Walsall business owner Heather Bird is a trainer in first aid, health and safety, safeguarding and mental health first.  However she believes that these skill sets in life and business would not have kept her and her daughter safe on holiday.

Heather trains regularly with Walsall self defence club Sparta Krav Maga and here is her story:

"We are on our second day of our holiday.  I never thought I would need to use my self defence training at the hotel.

My daughter and I decided to go up to the top floor to watch the sun set.  On the way down to our corridor we were followed by a man, clearly drunk, who appeared out of nowhere.

I felt someone was behind me.  I looked around and he was just there.  I had no idea where he came from  and he was pushing his body into mine.  I felt really uncomfortable.  The teaching from Sparta Krav Maga soon kicked in.

As I was with my daughter I felt something wasn`t right and I wanted him to go away.  I quickly made distance.  I told him nicely at first to leave us alone.  This was clearly not working  and I told him to go away again with my hands up just as I had learned in class.  

However, after telling him to go away about 5 times and to leave my daughter and I alone he was still there.  He then started to come towards my daughter and I in a threatening manner.  We were under attack.  I am a mother.  I had to protect my daughter.  

My training at Sparta Krav Maga kicked in and I reacted as I had been trained with an educational front kick.  My attacker stumbled back and nearly fell over.  My tactics had worked because I had created distance between us.  

However he came at us again and this time he was even more aggressive.  Although I was scared for my sake and that of my daughter my training overode all of my fears.  I reacted just as I had been trained at Sparta Krav Maga and he then ran away leaving us alone.  

I was concerned that he would know which room we were in so waited until he had gone before going into our room and locking the door.  If I didn`t know self defence and attended the special ladies only classes I would have clammed up and panicked.  I shudder to think what could have happened to my daughter.  My training helped me to remain calm under pressure and I knew what to do when attacked.  When he came at me a second time I used the tools for self defence that I had learned in class.  

I would recommend to any lady to learn self defence because you never know when it will be needed.  I was in a hotel on holiday.  I was with my daughter.  You really never know what`s around the corner.  You have to be ready to defend your family".

Sparta Krav Maga are running their Ladies ONLY Self Defence Stay Away Workshop on Saturday 22nd June 12 - 3pm.  This programme tackles the issues of differences between the attacker and the woman and focuses on women`s size, strength and mental condition while under attack.

"The Stay Away programme offers a number of different options" said Paul O`Connor who runs Sparta Krav Maga in Walsall.  "Most women value their financial security and tend to put their family first.  There is no greater gift a woman can give to herself and her family than the gift of safety. "

Additional issues included in the Sparta Krav maga programme include home invasion, protecting your children and using common objects (eg keys and handbags0 to block the assailant and counterattack.  

Further information:

www.spartakm.co.uk