After Aimee Peschka contacted Chelsy Blind, it didn’t take long for a partnership to form between a non-profit agency and private business.

Peschka is executive coordinator of programming at the Family Crisis Center (FCC); Blind owns Blindside Grappling.

Peschka had heard that Blindside Grappling had promised six months of free self-defense classes for girls and women.

She then contacted Blind, asking if they could form a partnership to create a holistic approach to self-defense and safety for a female-only class. Blind jumped at the chance to take her offer of free classes to the next level.

The first 6-month class is in progress from 5:30-6:30 p.m. every Thursday at the Hoisington City Building. So far, participants range in age from 11 to 20; about 20 people attend the classes. New students are accepted.

Calie Doze, FCC school/community advocate, teaches safe-dating skills for the first 15 minutes. Blind then begins instructing in the skill of jiu-jitsu, a grappling-based martial art that focuses on controlling an opponent, using leverage and other techniques rather than brute force.

“We want to share information in a way that the victim can be safe without harming someone,” Doze said. “This class gives the students the skill and confidence to get out of a dangerous situation.”

Doze’s presentations are based on the Safe Dates curriculum, designed for discussions about healthy vs. abusive relationships, and developing skills for positive interactions, anger management and conflict resolution.

Class topics include: understanding the time a predator spends choosing and testing a target; staying on your feet or choosing how you go down; preventing being pinned down; escaping high-pressure pins; kidnapping and blindsiding tactics; and overcoming the freeze response.

Doze also provides a handout on harmful dating behaviors; it includes examples of situations and how they could be handled.

“This is invaluable information for girls and women,” Doze commented. “I cannot tell you how much we appreciate Chelsy’s willingness to provide this service. Students are learning jiu-jitsu and the Family Crisis Center is offering this curriculum to those who might not otherwise have access to it.

“We are already hearing from parents who appreciate that their daughters are learning about physical safety, as well as social-media safety. It is a real blessing that Chelsy not only is sharing her time and talent, she is doing it for free.”

Chelsy Blind

It is free because “we don’t want financial considerations to be a barrier to this new program,” Blind said. “If we can help prevent a confrontation, all the better.

“One of the main goals is for students not to have to use these skills. But if it is necessary, we want them to be prepared.”

Jiu-jitsu is a good skill for women because it addresses situations in which “they can find themselves in positions that can make them feel powerless,” she noted. “They believe their only options are striking and punching an attacker who is bigger and stronger.”

This self-defense skill offers other options. Students learn about leverage and other methods that might help them escape someone who is sitting on their chest or pinning them in some way.

“We offer real-life scenarios that demonstrate how to handle these situations,” Blind said. “Since 80 percent of confrontations end up on the ground, we want to show how you can create distance between you and the attacker, while maintaining control.

“The class also will show how you can prevent freezing up when someone gets into your space. You can be formidable.”

Blind also noted that “we bring in guest coaches with specialized backgrounds, such as military hand-to-hand combat training, judo and wrestling, to cover all areas of grappling and safety.”

Blind is grateful to the FCC for contacting her. “When Aimee reached out to me, I knew this was exactly what we were looking for. We had an awesome meeting where I saw their passion for a holistic approach.”They designed the curriculum so that Peschka’s presentations coincide with Blind’s instructions.

Even though the class is in progress, Blind said new students are “more than welcome. We will help you catch up with the basics.”