Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) participated in a three-day basic self-defense class, Sept. 22-24.
Members of Security department trained Sailors with George Washington’s League of Women group on basic patterns and movements, how to properly move and maintain balance, how to execute blocks to defend themselves and basic strikes to create distance from an attacker who is trying to press in.
“A lot of the training we taught here are techniques that we teach to our own security forces,” said Chief Master-at-Arms Kevin McCaslin, one of the self-defense instructors. “We get the curriculum from the Center for Security Forces and it is a highly effective means of using the least amount of force necessary to defend yourself until you can either get away or get assistance.”
According to Chief Master-at-Arms Jeff Harris, a self-defense instructor, this is the first class they held that is open to anyone on the ship and they are expecting it to become a more common occurrence.
According to McCaslin, the lessons are defensive in nature and the training is meant to help develop muscle memory for Sailors to use effectively in real-life situations.
Participants learned different strikes before practicing on one another and eventually the “Redman,” an instructor in red padding that allowed participants to practice what they learned.
George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
[mappress] Press Release, September 26, 2014; Image: US Navy