RYE, N.Y. -- Yvette Columbo remembers the first time she was punched in the face. She was 15 and she was sparring with a 24-year-old man at the Boys Club in East Harlem."I'll never forget that fight," said Columbo, a Port Chester resident. "I had a black eye, a busted lip, but I never gave up."
Many years later, Columbo has attained a fourth-degree black belt in jujitsu and runs her own martial arts center in New Rochelle. Now she will bring her expertise to the Rye YMCA, where she is holding a women's self-defense workshop Sunday. The class, which runs from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., is a one-time only event that will cover basic methods women can use to defend themselves against an assailant."I want to empower women," said Columbo. "When someone attacks you, you have to do something." Columbo said she also plans to hold another workshop around November, when a lot of young women are home from college for the holidays.The main point Columbo would like to get across to every woman is that she can fight back."If you keep it in your head that you're going to fight, you'll find that you have a lot of strength." she said. "You can take the pain."What do you think about learning how to fight back? Comment below or on Facebook.
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