Start with the basics
Learn your stance, how to move, and where to put your hands. Jen explains the movements before you practice them.
6-week beginner self-defense course
Confidence starts with a move you’ve practiced.
Learn to set boundaries, respond to grabs, and create space to get away. Twelve in-person classes with Jen Gearheart, built for adults starting from the basics.
- Starts
- Class size
- Max 20 people
- Full course
- $309 USD total
Tuesdays & Thursdays · 6:30–7:30 p.m. PacificWildland CrossFit · Dalton Gardens, Idaho
Reserve my spotNo experience or partner needed.
For Coeur d’Alene & Post Falls adults
You don’t have to feel confident before your first class.
If self-defense has been on your “I should do that” list, this is a place to start. You’ll learn a movement, practice it with a partner, and come back to build on it.
That means saying a firm boundary out loud. Feeling where your feet need to be. Practicing how to release a grip and move away. Confidence has something concrete to grow from when you’ve done the work yourself.
Give yourself time to practice
Twelve classes let you return to the same skills. Partner drills begin slowly and build in complexity as the course progresses.
Practice making a decision
As drills become less predictable, you work on recognizing what’s happening, responding, and finding an opportunity to leave.
Your path through the course
From your first stance to putting it all together.
Each week adds a situation to practice. Throughout the course, you return to the same purpose: create an opportunity to get away.
Recognize→Protect→Counter→Disengage→Escape
WEEK01
AWARENESSUse your voice. Make space.
Practice noticing a developing problem, setting a verbal boundary, and managing distance. Learn your stance, movement, and basic palm-heel, hammerfist, and groin-kick techniques.
Put it into practice: a partner approaches; you set a boundary, position your hands, and move. Work on responding if needed and getting away.
WEEK02
PROTECTIONProtect yourself and keep moving.
Learn defenses against punches, along with straight punches, elbows, knees, and simple combinations. Connect your defense to a counter and a way to disengage.
Put it into practice: respond to a strike in a partner drill, follow through, then create distance and look for your exit.
WEEK03
RELEASESWork on getting out of a grip.
Practice releases from wrist grabs and defenses against chokes from different directions. Learn how your body position and technique affect the movement.
Put it into practice: recognize the grab your partner gives you, work through your response, and move away.
WEEK04
CLOSE RANGEFind room to move when you’re held.
Practice responses to bear hugs and side headlocks, including holds with your arms caught or free. Work on your base and close-range strikes.
Put it into practice: a partner holds you from a changing direction; you find your footing, respond, and work toward disengaging.
WEEK05
GETTING UPPractice getting back to your feet.
Learn to protect your head, move and create distance from your back, and stand up. Work on defenses and escapes when someone is on top of you.
Put it into practice: start on the ground, protect, make space, and work your way back up so you can move away.
WEEK06
PUT IT TOGETHERChoose a response as the situation changes.
Return to the skills from weeks one through five. In controlled scenarios, practice responding to a shove, grab, strike, or someone who backs off when you set a boundary.
Put it into practice: recognize what’s happening, use the skills you’ve practiced, disengage, and look for an exit.
The purpose behind every drill
The goal is simple:
create space to get away.
A place to begin
Come as a beginner.
- You’ve never taken a self-defense class. Start with stance, movement, and boundaries.
- You’ve taken a class and want more practice. Build on the basics over 12 sessions.
- You want to feel more capable in everyday life. Work on using your voice, creating distance, and choosing a response.
You can start where you are.
- No previous training needed.
- No partner to bring. You’ll be paired in class.
- Drills start slowly. You control your pace.
- You don’t have to explain your reasons for being here.
Your instructor
Train with
Jen Gearheart.
Jen teaches practical self-defense with an emphasis on understanding the movement, then practicing it. She’ll take you through the basics and help you connect them as the course progresses.
2nd-degree Krav Maga black belt · 15 years teaching private and group classes
Your October course
One payment.
Twelve classes to build on.
Your $309 USD registration covers the full beginner course with Jen, from your first class on October 20 through the final class on December 1.
- 12 one-hour, in-person classes at Wildland CrossFit.
- A maximum of 20 participants in this group.
- Partner practice throughout the course, progressing from basic movements to controlled scenarios.
| Week | Tuesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | No class Thanksgiving | |
| Final | — |
Every class meets from 6:30–7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The Thursday, November 26 class moves to Tuesday, December 1 for Thanksgiving.
Print the course details or add all 12 classes to your calendar →6-week beginner self-defense course
$309 USD
One payment for all 12 classes.
- DatesOctober 20–December 1, 2026
- TimeTuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Pacific. No class November 26; final class December 1.
- LocationWildland CrossFit
164 E Hanley Ave
Dalton Gardens, ID 83815 - Group sizeMaximum 20 participants
You’ll continue to checkout to pay for the full course.
Before you start
A few practical answers.
Is this for a complete beginner?
Yes. The course begins with awareness, boundaries, stance, and movement. You’ll practice the basics before adding more complex drills.
What if I’m nervous or out of practice?
You can begin with the basics and work at your own pace. Drills start slowly. You don’t need previous martial arts experience to join.
Do I need to bring a partner?
No. You’ll be paired with someone in class for partner practice.
Is $309 the price for the whole course?
Yes. It is a single $309 USD payment for all 12 classes, October 20–December 1, 2026.
Is there class on Thanksgiving?
No. Tuesday, November 24 stays on the schedule. The Thursday, November 26 class moves to Tuesday, December 1, from 6:30–7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. View the full schedule and calendar download.
We start October 20, 2026
Give yourself a place to start—and twelve classes to practice.
Join Jen at Wildland CrossFit. Learn the basics, put them into motion, and build your experience one class at a time.
Reserve my spot$309 USD total · Maximum 20 participants · No experience needed