Seen At 11: Become A Lethal Weapon
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Would you know what to do if you got mugged or attacked? Statistics show every 29 seconds an assault against a woman happens.
Now, as CBS 2's Kristine Johnson reports, there's a new class that not only wants to teach you how to protect yourself but also how disable your attacker.
The training can save your life but authorities warn it can also get you in trouble with the law.
It's your average self defense class. It's literally a course on killing.
It's called Target Focus Training.
And the ultimate goal is to teach you to stop an attacker by using violent moves that can inflict injuries so severe your attacker may even die.
"Violence has been stigmatized so much in our culture for the last 20 to 30 years that the only people who have that tool available to them is the predators," Tim Larkin said.
Ex-military member Larkin founded Target Focus Training.
"As long as you can think and move we can teach anybody how to do this," Larkin said.
He said his instructors teach students to know exactly when to walk away from violence. But if they have to fight for their life, he said, they're ready.
"It's when you don't have another option, where there's no way to talk your way out of it and the person doesn't want to listen to you," instructor in training Krista Waddell said.
Whether in the suburbs or the city, a violent attack can happen anywhere at any time. A simple walk in a parking lot or jog in the park is enough to put many women on high alert. But is this kind of self defense training going too far?
"I don't like the idea of killing someone," one person said.
"If it's self defense then I think it's okay," another person said.
"I'd have no problem with that. Why not? Listen, hey you attack me I'm going to hit you right back," added another.
While Larkin said killing is never justified, sometimes it may be necessary.
"We're trying to protect you from the murders but the fact is sometimes you may have to kill a murderer and our people know exactly how to do that should it come their way," Larkin said.
Regardless of how you feel about the course, some legal experts warn if you take it you may be held liable.
"Anyone who kills someone can be in potential legal trouble, but a student of Target Focus Training may be held to a higher standard just like some members of law enforcement of the military," criminologist Casey Jordan said.
Other critics argue no matter how confident you may feel in the class panic may still prevail in the real scenario.
Target Focus Training weekend classes cost about $1,000 and are held across the country.
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