Chenango County women and girls can learn self defense strategies at the free Strong Women Self Defense class at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 21. (Photo from The Place Facebook page)

NORWICH — The Place will be hosting their next free Strong Women Self Defense class at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 21 in the Norwich High School Cafeteria, located at 89 Midland Drive in Norwich.

The class is taught by instructors from the Oneonta Jiu Jitsu Academy, who will teach Chenango County women and girls 14 years old and older how to defend themselves using the grappling style of jiu jitsu.

Oneonta Jiu Jitsu Academy Owner Wyatt Green said the class is about fending off an attacker and escaping, as opposed to inflicting injury.

"Realistically, the participants are taking one or maybe a couple more classes. It would be a different scenario if they were training with us regularly, which would be the best way to be prepared for that sort of thing. But in this case it would be mostly about staying safe and avoiding harm, escaping," said Green.

He said Strong Women is an introductory course suitable for women and girls of all fitness levels. Pre-registration for the class is required by calling The Place at 607-336-9696.

Individuals are welcome to sign up for just one class, or take multiple. They are held on the third Friday of each month at 6 p.m. in the NHS Cafeteria.

"These are really introductory courses. Meant to give some practical techniques and also provide an introduction to jiu jitsu, and the women who are interested can always take more classes," said Green.

Taking more than one class can be beneficial, as it helps participants to become more comfortable with the techniques taught. Plus, each class is a little different, so women and girls can learn to defend themselves from various scenarios using a variety of techniques.

"When you do the drills that we do and the sort of training that we do, it gets you much more comfortable than you would be ordinarily with physicality, close contact with somebody. You become a lot more comfortable with it, because that’s always what we’re doing, and I think that by itself, it makes you much less of an easy target," said Green.

"Mentally, too, it's going to create confidence, which, again, is going to make you less of a target. I think that’s one of the most effective things you can do in the first place to avoid these things."

The Strong Women Self Defense classes are made possible by funding from the Women's Fund of the Community Foundation of South Central New York. The Place Executive Director Sharon Vesely said they received enough funding to offer the classes for free once a month until August of this year.

For more information on The Place, visit ThePlaceNorwich.com or The Place Facebook page.

For more information on the Oneonta Jiu Jitsu Academy, visit OneontaJiuJitsuAcademy.com or the Oneonta Jiu Jitsu Academy Facebook page.