Hannah Licul
Royal Australian Air Force
I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested. The thing that made it stand out for me is how realistic it was. Everything taught had a purpose and made you think about how you would use it in real-time scenarios. This meant that we were able to focus on the important things to remember and allowed more time to perfect what you would do instinctively if you were put in a compromising situation.
I was surprised at how easy it was to perform the moves and how little force I needed to achieve my objective. This is proved to each student during the workshop with awesome instructor to student ratios which meant heaps of practice and feedback. You could see the confidence in each participant increasing during the workshop. The atmosphere of the workshop was also memorable, as it was light and enjoyable with lots of laughs, but able to come back to the serious topics when needed.
I had fun and walked out with some invaluable skills and info which I am very grateful for.
Erin Burrows
Charles Sturt University Graduate 2017
The REL Self Defence program is a wonderful and empowering self-defence course that encourages both men and women to consider issues of safety across a range of scenarios. With a focus on defence against domestic and personal violence, the course clarifies the importance of self-defence training, and the necessity of being aware of your surroundings and actions.
I had the opportunity to participate in a six week intensive REL course organised by David Bardos, and the advice and defence techniques he taught are still clear and memorable. Armd Riverina conducts self-defence that, unlike other martial arts, is deigned to be used and remembered in crisis situations. Its focus on using leverage rather than pure strength enabled me – a young, petite woman – to easily flip, roll and escape from stronger opponents. The movements are simple and straightforward and have strong focus on basics which can be learnt within a few hours. These features make the course an empowering form of self-defence as it is usable, learnable and memorable.
While learning self-defence is also very fun and enjoyable, David Bardos reminds participants of the circumstance and importance of the skills being developed. David Bardos encourages participants to ask questions throughout the course, and makes the program both educational and worthwhile.
I would recommend this program to any young person who was moving out of home, going to university, travelling, or wanting to develop self-defence skills. David Bardos is a skilled instructor, allowing participants to practice multiple times until they feel comfortable with the movement.
The REL program is a challenging self-defence course that situates self-defence in real life situations, and empowers individuals through training in memorable techniques that can be employed across multiple scenarios.
Jasmine Phillips
Rotary Exchange Student / High School Student
I was 15 when I started doing self-defence classes with David. I am a Rotary Exchange student and my mum decided that this would be a good idea to do some classes before I left for Taiwan. Boy was she right, I’m very physically fit, but I didn’t realise how vulnerable I could be to an attack or bullying situation. This is a class that teaches you things that you can apply to the real world not just in class. The atmosphere is great. Everyone is encouraging, upbeat, and excited to be there. The class is also adaptable to everyone. Each person can find movements that work for them and ways to utilize their strengths and discover and improve their weaknesses. We learn real world practical self-defence and after just the first month I already feel more confident because I am able to protect myself a bit more. I think that everyone should have the experience of taking this class.
Training in this class with David has been a life changing experience. It blows my mind all of the situations that could have arisen for which I would have had no response. Why guess how you’d react if you were attacked or had to defend yourself? Get a solid plan. From the first day of class I found that I carried myself differently. I thank you David for giving me the confidence in knowing the starting steps in protecting myself and I can’t wait to keep going with the course when I return from Taiwan. See you in January 2019!
Vickie van Heuzen
Business Development Manager – PRD Nationwide Real Estate
I felt empowered after the workshop and it has really taught me to be aware of my surroundings. Having such a professional team instruct me on the tips and techniques of how to defend myself if needed has given me added confidence, and this workshop is something all females should attend
Corinne Edis
Mother – Wagga Wagga
A lot of the self-defence taught was easy to pick up and was very practical. I was able to perform the basic techniques in less than 2 seconds! I also loved the concept of being able to control the situation without using strength or force whether standing or on the ground. The class was fun and exciting but most importantly, I learned a lot!
Wendy Penton
ESOL teacher – TAFE NSW (Wagga)
At the beginning of 2017 Tafe NSW in Wagga created a youth class due to an influx of young people arriving from Iraq. To assimilate them into a community activity and to also develop their English, David Bardos was asked to run a self-defence and personal safety course for this group. David was assisted by an interpreter and an ESOL (English as a Second Language) Teacher.
The course was so fulfilling for these young people. Their development of English increased dramatically. They had an awareness of their community and had so much fun along the way.
David’s presentation to these students every week was so interesting and meaningful. They learnt a lot of strategies for self-preservation as well as feeling very confident in their abilities. The activities were very engaging and meaningful.
Every student gave very positive feedback about the sessions. This was a very worthwhile experience. The students’ level of English exceeded beyond all expectations and the growth of self-confidence was amazing to watch. I would thoroughly recommend David and the program.
Debra Bell
Coaching Training Development People WORX
I cannot speak highly enough of the value that this workshop provided for this group of women. We were provided with a great range of strategies as to what we can do, including verbal and physical tactics, if confronted by unsolicited attention.
The amazing element of this program was the format with which it was presented. The structure allowed participants ranging in age from 18 to 67 years of age, to engage with activities and the information presented due to its currency and pertinence. Feedback from every participant was extremely positive, indicating that they believed that they would be confident to apply the range of strategies practiced during the session.
Thank you to David Bardos and his support team.
Caitlin Langley
Student – Charles Sturt University
Armd’s REL Program was delivered in a manner that is easy to understand, practical, and comprehensive. I left feeling a greater sense of self-awareness as well as feeling confident in my abilities to identify and avoid risks as well as how to effectively defend myself.
