It's not often that two work colleagues meet in the dojo instead of by the water cooler.
But that is exactly what happened when the Evening News' Francis Redwood and Ella Wilkinson squared up to test a popular self-defence class for themselves.
Here, Francis talks us through top tips from the martial arts experts and why the class is so essential.
I've watched countless martial arts films but I never thought I'd be the bad guy being the one on the receiving end of various punches and kicks.
But that's exactly what happened on Wednesday night when Ella and I went to try our hand at Choi Kwang Do.
The practice is located at The Phoenix Centre, in Mile Cross Road, and run by the mother/son combo of Rebecca Green and Michael Lovett.
Rebecca, 45, who lives in Gypsy Lane, said: "Everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to look after themselves.
"In this day and age if you can give people a little bit of knowledge on how to defend themselves and stop them getting really hurt I think that's great.
"While we teach the traditional martial arts we also incorporate how to protect yourself against bat and knife attacks - something that is unfortunately getting more common.
"The first thing we teach everyone when doing this is that if you can run, you run - you don't ever get into a fight unnecessarily.
"But if someone finds themselves in such a situation where running isn't possible, we're hoping what we teach will give someone that knowledge in order to be able to get away."
My colleague Ella - who seemed to be having far too much fun taking me down - said: "I often feel vulnerable when I'm alone in the city - especially at night.
"So it's a relief that I have learned these techniques on how to defend myself if something does happen.
"It's also a good way to blow off some steam and have some fun."
Michael Lovett, 27, added: "We've always taught how to defend against knife crime.
"These techniques are now more important than ever and we hope our classes will give people a better chance to defend themselves."
Where do martial arts originate from?
There are roughly 170 different martial arts - stemming from a number of disciplines - originating from corners across the world.
Choi Kwang Do, which is taught by Rebecca and Michael, is a variation on taekwondo which originated from South Korea.
Jiu jitsu first originated in Japan around the 17th century and later spawned a number of arts like Brazilian jiu jitsu and Judo.
A more common martial art nowadays is Karate which evolved in East Asia over centuries and has four main types: Shotokan, Kyokushin, Goju-Ryu and Wado-Ryu.
Another discipline is the Chinese art of Wing Chun - which famous martial artist and actor Bruce Lee started learned when he 13 years old.
This however was also adapted by Bruce Lee himself - later developing his own art of Jeet Kune Do made famous in his films.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here