practical Womens self defense
in westlake village & Camarillo
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN IN THIS TWO-HOUR WORKSHOP?
Obviously, no training program can guarantee your safety. But you can gain important insights and tools to help you make safer choices. Our Concepts & Principles workshop is an introductory look at what types of attacks women are likely to face, and why. Next, we practice partner drills that teach universal defense principles like leverage and the mechanics of using your full body weight against an attacker’s weaker points.
Our “Rings of Safety” framework explains how mind, body, and spirit are all connected to personal safety. We teach a variety of methods to address physical safety while incorporating lessons on how to strengthen the intermediate and outer rings of safety. Living a safer life requires intuition, awareness, and feedback from your body.
TOPICS:
STATISTICS & PSYCHOLOGY
• Statistics and facts that can help frame your perspective
• Psychological aspects of attacks on women
ESCAPES FROM GRABS
• Learn the anatomy of grabs
• Understand how to apply leverage for reliable escapes
• Awareness & distancing to avoid grabs altogether
IMPROVISED TOOLS & WEAPON AWARENESS
• Learn to recognize what can be used as a "weapon," and improvise with what you normally carry
• Basic knife familiarity and handling principles
• How to avoid weapon strikes when you are unarmed
THE ROLE OF STRIKING
• Striking alone is not likely to be enough; it must be paired with structural manipulation
• If you must strike, do it ergonomically without self-injury
• Learn to unbalance, disrupt, and control an attacker—giving you time to get help or gain distance
Open to adults and teens 16+.
This workshop will not make you an expert. But it will show you more about how self-defense works and give you meaningful skills you can practice immediately.
Combat Body Mechanics teaches law enforcement officers, military special forces, and security professionals how to exercise greater physical and psychological control in situations where ego or panic might otherwise take over.
Combat Body Mechanics brings the same elite-level control taught to law enforcement and special forces into a specialized environment for women (ages 16+).
About the instructors
Andrew Stringfellow
leslie kim
Leslie is a martial arts competitor with 25 years of martial arts experience. After realizing that sport martial arts were unsustainable for her well-being, she went searching for better self-defense solutions in 2002.
She has been training in Budo Taijutsu since 2003. She is also a frequent solo traveler, having road tripped through Italy, South Korea, and Indonesia, and has lived in Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.
Head Instructor Andrew Stringfellow has been teaching military, law enforcement, and civilians for over 20 years. He is a 10th degree black belt in Budo Taijutsu with 33 years of training and received his instructors license from master instructors in Japan.
Andrew is also a veteran USMC Sgt., and worked 10+ years in executive protection in Los Angeles, including work for high profile celebrities and billionaires.
Upcoming WORKSHOPS:
Camarillo
Each workshop features two hours of hands on self-defense training:
Principles of Self Defense
Natural Movement
Escape Wrist Grabs
Evade Strikes
Unconventional Weapons & Tools
$50 / person
Bring a friend and get 50% off your second ticket.
More about our methods:
🧬 BASED ON SCIENCE, NOT STRENGTH
Our techniques are based on anatomical facts. The human body only moves so many ways. Strength, speed, and mass present obvious challenges, but with the right guidance, leverage and mechanics can overcome them.
💡A PROBLEM-SOLVING MINDSET
We don’t ask students to memorize hundreds of complex moves. Instead, we focus on universal principles like leverage, position, awareness, and distance. By understanding why a technique works—and why it fails—students learn to adapt and do what is necessary to get the result they need.
🛠 UTILITY FIRST
The Combat Body Mechanics system is based on Budo Taijutsu, a 900-year old martial system that originates from Japan. Both Andrew and Leslie studied under instructors from a rigorous lineage that focused on utility. The system was used and tested by U.S. law enforcement officers over multiple generations. The art was refined for modern day applications as a result.
Photos from previous events
faq
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For bottoms, we recommend military or hiking style pants.
For tops, a heavyweight t-shirt or long sleeve works best.
Please wear socks for mat work. Grip socks are also allowed.
That said, we want to keep the training realistic to your life, so any comfortable & durable clothing you have works fine.
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A way to take notes (like a notebook & pen) and some water if you would like. Most of all, bring an open mind.
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No. Everyone who wants to learn is welcome. You can be a complete beginner or a black belt in another art.
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We recommend parents take or watch at least one of our workshops prior to bringing their child. If after familiar with the training, they decide it is appropriate for their child to learn, they may bring a child as young as 12 as long as a parent is actively training with them.