July 24 – 26th, 2026 in Chicago, IL
This event is open to women, girls, cis-men, transgender and non-binary people
ages 12 and older.
All times are Central Daylight Time
Classes
Instructor Meeting
Welcome Dinner
Come together with fellow attendees for a Mediterranean buffet dinner. If you wish to attend, pre-registration is required and it will cost $25/person.
Putting Our Practice to Work
A conversation with Carmen Alonso, Diane Rosenfeld, Meg Stone and Wasentha Young, moderated by Nancy Lanoue. How are we, as martial artists, empowerment self-defense practitioners,…
Orientation
The Motion Still Water: VSK Jujitsu Seminar
This session will cover combinations, joint locks, throws, and footwork, all designed to build both technical skill and fluid movement. Emphasis will be placed on…
Bo Vs. Bo Kumite
If you have had at least a few months of training with a staff, please come learn an exciting two-person Kata. Isshin Ryu Shihan Bob Markovich,…
Applying ESD Tactics to ICE Resistance: Know your Rights, De-escalate, Resist Intimidation
As ICE and federal law enforcement agencies invade our communities, Know Your Rights trainings proliferate. Having the facts about judicial warrants, constitutional rights, and private…
Judo – The Gentle Way
This class will go over the basics of Judo. We will review the main elements in off-balancing (Kuzushi), entering (Tsukuri), the follow through (Kake), and…
Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail – An Introduction to Tai Chi
Master Young will take you through a short section of the Tai Chi Chuan form called Grasp Sparrow’s Tail, while explaining the basic body mechanics…
Self-defense From the Ground
What happens when the fight goes to the ground? What tools can we use to continue to fight back and escape? This practical self-defense class…
Push Hands – What’s it all about?
Push Hands trains the body and mind in much the same way as the Tai Chi Chuan solo form, only it is interactive. In Push…
Level Up Your Blade Defenses with Aku Strike
Realistic knife assaults happen quickly, oftentimes without sight of the blade, and developing effective defensive blade skills requires the correct tools. In this seminar, we…
Key Principles of Aikido – An Experiential Exploration
Aikido is a martial art of blending, of joining with another’s energy. Someone initiates an attack and rather than hard block and answer, the aikido…
Aligning our Martial Arts and ESD Practices with our Values
At Thousand Waves, all our programs are rooted in values I embraced in my youth and young adulthood from the feminist, LGBTQ and social justice…
Supporting Gender Diversity and Neurodiversity in Your Schools
We’ll start by explaining the degree of overlap between neurodiversity and gender diversity (spoiler alert: it’s considerable!), and why it makes sense to talk about…
The ”Ancient Eight” Special Movements – Ba Duan Jing
Ba Duan Jing or Eight Silk Brocade- is one of the oldest forms of Qigong (Energy Practice) from China. These eight gentle exercises increase blood…
Confronting the Criminalization of Women and other Marginalized People who Defend Themselves
Survivors who defend themselves are often criminalized rather than supported. How did this come to be? How does the law perpetuate the criminalization of survivors?…
Hands off!
Practical, standing self-defense techniques: Learn escapes from grabs, holds, hair pulls, and bear hugs. Practice effective techniques for breaking free from single or double-hand grabs,…
Bridging Research and Practice in Empowerment Self-Defense
We’ll start with a short overview of research on empowerment self-defense—along with insights from research on martial arts and healing arts---and discuss what about the…
Introduction to IMPACT Self-Defense
IMPACT is an empowerment self-defense system distinguished by scenarios with a defender (participant), aggressor (suited instructor), and a coach (lead instructor). During scenarios, the lead…
Please be courteous to those who are masked by offering to mask when working with them in class or in other venues.
All class times are Central Daylight Time.
If you are in another time zone, here is a handy time zone converter.