A city centre gym is hoping to empower women through a series of free self defence workshops this weekend.
James Murphy is the founder of the Beat Box Boxing Club, which has a studio on Mount Street. The gym owner became determined to provide the community with free self defence sessions in the wake of Ashling Murphy's murder.
The fitness expert says the importance of acting out self-defence scenarios helps women out in the event of a worst case scenario. Self defence advice online doesn't adequately prepare people for what they could be coming up against, he argues.
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James told Dublin Live: "Self defence advice online focuses on punches and the elbows. They're not very useful to the average person because you need the confidence and the ability to be able to act out these things. We sit people down and go through handouts with them."
All attendees have the opportunity to test out their techniques during the free classes. James often endures several kicks and punches during the class, as he puts himself forward as a punching bag for the exercises.
Additionally, participants will also receive training in other self defence items - including rape alarms, mace, and pens with built-in lights. These usable weapons are given a brief run through ahead of the physical training.
James believes that self-defence needs to be promoted more widely across society. People often have a false sense of security regarding how they would act in the event of an attack, which James says doesn't correlate to a real life response.
He said: "We can put our heads in the sand and say that these things don't happen. We can see from the amount of people who are killed in Ireland that attacks are on the rise- we need to empower ourselves with tools to be prepared."
He recommends that people keep up with their training after one-off classes in order to safeguard themselves in daily life. He says that women become empowered through consistent training on self-defence methods.
He said: "Any of the girls who come in and do our kick boxing classes, you will see a difference in their confidence levels. They become better and happier versions of themselves through the training."
The classes will take place from 10-11 this Saturday and Sunday in the studio on Mount Street. Attendees also have the option of purchasing boxing wraps at the gym for future training, at a cost of €10.
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