Fight For Your Life!!!!

This past weekend I taught a seminar at our school in Las Vegas. The theme of the event was "Fight For Your Life". The training itself was centered on close quarters hand to hand combat. We introduced various scenarios to the students. For instance they had their hands taped together in front of their body and behind their backs while they were being attacked by a knife wielding assailant. They were put in very close quarters with an unknown amount of attackers some of whom were armed others were not. They did not know what attack would come or from who the attack would come from!

We also spent a entire teaching block reviewing ground survival tactics. We try to put as much emphasis on the harsh realities of surviving on the ground or in the worst case scenario, surviving an abduction. Yes we had a van and two of our instructors were the abductors. The students were training outside of the school and when the van pulled up they were lined up and told to close their eyes. A target was selected and the abductors grabbed the student and dragged them into the van! The doors slammed behind them and the van took off. We took them for a ride in the van and expected and encouraged to fight back while the van was moving.

The entire seminar was based on "worst case scenario" type of training. To be abducted is terrifying and I wanted to give the students the most realistic feeling that I could. So the intensity of the abduction portion was not taken for granted. In fact some of the students became very emotional during the attack and post attack.

One of the most important elements of the training was the after action review. Upon exiting the vehicle the student was given a statement form and asked to recount the entire event. We had a police officer explain how to fill out the witness statement form properly. Then they were asked to complete the form. The details varied from person to person. We left small clues inside the van. For instance business cards from a local business and a shirt with the company's logo were left in relative plain sight. We told the attackers to call each other by name and yell out directions like "turn left on laredo" all while the victim was being attacked. My hope was that the student would recognize some of these clues and be able to recall them.

As each member was abducted they started to realize that they must fight hard to prevent being put in the van in the first place. Every second they spent in the van was a second closer to being hurt further and in a real situation they would be closer to death. So the fights between the abductors and the students began to become more and more violent. This was awesome to witness. Some of the female students freaked out because of the intensity of the abductions. But what made me most proud was that all of them requested to be abducted again. They wanted to prove themselves. They wanted the challenge. They wanted the growth. They wanted to face their fears and that was amazing to see.

All of the participants came away with an understanding that they did not have prior to the seminar. Again we did so many different drills throughout the day. It was awesome. I am very proud of all who attended and participated. We will continue to push the envelope and provide training that is realistic and pertinent. If you missed this event you missed out on some amazing training. Make sure you don't miss the next one.