Self Defence in Schools

We look at nine top tips to prepare you and your home.

Home invasion can be a very frightening and stressful event. This article provides information and guidance on how to make your house – and the action you take – home invasion resistant. Recently, I heard a fascinating interview with someone who had experienced a home invasion which resulted in a physical struggle. What was different was that this man was a high-end professional fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).  How did he fair?  Well you would think it was easy for him, wouldn’t you?

Firstly, huge respect to Anthony Smith for sharing this. It is a fantastically open, honest and humble interview.

The link for the full interview is here.  If you are pushed for time, I have broken the key parts out below. I recommend listening to the whole thing if you have time.

Before I begin, I want to be clear that the following points are not a debrief in what Anthony Smith should have done differently, or what he got wrong; hindsight is a wonderful thing. It is simply an excellent real life example that we can all learn lessons from. Here are some ideas, some of which relate to the interview others which don’t, that can help put your mind at rest.

1. Security. [Interview Time: 11m 42s – 12m 12s & 28m 05s – 28m 48s]. I often hear from people that they don’t need to do a self-protection course because they live in a really safe area and that crime is non-existent.  It doesn’t matter how safe your neighbourhood is, you MUST ALWAYS maintain your security.  It is surprising how many people don’t lock up their houses before they start relaxing. Lock your doors and windows on the ground floor or any easy access point. It is best to have one person whose responsibility it is to at least check that someone has done the job every night and before leaving the house. Of course, we all make mistakes occasionally, but most burglars and intruders are looking for is an easy target. If your house isn’t one, they’ll almost always move on to the next one. The only exception is if they are after a specific person or piece of property. If you don’t have an alarm install one and use it.

2. Plan Ahead. Pre-thinking any scenario will, lead to a better performance if, or when, it happens. Think about possible scenarios and how you would deal with them. Look for safe areas where you can barricade yourself in (see below). Think about how to escape from your house, not just from the ground floor but from upper floors too. Identify which upper floor windows are definitely not an option for escape due to height or obstacles below. Often, houses with garages can allow for egress from an upstairs window onto the garage roof. You can subsequently escape from there. Ensure that you ‘think to the finish’ [1], once out of the house where would you go from there? This may vary depending on what time it is. Rural police stations are often not occupied, even during the day. If your plan is to get to a friend’s house how will you rouse them late at night? Waiting on their doorstep for an extended period of time is the last thing you want to do, particularly if you are being pursued. Make sure that you share the plan with the other adults in the house or do the planning with them. Even those with little or no experience are valuable, as the saying goes, ‘there is no monopoly on good ideas!’ All that the planning really requires is a rigorous application of logic. The process of team planning often helps to clarify thoughts and will get greater buy-in from those it impacts. It is well worth the effort.

3. Answering the Door. Peep holes are fantastic for checking on callers before you open the door. A security chain is great for keeping people out. But even the dimmest would-be home invader will pose as a delivery person or someone in desperate need of help. Criminals have gone as far as using theatre make up to look like they have been in a vehicle collision. They ask to call an ambulance from your phone. After giving them access they steal whatever items they can conceal and then leave. In this event, even if the supposed victim looks genuinely injured, tell them you will call the ambulance for them. Then close the door and make the call. The ambulance services are more likely to know whether there is an active gang in your area. Even with a half-baked effort by the potential intruder, our confirmation bias will probably lead us to open the door. While wearing a sturdy pair of shoes, open the door a few inches but keep your foot behind the door. Look round the door and look for what their hands are doing. There have been cases of mistaken identity with acid attacks, in this case, lean back behind the door and push the door closed. If someone does try to barge their way in put your weight on the foot that is blocking the door. Ensure that you do not push your shoulder against the door; they will have a run up and your shoulder will be knocked back taking your weight off your front foot. This a particular problem if you are relatively light. Once they have bounced off on the first attempt quickly close the door and lock it. You can then brace the door with your shoulder while calling the police. Trust your instinct, if it feels wrong then it probably is. These criminals can be clever and very adept at conning their way into your house. If you are not expecting a delivery, sign the paperwork or electronic device through the gap then get them to leave parcel on the doorstep. After you have watched them leave you can retrieve your parcel.

4. Weapons. [Interview Time: 7m 01s – 8m 17s & 27m 17s – 28m 8s]. You may think that weapons are not a consideration in the UK but not only do some people own shotguns, rifles, bows and other projectile weapons but everyone has access to kitchen knives. With projectile weapons you will need to run a quick survey of the walls in your home. You don’t want to risk shooting a member of your household seeking refuge on the other side of a wall. If they are partition walls, they may not even stop a shot gun round. A single brick thickness walls will probably stop most pistol ammunition dependant on the build quality and whether the ammunition is very high power with a large calibre projectile. The main consideration with the employment of any weapon is escalation. You must be completely confident that there is no other option before employing a weapon. Never threaten an intruder with a weapon unless you intend to use it. If the weapon is taken from you in a struggle or by someone you haven’t seen, then you will reap the whirlwind of your escalation. Hesitation will only increase the chance of losing control of your asset. Furthermore, as Anthony Smith finds, when you have a weapon it takes up a valuable hand; this is a particular issue if you are trying to hold someone down. Bruce Lee asserted that if you have a weapon, you focus entirely upon the use of this one item to the sacrifice of all others. This over dependence can become a liability rather than an asset.

5. Opportune weapons. Whether you play a sport that uses and bat or stick, or you have some air-freshener or anti-perspirant to hand these can be very effective for evening up the odds. I’ll be honest, I’m more than a little sceptical about employment of opportune weapons during a physical clash which is advocated by many self-defence systems. If you are in a fight and you are distracted by looking around for something to give you momentary overmatch, then you are probably about to get knocked out. Having said that, if you are in a safe place and have time to prepare for someone breaching your defences then you have time to grab something that you can strike them with or spray in their eyes as soon as they get through the door that will briefly halt your attacker to enable you escape. It is worth mentioning that in the UK there is no such thing as a self-defence weapon; the only legal self-protection product is a rape alarm which emits a very loud tone. Pepper spray, extendable batons and stun guns[2] etc are all  illegal. If someone is in your house, you should assume they are armed with something. Always keep an eye on the intruder’s hands, are they holding a weapon, or do they have their hands in their pockets where a weapon may be? If you can’t see their hands or they have a weapon, maintain your distance. With projectile weapons get as much in the way of walls and doors between you and them as possible and escape as soon as you can.

6. Safe Areas. Avoidance of any physical engagement is of paramount importance. Physical force is unpredictable and must only be used as a last resort.  Losing can result in death or life changing injury and winning with excessive force could land you in jail. To that end, identifying a safe area in your house where harm can be prevented, and assistance can be summoned is important. Consider each room in your house and evaluate how easy it would be to barricade yourself in. Bear in mind that it may be your children or an elderly parent carrying this out so consider whether all those in your household are capable of moving the barricade you have in mind in front of the door. Try to get inside the mind of your intruder and think about the options that will be open to them. Bathrooms tend to be a good option due to generally having a lock on the door, but this will need to be reinforced with a chair or simply sitting on the floor with your feet against the door. In addition to preventing entry you must also think about escape. Ideally choose a room that has a window that you can jump from. If this is impossible, it is imperative that you can summon assistance quickly.  You may want to consider options in addition to the Police as it can take time for uniformed assistance to arrive particularly in rural areas.

 7. Mental Preparation. [Interview Time: 53s – 2m 04s & 15m 14s – 18m 00s]. One of the differences between competition fighting and reality is that you don’t have time to mentally prepare. You must prepare beforehand to be able to switch on total aggression instantly. This generally isn’t hard once you have had the time to think about it and prepare. What is difficult is to keep a lead on it and not go too far. It is also worth training under stress (or as close as you can get to it). It is well known that even trained fighters resort to very basic strikes when under the influence of the Human Stress Response otherwise known as the fight or flight response.  Bear in mind that home invaders may be on drugs and may not respond the way you expect. This is where debilitating bio-mechanical destruction may be required to finish the fight. Anthony Smith mentions that the attacker was ‘super strong’ and very resilient to Smith’s counter attacks despite Smith being a professionally trained fighter.

8. Learn Effective Self-Protection Techniques. [Interview Time: 2m 16s – 9m 00s & 26m 30s – 27m 13s]. Another major difference between competition fighting and reality is the type of techniques that are allowed. In competitions, it is better to have longer fights that give viewers more for their money, therefore all techniques that finish a fight quickly are banned. I always tell my students that if they want to know what techniques finish fights quickly, look at the list of banned techniques for the UFC for example. The other point with this is that no one wants to see competition fighters seriously injured and having to stop competing. This leads to many competition fighters training in a certain way to automatically avoid these highly effective techniques. This is their livelihood and they don’t want to get banned from competing, so it is no great surprise that’s they are drilled this way. It does mean that even when they are in their pre-fight training camp, approaching peak performance, they are on track to deal with the attacker ‘safely’. That is not to say that the attacker wasn’t badly injured by the ‘competition safe’ techniques employed by Smith. Finding that small trace of primeval fury that is in all of us and training yourself to utilise it at will can be the difference between life and death.

9. Aftermath. [Interview Time: 18m 04s – 20m 59s, 22m 03s – 25m 14s & 33m 20s – 34m 51s]. Don’t feel that you are weak afterwards. The aim of self-defence is to walk away from the contact with your life and without any life-changing injuries, physical or psychological. If you achieve that, you have won. It may not feel like it if you have been robbed or beaten up, but this remains the ultimate objective. Overthinking what happened is easy to do and what may have happened if the attacker was armed or had entered a house occupied by those less capable than you. Try not to think like this, focus on the positives and spend time preparing for the worse case in the future. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a fundamental human requirement, after the base physiological needs such as water, food and shelter have been fulfilled, is personal security.  When this is undermined, for example in the case of home invasion, most victims describe the feeling of being violated. Forceful reestablishment of security measures can provide that critical psychological safe zone from which to heal.

I have huge respect for Anthony Smith and for all that he has done here, it is never easy to relive things like this and he is confident enough to admit his mistakes, not to mention that he continues to be on track to take part in his up-coming fight. This is the mark of a true warrior.

Stay aware and stay safe people!

For more information on self-protection issues, Intelligent Self-Protection Courses and how to become an instructor in the most effective system in the world go to absolutedefence.com.

[1] Quote attributed to Field Marshal Edmund Allenby

[2] In the UK knives can be carried provided they are a non-locking pocket knife type and under 3 inches in length, however, it is illegal to use any knife in a threatening way.

School trips are vital part of school life. For the children, it is an exciting break from the norm. For the teachers, while it’s an excellent opportunity to diversify learning, it can be a great deal of extra work and stressful to run. To add to the complexity and stress is the worry of what to do in the case of a terrorist incident.

While these are rare, getting into a few quick habits while planning and executing your trip will alleviate the stress, knowing that you have mitigated the risk as much as possible. This article gives you a few pointers and tips on how to plan for the worst. While some of these actions will be unnecessary or something you already do, none of them take long and will keep your staff and pupils as safe as possible should the worst happen.

1. Briefing

In the planning phase, start from before you even leave the school grounds and work through the whole trip until you return to school. Knowledge is power and briefing the pupils at a level relevant to their age so as not to scare them but enough to prepare them for the worst is an important step in getting them ready to take the right action, directed by one of the staff, if something goes wrong. The staff should be briefed in more detail and could be handed this article to read for ease but specific details about your trip will also be required. Cover key timings of the day, whether there is a signal to bring the group together or meet up, how to easily identify the staff, what to do if they are lost (break this down if you are visiting several venues or there are different segments to the day such as walking to the venue from the drop-off point; at the venue; walking back from the venue to the pick-up point for example), who holds the first aid kit and, of course, actions in case of emergency.

2. Transport

When planning the trip itself start with the routes that you are taking to the venue. Think about best times to travel to minimise sitting in traffic, this can be unavoidable but the worry of being late increases stress which can distract staff from focussing on the safety of the whole group. Consider the drop-off point, this should be as close the venue as possible to minimise time walking down the street which is when the group is vulnerable to vehicle collisions. The pick-up time and location should also be considered to minimise time waiting in a crowd in an insecure location beyond barriers and security points. The action to trigger the pick-up, for instance calling the coach driver, must be discussed with the driver and should be a simple as possible. Understanding where the driver will be waiting and how long it will take him to get back to the venue will be key to minimising waiting time.

3. Timing

As the saying goes ‘Time is seldom wasted in reconnaissance’ and this is no different. As with transport, identify busy times and avoid them if at all possible. Terrorists are trying spread terror through maximising death and serious injury and therefore often target crowds. Avoiding waiting in large groups in insecure areas is a fundamental protective measure. Ask the venue if there is anything that can be done in advance to speed up movement through any payment or security points for groups. They won’t want a large group clogging up the entrance so they will probably have a plan or be interested in making one with you.

4. Exits

During your recce, identify the exits. Not just front main exits but ALL exits including service exits, kitchens, loading bays etc. Look at where they come out and where you need to go once you leave the exit to get to safety. Ending up in an alleyway with no idea which way to run or running to a dead end is very much to be avoided.

5. Risk Areas.

We have already identified any points where there is crowding as a higher risk area but think about areas on route that may be problematic particularly if you are on foot. These may be pavements along busy roads which do not have barriers between the traffic and the pedestrians or displays inside a venue where the groups may be split and will need to be briefed on where to meet if there is an incident. Briefing for this part of the trip is best to take place at the point they enter the high risk area so that the pupils remember the key points and not at the beginning of the day.

6. Protected Areas

The identification of protected areas is something that should happen as you are conducting your recce and during the trip itself. There are two types of protected area. The first provides protection from view (i.e. a hiding place) and the second provides protection from gun fire. While the second sounds a bit extreme, marauding gunman attacks have occurred several times in the past and selecting protected areas is quick to do. Many city centres, shopping malls and museums have large plant pots sometimes big enough for a tree to grow in them. Any plant pot that is filled with earth and more than around 2 metres in diameter will stop a bullet and is therefore a good location to seek refuge in the case of a marauding gunman attack. Be aware that the majority of the walls in shops and modern buildings will be flimsy partition walls that won’t stop low or high velocity bullets; whereas pillars are often load bearing and therefore strong enough to protect from gun fire; beware of facias or 2boxing around the load baring part of pillars which will offer no protection from gun fire. Giving a wall a knock as if knocking on a door will give you an idea whether it is a partition type wall; a hollow sound means it is weak. Even a solid wall may not be thick enough to stop a bullet so even when hiding it is best to be lying down to minimise you target profile. Clearly the best option is always to get as far away from the danger as possible so hiding or taking cover is a last resort or a temporary measure. In the latter case, be absolutely sure that you are able to get away safely before you move from your position of cover from view or fire.

7. Reduce Vulnerability

Whenever we are out and about, we must all strive to reduce our Target Value which is a function of Target Worth (how rich or desirable you look) multiplied by your Vulnerability (how vulnerable you look). This vulnerability is hugely reduced by travelling in groups; the larger the better. Being able to easily identify the group increases group identity, which will in turn increase the confidence of the individuals within the group, and shows a potential attacker that individuals are part of the group and not alone. Both of these factors reduce vulnerability. In addition, an identifying mark such as a baseball cap or coloured bands around the arm makes it quicker to establish if any of the group is missing. This ease of identification also increases the chance of group leaders checking more frequently and reduces their stress so that they can focus on other security and educational matters. When the group is together is when you are least vulnerable. Attackers may deliberately try and split individuals from the group by telling them that their teacher has told them to move to another location or that they can help. Consider using a password for the pupils to challenge a potential attacker with – it is not always obvious who attackers are, and they may appear as respectable, responsible people. Finally think about how you will control the group as they move through a venue. Ask yourself whether they will be allowed to split up, what are the control measures to ensure they don’t wander off beyond the view of a group leader, how or when will they be required to meet up again?

8. Reduce Worth

Minimising how valuable your pupils and staff look will also reduce the chance of attack from pick pockets and muggers. This may result in you deciding that the children should wear casual clothes rather than school uniform if your school is known to be attended by wealthy pupils. Consider the control of valuables and money. Think about leaving valuable possessions like phones and smart-watches etc at home or at school.

9. RUN, HIDE, TELL

While terrorist incidents are infrequent there is still a chance that any popular venue may be targeted. Thinking about what you would do in the case of a marauding gunman attack or an explosion only takes a few minutes and will significantly increase you and your group’s chances of survival. The advice from Counter-Terrorism Policing for a marauding gun or knife attack is Run, Hide, Tell. With a group the key thing is to get away even if that means the group is split up. If you are not in immediate danger getting your group to run in the same direction will be simpler. The best thing to enable this is to set a location that the whole groups knows how to get to in case of emergency. It may be that part, or all of the group can’t get to the rendezvous point and will need to hide. Identifying group hiding places as you move along your route is a good habit to get into. It is unlikely that you will find a hiding place big enough for your whole group and therefore make sure that all the group are looking out for hiding places gives you the best option of all finding somewhere. The critical thing to remember when hiding is to turn your phone to silent and the vibrate mode off. Bear in mind that if anyone in your group has a phone that can be heard then the whole group may be compromised. This is another reason to leave phones behind. Finally, telling the authorities at the earliest opportunity is key to the situation being brought under control. All the group leaders must have a phone and pupils should know where to find it in case of incapacitation of the leader. The information that the police are likely to need to know is:

• Your Location
• The Location of the Attacker
• How many attackers there are
• Descriptions of any of the attackers: Age (go for a four year bracket), Build, Height, Colour, Distinguishing features, Gender etc.

While this information is extremely valuable to the authorities do not risk your life to get it. If you happen to have seen someone acting suspiciously, try to think of these questions and avoid the individual as much as possible.

10. General Protection

The best option to protect your pupils, not just on school trips but always, is to educate them in how to protect themselves. Self-defence courses are a critical element to this education, but it is an area where a little knowledge is dangerous, and a poorly constructed course can lead to more problems and danger than it solves. Read my article Implementing self-defence courses in your school.

Protecting your group may seem complicated but is really just down to a little pre-planning and a good helping of situational awareness.

For courses for pupils and staff email us to find out how to get the best instructors and the best course on the market.

Stay safe everywhere with Absolute Defence.

You may think that setting up self-defence lessons in your school is easy. All you need to do is ask a local Martial Arts Instructor to come in and teach the kids some moves, what could be simpler? Well, unfortunately, you could be landing yourself and your pupils in a spot of bother.

Defending oneself against an attacker is a very high risk business and without the proper forethought, planning and preparation, the worst can easily happen. It is not overstating the situation to say that bad self-defence instruction can, and has, led to people being killed in the struggle for their own survival. This article will give you a few pointers to look out for to get the right person and course for your needs.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience (KSE)

A knowledgeable instructor is, of course, key, but they need the right knowledge. Being a Grand Master in a particular martial art means they have great knowledge about that specific martial art and they are probably really capable at defending themselves. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they understand how to select the techniques from their vast library of knowledge that will work for a beginner in a high risk scenario. The other aspect is that it also doesn’t necessarily mean that they can teach what they know effectively. The instructor must be engaging and interesting to hold the attention of the children. They must also have the right experience. Training in a martial arts studio for years on end or winning medals in competitions might make a martial arts instructor a legend in their own lunch break or among their students but what applicable experience do they have about engaging in real life high risk situations? Do they have a law enforcement or military background where they have had to face their fears and put theory into practice, and can speak from experience? The final element is humility. The perceived or actual ability to overpower another human being can create huge arrogance in some. Don’t consider hiring an instructor that displays these traits; arrogance leads to an aim of retribution rather than de-escalation, retribution leads to a criminal record.

Content

After focussing on the instructor comes understanding the course content. There are many factors at play during a physical assault from psychological and physiological to the physical techniques that are to be employed but what about everything before the point when the mugger stopped the victim? Comprehensive training starts with teaching students how to plan, what to look for and how to identify and avoid dangerous locations and situations. Many pub brawls start with a disagreement, so is confrontation management training included in the course? We all know that prevention is better than cure, but the vast majority of self-defence courses see prevention as the block of the punch that’s already on its way. The best courses prevent the punch being thrown in the first instance way before the confrontation has even started. When it comes to the physical techniques, are they just a collection of the instructor’s favourite techniques that they are really good at and make them look really awesome, or are they simple, effective and intuitive so that students will find them easy to learn and reproduce? When the latter is the case then the information will be easier to retain and recall in an acute stress situation. The final element of content to take a look at is whether the law of self-defence is discussed with the students. More importantly is this followed through to the teaching of the physical techniques? You do not need to be an expert in martial arts to assess this. If you feel that the techniques taught are an application of excessive force based on the attack or level of threat being applied then this is may be illegal. You are someone who may be called for jury service to determine this very question so your opinion is entirely valid and the instructor must be able to explain every action.

Insurance

Ask for proof of insurance. Properly insured Martial Arts instructors should be issued with a card that proves that they have both Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance each to the value of at least £5m. Do not take the word of the instructor that they are insured, ask for proof.

Endorsement and Assurance

Knowing that you are getting a good product from an experienced and capable instructor is made much easier by looking at the testimonials and references on their website. Take the time to follow these up where possible. The last thing you want is to spend money on something that may cost more to undo if the course turns out to be dangerous. Social proof is very valuable. Is there another school or organisation that you trust that has had courses from this organisation or individual before that you can call to confirm the quality of the product?

Finally ask how the instructor is assured and by whom. This assurance should be by another high ranking instructor who is at least at Master level or above and should take place either continuously through frequent assessment of the instructor by the assurer or in a more formal setting at least once every two years. Again speak to the assurer to get their seal of approval that the instructor is capable of delivering good quality training.

To book the very best self-defence courses with properly qualified, endorsed, assured and insured instructors, contact us now for a free consultation.

We all want the best for our children. Their safety is at the top of this list – which is why self-defence training is a critical component of EVERY child’s education. In addition to improving your child’s safety, there are several other benefits of good quality self-defence training.

Life skills

School is a deliberately sheltered environment where children can safely explore their boundaries and make mistakes. In the world outside school the safety barriers are down, yet many pupils do not moderate their behaviour accordingly. Understanding the various threats, including terrorist attacks and how to identify them early (and thus avoid them) is an important first step.

Confidence and Personal Security Awareness

Young people leaving school today have far more confidence than their parents at the same point in their lives. This confidence is, in many cases, not backed up by the awareness and ability to maintain personal safety leading to a vulnerability gap which can often be exploited. Comprehensive self-defence training develops real confidence that is backed up by mental and physical capability, without creating arrogance or the need to show off the newly acquired skills. Self-defence training should be based on identification and avoidance in the first instance and defence and withdrawal if physical violence cannot be avoided.

Improved Attendance

Children miss school for all sorts of reasons, some are to do with bullying or the fear they encounter getting to school in the first place. Children who are less fearful are more likely to attend school and will be less distracted when at school.

Reduced bullying

With increased confidence, improved physical defence ability and a better understanding of individual rights, potential victims of bullying are more likely to stand up to the perpetrators and have the ability to protect themselves if necessary. In addition, those considering exerting physical control over another will understand the potential sanctions they are opening themselves up to, but also that they may lose the engagement. In my experience of aggressive people who take up the study of a martial arts or similar, in the vast majority of cases they become calmer because they have an outlet for their stress. In the cases where this does not hold true, it is usually down to poor guidance from their instructor, so it is important that schools are careful to choose a reputable organisation to deliver self-defence training.

Mental Resilience

Mental health is a hot topic in schools but developing mental resilience can be a daunting subject to deliver. Self-defence training is a great vehicle for addressing how to deal with high stress situations. Various techniques are available for dealing with potentially dangerous encounters such as visualisation and breathing – which have other benefits from reducing stress and enhancing restful sleep, to maintaining cognitive performance and improving exam results. The latter being the primary focus for parents, pupils and schools alike.

Health and Safety Compliance

As boring as it may be, all organisations including schools must comply with Health and Safety legislation. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) Section 2(1) sets out the general duties of employers to protect their employees – but Section 3(1) states that ‘It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their health and safety.’ ‘Persons not in employment’ refers to customers, visitors, contractors and students, to name but few. This requires controlling all risks (including the risk of violence) by reasonable training, information, instruction and supervision. Self-defence training is a relatively cheap, easy and effective method to achieve this compliance and when taught well – is enjoyable for the students.

Book a free consultation with Absolute Defence now to start getting all these benefits.