$300 4-week course

Classes are held one night a week for two hours, over the course of four weeks.

EMPOWER.

BUILD.

DEFEND.

Smart Defense for Men is a self-defense education and training program designed to increase bystander awareness and teach intervention techniques. Guided by trained professionals, Smart Defense for Men combines three martial arts—Krav Maga, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu—for a strength-based approach that educates and empowers men with the tools to protect their lives and families, to build stronger and safer communities, and to end the cycle of abuse.

All skill levels welcome.

For more details, please contact us at smartdefense@elizabethsmartfoundation.org

For more details, please contact us.

Email Us

Meet Our Trainers

Instructor Marcus Johnson

Lead Male Instructor and Co-Director, Smart Defense for Men

Blackbelt, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

NRA Certified Pistol Instructor

Marcus has been a student of self-defense and a practitioner of martial arts for well over a dozen years, beginning with Hapkido and then Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. For the last three years, he has been the lead male instructor for Smart Defense, working with hundreds of women to teach them self-defense and situational awareness. He has also worked with one of Utah’s largest security firms as a member of their Executive Protection team, providing personal security for high-value individuals and local business owners.

Marcus Johnson

  • Lead Male Instructor and Co-Director, Smart Defense for Men

    Blackbelt, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

    NRA Certified Pistol Instructor

    Marcus has been a student of self-defense and a practitioner of martial arts for well over a dozen years, beginning with Hapkido and then Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. For the last three years, he has been the lead male instructor for Smart Defense, working with hundreds of women to teach them self-defense and situational awareness. He has also worked with one of Utah’s largest security firms as a member of their Executive Protection team, providing personal security for high-value individuals and local business owners.

Co-Director, Smart Defense for Men

Co-Founder, Men’s Anti-Violence Network (MAN) of Utah

Marty has been an anti-violence educator and trainer for over 25 years. His professional career has focused primarily in engaging with colleges and universities around the U.S., while also providing programming in the public and private sectors. He provides in-depth and interactive presentations with specific expertise in interpersonal violence prevention and intervention. His unique style fuses humor and direct engagement to inform, guide, and support audiences into reflective critical thinking and active personal growth.

Marty Liccardo

  • Co-Director, Smart Defense for Men

    Co-Founder, Men’s Anti-Violence Network (MAN) of Utah

    Marty has been an anti-violence educator and trainer for over 25 years. His professional career has focused primarily in engaging with colleges and universities around the U.S., while also providing programming in the public and private sectors. He provides in-depth and interactive presentations with specific expertise in interpersonal violence prevention and intervention. His unique style fuses humor and direct engagement to inform, guide, and support audiences into reflective critical thinking and active personal growth.