Scenarios you tell your students

[IcemanSK]

When teaching my students a technique, I try to come up with a scenario where they'd use it. Whether its a wrist grab or something else. I teach only children (none over 13). Adults appreciate learning technique & they can figure out when/where it applies. Kids can't do this well. I've heard adults (that are used to teaching adults) say to children, "Ok, so you're in a bar & this guy grabs you...."


What things do you tell your young students when you teach techniques? What funny scenarios have you heard?

 

[stickarts]

Just to name a few: we tell them to never let anyone take them anywhere or to go anywhere with a stranger (the second crime scene)
We recommend that they participate in a yearly program that takes their picture, a short video tape of them, and actually gets some dna from them so they could hopefully be found if ever abducted.

We do a drill where an instructor gets geared up and the child fights back using everything they've got to avoid being taken.

The adults do a good job asking questions about different scenarios and we cover many different kinds of assaults and situations.
One interesting situation was when a student of mine had a good friend, who got very drunk, start to pick a fight with him. He didn't want to beat up his friend but he didn't want to get beat up either. He successfully used a fingerlock I had shown him to cause enough pain for his friend to leave him alone, without hurting him too badly! His friend had to ice his hand for a few days but otherwise nothing hurt but his ego! :0)

 

[still learning]

Hello, When my son was in 6th grade a boy,his friend came up behind him during recess and give him a bear hug, my son not knowing who it was?..give that person a backwards head butt, cutting the boys lips. The technique work and it was spontaneous reaction.

We tell the class this story all the time when working on head butts, or grabs/bear hugs. ................Aloha

 

[beau_safken]

We more or less avoided planting scenarios for the reason of it can make people nerotic if they think about it all the time. The advise we gave a lot is...the best way to defend against a grab is to not be grabbed. Also we covered the basic, If its dark outside and your alone in unfamiliar territory dont do that. Situational awareness really requires more than just scenarios, its all a state of mind.

 

[Kacey]

We more or less avoided planting scenarios for the reason of it can make people nerotic if they think about it all the time. The advise we gave a lot is...the best way to defend against a grab is to not be grabbed. Also we covered the basic, If its dark outside and your alone in unfamiliar territory dont do that. Situational awareness really requires more than just scenarios, its all a state of mind.

That's basically what I do also - if I want scenarios to apply techniques to, I ask the students (kids and adults) to come up with situations - then they are situations that actually apply to the students, rather than my guesses of which situations they'd be in. This also gives me ideas about what they want to learn.

I do have one favorite scenario for kids, about control and appropriate use, which actually happened to one of my students years ago. My student, Mason, was at school, when another student tried to pick a fight with him - more, he tried to make Mason hit him first (in a school, whoever throws the first punch, no matter the reason, gets in the most trouble). The other boy called Mason names, then started on his brother, then his mother... and Mason stood there and took it (Yay! This was very impressive - Mason was 12 at the time, and had a very short fuse). Meantime, the boy had Mason phsyically backed into a corner where he couldn't get out without hurting the other boy. When Mason refused to hit him, the other boy hit Mason, who started blocking (no punches or other strikes, just blocks) - this went on for several minutes until a teacher showed up. The other boy had bruises on his arms from the blocks, but never laid a hand on Mason, and Mason never hit him. Both boys were suspended for being in a fight - but as far I'm concerned, Mason did everything right - he protected himself, and never went beyond the minimum necessary to do that; he could have easily hit the boy back and hurt him. This is my example to my students of an appropriate response to a situation - that you need to respond and adjust to the situation, not automatically go full out.

 

[stickarts]

One of our students had trouble with his son getting picked on at school, both verbally and physically. They tried pursuing it with the principal but got nowhere. They then told their son that no one has the right to lay their hands on him and if the kid tried to hit him again he was to push him down to the ground! They informed the principal what they had told their son. (to the principal's dismay!)
The next week the child was picked on again so he followed his dad's instructions and pushed the kid to the ground! The child hasn't been picked on since.
The child is the most passive kid i know but how long do you take abuse!
Anyway, a true scenario.

 

[IcemanSK]

We more or less avoided planting scenarios for the reason of it can make people nerotic if they think about it all the time. The advise we gave a lot is...the best way to defend against a grab is to not be grabbed. Also we covered the basic, If its dark outside and your alone in unfamiliar territory dont do that. Situational awareness really requires more than just scenarios, its all a state of mind.

I agree Beau, it makes more sense. MA folks tend to get all jacked up with the "what if's". I just want be able to tell kids why I'm having them do this technique without going into the worst scenario that goes thru my head.

I used to train joint-locks with a guy that, once he got you on the floor in the right position he'd say, "No, you give me your wallet!" I say that sometimes just to make my kids laugh.

 

[HKphooey]

We more or less avoided planting scenarios for the reason of it can make people nerotic if they think about it all the time. The advise we gave a lot is...the best way to defend against a grab is to not be grabbed. Also we covered the basic, If its dark outside and your alone in unfamiliar territory dont do that. Situational awareness really requires more than just scenarios, its all a state of mind.

So your best defense for not getting abducted is not to get abducted? And not to get hit is not to get hit? I think we, as instructors, need to take it one step further. Aren't all the techniques we learn "what if's"? What is someone tries to puch you? You learn a bunch of techniques for that. No different. It is a scenerio.

I like to reverse the question to the students... "What are some situations for which you could use this move or technique?" Make them think a bit.

I agree it can be take to the extreme with the 'What if's", but IMO the basic ones should be covered.

 

[stickarts]

I agree. I have found it useful to role play, or go through specific scenarios, in martial arts and non-martial arts related activities. It can be a useful training tool. It's worked for us.

 

[IcemanSK]

I agree. I have found it useful to role play, or go through specific scenarios, in martial arts and non-martial arts related activities. It can be a useful training tool. It's worked for us.

I'm not opposed to role play or scenarios. I just want to be able to present it them (& say, "In this situation you can do x,y or z") without causing trauma or unheathy fear in them either. That's my point. I'm trying to find a balance between scaring kids & informing them.

 

[stickarts]

I'm not opposed to role play or scenarios. I just want to be able to present it them (& say, "In this situation you can do x,y or z") without causing trauma or unheathy fear in them either. That's my point. I'm trying to find a balance between scaring kids & informing them.

Sounds like a good approach!

 

[beau_safken]

So your best defense for not getting abducted is not to get abducted? And not to get hit is not to get hit? I think we, as instructors, need to take it one step further. Aren't all the techniques we learn "what if's"? What is someone tries to puch you? You learn a bunch of techniques for that. No different. It is a scenerio.

I like to reverse the question to the students... "What are some situations for which you could use this move or technique?" Make them think a bit.

I agree it can be take to the extreme with the 'What if's", but IMO the basic ones should be covered.

ITs kind of a matter of context. Penjak Silat incorporates a blade, Breaks and dislocations with almost every technique. We generally have to be careful with what we tell our students for not only legal but ethical reasons. So when we do drills its all about being completely reactive if something is going to hit you. Granted we trained the basic release moves and entries. However, we also don't want our students to be nut cases with worry from doing too many "what ifs".

So our best advise is to not be a jackass and get punched. The one I used a lot was this. If you walk in Downtown Denver after hours, thru the barrio dont complain to me when you get into a fight or something happens...it was your dumb *** the decided to walk in the barrio late at night. Avoidance and intelligence should be the primary weapon. No offense but if your love is going to rock concerts where people converge to "maash", that is a situation that could provide more oppritunity for a fight compared to a night at the opera. Dig? My best advice to my students is this, "Think about what you are gonna do and if anything bad could happen from it...If there is a chance of a confrontation consider yourself warned."