RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.

It's the duck-and-cover of this day and age, I feel like.

But still, it's better to be prepared. When I am in an enclosed space, I am aware of where the exits are and how to get out. The hiding part is something I've practiced a lot in lockdown drills. The state requires childcare facilities to practice an earthquake drill or a lockdown drill every month (in addition to a fire drill). One of the first things I do when entering a classroom is evaluate where the best location for students to be in in the event of a lockdown.

I hope this never happens, that I never need to use what I've practiced, but at the same time I know that the practice will mean that if it does happen, I'll have more to rely on than instinct.

 

My former colleagues and I would discuss this after practicing lockdowns at the preschool. What would we do? Oh, you bet we would go out fighting. We thought of all manner of improvised weapons. I can't imagine bleach water to the eyes would feel good, for example.

 

This is part of the reason why I'm considering switching from muay thai to hapkido (possibly by this summer). Hapkido is to a large extent a South Korean version of jujitsu. It involves, among other things, joint locks, pressure point attacks, and throws to take down an opponent. There is also weapons training, which includes both traditional and improvised weapons.

I've seen demonstrations of effective ways to immobilize someone quite readily with a broom handle. I've also seen techniques using a rolled-up newspaper to disarm someone .

I know guns are different, but many aggravated assaults in Canada are from unarmed attackers or with something other than a gun. In all violent crimes, for example, the attacker will be about three times more likely to have a knife than a gun. Even with murder, the attacker will just as likely be using a knife as a gun.

Even while hiding in the rooms of an office building with a gun-wielding maniac, having some mad skills as a last resort for taking someone down is better than nothing.

 

I honestly think asking teachers to train in martial arts would be much more effective than arming them.

 

I've heard that hapkido is taught to certain police forces as a means of close range and unarmed/baton self-defense. It's because the focus is on disarming or otherwise rendering the opponent immobilized (or neutralized, if you will). I think judo and akido are employed in the same capacity.

I think there would be a number of applications for teachers and other public servants to have this kind of training. One main benefit is that it's a self-defense that can be used without injuring your opponent. This would be good for teachers who don't want to hurt students who assault them.