Dexter Dad Says 'Fight Like A Girl!' Class is Lifesaving Knowledge

Women can take women-only self-defense classes offered every week at Commando Krav Maga & Kitchi Tae Kwon Do in Chelsea.

Dave Quinn, of Dexter, said he registered his teenage daughter for a College Prep Self Defense 101 in April with facility owner and instructor Michael Trester, a 22-year law enforcement officer. He said his daughter has been going to the "Fight Like A Girl!" self-defense classes since then.

"The lifesaving knowledge that my daughter is getting out of this class is unbelievable," he said.

The one-hour classes are 8 p.m. Tuesdays and for females 12 years and older. Drop-ins are welcome and each session is $5. Facility owner Michael Trester said the idea for the class came from suggestions from the community.

"Women wanted to train just among themselves," he said. "It allows for a comfortable learning environment."

Trester said instructors teach techniques like awareness of surroundings and how to defend against chokes and strikes and attackers with guns or knives. Quinn said Trester covers every possible scenario, like how to defend against an attacker who has a baseball bat. 

The women-only classes attract a wide range of women including mothers with their daughters and senior citizens, Trester said.

"Normally teenage girls my age would be intimidated to go to a class that seems so intense," said Haley Quinn, 17, junior at Dexter High School.

She said the instructors make it fun and, because of her back problems caused by surgery, slow down and help her personally.

"I plan to continue it for a long time, as long as I can," she said. "I'm going to be going to college, and girls should know how to defend themselves."

Trester said women don't need to worry about lagging behind if they haven't attended a class before. Each session focuses on a technique and repetition is common.

"Immediately you’re learning something in the class that you can take with you," he said. "You don’t have to learn one [technique] to know the other."

Class participants should wear comfortable clothing and gym attire, Trester said. The weekly sessions are 8 p.m. Tuesdays at 14495 North Territorial Road under the Ugly Dog Distillery in Chelsea.

"The class eased all my fears of sending her to college," Quinn said.

He said he was impressed by his daughter's confidence and plans to sign up for a Commando Krav Maga class this summer.