On this page you can find information about our upcoming events and classes, and how to book them.
We welcome queers of all abilities at our beginners classes, particularly those who don’t feel at home in mainstream gyms. We don’t tolerate transphobia, fatphobia, ableism, racism or fascism. NO COPS IN OUR CLASSES.
Every week we reserve free spaces for people on a low income, transwomen/transfems people and QTBIPOC. So if this is you, and you can’t get (or afford) a ticket, message @bender_defenders_ on instagram or email at the.bender.defenders@gmail.com. We’ll sort you.
For regular updates about our classes, sign up to our mailing list.
| What | When | Where | Book tickets/more info |
| Beginners and intermediate muay thai | Saturdays, 3pm | St Margaret’s House, Bethnal Green Sometimes we have to change the time or location of this class – keep your eye out for emails with updates | Book here |
| Beginners and intermediate muay thai Last Tuesday of every month is a sparring class. If you want to spar you must have a gum shield. | Tuesdays, 7pm | Dalston – more info on booking | Book here |
| Karate for beginners | Currently on hold: watch this space | Check Outsavvy for exact dates and times of the class | Book here |
Lots of people are very nervous about coming to their first Bender Defenders class. The best advice we can give you is to take a deep breath and come! You’re more than welcome to bring a friend, and lots of people come on their own too.
This is a playful environment where queer and trans people come to train, make friends, have fun and explore their own strength through martial arts and partner work.
You will learn strikes, movements and defences and have a lot of fun hitting things, doing group challenges and playing games. We have two levels for each sport – beginners will learn stance, movement and basic strikes and intermediate people will do more drills and combinations.
Come as you are – you don’t need to be ‘good at it’ or ‘be fit’. We understand everyone has their own relationships with bodies and exercise and these can often bring up complicated feelings from peoples past experiences.
We encourage you to listen to your bodies, take breaks when you need it and try not to compare yourself to anyone else. You are not going to be the only one struggling with something! Many feel that way.
Your best will always be enough. We appreciate that sometimes just turning up is an achievement (we’ve all been there).
Please remember that it is okay and normal to find exercise challenging, it doesn’t mean you’re ‘bad at it’. It usually just means you’re pushing yourself or going out of your comfort zone. Be gentle with yourself when things feel difficult and only push yourself within your window of tolerance (we do not make assumptions about what that looks like because it is different for everyone).
If you are struggling with something, give the coach a wave and let them know. We will suggest modifications or find another way to explain the movements to you.
CAN I ATTEND A SELF-DEFENCE TRAINING, OR HIRE YOU TO RUN ONE?
We provide on-demand self-defence workshops for queer and trans community groups.
We approach self-defence from a compassionate, trauma-informed and community-led perspective. We teach participants simple, effective strategies for using physical force to keep themselves safe. We use physical movement as a way to release anxiety, anger and fear and to help participants connect with their bodies and their power. We believe that queer and trans people already have a wide range of self-defence skills to draw upon, and we encourage participants to collaborate with trainers in sharing these skills, enabling them to feel more confident and empowered when they use them. We also take a holistic view of self-defence, remembering that keeping people safe means more than avoiding danger in the moment – it means creating community systems to heal from the harm hate crime causes in the long term.
Our workshops are 2 hours long. In this time, you will learn about the legal meaning of self-defence, the importance and power of de-escalation,and some physical self defence techniques you can use, from experienced and knowledgeable queers. Email the.bender.defenders@gmail.com to enquire. And if you want self defence training, you should definitely come to our classes!!
benderdefenders.com 