Personal Safety and Self-Defense Training Program for PE Professionals Part 2

Introduction

Part 1 of this 2-part article defined what personal safety and self-defense training are, while also explaining why this training should be included in a Physical Education program. This article identifies what could (should) be included in a PE personal safety training and physical self-defense skills training program to make students feel safe & strong!

What Could/Should Be Included in a PE Program?

It is important to know what information and physical activities should be included in a comprehensive, quality personal safety & self-defense training program for young adults.

Personal Safety Training could address most or all the following subjects:

• Why Learn Personal Safety/Self Defense

• Legal Liability of Self-Defense

• Confidence & Fear

• Assailants – Who Are They?

• Preparation For and Understanding the Consequences of Conflict

• Principles of Personal Safety

• Pre-emptive Self Defense – When, Why, and How?

• Martial Arts Training or Fitness Training versus Self Defense Training

• Body Language

• Awareness – Mental, Emotional, Environmental, and Physical

• Personal Safety Tips

• Predator Lures

• Personal Safety ‘Weapons’ 

A Self-Defense Physical Skills Training program should support the personal safety concepts by teaching basic realistic, effective, and practical self-defense techniques, which could/should include:

• Positioning & Distancing – proper stance (non-aggressive, but ready to act) and maintaining distance from an aggressor.

• Evasion movements – how to move away from an attacker.

• Re-Direction techniques – how to deflect or block an attacker’s grab or strike attempt.

• Striking techniques – how to execute strikes (to maximize power, speed, and accuracy), what parts of the body can be used for striking and where the target areas are for the various strikes.

• Loosening/Escape techniques – how to get out of and move away from various grabs and holds.

• Self-defense against weapons.

• Ground fighting – how to apply physical techniques while on the ground.

• Environmental-specific considerations – in what environment (small room, elevator, airplane cabin, car, etc.) you might need to perform self-defense actions.

• How to exit, safely and effectively, after physical self-defense actions are performed.

• Identification of everyday items that could be used as self-defense “weapons” and how to use them.

The limited time that most Physical Education programs allocate to a personal safety/self-defense unit makes it necessary to provide basic skills that can be adapted to each student’s unique abilities and capabilities.

• It is better to learn, repetitively practice and become proficient at performing a few techniques than it is to learn, but not perfect dozens of different techniques.

• Training should be progressive – gradually increasing in complexity (single techniques progressing to combinations of multiple movements and techniques) and intensity (speed of movement, power of movement, resistance to movement, etc.).

• Biomechanics should be taught to allow an individual to reach his or her maximum potential for technique performance speed, quickness, power, accuracy, etc.

Physical self-defense should be the last choice for action, but training for it is necessary to gain the greatest possible level of confidence and ability. Physical skills training provides the best chance for a successful outcome if physical self-defense becomes necessary. It is better to have the skills and never need them, than to need the skills and not have them!

Final Thought

Personally, I would love to see PE programs consider offering personal safety/self-defense training for full semesters or even full school years and possibly structure a program that could be taken all 4 years of high school. Short duration programs (8 hours or less of total time) provide very little time for effective education and skills training, which could potentially have a negative impact by developing false confidence in students.

A well-structured program could combine personal safety education, physical self-defense skills training and fitness conditioning into one PE program, which would be more effective in student learning and retention, as well as meet even more of the National Standards for Physical Education!

I hope this article has provided you with practical and useful guidelines by which to establish a new program and/or evaluate your current training program to ensure your students enjoy the best possible learning experience. 

If you have questions or would like information about a complete program that integrates personal safety education, physical self-defense skills training and fitness conditioning into one PE program, please contact EmpowerUSA through the web site – www.empower-usa.com or email me directly at Tim@empower-usa.com. 

Remember, “ONE BODY, ONE LIFE, ONE CHOICE – BE SAFE & STRONG!”

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