Seminars & Workshops
Bring Us
to Your People.
Since 2002 we’ve delivered custom self-defense and martial arts training to universities, corporations, healthcare teams, public agencies, nonprofits, high schools, and martial arts schools — from a dozen participants to three hundred at once. Your group, your venue, your curriculum.
24
Years Delivering Seminars
300
Largest Single Group
20+
Institutional Clients
1
Published Author on Staff
CT
& Beyond — We Travel
Why organizations hire MSDC
A canned presentation is worse than nothing.
You’ve probably seen the standard version: someone shows up, runs a fear-based slideshow, teaches a palm strike to a hundred people who never touch a pad, and leaves. Attendance was good. Nothing changed.
We do the opposite. Every seminar we run is built from a conversation about who your people are, what they actually face, and what constraints your venue and schedule impose. A nursing team, a sorority, a corporate risk department, and a room of black belts need four different sessions — and they get them.
The instructional design isn’t a marketing word here. Chris Martell holds an MS.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction with a specialization in Learning Design and Technology from Purdue, and he built his teaching practice on it. That’s the difference between a group that had an interesting afternoon and a group that retains something.
And critically: we don’t fear-sell. Training that leaves people anxious and hypervigilant is a bad outcome, even if it gets great evaluation scores in the moment. We aim for competence and calm.
“He designed and taught the self-defense course for Wesleyan University’s Athletics Department for several years — as their only non-faculty instructor.”
From the MSDC record
Formats
Four shapes this usually takes.
All four are custom-built. These are starting points, not a menu you have to order from.
60–120 minutes
The Awareness Workshop
Personal safety, situational awareness, boundary-setting, de-escalation, and a small number of high-value physical skills that survive stress. The right choice for large groups, orientation programming, wellness weeks, and staff development days.
- Works with 15 to 300 participants
- Minimal space and no equipment required
- Highest-value option per dollar for a general audience
Half day or full day
The Skills Intensive
Real hands-on time with pads and partners. Participants leave with a small, memorable set of physical skills they’ve actually performed under mild pressure — strikes, escapes from grabs and holds, and getting back to your feet.
- Best at 12–40 participants
- Needs open floor space; mats helpful but not required
- Can be gender-specific or occupation-specific by request
Multi-session
The Course
Four to twelve sessions delivered on a schedule, with a real curriculum arc, homework, and measurable progression. This is what Wesleyan Athletics ran. It’s the format that produces durable capability rather than a good memory.
- Universities, corporate wellness programs, and agencies
- Can be credit-bearing or non-credit
- Optional pre/post assessment for reporting to stakeholders
For Martial Arts Schools
2–6 hours
The Technical Seminar
For schools, clubs, and academies who want a credentialed outside instructor for their members. Deep technical work in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (gi or no-gi), Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga, Filipino weapons, or a specific problem your students keep hitting.
- Open to all affiliations, ranks, and experience levels
- Host earns from registrations; we’ll help you structure it
- We’ve done this for schools in CT, VA, FL, and at national camps
Who this is for
Audiences we build for regularly.
Universities & Schools
Athletics departments, wellness and health-promotion offices, Greek life, residential life, student organizations, honor societies, and independent secondary schools. Orientation, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, wellness weeks, and semester-long courses.
Corporate & Professional
Employee wellness programming, team offsites, travel-safety training for staff who go on the road, and department-level safety sessions. Delivered at your office, at an offsite, or at our location.
Healthcare & Social Services
Nurses, ER and behavioral health staff, home health aides, social workers, and case managers — occupational training for people whose job puts them within arm’s reach of unpredictable behavior, with an emphasis on de-escalation and low-liability physical options.
Public Agencies & Nonprofits
Municipal staff, libraries and public-facing service desks, community organizations, youth programs, and charity fundraising events. We’ve taught for the Community Renewal Team and young-professional organizations across the state.
Martial Arts Schools
Guest instruction for your student body in an art you don’t teach, or a technical deep dive in one you do. All affiliations welcome. Past hosts include schools in Middletown, Cromwell, Wallingford, and Glastonbury, plus Fairfax VA and Naples FL.
Private Groups & Events
Kids headed off to college, wellness clubs, fitness gyms, libraries. These are consistently among the most fun sessions we run, and people leave having genuinely learned something. From living rooms to rec centers to backyards, we go where our audience is.
Track record
A partial list of places we’ve taught.
Every organization on this list did due diligence before letting us in front of their people. You’re welcome to ask for references.
Higher education & schools
- Wesleyan University Athletics
- Wesleyan University Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club
- UConn Krav Maga Self-Defense Club
- WesWell — Wesleyan University Wellness Office
- Trinity College
- Southern Connecticut State University
- University of Saint Joseph
- Mitchell College
- Suffield Academy
- South Windsor High School — National Honor Society
Organizations & martial arts schools
- Community Renewal Team, Inc.
- HYPE — Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs
- International Modern Arnis Federation — Annual Modern Arnis Camp (featured guest instructor, 2011)
- Middletown Kenpo Karate Studio — Middletown, CT
- Cromwell Martial Arts — Cromwell, CT
- Baran’s Kenpo Karate — Wallingford, CT
- Giroux Brothers Martial Arts — Glastonbury, CT
- Institute of Martial Arts — Wallingford, CT
- Silverback Academy — Fairfax, VA
- Lewis Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — Naples, FL
We also host.
Since 2002, MSDC has brought nationally and internationally recognized instructors to central Connecticut for public seminars — open to all affiliations and experience levels. If you’re a school owner or event organizer, we’re happy to talk about co-hosting.
- Roy Harris — 7th degree BJJ black belt
- Roy Dean — 4th Degree BJJ black belt
- Dr. Mark Cheng — functional movement and kettlebell expert
- Jason Lambert — UFC veteran, WEC champion
- Mang Romy Macapagal — Kalis Ilustrisimo
- Armando Basulto — Boxe Française Savate
- Sayoc Kali, Aikido, Wing Chun, and other experiences to enhance our students’ training
And we’ve been covered.
Our instruction has appeared on the front page of the Sunday Middletown Press, on the NBC Connecticut evening news, and twice on the ABC News homepage. Chris Martell is the author of Knack Self-Defense for Women, available in bookstores nationally.
How booking works
From inquiry to delivered session.
Most organizations go from first contact to a signed proposal in under a week. We’re used to working with procurement, risk offices, and student activities budgets.
You send the form
Tell us about the audience, the venue, and roughly what you have in mind. Two minutes.
We talk — 20 minutes
A short call or email exchange to understand who’s in the room and what would count as success for you.
You get a written proposal
Session outline, duration, participant cap, venue needs, flat all-in price, and any documentation. No hidden fees.
We deliver
We arrive early, set up, and run it. You get a post-session summary and, if desired, practice materials your participants can keep.
Optional follow-up
Repeat sessions, a multi-session course, private lessons for individuals who want to go further, or online course access for your group.
Host a seminar or workshop
Tell us about your group.
Fill this out and you’ll get a real reply from a real instructor, usually within one business day — not a brochure and not a sales sequence. If we’re not the right fit for your audience, we’ll say so and point you somewhere better.
Organizer questions
Logistics, answered.
What does a seminar cost?
Pricing starts at $120 per hour in central Connecticut and is quoted flat, all-in, based on audience size, duration, venue, travel, and how much custom curriculum development the session requires. You get one number with no surprises. Nonprofit and educational rates are available — tell us your budget range on the form and we’ll be straight with you about what’s feasible.
How far will you travel?
We teach throughout Connecticut as a matter of routine, regularly across New England, and we travel nationally — past seminars include Fairfax, Virginia and Naples, Florida. Travel is included in the flat quote so there’s nothing to reconcile afterward.
What do we need to provide?
Usually an open room where people can move around freely. Mats are helpful for anything involving the ground but not required otherwise. We bring our own training equipment. For groups over about 100 we’ll want a microphone. Full requirements come with your proposal.
Do you provide waivers?
Absolutely. We provide participant waiver documentation and can customize it if needed. Let us know and we’ll provide a draft along with the proposal so your risk or legal office can review before you commit. This is a routine part of our process — we’ve been through it with universities and public agencies many times.
Can the session be women-only, or restricted to a specific group?
Absolutely, and it’s common. We regularly deliver women-only programming, staff-only sessions, and sessions restricted by role or department. Chris Martell is the author of Knack Self-Defense for Women and has designed women’s self-defense curricula for university wellness offices for over twenty years. While self-defense is for everyone, sometimes the goal of an event is to target the needs of a specific group, and we’re happy to oblige.
Can participants with injuries or limited mobility take part?
Yes. Tell us in advance what to expect and we’ll build in scaled options so nobody has to sit out or announce their limitation to the room. Our instructor is Level 2 certified in the Functional Movement Screen, and happy to make activity substitutions and other accommodations at any time.
We’re a martial arts school. How does hosting work?
We offer a choice between a fixed rate (where you collect the registration revenue and keep the profits) or a revenue split event in which you have a guaranteed share. Once you tell us your preference, we work together to set a rate and a registration price, you promote it to your members and the local community while we co-promote to our audience and give you some extra exposure. We’ll help you set the price, write the promotion, and open it to other affiliations if you want a bigger turnout. We’ve been on both sides of this arrangement for over twenty years.
Your people deserve better
than a slideshow.
Tell us who’s in the room. We’ll build something they’ll remember and actually use.