SOUTHWEST ASIA -- A renewed and streamlined combatives course saw its first group of 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Force Protection personnel in attendance, here Oct. 15, 2015.
The course was the first to be held after a number of changes were made to it recently, which included the mandatory attendance of all Force Protection personnel.
Other changes to the course included the addition of baton training, which has largely been excluded from training until now, and shortening the length of the course from six to three hours.
“Force protection is an integral part of keeping the base safe so having our personnel participate in a combative course, which addresses various methods our personnel can use to defend themselves, is a key component to base defense,” said Staff Sgt. James, combatives course instructor with the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. “The inclusion of batons in combatives gives 380th Force Protection personnel more options without appearing unnecessarily threatening.”
While many people may imagine the wooden batons of yesteryear, defenders and force protection personnel here are equipped with metal and rubber batons, extending with a well-placed flick of the arm. Personnel spent their first moments with the baton learning how to quickly extend and retract bar, while performing strikes at unseen opponents.
For many of the personnel going through the course it’s their first time participating in close combat training to such a degree, an experience that is well appreciated.
“I feel like this course has been especially helpful for me, a person who has no fighting experience. All of this is completely new to me,” said Staff Sgt. Darcee. “I would definitely recommend this to other personnel.”
The last of the changes, the shortening of course length by three hours, comes after frequent notices of burn out in participants by instructors.
“Anytime you have someone learning something new, you’re going to see them reach a point where they can’t take in any more information if they keep at for an extended period because they’ve burned themselves out,” said James. “We were seeing a lot of this with the students during the previous course, so the course was shortened.
The course continues to teach basic movements in weapon control, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, wrestling as well as a mixture of grappling styles – techniques used to dominate another person through body positioning.
“Ultimately, what we want do is train the personnel, so if they find themselves in a life-threatening or terroristic situation they’ll have the skills and training necessary to defend themselves and others from harm,” said James.