IRT Scenario Based Training

Last night we did some Scenario Based Training at the Las Vegas Martial Arts Academy. It was a lot of fun and hopefully very educational for the participants who got to get adrenalized, pressure test as well as having to mire through dialogue and demands from everything from a crazy person, drunk uncle, mugger, attempted rapist, angry motorist, etc.

 

Here are some photos:

 

That helmet looks like the cheat code for "big head" in Golden Eye on n64

 

Like you're old enough to remember that!








Damn now I feel old.

 

Lol retro gaming for the win !

 

Well, at least now you don't have to worry about being attacked by a bobble head.

 

Hey Simon, This is the next generation suit from Fast Defense run and owned by Bill Kipp. It is really designed well and in the absolute worst instance it might feel like being hit with a pillow on your forehead. Bill Kipp has labeled this the Predator Armor.

Here is there website: http://www.fastdefense.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=171

 

Chadderz I prefer "Dark Helmet". lol

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTJq8co38Pk"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTJq8co38Pk[/ame]

 

Well the big advantage of using this suit is that while in it, I can take full power blows to the head, body, groin. I do not mean just minor blows I can kneel and you can kick me as hard as you possibly can in the head and I cannot feel it. I have taken shots from 350 lb males and not felt a thing. So the advantage there is that my partners in the Scenario can really light me up if it is appropriate in the Scenario. Now, I have helmets on the people training so that if I brush them, give them a decent smack, etc. they will not be hurt. I was pretty much concentrating any strikes or pushes I might do in that area for this scenario training. When striking me they do not need as much padding. If I want them to take more of a shot then I will pad them up more. (we do that as well) I do not believe in just any one approach. Also it is not really feasible financially to have everyone wearing a Predator Body Armor suit or one of Tony Blauer's suits. They are extremely expensive! You can however put them in lesser padding but they certainly will not be able to go "all out" like they can on this suit. Bottom line is I believe in shifting training so that training is never ordinary but always different so that keeps everyone "edgy" or uncertain during their experience!

 

All training is compromise, we just have to work out which model suits our aims best.

I bolded the statement above as I have gone that route and will have 10 people at a time in armour, more if I join forces with Mitch.

 

Ten people in body armor like Tony Blauer's suit or the Predator armor? Or very light armor not capable of taking full force shots? There is a difference. I have had up to 8 to 12 people in lighter armor but... you cannot do full force shots or someone is going to get hurt at some point.

 

Ten people in body armour like High Gear, Spartan or my equivalent. This is an example of a Spartan only group using some of my kit and some of Mitch's. We didn't use all my Spartan or any of my High Gear that day.

 

Yeah I have worked with Spartan gear once. Pretty good solid equipment. No complaints from me about it at all. Would I take it over the Predator Armor for really letting the participants go all out. No I wouldn't but the compromise is you can put some more people in suits. Still good gear for scenario training. Jwt you are certainly giving your practitioner's a good time if you have that many suits to utilize.

 

Thanks Brian.

I know we have to pull the head shots (though even pulled shots rock people). That's one of my compromises and the sacrifice made for the greater unpredictability as to who is going to do what and the psychological effects of that.

Here's a mid event picture with a cheeky turn from MAP member Southpaw.

 

Yes, I would agree that there are compromises any way around it in scenario training. However, the equipment now is a lot better than say even 16 years ago when I first started doing them. A few things remain constant though in that the leader or person setting up the scenario has to be very creative and get the ball rolling. When done right people get adrenalized and have to learn to deal with those effects. Things do not always go right or how someone wishes they would and well they have to deal with that area of unpredictability.

One of the things I do in IRT is that there should be pre-confrontation, confrontation and post-confrontation assessments so that everyone has something on the line during the scenario. Nobody likes to be told by the group that what they did was poor or could have been done better. Everyone wants to shine generally. So having an evaluation already starts to get people fired up. I find this group talk afterwards as enlightening as what happens during!

 

Where most people have the most difficult time is the post-confrontation. What did they do during and afterwards to set themselves up for success either with the witnesses, police, lawyers, jury, etc.