The light atmosphere of the class lends itself well to the subject matter, but the serious undertones do not go unnoticed. The popularity of these classes is growing despite a decrease this year in the number of reported crimes. Carmine Prestia of the State College Police Department said the number of reported crimes has decreased over the past years. But a false perception that crime is on the increase exists, and may be the reason for a general increased interest in personal defense, he said.
People are more worried about violent crime and are taking measures to defend themselves.
People are becoming more and more aware of the fact that this is a type of training that they should have. Sweeney said self-defense is important to both men and women. There's situations you can get into even though you are a guy. But you do also have to deal with the physical aspect of self-defense. Of course, a bad situation can't always be prevented.