INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– Demand for self-defense classes are on the rise and experts point to rising violence across the nation as the reason.

”It’s a scary world and it’s nice to know how to defend yourself,” said Bud Lich, Owner of The Shooting Institute.

Self-defense classes are in high-demand across central Indiana with experts pointing to rising violence as the reason why.

“It doesn’t take much to get people mad while driving their car, on the street,” Lich said.

That’s why the Central Indiana Police Foundation is offering classes to protect students while also giving back to local police departments.

“To me, it’s a win-win,” said Lisa Rollings, Executive Director of the Central Indiana Police Foundation. “We’re educating young people on how to stay safe and raising money for injured officers or those injured in the line of duty and their families.”

The foundation teamed up with Lich to teach teens the importance of awareness and basic self-defense moves. “Most people, the energy they’d spend screaming and running, they could get away if they had a little bit of knowledge to know what to do,” Lich said.

While this training is important for everyone, Lich says this is especially true important for college bound teens. “That’s usually the first chance they’re away from parents, maybe in another state and in an unfamiliar area,” Lich said. “It’s a great idea to have some knowledge on self-defense and what to do.”

“They don’t really think something is ever going to happen to them,” Rollings said. “We want to teach them to be smart, aware and protect themselves or at least escape so they’ll be safe ultimately.”

The next class is this Saturday at 10 a.m. at Westfield Middle School. The following class is Monday, July 25th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Plainfield High School Gym. The classes are $75 per person. To sign up, click here.