Suits & Sneakers presents: "What do you do if you're attacked" with Mark Grobbelaar

Suits & Sneakers hosts weekly events in Joburg, each featuring a different guest and theme. The idea is to create a space for ongoing learning that helps you broaden your thinking in a fast-changing world.

We’ve hosted this particular event twice before, but given what has happened in Ekurhuleni over the past few weeks, we’ve decided to bring Mark Grobbelaar back and run it again. We are not pretending for a second that an event like this is the solution to gender-based violence in South Africa. But we’ve been asking ourselves what we can actually do as a community, and one of those things is giving as many ordinary people as possible access to something we’ve now seen first-hand and believe is incredibly useful.

WHAT IS THIS EVENT ALL ABOUT?

Most of us would have absolutely no idea what to do if we were suddenly attacked. Even people who have taken a self-defence class may struggle to remember what they were taught when they’re terrified and under enormous pressure. The alternative is spending years learning how to fight properly, which almost none of us are ever going to do.

So what the hell are the rest of us supposed to do? Mark Grobbelaar calls it “The Niche Between Ninja and Nothing”, and he has spent more than two decades trying to figure out what belongs in that gap. Ironically, Mark is probably much closer to the ninja end of the spectrum. He’s a 6th Dan karate master who has spent more than 45 years studying martial arts. But what he teaches at this event isn’t about turning ordinary people into martial artists.

It’s about simplifying personal protection down to a small number of things that you might actually be able to remember and use when you’re scared and everything is happening quickly. A big part of that is recognising dangerous situations early enough to avoid them or get out of them altogether. And if a situation does become physical, Mark teaches simple principles designed to help create an opportunity to escape.

We’ve watched Mark present this session twice before this year and there is something quite remarkable about what happens in the room. He has an incredible ability to take something that can feel frightening and complicated and make it practical, memorable and genuinely empowering for both men and women. That’s why we’re doing it again.

The Big Break!

We are taking this session a step further than a keynote standard presentation. To permanently anchor this new mindset, the evening concludes with a hands-on, experiential breakthrough activity where attendees will have the opportunity to physically break a wooden board. This specific exercise is designed to shatter internal mental blocks, instantly proving to you that you possess far more strength and capability than you ever realised. You will walk out of the room completely INpowered.

To ensure this vital training is accessible to everyone, we are making the first few hundred tickets completely free of charge. Once the complimentary allocation is exhausted, a standard ticket fee will apply for the remaining seats. Secure your spot immediately to claim your free pass and join us for a powerful evening of growth.

MORE ABOUT MARK GROBBELAAR

Mark Grobbelaar is the founder of INpowered and one of South Africa’s most respected human protection practitioners. A 6th Dan karate master with over 40 years of experience, Mark completely re-evaluated his life’s work following the horrific attack on his close friend, Alison Botha. Realising she had been trapped in a crisis without knowing her tactical options, he dedicated his life to creating a simplified system that works for everyday people.

Through his corporate programs and workshops, Mark has empowered more than 16,000 South Africans. Known for his intensely pragmatic approach, his ongoing mission is to eliminate vulnerability by giving ordinary citizens the practical tools to navigate extraordinary circumstances.

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

This Suits & Sneakers event is proudly brought to you by EasyEquities, Evolv Outdoor, SA Future Trust, and the many small business owners that are Suits & Sneakers members. Together, we have created a support structure for small business owners and our collective goal is to grow the economy, while lowering unemployment. More about that on the night.