My first memory of "choosing a career" was that of being a builder of houses! This appeared in my school's year book, and at the time, I think I may have misinterpreted the teacher's instruction of, "what do you want to do when you grow up". My thinking was, "what is ONE of the things I would want to do when growing up" ( and in my case, I wanted to build a nice house for my mom and dad), versus what do you want to do FOREVER when you grow up (i.e. what was my desired career)!
So, from a historical standpoint that has been stamped in a couple dozen school yearbooks, I wanted a career in CONSTRUCTION!
Needless to say, my path in life took a very different route - from being an intern at a PR (Public relations) company, to investment banking, to computer programing, to IT consulting, to telecommunications, to biltong distributor, to system administration, to IT manger, project manger, program manager, importer of martial arts equipment, children education supplier, to educator and now even a dojo-owner! Furthermore, my DIY skills are quite dubious and I would worry about living under a roof that was made by my hands! Quite far off from building anything with bricks and mortar, that is for sure!
However, perhaps there was some foresight from that kid when being ask, what do you want to do when you were bigger - in most of my entrepreneurial ventures, I wanted to build a "house" that would keep the people that I cared about safe. I see this in the way that my martial arts dojo (www.rkcdojo.com) was created and maintained. At our dojo, we emphasis the 3 foundational principles of FOCUSED training, having FUN both in and out the dojo, and have a feeling of FAMILY amongst each another.
A more obvious example is my self-defence business, Defence Unlimited. It is also built on similar principles, that of EDUCATE, ENGAGE and EMPOWER. The "safety" analogy is obvious, but there is also the bit about keeping those I CARE about safe. As much as I want this be "business", there is that big element of CARING too. I think any business that wants to be successful (whilst still maintaining their integrity), they must CARE for the people that they work with and work for. I am trying to do just that and hopefully, play my part in making the world (in a very cliché way) a better place for all.
Due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the last 2 years has been difficult for my self-defence business. Cancelled corporate and school engagements, and a dwindling number of private groups and individual with enough surplus funds to afford my premium rates, led to my business to come to a grinding and sudden halt. It was a challenging time.
However, 2022 is here and the Chinese New Year of the Tiger will soon be upon us! According to Chinese culture and beliefs, the Tiger is a symbol of strength, braveness and a force upon which to rid the world of evil.
Therefore, in line with these symbolic beliefs, I will be restarting my self-defence workshops and classes, which will help those who attend regularly (*queue dramatic music*) to once again find the strength within themselves, be brave in the face of adversity and procrastination, and become a force in which to fight that what is deemed evil. (Okay, a little over-dramatic, but hopefully you get the clever pun with the paragraph above)!
To kickoff the year off, I will be hosting my flagship Self-Defence workshop, known plainly as the "Introduction to Self-Defence Workshop (2022 Update)". Thereafter, it is my intention to host monthly training sessions (and other workshops) for those who wish to further hone their self-defence skills. A schedule of the monthly training will be published soon, but if you can't wait, please send a mail to info@defence-unlimited and request it.
Back to the "Introduction to Self-Defence", this workshop will cover the fundamentals of self-defence and will contain both a theoretical and practical exercises to re-enforce the training.
The theory will focus on the 3 principles of self-defence namely, AWARENESS, ALIGNMENT and ACTION. A large portion of this course deals with gaining the correct mind-set for self-defence, as well as identifying what is known as “social conditioning” that could hamper a participant from executing a self-defence action. We will cover the importance of taking responsibility by planning for your safety and making decisions in times of an emergency situation.
A brief outline of the workshop is as follows:
• Understanding the Principles of Self-Defence
• The Primary Question
• Personal Safety Zones
• Taking ACTION!
• Overview of PPT (Personal Protection Tools)
• Dealing with a potential treat with the Fence and the Voice
• Dealing with violent assault
It's 3 hrs long and can be a bit of an information overload, BUT, it will be highly advantages to do this workshop first, followed by the monthly training sessions, IF you are serious about your safety and the safety of your loved ones.
Details are as follows:
Date & Time: 13 February 2022 (Sunday), 9am – 12pm
Venue: 1st Bryanston Scout Hall, 40 West Hertford Rd, Bryanston, Sandton, 2191
Costs= R250 p.p. (RKC Members and family); R450 p.p (Non-RKC Members)
Kindy register for this workshop via this link below before 13 Feb 2022:
With that, I wish you a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
Regards Warren HO
Founder of Defence Unlimited (www.defence-unlimited.com)
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