By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Impact Martial Arts will be hosting its fourth Bully Defense Class in Clanton at the YMCA of Chilton County starting on May 7.

This 12-week program will meet every Tuesday at 5:45 p.m.

Students will learn how to combat verbal and physical bullying.

“Being a victim of bullying myself growing up, I understand the emotional toll it can put on a young person,” Sean Gilham of Impact Martial Arts said. “If not educated properly on how to deal with bullying (such as resilience), it can continue to carry on into adulthood. We see the effect bullying can have on a person and a community, so our goal is to educate, inspire and empower the community.”

The program focuses on helping students become “emotionally strong … socially friendly … and confident through learning self-defense techniques and understanding different physical confrontation scenarios,” Gilham said.

Gilham said the response from students and parents has been positive in past years.

He said some have commented on “seeing a change in behavior such as communication between child and parent, grades get better, understanding different situations and being resilient and handling the situation properly.”

Registration is required and can be completed at ClantonMartialArts.com/bullydefense. Cost for the program is $50 for a limited time with the regular price being $100.