SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Would you be able to react if someone attacked you, trying to steal your car?

A group of people in Springfield learned some potentially life-saving skills today.

A self-defense seminar hosted by martial arts businesses in Springfield taught those who attended how to defend themselves in different scenarios, like when someone is trying to steal their car or even kidnap them.

Attendees also learned how to throw punches and how to act if someone comes at them with a weapon.

Heather Moore attended the class with her daughter, who is a freshman in college.

Moore said she wants to make sure her daughter knows what to do in case of an attack.

“I think that this is something that you need to do long term though, and repetitively, to get really good at it,” Moore said.

“You want to have some kind of plan thought out ahead of time,” Kevin Williams with Dunham’s Martial Arts said. “If this happens, I’ve done this, I’ve trained this, these are the possibilities, this is what I want to try and do so it kinda puts you ahead of the game and in a much better position than going it blind, essentially.”

Williams said his best piece of advice is to always be aware of your surroundings and to be prepared with a plan in case the worst happens.