October Events - so many it needs it own update!

Written by Chris Wednesday, 28 September 2011 08:50

Good morning all!

There are so many special events at MSDC this October that I thought I'd send out a special email with all the details.  Here we go!

1)  Kids' Halloween Safety Workshop -- On Saturday, October 8th, we'll be hosting a FREE and open-to-the-public Halloween Safety Workshop for kids ages 4 & up.  This special class will start at 2pm and be done by 3:30 (we'll get you all in & out quickly so that you can get on with your weekend plans), and will be taught be the instructors of our new AMMA Heroes & Mighty Heroes kids program!  We'll go over some info about costume safety, trick or treating, safe candy, and the ONE item everyone should have when they leave the house on Halloween!  There will be games and activities, as well as some hands-on learning on the mats.  There's no need to pre-register for this one, but if you're on Facebook, you can let us know you're attending -- and feel free to repost the event or share it with friends who might be interested!

2)  Handgun Safety Class -- For the month of September, the JKD Essentials classes have been focused on defensive techniques against someone with a Firearm.  Some folks in the class already have experience handling real firearms, but for the many of you that do not, I want to give you the opportunity to learn how to safely handle a gun.  Now, I was a little worried about whether or not we could schedule a class in such a short stretch of time, so I set-up TWO workshops in case one of them didn't work out.  Well...they both worked out!  So you have two options for taking the Handgun Safety Class this October:

On-Site at MSDC -- On Saturday, October 8th, Ian McMahon will be offering the Handgun Safety class, beginning at 9AM.  The classroom portion will finish around lunchtime, followed immediately by driving over to the range and completing the shooting portion of the course.  The fee for the on-site course will be $120, with a $60 deposit due to MSDC by Monday, October 3rd. Transportation may be available -- please contact Ian directly at 860-930-6435 with questions, or for range details. 

Off-Site -- On Friday, October 7th & Saturday October 8th, Jeff Whiteley will also be offering a Handgun Safety class.  The classroom portion is scheduled from 5pm - 10pm on Friday, October 7th, at 206 Saybrook Road, in Haddam.  The following morning, the live shooting portion will be held from 8am - 11:30am at the Middletown R&R Club, which is only a few minutes from MSDC.  The fee for the off-site course is $80, with a $50 deposit due to Jeff's company, TASK LLC, by Monday, October 3rd.  Please contact Jeff with any questions, either by phone at 860-250-9752 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I have known each of these gentlemen for years, and they come highly qualified (not to mention, they are both awesome guys).  I was pretty excited at the thought of offering either one of them to you guys...offering BOTH of them absolutely THRILLS me. 

3)  On Saturday, October 15th, the MSDC teaching staff has been asked to judge a local Youth Karate Tournament.  As a result, there will be no classes at MSDC that Saturday.  So enjoy a nice, autumn weekend with friends & family! 

4)  Aikido / Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Doubleheader -- On Sunday, October 23rd, MSDC will host a double-header workshop.  From 10am - 12noon, Chris Condon and Eric Klotch will teach Aikido.  Chris and Eric teach at the newly opened Needham / Newton Aikido in Boston, and are making their first visit down to MSDC to share with us.  Aikido is a grappling art deeply rooted in traditional Japanese custom and training, and it presents an approach focused on blending with the attack and harmonizing your movement with your opponent's.  Here's a youtube link to Chris & Eric practicing an Aikido technique called "Ikkyo":

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Following a short lunch break, we'll go into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from 1pm - 3pm, taught by ... Chris Wright-Martell.  I'll be presenting 2 hours of information and training methods on the "Kimura" bent armlock, including plenty of material on how to control someone using this lock, and to flow around any resistance you encounter while holding it. 

If you have a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi (or other traditional martial arts uniform), please wear it to the seminar.  If not, clean athleticwear will be just fine. 

This doubleheader seminar is ONLY open to current students of MSDC and Needham / Newton Aikido.  I encourage you to pre-register by visiting www.ModernSelfDefense.com and clicking the link on our homepage to go to the registration page.  Right now, you can register at a discount, making it a (shockingly low) $40 for the ENTIRE DAY.  Pretty crazy! 

These workshops and seminars will be a ton of fun.  One of the things I most enjoy at MSDC is the opportunity to share so many different approaches and methods with you all.  And when I don't have the experience myself, I love to be able to bring in people who do (whether it's traditional Aikido or Firearm Instruction...or whatever!).  So I hope you'll take advantage of these awesome events in the month of October.  And I have some more surprises in store for November and December! 

See you at MSDC!

~Chris

PS - White Belts in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class:  stripe testing is tonight!  Be ready! :)