Sports360AZ
By Londun Christensen
Taekwondo master Jade Hwang led a free self-defense class at KBX Phoenix on Saturday, October 12th, recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Hwang, the first woman inducted into the Korean Martial Arts Hall of Fame, has been practicing martial arts since her parents introduced her to the sport as a child.
“I started as a kid because my parents made me,” Hwang explained.
“I wasn’t particularly strong or confident, but over time, I began to love the community aspect of it. I felt stronger and better about myself and realized how much martial arts gave me confidence and ability to defend myself.”
With 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experiencing domestic violence, Hwang and KBX Phoenix aim to empower individuals to advocate for themselves and others, cultivating a stronger and more supportive community—this month and into the future.
The event brought together attendees from various age groups, providing them with practical self-defense techniques.
“It doesn’t matter where you are in your journey, how strong you are—there is something you can do to keep yourself safer.”
Gaining confidence was a key takeaway from the workshop.
“Setting boundaries and being confident in your worth is crucial,” Hwang said.
“The more you practice standing up for yourself, the better and stronger you get at it.”
Sentient Tattoo Collective provided the wood for the board-breaking activity during the workshop.
Kate Weed, co-owner, explained the significance of their role as sponsors, aligning their values with those of KBX Phoenix.
“We believe in supporting our community, and that empowerment and authentic self-expression are important to living a happy life,” Weed said.
Weed’s exercise encouraged participants to write down what holds them back—self-doubt, fear, or negative self-talk—and symbolically break through those barriers by physically breaking a board.
“For me, it’s being small,” Weed said. “I tend to shrink myself. When I broke my board, I thought about breaking through that barrier, reclaiming my story, and owning my power.”
MMA fighter Billy Oulunvsen joined Hwang in co-teaching the class, further enhancing the event’s impact.
“It means a lot to me to express my knowledge and give people confidence,” Oulunvesen said.
“We live in a sick world nowadays, so people need to know they can put their chest up, chin up, and confidently walk around.”
Oulunvsen has been practicing martial arts his whole life and is passionate about teaching others valuable self-defense techniques.
“Learning these skills can go a long way for someone.”
The self-defense class allowed participants to leave the workshop feeling empowered and reinforced the importance of domestic violence awareness month.
“Most everybody is going to know someone who’s been affected,” Hwang said, “And what they need is to have a friend, to have support, not to be judged.”
