Westminster, CO – March 24th, 2010 – Local Self-Defense and Fitness instructor, Javier Lozano, Jr. recently hosted a Free Adult Self-Defense seminar on Saturday, March 20th, 2010 to residents of Broomfield and Westminster.

Participants who attended the self-defense clinic ranged from parents who’s child currently train in The Dojo of Karate’s Children Martial Arts Program, to friends who are members of their Fitness KickBoxing Program and Self-Defense Black Belt Program offered at their main headquarters.

Martial Arts expert and Certified Self-Defense Instructor, Javier Lozano, Jr. is the owner and Master Instructor of The Dojo of Karate — a local Martial Arts and Fitness school serving the community of Broomfield, Westminster, and Thornton, CO.  Javier has been training in Karate for 20 years, currently holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt, and is a former World Champion fighter.

His expertise, knowledge, and ability to teach and relate the subject of self-defense to adults places him in a unique category, and allows his students to gain more knowledge and skills.

The two hour Self-Defense Workshop taught participants the importance of awareness, confidence, and proper striking and escape defenses.

Says Lozano, “the one part of self-defense that many people neglect and don’t really consider is awareness and confidence.  Victims are typically the one’s that are not completely aware of their surroundings, busy talking on their cell phones, or distracted by something else.”

Master Lozano also mentions that one’s confidence can really change a situation. “When someone is walking down the street with their chin up, shoulders back, and walking with a purpose, they usually stand out.  Those people are less likely to become the prey of an attacker because attackers are always looking for the easy target.”

After teaching the class about the importance of awareness and confidence, the class finally went into the ‘meat and potatoes’ of their training — striking, blocking, and escapes.

What made Mr. Lozano’s class extremely different from other self-defense seminars is that he didn’t teach students how to properly punch, rather, use other techniques that are more likely to prevent injury and create more damage to an opponent.

For instance, he emphasized how palm heel strikes can be more effective for women when defending themselves, as opposed to punches.  The reason is a palm heel strike to a male’s face is a better technique than a fist because most women have smaller hands and can break a bone quite easily.

Some of the other strikes students learned over the weekend included elbow strikes, hammer fist strikes, stomp kicks, roundhouse kicks, and side kicks.

Each of these techniques were performed on free standing heavy bags, allowing participants the opportunity to know how it feels to make contact with an object that can mimic a human opponent.

Once the students learned how to execute some major striking techniques, Mr. Lozano taught them two basic blocking moves that are practical during self-defense.  Students were than paired off with partners to practice the blocking techniques while their partner threw punches at them in a controlled format.

“The only way to learn how to defend yourself is to train in a reality-based setting where you have an attacker throwing a designated technique and the defender reacting to the attack with a certain block” says Lozano.  “This will develop your timing and confidence, while not getting injured.”

“But once you have developed the basic skills, our Self-Defense classes will add progression to your training, making each class more challenging and unique.”

Once the students developed their striking skills, the workshop shifted to Escape Defense, where participants learned how to escape from 4 common attacks: Wrist Grab, Bear Hug, Choke, and Mount (on the ground, while opponent is on top).

The escapes taught were easy to perform, simple to memorize, and flowed properly with the striking techniques students learned earlier during the session.

At the end of the two hour Self-Defense seminar, Master Instructor Javier Lozano discussed how attackers work in groups, and how confidence can play a major role by sharing a few stories that related to the seminar.

All of the participants felt the seminar was invaluable, and that they walked out with a wealth of information, yet not overwhelmed with what they learned.  More importantly, students left with the confidence to fight back if necessary.

“I tell all of my students, when they join our self-defense program, if they are ever confronted and need to protect themselves, I want them to walk out safe by using every means possible to fight off an attacker.  My student’s safety is more important to me than anything else.  And, if I can teach them how to properly protect themselves, even better.”

If you would like to learn more about The Dojo of Karate and their Adult Self-Defense program, please contact them at: 303.920.4500 and ask to speak with Javier Lozano, Jr.  He will be more than happy to assist you with your questions and concerns.