Back –flips, punches and more at the self-defence workshop by Glen Levy

In times of increasing reports of violence against women across the country, Centre For Management’s (CFM) initiative of organizing a self-defence workshop for women was well-received. The seminar hall was packed on Monday afternoon with ladies hoping to learn a few tricks from the ‘most dangerous man on the planet’.

That’s the moniker given by Nat Geo to Glen Levy, Hollywood actor and martial artist extraordinaire. He was accompanied by Raageshwari, former Indian pop singer, now a yoga expert and motivational speaker. Also present at the workshop were CFM chairperson Mrs. Maya Shahani, and Mike Handcock and Dave Rogers, founders of Rock Your Life, an initiative where business meets wisdom.

Calling Glen “Spiderman”, Mrs. Shahani noted that academic life is not always everything and added that events such as this is a step in the right direction for students of the Bandra campus. Introducing Glen as “multi-talented”, Mike Handcock said he has diverse skills and is passionate about showing women how they can protect themselves.

Glen started off on a personal note, alluding to his abusive childhood and talking about his understanding of strength (“toughness is in the mind”). His honesty and charm disarmed the audience right away as he proceeded to teach some hands-on, easy-to-remember techniques to help women protect themselves in cases of physical assault.

Bruce Lee being his primary source of inspiration, Glen has learnt martial arts, judo and Taekwondo. With Raageshwari and Mike as his assistants, Glen taught techniques such as ‘a thumb in the eye’, ‘a stomp on the foot’ and more.

It was interesting to see Glen stress on the psychological aspect of self-defence, rather than the physical. He also explained the psychology of attackers and how to escape such situations by just being alert to cues.

Glen believes it’s all about how you perceive things. He said, “If you change your perception, you change your experience.” As a result, simplicity can help. Glen added that even a powerful “No” can help one get out of a potentially violent situation.

Glen’s energetic delivery coupled with some really useful self-defence tips left several young women inspired and more confident about handling an attacker.

For more such events and workshops, keep reading the CFM blog!