Well, that was fun! Master Andy Crittenden presented 2 seminars for our students last weekend at Castleland Community Centre. It was brilliant to see over 50 students attend as well as lots of their parents as so many of our students are still on holiday.
Master Andy's relaxed and personable style meant everyone was instantly put at ease for what, in the wrong hands, could be a difficult subject to cover. Andy emphasized that a large part of street defence is avoiding confrontation and walking away from potential danger, but that it is also important to know how to protect yourself physically if you have no other option. With this in mind, one of the things the students learned was to be more aware of their surroundings at all times and to get home safely.
The first seminar for junior students focussed on low-level responses to the type of thing that could occur in the schoolyard, Very valuable for getting out of a situation without causing any damage to the other person and possibly getting into trouble with the school.
The later seminar for older students ramped things up a notch with some practical defences against a higher-level threat. We all had a lot of fun at the expense of Andy's unfortunate assistants Carl and Matthew, I'm sure there were a few bruises the next morning. Students were introduced to some basic releases from holds both standing and on the ground and both students and parents were having a ball going through the various scenarios. It is said that a lesson learned with a smile is a lesson remembered and this certainly proved to be the case.
All in all, this was a great event that armed our students with some new and valuable tools and tactics taught in a relaxed and fun manner by our genial guest Master Andy. We would like to thank Andy and his wife Lucy for visiting us and we look forward to having them back. Andy has written his first book "Essential Self-Defence" and I would highly recommend buying a copy. It can be found on Amazon.