Instructor of The Month November 06

Dr. Jennifer Levi

I have been a martial arts practitioner for 10 years, an instructor at Charm City Kenpo Karate for 8 years, and a FAST Defense instructor for 2 years. And I love it. But that isn't the honest version of my FAST bio nor does it answer the more interesting question: why do I teach FAST Defense.

As we go around the opening circle at the beginning of each FAST class, we talk about why we do what we do, so writing it down should be easy. We do what we do because our lives have been changed by the material we teach. Like many women, I went through a phase in my young life when I was passive, when I sought out more dominant female friends who would tell me what to wear, who to date, and how to live my life. When I realized that lifestyle was not making me happy, I went to the other extreme. I started hanging out with dangerous people in dangerous neighborhoods doing dangerous things. I wanted to prove I could take it; I wanted to prove I was tough. I started training in the martial arts with the same goals in mind, and I hate to say it took a cracked sternum to make me realize that a fine line divided strong and stupid, and that fear had made me cross that line. No matter how many hours I trained and how many punches I proved I could take, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to defend myself if the time really came.

Taking the FAST Defense training changed everything: the way I trained in and taught the martial arts, the way I viewed myself, the way I lived my life, and the role I wanted to play in the world. My skills as a martial artist improved. I became more intuitive as a martial arts instructor and a better student of the world.

We continue to do what we do because we see the need everyday. As a college professor, I know how many young people are the victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse, and life-altering fear. I see how many people are afraid to raise their hands to answer questions or to assert their points of view. FAST Defense fills a need for those people that they will not get anywhere else that they need to be successful, safe, and contributing members of society. To sum it all up, we do what we do because we see the change that happens in individuals in the 3 ½ hours of the class, and the change that happens within ourselves for being a part of that process.