Impact Instructors Talk Techniques at Staff Retreat

From our Executive Director, Lisa Scheff:

"Impact Bay Area classes are uniquely amazing experiences. And that experienceis largely because of our incredible team of instructors. Every Impact instructorbrings something special to this program, but because they are almost all teachingImpact as a second job, they are never all in the same place at the same time to sharetheir knowledge and skills with each other. Thanks to a generous grant from TheMorning Glory Family Foundation, on February 1-2, Impact Bay Area was able forthe first time to take the entire instructor team on a weekend-long retreat to talkabout the program and the curriculum, to workshop new physical techniques, andto discuss new teaching ideas.

Our students tell us all the time how supported and safe they felt while learning about the serious and sometimes scary skills of self-defense. They are often amazedby how much they learn so quickly, and how transformed they feel in terms ofconfidence after our classes. From a student’s perspective, the classes are seamless. When I took my Basics class in 2011, the skills were layered on so intuitivelythat it was hard to believe there was a time when I didn’t know how to deliver adevastating elbow or knee. Behind the seamless experience is the tireless dedication of our instructors to this program. They are experts not just in self-defense, but in the dynamics of violence,the physiology of adrenaline, in how people learn, and in the way we carry andmove through trauma.

As the only non-instructor in the room, I was amazed andinspired by the level of commitment, knowledge, skill, and compassion that ourinstructors bring to this work.Having the chance to go on retreat together ensures that Impact Bay Area willcontinue to be the undisputed expert in teaching practical self-defense and personalsafety training in a welcoming environment. The whole staff offers our deepest gratitude to the Morning Glory Family Foundation for making this retreat possible."