Weapon Awareness & Defence at Kingham (diary entry)

11.12.19   On Wednesday lunchtime I was booked for one extra lesson at Kingham Hill School to round off the term. We touched upon weapon awareness and accessing exit points. It is important to note that this one hour lesson is in no way a substitute for the full Weapon Awareness bolt-on courses I offer.   We began with a warm-up using weapons to promote good body mechanics and the relevant movements for later practice. We then went back to our accessing exits and safe spots with tactical escape drilling. We discussed the increased risk posed by weapons and why this highlights the importance of attitude and awareness. Tactical escape brought more to mind about using various objects as barriers and obstacles. Awareness covered looking out for common behaviours exhibited by those who carry a weapon with intent to commit a crime. We drilled their approach and our earliest responses, including raising the alarm, issuing orders whilst becoming a mobile target that is always moving away from corners or anywhere they could become trapped.   I went over some basic soft skills information regarding the types of edged weapon likely to be used in a basic criminal assault and the legalities of using weapons in the UK. We also discussed likely situations where weapons might be employed and, in line with previous material covered in the self-defence programme this term, I pointed out the options presented by such incidents. I also covered the likelihood of domestic violence over stranger violence and we looked at what incidental weaponry could be used in common situations.   Moving back onto the practical I went through some simple angles of attack used in our warm-up. We then adapted them for use with incidental and improvised weaponry. It was explained that the use of such weapons were for situations when safe places and exits were not immediately accessible or a decision had been made to help another person. Next we moved onto unarmed responses. Again, the emphasis here was to be proactive and to intercept the weapon draw.