No, in fact there is no need to try to get in shape for this class. Our beginning classes involve little to no real cardiovascular stamina.  Use of your arms and your legs is certainly helpful but should that not be an option, you will still gain value in our classes.  We at GHAPPO do firmly suggest that you find a trainer and get in shape since we do believe that is important for a healthy, happy and long life.  However, our classes do NOT focus on that.  Our goal is for you to be able to protect yourselves and your cardiovascular endurance is typically not the determining factor for that objective.

No, our basic classes including: the Level 1 Empty Hand Violence Resolution Class, the Defensive Handgun Class, and the Travel Specific Awareness and Personal Protection Classes have NO prerequisites.

However…

Yes, Due to safety concerns all the rest of the classes taught at GHAPPO do have prerequisites that are strictly enforced without prior approval by the instructor.

No, it is imperative if you intend on taking a GHAPPO class, you arrive on time and that you stay for the entire class.  Arriving late or leaving early is not only disruptive to the class, but because of the serious nature of the information presented in class, it is imperative for you to be in attendance for the duration in order to understand why we are doing what we are doing and to obtain all the knowledge and skills you’ve paid for.

Yes

For all the classes we instruct, we suggest you dress in comfortable shoes & clothing that you can easily move around in and that your day will not be ruined if they become dirty or torn.  We sometimes go outside, so a hat, shades, sunglasses and sweatshirt (weather specific clothing) are a good idea.  We also suggest you bring a pen or pencil as well as something to write on.  Finally, most of our classes are long and we don’t take any long breaks.  There is a lot of information to cover in a relatively short amount of time.  Therefore, we suggest you bring plenty of water or gatorade and snack food that you can easily and quickly eat while we work (i.e.; granola bars, trail mix, fruits, etc.)

For our knife fighting classes (Knife Usage classes), we suggest you bring the knife that you would normally carry on your person.  If you don’t presently carry a knife then you can borrow one from the instructor.  In fact, after you take the course is a great time to buy your first knife because your get a better idea of what type of knife will suit your needs best.

Our Defensive Handgun and other firearms shooting classes are unique in that they require additional gun specific items including the following:

• A center fire semi-automatic or revolver handgun
• 4 Magazines
• Outside or in the waistband holster (made of firm material such as kydex to allow for a one-handed re-holster on the firing side of the body at the belt level (the location of your firearm can be altered to fit your preference after you’ve shown you’re safe with your firearm)
• A magazine carrier for at least one of your magazines (positioned on the support side of the belt
• A firm belt that will support your holster and firearm with minimal movement while drawing your firearm from the holster
• Minimum of 150 rounds of ammunition
• Electronic ear protection
• Clear eye protection
• NOTE: Instructor often has some extra gear that may be borrowed. If you are missing a specific item and don’t wish to purchase it, please speak to the instructor before class to see if he/she has gear you may borrow.

No, although we think it’s great for you to be in physical health, this class requires only that you be able to stand (at least for short periods) and have the ability to move your arms. Although, in a private class even the ability to stand and walk may not be necessary.

If you are looking to get in shape, this is not the class for that.  We believe that a fight should take no more than a few seconds to finish.

We have found most students have difficulty committing to multi-day classes.  However, in most of the classes we teach, we feel there is much to teach in order to be complete.  We try to squeeze as much as we can into our classes since we know you lead busy lives but we don’t feel it would be right to teach you only half the information and send you on your way as though you had been taught to our fullest capacity.  You will notice that we have had to break up the Empty Hand Violence Resolution Class into 3 separate classes in order to include all the information and skills that we feel are important to be exposed to.  In fact, we recommend repeating most of your courses as just one-time through would be difficult for most to retain all information and techniques taught.

Read all the information located on our website regarding the class you’ll be attending.

Get a good night sleep and drink plenty of water the night before so that you don’t get dehydrated on the day of the class.

If you are taking a firearm, you can read your gun owner’s manual.

Finally, it is imperative that you show up 15 minutes prior to class in order to sign waivers and prepare yourself mentally for the class.

Yes, you can take any of our classes as many times as you like.  In fact, if you decide to repeat any of our classes within 6 months of taking it the last time, you can take it for half price (excludes the Empty Hand Master The Skills Class).

We have many opportunities within our company, some are paid and some are unpaid positions dependent on the level of responsibility and ability.  Please feel free to contact us directly for further details.