Local self-defense instructor David Wilson of Villari’s Studios of Self Defense in Wellington has teamed up with real world operational specialist Dr. Jeff Cantor to provide a proactive approach to children’s safety in an ever-changing world.
“As we face new challenges in our adult lives, we recognize how dangerous it is for our children growing up in a vastly different culture than we did,” Wilson said. “When we were kids, we went out after school and only came home for dinner or when the street lights came on. We climbed trees, rode our bikes to the next neighborhood, and our parents didn’t worry about where we were or what we were up to.”
But life today is different, he said. “Today we don’t like our kids going out of the court in our developments, let alone riding their bike to another neighborhood,” Wilson said. “If the truth be told, we are scared for our children each and every time they leave the house.”
Wilson said that today’s parents need to prepare their children for the worst and hope for the best.
“For nearly 30 years, I’ve trained in the martial arts, not wondering if I would have to use these skills, but when,” he said. “We train in life so that we have tools we can rely on should we have need for them. How many times did we ask ourselves in high school, ‘When will I ever use this subject in real life,’ only to one day find yourself, years later, balancing a checkbook, measuring for a recipe or helping your child with homework. It is better to have these tools and not need them than to need these skills and not have them.”
Wilson and Cantor have come up with a program to do just that.
“I’ve been receiving a number of inquiries with concern of how to train our kids for the worst — kidnapping, abduction, active shooter situations and more,” Wilson said. “The worries of a community have presented a demand for a certain type of training. I have sought out just the man for the job — an expert in the field of real-life nightmares. Dr. Jeff Cantor is a real-world kidnap and ransom response specialist, high-risk environment close quarter combat instructor, law enforcement instructor, tactical and impact weapons expert, personal security operations expert, world-renowned global security and travel security expert, professional educator, corporate trainer, published author and keynote speaker.”
Together, they will present a real world “Spy Survival Camp for Kids” on Sunday, Oct. 14 at the Villari’s Studios of Self Defense location in Wellington. Camp will start at 9 a.m. sharp and will run until 4:30 p.m.
Some of the content to be covered will be: awareness skills, active shooter survival and defense skills, basic surveillance tradecraft, trafficking awareness skills, coding and decryption, escape and evasion tactics for kidnapping, disguises and detection, defense against a knife attack, stick fighting, boxing, self-defense, teamwork and more.
As a service to the community, Wilson will also be presenting a free active shooter preparedness seminar on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in the center court of the original Wellington Mall.
Villari’s Studios of Self Defense is located at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 7, in Wellington. Call (561) 792-1100 or e-mail senseidave2005@yahoo.com to reserve your space.
