Wendy Redding

When I first was introduced to EZDefense I was a horseback-riding instructor, and had been teaching for nearly twenty years. Practically all of my students were female, children and adults. Quite a few of them rode with me for many, many years. I knew I was not only teaching people how to ride well, as I coaxed them through their fears, I was truly teaching them how to be more assertive, more direct and more confident in getting positive results from the horses and themselves. I knew being appropriately assertive and confident could be difficult for anyone, but especially for females, as we have a tendency to let our feelings muddle things up when they should be so clear. I had unknowingly already begun preparation for my new career.

In 1996 I began my study of Karate because I assumed it would be an interesting new physical challenge. I had also been teaching fitness classes for many years and was looking for something that would occupy my mind as well as my muscles. In retrospect, I find it amusing that I had never considered the need for any self-defense training. The entire first year of my training convinced me that, despite excellent instruction, if anyone ever attacked me, I would be in big trouble. I just didn't get it!

In 1999 a team from our martial arts school went to an international training seminar in Toronto to be trained by Bill Kipp as EZDefense Instructors. The training absolutely changed my life! Though I was already teaching some Karate classes, only now did the concept of self-defense become perfectly clear. As a result, I was very excited, but it would be some time before I could truly appreciate the full impact it would have on me. It seemed overnight that I decided to turn my attention from teaching riding to focus on bringing EZDefense to anyone who would listen. After a year of dead end phone calls, disappointments and frustrations, I realized certain prevailing notions people have about self-defense. Some simply believe they will never need it, others are petrified by the very idea that maybe they will. For the great majority, the scope of their definition of self-defense was so narrow they couldn't get past the idea of self-defense as violence. In any case, my new job was going to be tougher than I had thought.

To widen my sphere of influence I started my own Karate program at a local health club, and in so doing, I gained exposure to a large population of people. I was comfortable in the health club setting after years of teaching fitness classes so it was easy to promote my martial arts program and EZDefense classes there. Over the past five years my Martial Arts program has grown considerably and has given me the opportunity to reach many more people with EZDefense. I have experienced great personal growth through both of these endeavors, though I think my training and teaching of EZDefense has given me the confidence and the enthusiasm to keep pushing no matter how tough "getting the word out" can be. As the years have gone by since that first training and we are teaching more classes all the time, I am continuing to learn and grow. The experience of teaching this program is so humbling, to be able to watch people find the power to face and conquer their fears, encourages me to face my own challenges head on. I feel privileged to be part of this growth process for so many people and excited by my own confidence as I continue on this journey.