Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training – What Should Be Included?

Introduction

The three previous articles addressed:

  • Personal Safety Training & Self-Defense Training – Defined
  • Can Fitness Professionals Teach Personal Safety & Self-Defense?
  • Should Fitness Professionals Teach Personal Safety and Self-Defense?

Since you are reading Part 4 of the 4-Part article series, your interest must be genuine! So, now I will educate you about what important and necessary subjects and skills should be included in a quality and comprehensive instructor training program!

A quality instructor training program includes both personal safety information training and physical self-defense skills training. If necessary, review the Part 1 article which defines the differences between the two types of training.

What Should Be Included in Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training?

At this point, it is understood that a fitness professional can and should become a personal safety and self-defense trainer. But how would a fitness professional know what quality training/ certification program curriculum should include?

Let’s start with Personal Safety Training. The following information identifies and describes the components that should be included in any quality personal safety instructor training program.

Personal Safety Instructor Training

Personal safety training focuses on education – providing in-depth knowledge that should help an individual make better decisions regarding potential or real conflict or violent situations. Personal safety training provides detailed information that enhances an individual’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to recognize & prevent, avoid, de-escalate, and/or exit from potential and/or existing violent situations without the need for physical self-defense fighting skills.

Personal safety training can be effectively delivered as a live event (in-person seminar or virtual webinar), in an online format, or as a documented educational piece. Personal safety training provided in an online or documented format is effective and provides some key benefits over live training, including:

  • Convenience (time and location) – training can be completed anytime and anywhere.
  • Content/information accessibility – training information is (should be) available to you 24/7 for an extended period or in a documented format (hard copy, audio/video recording, etc.) so that the content can be reviewed at any time in the future.

A comprehensive personal safety training program should cover several subject areas, including:

  • 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 versus Self Defense Training
  • Fitness Training versus Self Defense Training
  • Awareness Training – Mental, Emotional, Environmental and Physical
  • Interpreting Body Language
  • Recognition & Avoidance and/or De-escalation Techniques & Strategies
  • Situational Personal Safety Tips
  • Predator Lures
  • Personal Safety ‘Weapons’ – What You Can Use & How to Use Them

Physical Self-Defense Skills Instructor Training

What are the important and necessary components for a quality physical self-defense skills instructor training program? The following specific and detailed information will assist your research for, and evaluation of, physical self-defense skill instructor training and certification programs.

Physical self-defense skills training should be performed in-person, if possible! Learning and practicing skills by watching videos, with no practice time that includes trainer feedback, does not provide the best possible learning experience.

  • When training instructors, I want them to see me perform the skills in 3 dimensions, from every possible angle.
  • And, when observing trainees perform skills, I want to see their movements in 3 dimensions from every possible angle so that I can accurately evaluate, correct (if necessary), adapt/modify, and/or praise skill performance.

However, in-person training is not always possible. But trainer feedback on physical skill performance MUST be part of a quality self-defense instructor certification program! There are ways to make this happen – live training via virtual methods can include real-time trainer feedback for the trainee. Trainer observation will not be 3 dimensional unless different camera angles can be used.

Think about your future clients’ perspective – do they want to learn from someone who became a ‘certified’ instructor by watching a video with no highly-experienced trainer feedback? Or would they prefer to learn from a trainer who has been formally trained and certified through a quality program? Make sure that the “certification” you earn is credible and reputable!

Physical self-defense skill training should include the following components:

  • Positioning & Distancing – non-aggressive, but ready stance while maintaining proper distancing from an aggressor.
  • Evasion movements – how to effectively and efficiently move away from an attacker.
  • Re-Direction techniques – how to properly deflect or block an attacker’s grab or strike attempt.
  • Striking techniques – how to execute strikes (to maximize power, speed, and accuracy), what body parts can be used for striking, and identification of the most effective target areas for the various strikes.
  • Loosening/Escape techniques – how to loosen/release various types of grabs and holds.
  • Self-Defense against weapons.
  • Ground Defense Skills – 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 self-defense “weapons” and how to use them.
  • Physical Conditioning for Self-Defense

A quality self-defense instructor certification program progressively teaches easy to learn, simple to master, practical, realistic, and effective physical strategies and techniques. It should provide the ability to teach (observe, evaluate, correct and improve client skills) while considering:

  • Most clients will only commit to a limited time for self-defense training, making it necessary to be able to teach basic skills that are tailored to a client’s abilities and capabilities.
  • It is better to learn, teach, repetitively practice and become proficient at performing a few techniques than it is to learn, but not perfect dozens of different techniques.
  • Client 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.).
  • Technique performance should be taught in such a way that your clients achieve their maximum potential for technique performance speed, quickness, power, accuracy, etc.

A quality self-defense instructor certification program provides live practice time against (intensity progressive) “realistic” attacks. Instructor trainees should progress through the physical skills training in the following steps:

  • Learn and practice physical skills by performing them slowly against low resistance.
  • As coordination and form improves, the speed and power of skill performance are increased. For example:
    • Striking skills are performed in the air (no resistance)
    • Striking skills are performed against a soft foam, hand-held focus pad.
    • Striking skills are performed against a light-weight heavy bag, progressing to a heavier-weight heavy bag.
    • All skills are performed against a Trainer dressed in fully padded body armor.
      • The initial attacks are executed slowly with low force.
      • Attack intensity is increased as the instructor-trainee relaxes and improves skill performance.
      • Eventually, attacks are performed at full speed and power to provide an experience that is as realistic as possible (experience the adrenaline rush!).

Note: This final step in progression (simulated attack scenarios against a padded instructor) is an important part of a training program. Without experiencing a realistic attack situation, are clients really discovering their current and potential physical abilities and capabilities? This final training step provides experience with the effects of the “adrenaline rush” and the impact it has on the ability to respond to a violent situation. Could a self-defense instructor accurately describe or teach how to handle this without personal experience. This is the MAIN reason why a boxing or kickboxing fitness class does not teach self-defense – the body’s physiological response to a violent situation is NOT simulated in a fitness class!

Summary

There are many personal safety and self-defense instructor certification programs available. Hopefully, a fitness professional will:

  • Do the research and program evaluation necessary to find the best possible self-defense instructor certification program.
  • Recognize, value and commit to the time and effort that is required to become the best possible professional and certified self-defense instructor.

It is important that you understand that the learning process should never end! Strive to grow your knowledge and continuously improve your skills! Teaching physical self-defense skills is very serious. What you teach your clients may enhance their ability to maintain their personal safety or it can put them at greater risk if they are not taught properly. Find a quality self-defense instructor certification program and commit to the time and effort necessary to become a knowledgeable and highly skilled professional. You owe it to your clients to be the best that you can be!

Remember, “ONE BODY, ONE LIFE, ONE CHOICE!”