“He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
(Psalm 18:34)
Are you a natural fighter? Are
you big and strong enough to absorb the blows until the other person tires? If not, but you had a gun, a knife, or a tire
rod, you'd make him quit! But what if
they are unarmed? Can you avoid using
lethal force and still protect yourself? Do you know how?
It is only natural to want to defend yourself when attacked. If it looks like someone is aiming their fist
at your face, you instinctively put your hand up in the way to hide your face
and deflect the blow. This may work if
the attacker is satisfied with only one blow, but what if he continues the
attack? How can you continue to deflect
his blows, get away, or even make him stop?
We like to think of church as a safe place. However, people being people, tempers will
flare and someone will lash out. Someone
else may be holding a grudge and let loose. You may be the target, or you may be there
when another person is attacked. So do
you know how to respond?
The first option for us as Security Team members is verbal
de-escalation, but it is not always effective, especially if the disrupter is
determined to use violence. The next
level on the Continuum of Force is Empty-Hand
Control - unarmed self-defense. There is training available. We just need to
locate it and take what we need for Church Security.
When people hear unarmed self-defense, most of them think martial
arts. There are specific martial
arts used for self-defense. Most are
from Japan, China, and Korea. The reason
so many martial arts come from the Buddhist traditions is that Buddhist monks
were forbidden to carry or use weapons. They
risked facing bandits when traveling, so they devised ways of defending
themselves without weapons. Since it was
monks who developed unarmed martial arts, their philosophy and religious
concepts were also taught along with the actual skills. In accordance with their origin, the intent
was to defend oneself with the least amount of harm to the opponent.
The most common Asian martial arts are Kung Fu, Judo, Aikido, Jujitsu,
Karate, Thai Boxing, Tae-kwan-do, and their variations. These martial arts involve much more than
self-defense. A student is typically in
a program for years, learning not only the skills, but also at least some of
the associated philosophy.
A modern martial art called Krav Maga (Close Combat) was developed
for the Israel Defense Force. [1] This
is a very practical military self-defense system. It is potentially lethal since it is designed
for defense against deadly force, including terrorists.
Several teachers and groups teach self-defense as just
self-defense, not as one of the codified systems. Some are based on street fighting. Many draw their moves from Asian martial arts,
boxing, and wrestling, and some also borrow from Krav Maga.
There are self-defense courses especially designed for women. The aim is to teach women defense against
crimes targeting women such as street robbery (mugging or purse snatching),
kidnapping, and sexual assault.
So the question is, "What kind of self-defense training do
you need?" Remember that the
purpose is self-defense, not for show or for competition. The basic consideration is, "Can I
effectively defend myself and others with this?" The time spent in
training should focus on this.
A second, and important, consideration is, "Does this
training include religious philosophy which is contrary to Christian values and
teaching?" There are
instructors who teach Karate or Judo as skills without Eastern religious
indoctrination. For a Church Security
Ministry, we need is the ability to keep order in the church, to calm down a
disrupter, and to remove a disrupter who does not calm down.
There are a number of ways to look for self-defense training:
1) Find out who trained other church security teams in self-defense. Ask how well they did.
2) Search the Yellow Pages, either online or in print.
You will get the greatest number of results with the category
"self-defense." You will get more refined results by adding
"instructor," "instruction," "training,"
"trainer," or "school" if online. See what sub-categories are in your local
print edition of the Yellow Pages.
3) Search the web using Google, Bing, Yahoo Search, Duck-Duck-Go, etc.
Use the same terms as for the Yellow Pages, but in quotation marks (such as
"self-defense instructor") and not just "self-defense" (if
you do you'll get way more than you're looking for).
4) You can also contact local organizations which might host, or sponsor
self-defense training.
Examples are the police, the YMCA or YWCA, colleges and universities, and
volunteer service organizations such as the Lions, Kiwanis, the Rotary Club, or
the Jaycees. Be sure to check local gun clubs.
They sometimes offer basic classes.
Fitness centers and gyms may also have self-defense classes.
When the training is for the Security Team, seek an instructor who
focuses on unarmed self-defense as it is used in churches. Don't get mired in a long martial arts
program. Your team needs a few skills
that anyone can learn, ones they can regularly practice with each other. This should be only one-to-three sessions so
the entire team can commit to it.
Also, while focusing on self-defense, avoid being pulled into questionable
religious philosophies. We do not want to confuse team members and others by
introducing ideas which are at odds with the teaching of the church.
When you contact the instructor, explain what a Church Security Team really
needs, a few control techniques in case a subject does not leave when asked. Most people should be able to learn these
quickly.
Basically, these are a couple of escort holds and a couple of takedowns,
and a backup move in case the first one does not work. The first hold is for a subject who passively
resists (such as just standing or sitting there). The second hold (a pain-compliance move) is
for a subject who is actively resisting. If the subject becomes violent, you need a
takedown move. Add a group takedown for really violent subjects.
Once you find the trainer for unarmed self-defense, sign up the Security
Team and schedule the time and place of the class. Certify those who pass the class. Those who wish to do so are free to enroll
themselves in full self-defense classes so they can protect themselves on the
streets.
However, they need to know what level of self-defense is used in your
congregation, and that is the level taught to a Church Security Team. Encourage Security Team members to regularly
practice their self-defense skills. Create scenarios to make the drills more
realistic. Remember, we are training
them for real life situations.
We may have to defend ourselves without weapons on the street or in church.
Sometimes we may have to remove
disruptive persons from the church. To
do this safely and effectively, we need training.
Be safe!
[1] Wikipedia, "Krav Maga" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga]
If your church is interested in starting a Church Security
Ministry please contact me and we can discuss your church’s needs.
Integrity Security Consulting
Russ Sharrock
405-762-2471 |
integrityseccon@hotmail.com
I have developed and made available to anyone interested, for FREE, a series of Security & safety forms that can
be printed for your use:
1) A Safety & Security Risk Assessment Form
2) Church Security Plan Template
3) Church Emergency Plan Template
4) A General Fire Safety Checklist
5) A Bomb Threat Checklist
6) A Bomb Threat Distance Chart: Includes various types of
explosive devises and to be referred to in an event of a bomb threat
evacuation. These are minimum distances to evacuate away from the area of
explosion.
7) Facility Lockdown Checklist
8) Child Protection Covenant
9) Church Emergency Management Checklist
These MS Word documents can be adapted as necessary to fit your
church size and needs. I will be adding new forms as time allows.
For a copy of any of these FREE
forms, or if you have any questions, contact me and let me know what your needs
are.
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