About Us at PlayItSafeDefense.

Tracie Alexander Arlington.

Owner and Master Instructor

In 2003 Tracie Arlington, a mother of two and a black belt in Taekwondo realized there was a need for self defense training for women and children that were not in the martial arts. So PlayItSafeDefense was born!

Tracie is a strong advocate of child safety and self defense training. She has been teaching self defense since 1998, and is a certified national instructor for the Women’s Self Defense Community. Tracie also sits on the Board of Directors for “Crime-Stoppers” San Diego. In 2006 USA Freestyle Martial Arts voted her Instructor of the Year. Tracie has conducted tens of thousands of classes for colleges, high schools, local businesses, mother groups, children’s camps, places of worship, community centers, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, and teen groups. She also speaks regularly to mom groups and women’s organizations throughout San Diego County on the importance of learning self defense.

Matt Arlington.

Senior Instructor

Matt is the youngest ever to have earned his black-belt at Freestyle Martial Arts. He has been a self defense instructor since 2008 and is nationally certified in children and women’s self-defense. Matt has a B.S. in Criminal Justice and is a San Diego County Sheriff Officer with Detention & Court Services. He also co-leads Certifications for Physical Education teachers. Matt’s philosophy is to empower students with awareness training so they can learn to project confidence and set boundaries.

Joel Wasserman.

Senior Instructor

US Navy Veteran with 20 years of defense experience. Applying many disciplines in hand-to-hand combat; Kenpo, Taekwondo, Muay-Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and trained weapons expert. Joel is also a high school teacher where he runs a Martial Arts Club.

Zoe Johnson.

Senior Instructor: Zoë is a masters student in marriage and family therapy and a martial artist of over 10 years. She is passionate about teaching students practical confidence and awareness skills to protect themselves emotionally and physically.

Maddi Kitts.

Senior Instructor: Maddi is a black belt in Taekwondo and was an instructor at Freestyle Martial Arts. She is a student at San Diego State Univeristy studying criminal justice and child development. Maddi says, “I love to teach because I know I’m making a positive impact!”

Cecil Duncan.

Instructor

Caleb McGrath.

Instructor

Jonathan Slonim.

Instructor: Jonathan has been working for the Sheriff’s department since 2021. He is also a graduate of the Norwich University Future Leadership Military camp. Jonathan is a senior in High School where he plays rugby. He says, “I observed the benefits of the Play It Safe program when my sister’s Girl Scout Troop took the class, so I was inspired to be an instructor.”

VIEW CLASSES