Global Violence Fills Self-Defense Classes

(prHWY.com) October 6, 2011 - Clearwater, FL -- When people get scared for their safety they buy guns, increase home security, and seek out self-defense training. Even though violent crime rates have actually dropped in recent years civil unrest is at an unprecedented level. Right now, people are afraid.

Not since 9/11 have Americans experienced the level of fear and uncertainty as they are now. While in the past events like the LA and Watts riots were localized, today the riots and protests are on a more global scale.

Revolutions in the middle east, riots in Greece, Britain, Australia and now protests and riots in the USA have citizens concerned for their own safety and that of their families. Combine that with record unemployment and economic pressures and you get the highest stress levels since 9/11.

The result is a significant increase in enrollments into real self-defense programs like Cobra-Defense. Cobra-Defense has licensed centers across the country. Its headquarters is in Clearwater, FL where Cobra founder Chris Sutton operates Chris Sutton's Martial Arts and Fitness Center.

The school offers a belt based martial arts program and the Cobra-Defense 10-week Academy. According to Sutton, 5-10 adults contact him each week and nearly 100% are seeking out the Cobra program and not the martial arts program. Sutton says, "The ratio is about 15-1 Cobra over martial arts inquires. Most adults want self-defense but do not want everything that is involved in a martial arts program. Today, many adults view martial arts as a kids activity."

John Graden, Executive Director of the Martial Arts Teachers' Association agrees. According to Graden, "Thought it's great for self-confidence, when it comes to self-defense, adults no longer view a child oriented, belt based martial arts program as a viable option."

Graden has long been an advocate for reality based self-defense programs as a supplement to martial arts schools. "Now, more than ever do martial arts schools need a real self-defense program. That's why we have made Cobra-Defense the Official Self-Defense Curriculum for the Martial Arts Teachers' Association. With the popularity of MMA, adults are far more educated about martial arts than ever before. For 20-years the UFC has been showing them that many martial arts are weak in reality training."

When it comes to family safety, maybe parents too are beginning to see the difference between a belt based personal development oriented childrens' martial arts program and real world self-defense. Tiffany Walton, a Cobra-Defense student in Utah enrolled herself and her daughter into Cobra even though they were already in a karate class, "Karate is doing wonders for my daughters' confidence, but it's not teaching her the real-world skills for protecting herself."

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