Active shooter situations across the country are on the rise. Though F.B.I. statistics for this year are incomplete, a simple web search of mass shootings this year shows there were several just this weekend.
Whether the incident happens at a school, office building, mall or night club, it’s best to be prepared.
Now, a Treasure Valley martial artist is helping make sure his students are.
Travis Dillow doesn’t offer your average active shooter training. His students are taught that there are three different reactions one may have in an active shooter situation.
If faced with a mass shooter, the potential victims have the choice to escape, They can also barricade themselves, but if neither of these options works in the situation, the students are taught to engage.
Dillow, owner of Champions ATA Martial Arts in Nampa, has more than 20 years invested in martial arts. He’s a 6th degree black belt Master of Tae Kwan Do and a 1st degree black belt of Krav Maga so when he trains students to react, he wants to make sure they’re ready to engage.
Dillow says of students in this training, “They have to be surprise attacked and engage”.
Dillow’s students have certainly learned the lesson. “Be aware, for sure. Know where your exits are,” says martial arts student Adam Tate.
Dillow makes sure his class realizes the importance of awareness. "We don't have an alternative. This door's locked. There's that exit, but the active shooter is between you and the exit. What're you gonna do?" Dillow asks the class.
Dillow follows up with exercises that put the class in “mock” harms way.
Sara Clark was shot and killed in one of these exercises. She says of the experience, “It’s creepy. It’s totally scary.”
That’s why Dillow says this training is crucial. He’s looking to form a bond with schools, businesses and law enforcement agencies across the Treasure Valley.
"We want them to feel a lot more confident and actually to have been through some real life scenarios of an active shooter situation," Dillow says.
His students say this training is definitely invaluable. Clark tells us, "After practicing, I think it would come more natural not to choke up."
For more information on how you can prepare yourself or your organization to face an active shooter, simply log onto Champion ATA Martial Arts website.
Click here for more information http://championsmartialarts.win
