With a 20-year background in martial arts and a foundation in the Cy-Fair community, Robert Webre launched Silverback Self Defense in 2016 to equip locals with the tools to defend themselves.
The business—which falls under the umbrella of 15-year-old Cypress Martial Arts & Fitness—was designed for corporate and specialty group seminars.
Webre said he customizes each seminar based on the needs of the clients. After the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, he held a free active shooter training session for educators.
“You see all the things on the news, and you watch how fast a situation changes from everyday normal to needing to defend yourself really, really quickly,” he said. “You want to be aware and prepared so if something does happen, you’re able to automatically switch gears, deal with the situation and have a good thought process going on while you do.”
Other seminars include parking lot safety, carjacking avoidance, kidnapping scenarios, anti-bullying and firearm training. Webre said in any given week, he could work with groups of preschool moms, teenage girls planning for college, real estate agents, private school students and concealed carriers.
“We spend the majority of the time in our seminars talking about how to be aware and how not to become a victim,” Webre said. “And then we say, ‘OK, worst-case scenario, you are a victim. What do you do, and how do you defend yourself?’”
Webre said he implements diverse techniques such as jiujitsu, taekwondo, kickboxing and krav maga.
He puts clients in realistic situations to best prepare them to respond to threats. In a kidnapping scenario, he said he might lock individuals in the trunk of their cars to teach them how to properly escape.
The business also offers a range of personal protection items, such as pepper spray, stun guns and drink test kits, and teaches clients how to safely use them.
“It’s better to know what we teach and not need it than to need what we teach and not know it,” he said.
11688 Barker Cypress Road, Ste. B-1, Cypress
713-894-6105
www.silverback-selfdefense.com
Hours: vary by appointment
