So on Monday night I took a handful of my junior kids outside for some environmental awareness training.

Gone were the cushy mats…

Gone were the mirrors and regular training equipment…

Hello concrete, stones, stairs and walls…

This was a very important training session for the juniors who hadn’t done anything like this before.

Cries of “This is the best class ever!!” were heard often.

I had them perform basic reps standing barefoot on stones, running sprints in the parking lot and some up close and personal self defense training.

One of the things we worked on was the need for environmental awareness – and I’m not talking about the effects of leaving trash around or recycling your plastic bottles.

Of course I’m referring to being aware of your surroundings, identifying exits and how you can use the environment to your advantage.

We did plenty of different exercises that helped them become more aware of the things they should watch out for like sharp objects, stairs, dead-ends, etc.

Below is a quick video I shot for you with the kids doing a simple self-defense drill were one person is the aggressor and the defender moves inside the line, blocks the incoming technique, strikes and projects their partner into the wall.

If you choose to do outside training be sure to do it with responsible students. I do it a few times per year with my adult class, and occasionally with my juniors who can follow directions and pay attention. NEVER will I do it with really young kids or ones that aren't mature enough. The last thing you want is some kid getting hurt because another one thought it would be fun to push him down the stairs...

Maybe next time I'll have them do it in regular street clothes or wearing heavy jackets... these are just other ways to make the exercises a little more realistic.

What other ideas can you think of?