RI Self-Defense Center offering free teen workshop next week

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Mike Orsini fell in love with martial arts as a child, watching “The Karate Kid” and joining the R.I. Self-Defense Center system when he just 9 years old.

“Fortunately, I joined a good karate school, and I’ve been here ever since,” Orsini said.

Now Orsini, who heads up the business at 515 Greenville Ave., continues to pay it forward after decades of determination and training.

“My instructor retired about 11 years ago, and I took over the system and all the operations here,” he said. “So [my focus is on] giving back and being able to take a kid who’s been bullied, who’s insecure, who hasn’t found himself, who’s just awkward, and develop them turn them into a good person to defend themselves.”

Orsini is hosting an open house and teen self-defense seminar next Thursday, Aug. 8., aimed at helping children who want to learn how to protect themselves in various situations.

Orsini told the Sun Rise during an interview at the center on Tuesday morning that the event will consist of team demonstrations starting at 6:45 p.m. and running for about 30 minutes. The self-defense workshop will run afterward, followed by a meet-and-greet with hot dogs and an opportunity for attendees to ask any questions that may be on their minds.

Orsini said the workshop itself will be multi-faceted, showing teens how to handle themselves in bullying situations. He said that he encounters plenty of teens who think they’re “too old” for martial arts, but he hopes this program will help them realize there is no such thing.

“This is going to be how to recognize it, how to stop it dead in its tracks verbally, how to, if need be, how to maintain your boundaries and, if need be, how to actually defend yourself effectively, fast and efficiently,” he said.

Orsini also teased that there will be some work in edged weapon defense, namely how to fend off a knife attack. He said the concept is to get the teens engaged and showcasing how they would protect themselves in such a confrontation.

“Most people need to know how to defend against a knife – at least know how to get away,” he said. “Odds are if someone puts a knife on you, you can’t get away, you’re going to get cut. There’s no ninja moves about it. You’re going to get cut. So what we try to teach here is how to minimize that damage as much as possible to get it away from your vitals and pin up and hopefully subdue it.”

Orsini offered his insight into the most crucial aspects of self-defense, and he said it all begins with proper preparation and being able to preempt one’s attacker. He said that people must be aware and “put forth a strong-looking, confident demeanor” to establish a belief in oneself.

He added that the first step should be to predict, then try to avoid conflict. If that doesn’t suit the situation, he said people should have a plan in place if it comes to self-defense. Learning a block or a face cage maneuver can make all the difference.

“That’s the biggest thing, honestly. If you portray that energy like you believe in yourself, that you have self-worth, then you’re much more likely to actually defend that self-worth than just be a pushover,” he said. “That goes for bullying, that goes for street safety, street self-defense. If you don’t believe in yourself, then you have nothing to actually stand up for.”

Orsini said he loves that he is able to give back to the community, helping those who have been bullied or are insecure find their self-confidence. He even gets to share his life work with his 7-year-old son, Mikey, who three years ago started his training.

Mikey will be like just like his other students, who have been fed through the R.I. Self-Defense Center into careers as police officers, nurses, doctors, teachers and more. He hopes to influence some more kids during next week’s workshop at 6:30 p.m.

“I’ve had students who’ve come to us with no self-esteem, just lost, and we put them on a path and a direction, and to have that influence to actually be able to mold them, that’s what it’s all about, man,” Orsini said. “I like to feel that I had a part of that. We all had a part of that, all the instructors collectively. We’re a family here.”

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