatory assault you ever hear. Recognise them at their earliest point to stay safe!
-
Understanding the psychology of fear and how to use it to your advantage.
-
The two types of predators you could face, how they operate, and how to defend against them both.
-
Ensuring your heightened awareness does not become un-necessary fear or worry, but instead confidence, self-belief and empowerment.
-
The most common myths about women’s self defence dispelled so you will be prepared with the most effective, relevant, and proven strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones.
-
How to de-escalate and defuse potentially violent situations.
-
Highly effective physical responses which work against anyone including much larger, stronger and aggressive males in any situation, under extreme fear and pressure.
-
Dealing with the post-event issues.
Taught in a highly supportive, positive and professional environment, Protect's Safe For Life is a comprehensive course that gives you all of the above and A LOT MORE.
To find out more about Safe for Life, get in touch with us today
Best Defence
Avoidance, Diffusion and the Skills to Defend
Best Defence is Protect's complete reality-based self-protection programme - open to adults of all ages, from all walks of life. Best Defence lays a foundation for recognising and understanding confrontation and violence, as well as teaching you the skills to diffuse and the techniques to defend.
Best Defence is offered as a series of three interactive seminars that can take you from the building blocks of de-escalation strategies and real-world physical defence, right through to defence against weapons, Senshido’s renowned 'shredder' concept, and an advanced programme that deals with defence against firearms and multiple attackers.
You do not need to book all three courses at once. Participants are welcome to attend only Best Defence, and can choose whether to undertake the Advanced and Max courses once it is completed.
Women who have completed Protect's Safe For Life programme are also welcome to join Best Defence at any level.
With a strong focus on recognising and preventing violence where possible in the early stages of a confrontation, Best Defence includes training on avoidance and awareness strategies, de-escalation and diffusion, and physical defence concepts and techniques.
Protect uses a training method called 'alive', which ensures that participants receive training and skills that can be applied immediately.
No special physical training is required to take part in this real-world self-defence course. In the words of Protect founder Phil Thomson: "If you can reach up and get a glass out of a cupboard, then you are fit enough to get involved in Best Defence".
To find out more about Best Defence, make an enquiry
Guardian Angel
Child safety and empowerment programme
Guardian Angel is a unique and innovative programme by Protect that aims to inform and empower young people, while avoiding the classic pitfall of so many child-safety courses: instilling fear into young minds.
The ethos of Guardian Angel is simple. It teaches children that most people are good people who would never hurt a child, but that there are some dangerous people out there that they need to be aware of.
By teaching kids to recognise the most common ‘lures’ and manipulation techniques used by predators, children emerge feeling more confident about the world and safer in the knowledge that they know who to trust. A confident, alert and communicative young person is far more able to avoid child abuse, predatory assault - and simply stay safe.
In particular, Guardian Angel eschews the old adage of 'stranger danger'. With over 90 percent of offenders known to the child or the child’s family, making kids fearful of strangers when they might need to ask one for help, is a mistake and can actually make them more vulnerable. Empowerment and confidence are the main messages of this course, not mystery and mistrust.
This unique course was designed by Protect founder Phil Thompson, New Zealand’s leading expert on self defence/self protection for children, and author of the highly influential book ‘Empower your kids to be safe...For life’. Phil has helped empower thousands of people to live more confident, empowered, and safe lives free from un-necessary fear and worry.
Parents and/or caregivers take part in the Guardian Angel programme with their kids. It is an engaging, practical short course, which teaches child safety and child self-protection techniques through fun games and exercises.
Guardian Angel is a new approach to child safety that enables parents and/or caregivers to rest easier, in the knowledge that their kids are living fun, fantastic lives and have the emotional and physical skills to deal with danger.
To find out more about Guardian Angel, make an enquiry
"Very valuable experience. Knowledgeable staff, fun, and lots of interaction.
Good experience."
- K Lee - Manukau Leisure Centres