Statewide Self-Defense Initiative: 3 Exciting Expansion Plans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rockville, MD, July 29, 2026. Maryland Systema announced a statewide self-defense initiative to expand access to adult training through additional class locations, introductory workshops, private lessons, and programs hosted by community organizations.

The organization currently offers regular group classes in Rockville and Takoma Park. Its next phase of planning focuses on Baltimore, Columbia, and an additional area of Rockville.

Facilities, opening dates, and schedules for the proposed locations remain under evaluation. Maryland Systema will announce those details as arrangements are confirmed.

The statewide self-defense initiative builds on instruction in awareness, breathing, movement, balance, controlled partner contact, and responsible decision-making. The expansion aims to give more adults opportunities to begin training without previous martial arts experience or a long-term membership commitment.

Statewide Self-Defense Initiative Addresses Barriers to Training

Adults often need to fit self-defense instruction around work, family responsibilities, transportation, and changing schedules. A distant location or an unsuitable class time can prevent an interested beginner from attending.

Maryland Systema plans to address these barriers through several participation options:

Regular group classes
Introductory workshops
Community-hosted training
Workplace and organizational programs
Small-group instruction
Private lessons
Programs adjusted to specific adult groups

Offering different formats gives prospective students more ways to participate. Someone seeking regular practice can attend group classes, while an organization can arrange an introductory workshop for its adult members or employees.

The statewide self-defense initiative also emphasizes a manageable starting point. Beginners learn the purpose of an exercise, understand its boundaries, and gain familiarity before working with greater resistance or uncertainty.

“Our goal is to give more adults access to practical self-defense training without requiring a long-term contract or a large financial commitment,” said Jim Eglin, founder and Chief Instructor of Maryland Systema. “The planned locations in Baltimore, Columbia, and Rockville will allow us to serve more communities while maintaining a careful, progressive approach to instruction.”

3 Expansion Plans for the Statewide Self-Defense Initiative

The statewide self-defense initiative identifies three proposed expansion areas. Each remains in the planning stage, with facilities and opening dates still to be confirmed.

1. Baltimore: Extending Access to Adult Training

Maryland Systema is evaluating opportunities to provide adult instruction in Baltimore.

A Baltimore location would extend the organization’s geographic reach and give adults another option for training closer to home or work. Planning includes identifying suitable space and establishing arrangements that support supervised movement and partner exercises.

Space matters because participants need room to move, change direction, and work with controlled contact. The suitability of a facility also depends on the planned activities, group size, and instructor supervision.

Community organizations and facilities interested in hosting Baltimore instruction can contact Maryland Systema to discuss available space and potential arrangements.

2. Columbia: Exploring Opportunities in Howard County

Columbia is the second proposed expansion area.

The planned expansion would provide another training option for adults in Howard County and surrounding communities. Maryland Systema is considering how a suitable location can support introductory instruction and continued practice for participants with different experience levels.

An introductory workshop provides one way for adults to experience the teaching approach. Regular classes offer opportunities to revisit exercises, receive feedback, and work with changing training partners over time.

Facility details, schedules, and participation arrangements will be announced once confirmed.

3. Rockville: Evaluating an Additional Location

Maryland Systema is also evaluating another Rockville location.

The organization already serves adults in Rockville through its existing group training. An additional location would offer another option for participants whose schedules or travel needs differ from the current arrangement.

The proposed site remains under evaluation. Prospective students should use the current class listings when planning attendance and contact Maryland Systema for updates about future locations.

Together, these three expansion plans support the statewide self-defense initiative’s goal of reaching more adults through accessible instruction.

Awareness Comes Before Physical Contact

The statewide self-defense initiative emphasizes awareness and early decisions as central parts of personal safety.

A developing problem can involve someone moving too close, ignoring a stated boundary, blocking a path, or continuing an argument after another person tries to leave.

Students practice observing behavior while remaining aware of their surroundings. Training considers:

Distance and positioning
Posture and movement
Hand placement
Changes in tone or behavior
Nearby people
Obstacles and restricted spaces
Available exits
Personal breathing and tension

No single gesture establishes someone’s intentions. Students learn to consider behavior, context, and changes in the situation together.

For example, someone standing nearby presents a different positioning problem when an exit remains open than when that person blocks the only available route out.

The purpose of these exercises is to help adults recognize developing problems and act while useful options remain available.

Communication, Boundaries, and Positioning

Clear communication forms another part of the statewide self-defense initiative.

Students explore how to state a limit while maintaining balance, observing the other person, and preserving space to move. A short, direct statement gives the other person clear information about an unwanted action.

A verbal boundary does not guarantee cooperation. Training therefore considers how positioning and movement support the response when someone ignores that boundary.

Participants practice adjusting their position, avoiding unnecessary crowding, and maintaining access to an exit. They also consider when leaving or seeking assistance provides a useful next step.

These exercises connect speaking with observation. Students work on communicating without becoming so focused on their words that they stop noticing hands, distance, or surrounding movement.

The goal is to support clear decisions as circumstances change.

Movement for Changing Pressure and Direction

Physical encounters involve changes in pressure, distance, direction, and footing. Maryland Systema introduces these variables through supervised exercises.

Someone being pushed can lose balance by becoming rigid or leaning too far against the pressure. A person responding to a grab can become focused on the gripping hand and overlook opportunities to change position.

Students explore these problems through breathing, movement, structure, and relaxation.

Depending on participant readiness and the purpose of the class, instruction includes:

Movement during pushing, pulling, and crowding
Responses to grabs and restraint
Breathing during effort and controlled contact
Controlled striking and managing impact
Ground movement and returning to the feet
Awareness involving weapons
Movement around more than one person
Protecting another person
Adjusting physical responses as circumstances change

The statewide self-defense initiative extends this approach to additional training opportunities. Exercises emphasize maintaining balance, preserving mobility, and recognizing opportunities to disengage.

Controlled Partner Work Builds Understanding

Partner exercises allow students to experience timing, weight, resistance, and changing direction.

An instructor can explain balance, while a partner provides direct feedback about what happens when pressure arrives from a different angle. Students then have an opportunity to notice their reactions and make adjustments under supervision.

Beginners first learn the exercise’s purpose and safety limits. Instructors adjust speed, resistance, contact, and complexity according to participant readiness.

Common habits explored during training include:

Holding the breath
Raising the shoulders
Tightening the jaw
Becoming rigid
Leaning beyond a stable position
Reaching without moving the feet
Fixating on one hand or one person
Applying strength without considering pressure direction
Stopping after the first contact

Students practice recognizing these reactions early enough to change them.

Progress depends on communication and control. Greater intensity serves a learning purpose when participants continue working within the exercise’s agreed limits.

What Adult Beginners Can Expect

Maryland Systema provides instruction for adults aged 18 and older.

You do not need previous martial arts experience, exceptional strength, or advanced athletic ability to begin. Exercises introduce the training principles at a manageable pace.

Before participating, you should understand what you are practicing, what contact is involved, and when to stop. You can ask questions, request an explanation, or pause when something becomes unclear.

Comfortable clothing that allows movement is appropriate. No uniform or specialized equipment is required.

Your first group class is free. It gives you an opportunity to experience the instruction, meet the instructor, and decide whether the approach fits your goals.

The statewide self-defense initiative aims to bring these same introductory opportunities to more adults as expansion arrangements move forward.

Adjusting Instruction to Individual Needs

Adults arrive with different movement histories, fitness levels, injuries, and comfort with physical contact.

Maryland Systema adjusts exercises by changing speed, range of motion, resistance, duration, and contact. A beginner learning to maintain balance during gentle pressure works at a level appropriate to that task.

Participants should tell the instructor about injuries, mobility restrictions, and other concerns before training begins. Anyone can request less resistance or stop an exercise.

Clear communication also helps partners work together. Explaining that a movement feels uncomfortable gives the instructor information needed to change the exercise.

These adjustments preserve the learning purpose while accounting for different starting points. Students can revisit the same principle through different movements or levels of pressure as their understanding develops.

Current Classes in Rockville and Takoma Park

Adults interested in training can begin at Maryland Systema’s existing locations while the proposed expansion develops.

Current training locations include:

Woodley Gardens Park, 900 Nelson Street, Rockville
Dance Exchange, Studio 3, 7117 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park

Maryland Systema offers adult instruction for beginners and students with previous training experience. Its website confirms the free first group class and participation without contracts, uniforms, or required equipment purchases. marylandsystema.com

Visit the Maryland Systema training schedule for current dates and attendance details. You can also review the class locations before planning your visit.

Information about Baltimore, Columbia, and the additional Rockville location will be announced separately as arrangements are confirmed.

Community Workshops Support the Statewide Self-Defense Initiative

The statewide self-defense initiative also includes opportunities for organizations to host adult personal-safety instruction.

Maryland Systema is available to discuss programs with community centers, fitness facilities, colleges, workplaces, nonprofit organizations, and professional associations.

Workshop planning considers:

Available space
Group size
Time available
Participant experience
Mobility restrictions
Desired level of contact
Organizational needs and policies
Specific personal-safety concerns

A workshop introduces selected subjects through explanation and supervised practice. Depending on the group’s needs, those subjects include awareness, boundaries, positioning, breathing, and movement.

The instructor and host establish a clear scope before the program. This helps participants understand what the workshop covers and how they will take part.

A single workshop provides an introduction. Continued practice gives participants more opportunities to revisit the material, ask questions, and work with changing conditions.

A Preparedness Resource for Workshop Hosts

Organizations considering personal-safety education can also review Ready.gov’s emergency planning guidance for businesses.

The resource covers emergency response, crisis communication, business continuity, and technology recovery. It explains how advance planning supports prompt communication and response during an emergency.

For a prospective workshop host, this guidance provides a resource for reviewing broader organizational procedures alongside staff education.

Maryland Systema’s workshops address adult personal-safety skills. Host organizations also need clear reporting procedures, emergency contacts, and instructions suited to their facilities.

Discussing these arrangements during workshop planning helps establish how the instruction fits the organization’s needs.

Flexible Ways to Participate

The statewide self-defense initiative brings together several ways for adults to begin or continue training.

Group classes provide opportunities to work with different partners and receive instructor feedback. Workshops introduce selected subjects within an agreed timeframe. Private lessons provide individual attention for specific goals or scheduling needs.

Maryland Systema offers group training without a long-term contract, and the first group class is free.

Private lessons take place at a Maryland Systema training location, the client’s location, or another suitable space in the Washington, DC–Baltimore region, subject to arrangements.

Adults interested in training can use the Maryland Systema contact page to ask about current classes, private instruction, or future locations.

Organizations and facilities can use the same page to discuss workshop needs or potential hosting opportunities.

About Maryland Systema

Maryland Systema provides adult self-defense training based on awareness, breathing, movement, balance, controlled contact, and responsible decision-making.

Founder and Chief Instructor Jim Eglin began training in Systema in 2013 and earned his Full Systema Instructor Certification in 2019. He renewed his certification in 2022 and 2024.

His broader training includes more than five years of Krav Maga through Krav Maga Worldwide, Krav Maga Global, and Krav OZ. He has also trained in Judo, Knight Jiu-Jitsu®, and boxing with three-time WBA middleweight champion William Joppy.

The organization currently serves adults in Rockville and Takoma Park. Through its statewide self-defense initiative, Maryland Systema plans to extend access through additional locations, workshops, and community-hosted instruction.

Press Contact

Jim Eglin
Founder and Chief Instructor
Maryland Systema
301-326-9146
jim@marylandsystema.com
MarylandSystema.com