START: Skills for Threat Awareness and Risk Reduction Training

william demuth
2 days ago
2 min read

Practical self-defense and safety for everyday people

START, short for Skills for Threat Awareness and Risk Reduction Training, is CVPSD’s practical safety and self-defense program that teaches everyday people to spot danger sooner, set clear boundaries, make fast decisions under stress, and break contact to get to safety. It is built for real life, not sport.

START: Skills for Threat Awareness and Risk Reduction Training

Make safer choices sooner. Act with confidence when it counts.

Why START

Simple skills that hold up under stress
Works for all ages and fitness levels
Research-informed, trauma-aware, and scenario-based

What You Will Learn

Threat awareness: pre-incident indicators, environmental scanning, common setup patterns
Boundaries and voice: stance, space, tone, and effective language that deters escalation
Decisions under pressure: clear go or no-go heuristics you can remember fast
Practical self-defense: gross-motor tactics to disrupt, escape, and get to safety
After-action steps: what to do next, documentation, resources, and support

Who It Is For

Schools, colleges, and youth programs
Workplaces and frontline teams
Healthcare, social services, real estate, retail
Community groups and families
Anyone who wants a practical, judgment-free start

Format and Availability

Delivery options: 2-hour seminar, half-day workshop, full-day intensive, or multi-week series
Instruction: Live on-site or virtual, with scenario labs and take-home reference materials
Customization: Sector-specific modules, policy alignment, and site-specific risk considerations

START meets people where they are, We remove the complexity, keep what works, and build skills that are easy to learn, easy to remember, and easy to use when it counts.

Outcomes You Can Expect

Earlier recognition of risk and unsafe approaches
Stronger verbal boundaries and de-escalation results
Faster, clearer decisions when stressed
Simple tactics to break contact and exit
A shared safety language for teams and families

Bring START To Your Group

Center for Violence Prevention and Self-Defense (CVPSD)Email: cvpsd@cvpsd.org

Phone: 732-598-7811

Book a date. Protect your people. Build everyday readiness.

Online Violence Prevention and Defensive Tactics Training Brought To You By Generous Supporters

The Center for Violence Prevention and Self-Defense Training (CVPSD) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to research and providing evidence-based training in violence prevention and self-defense.

Through a combination of online and in-person training, workshops, and seminars, CVPSD provides practical self-defense skills, violence prevention strategies, risk assessment tools, and guidance on setting personal and relationship boundaries.