S.T.I.C.K. It To The Sexual Predator!
Thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow-up on a great post by Deborah Thomas (What Do Parents Fear Most, I think). In her post, Ms. Thomas revealed that, of all the possible perils that their children face in and around the school environment, the sexual predator ranked number one.
I have been providing hands-on Counter Child Abduction Techniques (CAT) and Survival Techniques and Intervention Techniques for Children and parents (S.T.I.C.K.) training for several years. Above all STICK is a program designed to effectively neutralize the neighborhood predator, or, as he is known pejoratively among law enforcement people, the Chicken Hawk. The STICK program, however, is much more than a simple self defense training program. Not that self defense in and of itself is not an excellent component of any training package, but the self defense component must be the right type of self defense and it must be coupled with the child’s parents acting as that child’s Survival Coach. Put simply, the STICK program can only be effective if the parents and/or the school work in tandem with the child.
The STICK Counter-Abductor program works on several premises.
1. The Self Defense component is comprised of easy, simple, retainable Gross Motor Skills, which function best under survival stress. The self defense component is not martial arts (which, by the way, most self defense for kids trainings are) because martial arts are mostly Complex Motor Skills, which break down when the heart rate accelerates above 150 BPM. STICK understands that it is folly to expect an 8 year-old child to fend off a 220 psychotic and violent male criminal.
2. Self Defense is a very emotional and scary undertaking for any child. Consequences for failure are catastrophic. The involvement of parents and even some school staff is critical. Parents are asked to take the role of Survival Coach and work closely with their child on developing what I call as Survival Psyche. Courage Coaches are asked to coach their child in various aspects of preventing and avoiding an attack as well as developing skills in escape and evasion of predatory attacks. Some Survival Coaching activities might include:
· Threat Recognition Skills includes identifying threatening body language; discriminating between adults who are “Yes-People –“ Totally Trustworthy; “Maybe-People – those family members, friends, etc., who are usually very safe, but – like teachers, clergy, coaches, etc – who could be a threat if he or she gives the child “The Creeps.” Obviously, the parent will talk to the child about the signs of a potential predator and what to do if a predator tries to establish contact.
· Develop and Teach A Family Safety Plan: Many children have escaped the clutches of a sexual predator by following the edicts of a FSP taught and inculcated by a Safety Coach. The FSP involves a Code of Conduct for the child repetitively inculcating a commitment to follow some common sense guidelines for staying alive (which I will go into in another post).
· Teach the Child Key Survival Skills Through Realistic Scenarios: My STICK program suggests a series of realistic Role Plays and action scenarios that will teach the child through Stress Inoculation Training how to escape and evade a potential predator. These games and drills, which I will go into in a subsequent post, are fun and non-threatening, but teach crucial skills in several vital avoidance tactics, such as:
>Tactical Movement.
Ø Immediate Response Under Survival Stress.
Ø Using the Predator’s Expectations Against Him.
Ø Spontaneous Fighting Skills.
Ø Use the Psychology of the Predator Against Him.
In Part II we will discuss specific escape and evasion tactics. Until then,
Stay Safe.
Hammer
Don't miss another post -- subscribe by email or RSS today!
Posted on August 20th, 2008 by Harry A Widger
Filed under: K-6, Parents, People Involved, Predators, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Students
Leave a Reply