When Aniket first walked into a special school to conduct a self-defence session, he admits he was nervous.
“I knew martial arts. I knew discipline.
But I didn’t know how to teach it here.”
The girls stood in front of him quietly. Some avoided eye contact. Some laughed nervously. Some didn’t seem to be listening at all.
Aniket remembers thinking, How will this work?
The first few sessions were awkward. Instructions had to be repeated. Movements had to be slowed down. Progress was invisible.
And then one day, something small happened.
A girl who never spoke above a whisper raised her hand and said, “Sir, again.”
Not because she hadn’t understood — but because she wanted to practice.
That’s when Aniket realised this wasn’t about techniques.
It was about trust.
He began changing the way he taught.
Less commands.
More demonstrations.
More waiting.
More patience.
Self-defence drills became stories.
A wrist hold became a game.
A stance became a moment of confidence.
Yes, he got slapped a few times during practice.
“Yes,” he laughs, “but every slap meant she believed she had the right to defend herself.”
Today, Aniket trains many students outside S4UA.
But he says the sessions he never misses are the ones in special schools.
“These girls didn’t just learn self-defence,” he says.
“They taught me how to be a better coach — and honestly, a better human.”
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