MINDSET / Participant experiences

Self-Defence Training Testimonials

Read feedback from people and organisations who have attended MINDSET self-defence workshops, Adelaide classes and one-to-one training. Experiences include women’s workshops, community groups, education providers and workplace teams. Testimonials retain their original locations and historical context.

Featured experiences

Sarah was an excellent instructor. She was well spoken and clear. In all fairness I commend her even more for putting up with our group. What appealed more to me personally was seeing how much energy she could put out – which gave myself the confidence ‘if she can do it I can do it’. The class was fun, I learnt a lot. I also love how she laughed along side our group. Sara didn’t sugar coat situation; she was very direct. The way she also included herself in some of our activities was also great as it added that extra element of surprise for the people she joined in with. Would highly recommend her to any groups and would love for her to come back to teach us more.

Lilli Vea, Graeme Dingle Foundation

I work for a not-for-profit and assist persons who are marginalised in our society because of their sexuality, immigration status, or both. Finding a trainer that would welcome us and treat everyone with respect was my priority, and Charlie did not let us down. He was friendly, respectful, and we all felt comfortable to learn from him. The workshop was highly informative and dynamic, and every participant were excited about what they learned from him.

Lucas Lopes Rodrigues, BiCultural Peer Worker, STTARS (Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service - Adelaide)

I just completed a two day course with Sarah, Carrie and Mandy. They were so welcoming, non judgemental and cater to every ability and confidence levels in the class. What they taught was eye opening, using common real life scenarios that could happen and what you can do to get out of them. They do not sugar coat things either, be prepared to get physical and mentally challenged - this is great for practising for real life scenario. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I will definitely be back! It was a challenging fun two days. Thank you guys!

Meizi Ho

More participant experiences

Testimonials describe participants’ experiences at the time. Current training arrangements, availability and pricing may differ.

Thoroughly enjoyed the workshop! I learnt so much, even in just 2 day. This is because all participants was very engaged and worked hard, and most of all because Charlie is a great instructor! It is hard work, but definitely worth it. I would recommend this to all my friends, and bring as many as I can to next year workshop . Cheers to Forsyth Barr Stadium for providing the venue, and an immense thank you to Charlie and the beautiful women at the Dunedin workshop.

Maddalena Fumagalli

Great classes, awesome tutor, highly recommended for all wanting some self defence techniques.

Jaz Hunter

Fantastic workshop. Really felt empowered at the end of it with the knowledge that should the worst happened, I have at least a fighting chance to get away. Thank you Charlie, you're doing awesome work.

Marie Ilian

Essential life skills training suitable for women of all ages. Really enjoyable with a serious focus. I highly recommend Charlie

Nicki Fussell

Thank you so much Charlie for giving us your time and knowledge, and Mateja and Susan for organising this! This workshop is definitely one of the most informative and physically/mentally challenging days I've experienced and I thoroughly recommend it to every woman who gets a chance to participate - don't be shy! My arms are already bruising and I lost a fair bit of hair but it was a lot of fun, despite the grim situations we were training for. Thanks again.

Lily Warren

Ladies you MUST do this womens self defence class if you get the chance. It could potentially even save your life one day. Thank you so much Charlie for the Chch workshop this weekend, I just can't thank you enough for the skills you have taught me. Very professional. I'm actually looking forward to refreshing my skills next time! My body is quite sore today but it was TOTALLY 100% worth it!! Please don't stop giving ladies the skills to help protect themselves, you are doing wonderful inspiring things.

Whitney Power

We learnt so much and had fun at the same time at the Christchurch workshop this weekend. If you've ever wanted to do a self defence class then do this one! Charlie's a fantastic instructor, easy to learn, practical and you'll come away with so much confidence in your ability to protect yourself. Thanks again Charlie!

Sarah Broughton

Thanks again Chae…really appreciated your workshop – especially in the type of work we do! I liked the interactive style of teaching and feel as though I’ve picked up some key self-defence skills. I would highly recommend this to others!...Chae – that was amazing, not only did I manage to get a workout in for the day but I learnt some very valuable skills to keep in my kete – as we never know when we will need this. I feel a lot more confident in myself to be able to keep myself protected, as you said it's all about attitude...Chae you shared some useful tips to help us remember what to do ie check your phone etc I found this fun and easy to remember...Chae you were real, no sugar coating – straight to the point and professional, I loved how you knew background to the social sector that personified the experience and held value to what we do in our communities when working with the most vulnerable

ATWC (The Anglican Trust for Women & Children) Staff Members

Attended 2 day workshop at Massey. I believe everyone can take a good piece from this course - it's fun, it's honestly practical. Had peace of mind at the end of the session. Many thanks to Charlie

Linna Lu

Huge thanks to Charlie and Massey uni, I am still suffering from the muscle pains but it was one of the most valuable workshops ever. Everything was totally new to me and I wouldn't have come up with those self-protecting ideas if I didn't join this workshop. Also thanks to the highly motivated ladies who partnered up had extra aggressive practices with me

Haruka Yonezawa Paul

I highly recommend going but if you are not committed to doing the two days in a row .. don't bother ... you miss out on way too much if you do not follow through .. day one is awesome, tough and painful .... day two much the same but I learnt more on day two than I ever thought .... I love my battle tattoos as they remind me of what I have learnt (Sundays tattoos are much more cooler than Saturdays ones ) I know now I can get out of a situation if need be ... Thank you Charlie for giving up your precious time to teach us, and being approachable to re show us when we just cant get it and definitely Huge Thanks to Massey Uni totally amazing to give the space for us woman to learn something so important. I feel so much more confident .. I look forward to get more battle tattoos in the future on my refresher.

Angela Barnes

Went to the self-defence course run by Charlie over the weekend at Massey University. An absolutely fantastic course! Charlie is a great teacher, and imparted much knowledge on how to deal with a variety of situations. I liked how physical it was, because I felt it helped me remember the techniques better. I would definitely recommend the course, and think that every woman would benefit from Charlie's knowledge.

Cheri Kennedy

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