There is another important reason to find a class. A class taught by an instructor, certified by his/her agency or the manufacturer of the OC you plan to carry, is also documentation you can use if you end up in court. You may have to explain to a judge why you chose to use OC, or why, based upon your knowledge of its limitations, you chose not to. Take a camera to the class, have someone get a good pic of you after you get hit. You may want to be able to document OC's effects on you, particularly if you have to explain why you used as much force as you did on someone trying to use OC on you.