Growing demand for self-defence classes in Montreal, says instructor

Business is booming for self-defence teacher George Manoli.

A retired cop and two-time black belt, Manoli has been sharing his expertise for decades, helping Montrealers take safety into their own hands.

And lately, he says, demand for his self-defence courses has gone up.

"What we're seeing is a surge in the amount of people requesting private or semi-private (lessons), or groups of women getting together in order to take these sessions," he told CTV News at his Saint-Leonard studio on Sunday.

Manoli's courses are mainly geared toward women looking to defend themselves from unwanted advances.

"I think its really important because we never know when its going to happen," said Leonie Poloquin, one of Manoli's students. "We are more sensitive than ever because of social media and everything, and I feel like people are more frustrated than before."

Women sign up for a wide variety of reasons, Manoli said.

"Women who are starting to go clubbing, starting to go out, parties, whatever," he listed. "People who are selling homes on their own in the evenings, late hours, whatever. People who go on shift work."

But violence against women isn't always committed by strangers out in public -- it frequently occurs in the home.

In 2022, over a dozen Quebec women were killed in possible instances of domestic violence.

Manoli's teachings also aim to empower survivors of conjugal abuse, assault and rape.

"I think people are trying to arm themselves with more of a preventative kind of thing, and people who are survivors of attacks don't want to live or continue living with trauma, so they want to find ways to empower themselves."