There was a collective groan from the assembled crowd of Year 8 students as they watched one of their own drop the large man with a well-placed kick to the groin. Dik Chance is the Executive Director of FAST Defence, is a programme that trains individuals how to deal with real-life threatening situations.
Mr Chance, a former martial artist who has trained elite groups such as the Royal Marines Police, the U.S. Marine Special Forces and the Amsterdam police, was bullied throughout his childhood.
“As a martial artist I found that the training I received was not my experience of reality, of fear, of adrenaline one experiences when faced with real-life threatening situations,” said Mr Chance.
When confronted with bullying or other threatening situations, Mr Chance explained that individuals will react one of two ways: they will either be passive in an effort to comply and calm the agressor, or they will be aggressive in an attempt to compensate for their fear. Both reactions are wrong.
“The key is to be assertive and to be assertive you must be confident,” said Mr Chance.
FAST, which stands for Fear Adrenaline Stress Training, uses a series of different scenarios to program the adrenal brain to achieve the most optimal outcome in a threatening situation. This means students are taught techniques of talking down potential assailants to full-on combat should that be necessary. The programme covers three modules: Awareness, Boundaries and Conflict, combat and ultimately core confidence. The goal is to train the body, train the brain and train the emotions in order to keep students safe.
For the next five weeks 15 Year 8 students from Oasis Academy Brightstowe will participate in FAST Defence training after school. At the end of the five weeks it is expected the programme will be expanded and opened to additional year groups. Mr Chance said he is excited about the venture as he is passionate about teaching children how to be assertive and stand up for themselves in a non-aggressive way.
“You don’t need to have years of martial arts or self-defence training to be safe,” said Mr Chance. “You just need to be confident and assertive.”
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