PDR Self Defence Classes in Manchester | SPEAR System

"I have done 6 years of martial arts (4 Kung Fu and 2 Jeet Kune Do) and so I was somewhat sceptical that I could learn anything useful from this session. How wrong I was. Colin almost immediately showed that technique is all very well but really what protects us is our attitude to self defence, as well as some basic techniques. This was a superb day’s training which has given me far more confidence in being able to handle a possible situation than all the years training I did before. Colin was very engaging, always interesting and interested and he really developed a superb rapport with all of us on the course. I honestly went away enthused for what I had learnt and eager to do more. I was particularly impressed at the way he got into our minds and showed that good self-defence is as much to do with how we think as what we do. As a Psychologist that was of particular interest to me. A really well-crafted, engaging and enthralling course that I would encourage anyone to go on."

Capt(rtd) Ben O'Leary-Amponsah

“Colin kindly ran a taster PDR Personal Safety / Self Defence training session for a group of young women aged 12-15yrs we work regularly with. We were highly impressed with the way he prepared for the session with the youth workers and the way he worked with the girls on the evening. He was fully aware of and compliant with the Safeguarding and Health and Safety requirements of work with young people, he established a great rapport with the girls, putting them at their ease and creating an environment where they felt comfortable to have a go at simple but effective self defence moves and to learn. Colin was concerned to work with the subject of younger girls' personal safety in a way that fitted in with the work we were doing, and to do so in a non-sensationalist way. Not only would we highly recommend Colin, we hope to work with him again in the future.”

Helen Gatenby, M13 Youth Project

"Whilst I have attended only a handful of Spear classes, the skills I have learnt in those classes I feel are invaluable. I have been fortunate enough to never have been in a situation where I have had to defend myself but understand the importance of being able to protect yourself from physical attacks. I feel more confident in my own capabilities to defend myself from a would-be attacker, but not just that I was taught the mentality of how to not look like an easy victim. Whilst the classes were always taken seriously the drills we were taught were always fun and enjoyable to participate in."

Siobhan Campbell

"I found the way that PDR deals with the mental aspect of confrontation to be a real confidence builder. I’ve attended other self defence classes in the past and found that they concentrated solely on technique and never dealt with things like giving yourself permission to fight or the body language involved in confrontation."

Daniel Scorah

"Knowledgeable Coach, excellent value, teaches vital real life skills. Do it!"

Jon Hares

"Completing this course and knowing, I can not only protect myself but that I also have the skills, tools and confidence to stay safe, is a wonderful feeling."

Joanne Buckley

"You’ll be surprised how much you can do, and how effective you can be without being very strong."

Paul Drane

"This course is absolutely life changing. The concepts taught on the PDR course are transferable to all aspects of life, not just self defence situations. The coaches were extremely knowledgeable and patient. They did a fantastic job of explaining the drills as well as the concepts behind them in a concise and comprehensive manner."

Olly Goddard

"Gives you much more confidence and increases awareness of street scenarios."

Tim Lynes

"The best thing about the SPEAR system is its simplicity, you can go from a total novice to learning some worthwhile & practical techniques in the space of an hour."

Paul Ramage

"Very easy to understand. Really worth attending."

David Owen

"For people with low confidence or deep set-in-their-ways fears (like I had) PDR can have a genuinely astounding effect. If someone said to me ‘would you like the chance to be able to walk into town at night again without crippling fear of being attacked?’ I’d do it in a heartbeat – and I did! And it worked! How awesome is that? 🙂 "

Andy Talbot Smith

"I feel more confident now that I could handle a violent situation. I would strongly recommend this seminar."

Richard Cross

"What I enjoyed most about the PDR classes was its simplicity. Gone are the endless kicks, punches, counters and blocks found in other martial arts which you had to memorise, replaced by instinctive, natural and realistic ways to defend yourself. Whether you want to defend yourself and your family, or are a police officer who wants to stay safe, or even a martial artist who wants to improve their self defence skills, I would recommend PDR classes to anyone."

Andy Wolstenholme

"The Manchester PDR team are all committed CrossFit athletes and exceptional coaches, they bring a level of understanding of functional human movement and coaching principles that is rare and refreshing within the self defence community. Being dedicated parents they have a keen insight into what motivates ordinary people to ensure the safety of their family and themselves by training in this great system and truly understand how to invoke the indignation and self belief that will help see the ordinary person through conflict and danger."

Karl Stone

"I found both Karl and Colin to be very friendly, and both serious about wanting to educate individuals in functional self protection skills. If you live in the Manchester area, and want to improve your safety on the street, get in touch with Karl and Colin. There is no ego, everyone is equal, and you will find them both knowledgeable and friendly."

Keith Butchard

"The guys at PDR Manchester are friendly and welcoming. Great facilities and atmosphere. Attend the PDR courses for a practical streetwise system that to coin a phrase is 'a bridge to your next move'. Whatever your background there is something for you!"

AJ

"Even after a few hours of training I feel a lot more confident in my ability to defend myself should the need arise!"

Tommy Nolan

The content, theory and practice was outstanding! It’s one of the most engaging and transferable courses I’ve done. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and also learnt a great deal throughout the practical and theory based sessions. I know that the course you have both coached today will be spoken about for many weeks to come!

Gary Butterfield

I attended the Personal Defence Readiness Seminar in December 2011 when I was six months pregnant. I was a little anxious beforehand at how physical it would be, but the instructors were very clear that I didn’t have to take part in any of the practical drills that I felt uncomfortable doing. The instructors kept a close eye on me throughout the course, and some drills that were not suitable for me to try were adapted so that I could at least have some idea of what I could do in any given situation. Even though I didn’t carry out some of the practical parts of the day, all the drills that were demonstrated were clearly explained so I feel confident that I didn’t miss out on any key information. Overall, it was a really enjoyable course and I would recommend it to anyone – pregnant or not!

Jennie Gladwin

"The course is very helpful and Colin is an excellent coach."

Sue Pamp

"It has greatly increased my confidence. I was nervous but Colin was an excellent tutor and made everyone feel at ease. I never would have dreamed in a million years that myself and girls would willingly participate in this, so I'm extremely proud of us. It could have been very scary, tackling a man, in that intimidating suit and in front of an audience as well, but Colin made everyone feel at ease. I think the class was very empowering too. Thank you."

Linda Kennedy

"The PDR course changed me quite a lot, I stopped feeling like a potential victim of crime every time I passed a group of lads in the street. Even though they were probably very nice guys in the majority of case it can be intimidating if you are on your own!"

Jean Taylor

"A great session, Colin engaged and involved everyone demonstrating simple yet effective self-defence moves. Colin has a great manner and delivers the sessions with humour whilst getting serious points across with plenty of time for practice. Highly recommended."

Gina Hine, Booth Homeless Centre

"Really enjoyed the course. Fantastic knowledge of how evolution has shaped our defensive instincts, and how to apply these for our safety."

Dr Ashwin Khanna

"Colin and a Dan delivered 2 self-defence sessions to a group of doctors training to be GPs. The sessions were fun, instructive and very experiential. I think it is the latter which makes it so useful. Feedback was good with attendees showing an increase in their confidence to deal with a violent situation."

Dr Simon Henshall

"We booked the PDR course through Colin to enable our volunteers who work in Manchester’s night time economy to feel safer and more confident. All attendees spoke very positively of the course. It was very useful to know what to do should we be presented with a volatile situation. I am sure that we will be using the training again in future."

Jessica White, LGBT Foundation