We offer a wide variety of programs to teach personal safety and practical self-defense. On this page, you will find a list of all our upcoming public classes.
ALL OF OUR BASICS, TEEN & YOUNG ADULT CLASSES MEET ON MULTIPLE DAYS. On our website, classes are listed by the first date of class with information about subsequent class sessions in the text. Please make sure you can attend ALL class sessions when registering for one of our multi-day trainings.
To learn more about specific types of classes, click the links below:
Adult Basics
Teen "Kick Like a Girl"
Young Adult "On Her Own" Basics
Advanced Classes (weapons & multiple assailants)
We also offer specialized private courses for families, groups, businesses and organizations. Please click here for more information about booking a private class.
We offer scholarships because we believe safety is a right, not a privilege. Please download our scholarship form and return it to lisa@impactbayarea.org if you need financial assistance to take an Impact class.
Boundary Setting and Verbal Self-Defense (Emeryville)
The Boundary Setting and Verbal Self-Defense Workshop allows you to explore your current relationship to setting boundaries in your life and ways to improve your boundary setting skills so that can feel safer, live more independently and with more confidence. It includes a lot of one-on-one scenario practice with common everyday personal and professional boundary violations by AND high-risk negotiations with people we know and strangers. There are also opportunities to practice using effective verbal self-defense with student's customized boundary crossing scenarios. PLUS, learn about how to be a proactive bystander when you witness others boundaries being crossed. This is a verbal and body language only class. There is no padded attacker.
Class is women-only; for ages 14 and up; all abilities and no experience necessary.
This is a great class to take if you are considering the 20-hour BASICS course but want to check it out first. Attendees who complete this class will receive a $95 discount off a future Basics course.
For maximum individual instruction, classes are limited to 14-16 students. This class is open to adults of all genders.
Women's Basics (South Bay)
At the core of Impact's Adult program is our Basics Course for ages 16 and up. This Women's Basics is a weekend course that covers situational awareness, verbal and emotional boundary setting, and effective physical self-defense. In this course we focus on attacks by a single, unarmed assailant - the most common form of attack that individuals face. We also explore issues related to fear and violence in society, and students have an opportunity to create custom fight scenarios. For maximum individual instruction, classes are limited to 14-16 students.
This course meets on multiple dates - Friday, June 22 from 6-9pm, Saturday, June 23 from 9am - 6pm and Sunday, June 24 from 9am-6pm - please make sure you are available to attend every session.
Young Adult "On Her Own" Basics (East Bay)
This Young Adult "On Her Own" Basics course is a 21-hour training designed specifically for women 15 to 22 years old. Similar to the Adult Basics course, we cover awareness, boundary setting, and physical self-defense, but this class teaches young women how to respond to problems they often encounter as they begin to face the world on their own. Classes are limited to 14-16 students.
This course meets on multiple dates over a weekend - July 6th, 7th & 8th from 1pm to 8pm - please make sure you are available to attend every session.
Teen "Kick-Like-a-Girl" (San Jose)
The Teen "Kick Like a Girl" Self-Defense course is designed specifically for teen girls ages 12-16, this ten hour self-defense course focuses on preventing stranger and dating violence, including sexual assault. This course gives students the opportunity to practice full-force on a "mock assailant" instructor in a well-padded suit. Practicing these full-force self-defense techniques, taught by a female instructor, allows our students to experience the benefits of "muscle memory" - their bodies will remember the techniques in a crisis situation. Students will gain the confidence and skills needed to feel safer in the world.
This class takes place on July 28th and 29th, from 10am-3pm both days. Participation in both days is required to complete the course.
Self-Defense against Weapons
In this course, students learn to defend themselves against an armed assailant. We cover assault with knives, guns, and clubs, and explore how weapons are used to intimidate as well how they are actually wielded.
For maximum individual instruction, classes are limited to 14-16 students. This class is open to adults of all genders over the age of 16. You must take an Adult Basics before taking the Defense Against Weapons course (click here for Adult Basics courses).
This course meets on multiple dates - September 8th, 9th and 16th - please make sure you are available to attend every session.
Students in our Defense against Weapons class are invited to attend an optional session at a local at a shooting range on September 15th, so you can see what it feels like to handle a gun.
Self-Defense against Multiple Assailants
This course prepares students to fight off multiple attackers (3 or more at once).
For maximum individual instruction, classes are limited to 14-16 students. This class is open to adults of all genders over the age of 16. You must take an Adult Basics before taking the Defense Against Weapons course (click here for Adult Basics courses).
This course meets on multiple dates - October 27th & 28th - please make sure you are available to attend both sessions.