Jillian Prociuk
Valerie Prociuk moved from Drayton Valley, AB, to Edmonton, AB, when she was 17. She found her passion in martial arts after her dad urged her to take self-defence lessons because he was worried about her living in a big city. She started with karate at 17, progressed to Japanese jiujitsu, and finally, judo. Over 35 years of martial arts training, Valerie has earned black belts in all three disciplines, plus a black belt in police judo (a specialized form of judo focused on self-defence for law enforcement).
She is certified through numerous coaching organizations, including the Kodokan Judo Institute, the Canadian Ninja Jiujitsu Black Belt Fellowship, the Wado Kai Karate Federation, RAD (Rape Aggression Defence) Systems, and a level two certification through the NCCP (National Canadian Coaching Program).
Although she has retired from her sensei position at the Aberdeen Judo Academy and no longer does competitions, Valerie still teaches women’s self-defence classes for the City of Kamloops Parks and Recreation program, as she has for the last 10 years. Her decades of formal experience have allowed her to perfect her self-defence methods and ensure the skills she’s teaching are practical and applicable to real-life scenarios.
In this interview, Valerie delves into what led her to pursue martial arts, gives some tips for those looking to start learning martial arts, and discusses what parts of self defence are essential to stay safe.
Valerie Prociuk, Personal Archive
Prociuk, V (2024, November 7th) Journalism 2060 Podcast [Personal communication]