Participants must register in free event by Feb. 23

Ross Martial Arts & Fitness Academy will host their Fifth Annual Ladies Combat Sports Night on March 2 at 6:30 p.m. Participants must RSVP for the free event by Feb. 23.

All women aged 13 and over are invited to attend, but must sign a release form. The event is expected to end around 8:30 p.m.

Ronda Ross Russell, owner of Ross Martial Arts, said that women will learn things like how to get away from basic grabs, how to get someone off of them and how to use leverage to their benefit.

“If you’re a female and you’re being attacked by presumably a larger male, you’re not going to out-strength that person. You’re not going to be able to man-handle him. You’re going to have to use leverage and some wits,” she said.

Russell said that they will also “lightly” talk about how to survive after an assault.

She also said that women gain more than awareness and self-defense skills. Russell said they gain confidence knowing they can defend themselves if needed.

“That’s invaluable — to be able to walk around knowing that if you are attacked, you have some stuff in your back pocket that you could use if necessary.”

The seminar started over 20 years ago when Russell began showing some of her friends some self-defense moves, and it quickly became an annual event.

“We committed ourselves to at least once a year that we were going to do it,” Russell said.

The name was changed five years ago when they began offering introductory lessons to other martial art forms in addition to the self-defense lessons. Russell’s husband, an instructor at Ross Martial Arts, and other students will also volunteer at the event.

There will be door prizes at the event such as T-shirts, Avid Skin Care products and two-weeks’ worth of free classes.

Girls aged 11 and 12 that take classes at Ross Martial Arts are also allowed to participate with their parents’ permission.

To RSVP, call 334-289-9775, email rossmartialarts@gmail.com or visit the eventbrite.com page.

(This article originally appeared in the Saturday, February 17 issue of the Demopolis Times.)