Students can learn to fight off attackers without stepping outside the safety of their homes.
Jason Herrera, UF advertising senior, launched the first interactive online self-defense school in early January.
"I wanted to find a way to make a self-defense system available to everyone regardless of schedule and financial limitations," Herrera said.
He teaches martial arts through the Close Quarter Defense Tactics system, a reality-based system in which real-life scenarios are used to train students how to defend themselves.
When students sign up, they receive the first month free. Tuition is $24 a month. Generally, people pay between $150 and $200 for a martial arts class.
Every week, two one-hour classes are recorded. Students can have a say in what they learn by suggesting specific street scenarios, which are incorporated into the week's curriculum.
Students have the ability to network with other students, creating a support system within the school.
"I want to able to teach anybody and everybody who wanted to learn self-defense how to defend themselves and their loved ones," Herrera said.
For eight years, he has been under the instruction of Grandmaster Pedro Rodriguez, founder of the CQDT system.
Rodriguez opened his first martial arts school 15 years ago in Virginia. With time, he strayed to a more "modern as opposed to traditional" system in martial arts, Rodriguez said.
Rather than using scare tactics to attract students, Herrera is taking on another approach.
"Jason makes the class interesting, not monotonous," said Dorene Gerena, a UF graduate and one of Herrera's students. "You learn something new all the time, and it really is something you can always use."
At 22, Herrera has developed the business plans, marketing and advertising campaigns and laid out the format for the online school. He is also funding the project himself.
"The hardest part about this project has been building something unique that I'm passionate about, while still focusing on college, family and being a 22-year-old at the same time," Herrera said.
