Owners Of Green Country Martial Arts Business Hosts Self-Defense Course

Two black belt instructors are sharing skills and knowledge with women across Green Country to make themselves smarter and safer as well as stronger both mentally and physically.

The purpose of Saturday's free Ladies Self-Defense Class is to empower women. Organizers hope they never find themselves in a situation where they need to use the skills, they learned today but said they can rest easier knowing their students could if necessary.

"Everybody has the right to live a happy and healthy life,” ATA Tulsa Martial Arts co-owner Kim Gaither said. “And nobody else has the right to take that away from them.”

When someone doesn't listen to you, Gaither said it's OK to defend yourself.

"I don't want them to be afraid to exit their door. There are simple and easy things that we can do," Gaither said. 

Gaither, and her husband Frank, own ATA Tulsa Martial Arts and hold a free Ladies Self-Defense Class twice a year.

They cover everything from being aware of your surroundings to escaping an abduction and attempted assault.

"You go out to a lot of places at a lot of different times, and you don't know where you're going to, and you don't know what to expect," Gaither said. 

McKenna Schultz said she is walking away today with a better idea of how to attack, distract and escape.

"While it's sad to think that you do need to be aware putting things into practice, it's also really important," Schultz said. 

The Gaithers head out into the community and cater their self-defense classes to businesses, teaching first responders and real estate agents how to stay safe.

Kim said she doesn't want her students to become another statistic.

"No, you did not ask for this, no you did not bring this on,” Kim Gaither said. “Know you did nothing wrong. You need to report it and you need to stand up for yourself for other women, too, so we can get scumbags put where they belong.”