Women and Femme
Self Defense Intensive
We believe in communities of strong women and femmes who fight, sweat, grapple, and topple the patriarchy - all before taking a water break.
Learn the fundamentals of self-defense in this intensive, trauma-informed workshop series. Our goal is to make you feel confident, secure, and powerful in your body - without the bullshit. Participants can expect to learn basic fighting stance, movement, striking, ground work, wrestling, de-escalation, verbal advocacy, and solutions to self-defense scenarios commonly used on women, such as front chokes.
These seminars cater to all levels of fitness and experience. Beginners are welcome and encouraged. More advanced practitioners can expect a great workout while honing their skills. The course is designed to challenge your physical and technical abilities at any level.
The series consists of four 2-hour workshops. The intensive costs $199, with a $169 early bird special for those who sign up outside the last two weeks before each workshop.
Schedule
Seminars are held at N-Flux at 1722 I St NW, Lower Level
Saturday, 12:30 pm -2:30 pm: Introduction & Striking
Saturday, 3:30 pm-5:30 pm: Grappling
Sunday, 9 am- 11 am: Verbal Advocacy and De-escalation
Sunday 11:30 am-1:30 pm: Self-Defense Scenarios
Dates are below!
Sign up for the Women and Femme Self-Defense Series!
Women’s Self Defense Testimonials
We are proud to be rated the top Women’s Self Defense program in DC by Yelp.
“It is an amazing experience! Colleen is the best instructor ever! Everyone should do it! This class pushed me so much more than any class I've taken. I feel confident that I am able to defend myself if something were to happen. I thought I was fit but after taking this class, I can see where I need to work on to improve my arm and leg strength especially for flurry punches and getting up from the ground. I would do this class again in a heartbeat! I love practicing the drills on non-class days!”
"Two years ago, I tried out a Krav Maga class through a free trial. I left the one-time course feeling extremely insecure and not confident at all. I enjoyed it, but I was also scared and felt out of my element throughout the class.
Two years later, I would learn about the scholarships that N-Flux was offering for Women and Femmes and decided to try again. I have never felt so strong, or so in community at a gym before -- even with it being online. I tend to fly solo when it comes to fitness and I've always been incredibly intimidated by group environments.But the community that Colleen fostered was one of support, encouragement, and existed without shame.
We were encouraged to be vulnerable, to try our hardest, and even had some laughs along the way. Some Saturdays, I would be exhausted and tired at the start of the class, but no matter what, I always left feeling powerful, strong, and SORE. These past six weeks were always an incredible way to start my weekend. I always felt ready to take on whatever was next.
Thanks to this course, I have a lot more confidence in knowing what I could do if a situation were to ever happen. I cannot hear nearly as well as most able-bodied people do, so having these tools has been really crucial and helpful for me. I'm also so grateful that Colleen and N-Flux have introduced me to a new physical outlet to channel my stress, frustration, and anxiety with, while also leaves me feeling strong and powerful afterwards. This has truly done wonders for my mental health.
I'm still so grateful that Colleen recognizes the urgent need for these resources to be put into the hands of those who may not have direct access to it. That's a powerful form of activism and feminism that can be hard to come by in the fitness world. So major kudos and thank you to Colleen and N-Flux for providing this resource and scholarships!"
"Colleen is an amazing instructor. She affirms each of us even in moments of correction! I feel safer knowing I was taught by her."
"The Guerrera Self Defense Series was accessible to people at all fitness levels and offered a safe, open, and fun environment to learn basic skills necessary for self defense. I know these types of classes can be uncomfortable to many femmes for various reasons, but they are crucial protection for a group that is often the target of violence. Colleen is a phenomenal instructor and she does an excellent job of making everyone feel welcome and engaged. She incorporates encouragement into her feedback, and you can really feel her excitement when students have that "aha" moment and everything clicks. She has a great sense of humor, but also keeps it real and makes sure we stay on track. At the end of the series, you won't be like Bruce Lee (unfortunately), but you will leave with renewed confidence in your ability to defend yourself and the determination to keep practicing, keep fighting, and keep improving day by day."
"Colleen is an exceptional teacher. I've had many martial arts teachers and I can say without a doubt that Colleen is the most in depth and personable teacher I've encountered. She takes the time to break things down step by step so that everyone is on the same page. She's also attentive to everyone's needs and understands that some moves might be triggering and allows space for people to step back and take the time they need.
Colleen really doesn't play around when it comes to your safety and protection and makes it clear that everything you learn can be applied to real life situations. I would 300% recommend this program and Colleen to anyone but especially women and femmes of all walks of life."
Scholarship Program
N-Flux seeks to involve women and femmes who need training most - those with identities that put them at higher risk for experiencing violence - survivors of sexual violence, people of color, members of the LGBT community, among others. We also understand that those at greatest risk shouldn't bear the economic burden of paying for training. If you want to apply for the scholarship or you are interested in sponsoring a student, please email us at Team@staynflux.com