FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Miss Arkansas USA has partnered with Fayetteville Krav Maga Self-Defense to offer a free self-defense class for teachers before the new school year. Krav Maga means "contact combat" in Hebrew.
According to its website, Krav Maga "has been adopted by thousands of military and law enforcement agencies worldwide."
The class on Friday, Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. was offered to any educator who teaches Kindergarten through 12th grade.
"School safety should be a top priority, and one of those ways we can do that is by starting with our educators. It is so important to make sure we know what to do and how to react in intense situations, as well as how to best protect ourselves and our students," said Miss Arkansas USA, Mackenzie Hinderberger.
Hinderburger is a second year teacher in Farmington, and she said that during her first year in the classroom she was overwhelmed by thoughts of how to keep her students safe if the worst case scenario were to happen.
“We're in this vicious cycle of school shooting incidents” said Hinderburger. “I knew that something had to change, something needed to be done, and I wanted to feel protected as best as I could.”
Cole Saugey, owner of Fayetteville Krav Maga says Krav Maga is all about simplicity.
“It is probably most known for being simple, and practical— things that we believe you can actually apply and retain under high stress situations," said Saugey.
He asked the teachers what they would want to focus on in the lesson. They said they wanted to be shown the best way to fight off an active shooters and intruders armed with weapons.
"We're just trying to give you more tools for your toolbox as opposed to you know, grabbing a chair and swinging," Said Saugey, “I think that there's always a significant boost in confidence. And I think the way that you carry yourself when you know what you're capable can almost be a deterrent to potential threats," said Saugey.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.