For International Women’s Day, strength and empowerment are taking center stage in Palm Beach County.
A free, women-led safety seminar by world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champions is helping women feel "more confident and capable," jiu-jitsu trainer Luanna Alzuguir told WLRN.
You may remember this world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu couple, Alzuguir and Anna Catalina Vieira, as the sport’s first openly gay married athletes; the two women own Aviv Jiu-Jitsu in Boynton Beach and recently expanded into a larger, upgraded facility.
The jiu-jitsu trainers expect the one-day seminar in Boynton Beach on March 7 to draw upward of a couple hundred attendees across South Florida.
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They’re focused on women’s empowerment through self-defense because women’s experiences and "safety concerns are often unique."
"It helps you to understand situations that you might face," Vieira told WLRN. "I feel that every woman have been in a situation that they either felt uncomfortable or scared. Only we know that feeling."
Data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey shows that 41% of U.S. women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
The community seminar, which is for all levels of experience, focuses on prevention as much as physical fighting skills.
Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Famer Alzuguir teaches their P-R-A method — perceive danger, regulate emotions, and act with purpose.
"The real self-defense starts before that," Alzuguir said. "So if we can have a good perception and a good regulation, many times we don't even need to get to the action. "
IF YOU GO
What: Free International Women’s Day Community Self-Defense Seminar
When: Saturday, March 7th at 11 a.m
Where: Aviv Jiu Jitsu 160 Commerce Rd, Ste F, Boynton Beach, FL 33426
More information here.
