Xavier Jennette’s Post

𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞? 𝐈𝐟 𝐒𝐨, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝. When I first started teaching self-defence over 30 years ago, I kept things very simple. Not because I was a genius — but because, honestly, I didn’t have a choice. Still, part of me wondered if it was too simple for others to take seriously — not that I should’ve cared what other instructors thought. The clients were (and still are) the real priority. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐛 If someone grabs your wrist — and you need to defend yourself — skip the tug-of-war or complex wrist release. Instead, step in, hit a vulnerable target with your free hand, breaking the grip, and escape. 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Upon distal appendage control in situations warranting physical defence, avoid prolonged isometric engagement. Instead, close the gap and deliver a rapid percussive strike with the free hand to a vulnerable anatomical target, disrupting grip mechanics and enabling immediate egress. Over time, I learned this: simple isn’t “less.” Simple is what sticks under stress. And it’s precisely why I built the SAFE Certification — to help instructors teach regular people (often “one-and-done” learners) in a few hours with skills they’ll actually remember when it counts. No jargon. Just simple principles that save lives. If you want to help those who might only ever take one violence prevention and self-defence course in their lifetime, visit https://lnkd.in/gkvnZ6Jv

"Does that make sense to you?" I end every answer in my class with this question. It's too easy for meaning to get lost between speaker and listener. I need to check that I've answered the right question, that they're satisfied with the answer. Often, when the question is garbled, I'll repeat it back. Sometimes I understood them. Sometimes I haven't, and they'll rephrase. This continual checking—hearing what they mean, not just what they're saying—is critical to their learning. I've learned it's not really about the answer. It's about showing them I care about their questions. That creates psychological safety. And psychological safety is where real learning happens. What question are you not asking in your meetings?

“If you let it slide, they’ll keep disrespecting you.” That line hit me. From one of our testimonial stories in Arrow Up’s Harassment Prevention course - simple, real, and absolutely right. Check out this quick clip. Because these lessons aren’t just work skills. They’re life skills. Knowing when to speak up, and how to have someone’s back when they do. That’s what we’re here to teach and reinforce. ARROW UP TRAINING

In light of the issues around online therapy and coaching in general, it's understandable that people would have their guard up the moment they see someone who makes claims on how they can help them through with their problems. Specifically talking about the therapeutic field where licensing and credentials should what leads the conversation, though most people forget to ask for them or even discuss it until way later down the line; it's essential that you run these checks by them to verify that they are who they say there are.. Otherwise, you might just find out that you were working with someone who's untrained, unprofessional and can cause more damage than good. I created a video covering the points I learned from a valuable lesson of not verifying credentials and I'd hate for anyone else to go through the same thing. Video's in the comments.

Training in Thinking Unsolvable A problem without a solution isn’t a problem, it’s a situation we have to live with. But most existing problems do have solutions. We just don’t like that solution. The solution might be challenging, or feel risky, or lead to an outcome we’re not happy about. It’s tempting to announce that this means the problem is unsolvable. It’s not. It’s just not an easy or low-cost solution. It’s even more tempting to do the worst thing: pretend that the problem doesn’t matter. Ignore it. Avoid people who insist that not only is it a problem, but there’s a solution worth pursuing. Sometimes, problems ignored simply disappear. Not often, though. Upali Muthumuni Upali Muthumuni

𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞? 𝐈𝐟 𝐒𝐨, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝. When I first started teaching self-defence over 30 years ago, I kept things very simple. Not because I was a genius — but because, honestly, I didn’t have a choice. Still, part of me wondered if it was too simple for others to take seriously — not that I should’ve cared what other instructors thought. The clients were (and still are) the real priority. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐛 If someone grabs your wrist — and you need to defend yourself — skip the tug-of-war or complex wrist release. Instead, step in, hit a vulnerable target with your free hand, breaking the grip, and escape. 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Upon distal appendage control in situations warranting physical defence, avoid prolonged isometric engagement. Instead, close the gap and deliver a rapid percussive strike with the free hand to a vulnerable anatomical target, disrupting grip mechanics and enabling immediate egress. Over time, I learned this: simple isn’t “less.” Simple is what sticks under stress. And it’s precisely why I built the SAFE Certification — to help instructors teach regular people (often “one-and-done” learners) in a few hours with skills they’ll actually remember when it counts. No jargon. Just simple principles that save lives. If you want to help those who might only ever take one violence prevention and self-defence course in their lifetime, visit https://lnkd.in/gbrcPwMm #selfdefense #selfdefence #degree #violenceprevention #selfdefenseclasses

Recently, I decided to start mentoring a younger officer who has just completed training. I often thought back to myself when I made it out of training and all the emotions that came with that experience, as well as the mistakes I had made. Here are some examples of things I’ve learned from my personal experience. 1. You have to develop thick skin and take nothing to heart. Trust me, I understand you want to do everything perfectly and gain the respect of your peers. Guess what, that’s not happening overnight. Often, you will be spoken to by veteran officers about the mistakes you are making. Do not take it personally and listen to them. 2. You’re your own worst enemy. Nobody expects you to be perfect. Set realistic expectations and goals. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes, and don’t let that stop you from trying. 3. Hold yourself accountable and admit when you make mistakes. Also, do not be afraid to ask for help and advice. 4. Do not put your eggs into one basket. Attempt to be a well-rounded officer. 5. Realize law enforcement has many ups and downs, setbacks. Find out what will keep you motivated. 6. Continually seek out training. Your training doesn’t stop when you complete FTO. 7. Take care of your mental health, and it will help with longevity in this career.

How do you write plausible distractors when the question is truly black or white? In compliance training, there often isn’t gray area. Actions either follow the policy or the law, or they don’t. In that kind of training, the distractors often feel obvious. You have a yes or no question, and that’s it. So how do you make plausible distractors where the choices challenging enough to make people think? One way is to include some rationales to make yes/no questions require more thought. If the right answer is "yes," then include yes twice in the options—once with the right rationale and once with an incorrect but plausible rationale. Repeat this with two plausible reasons someone might choose no. Now, even a yes/no question requires a bit more thought. Read more and see an example question here: https://lnkd.in/eKRB6ACs

✨ 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿. 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆. Traditional behaviour management too often misses the mark. The Behaviour Response Blueprint™ offers a new way forward - one that is neurodiversity-affirming, evidence-informed, and centred on psychological safety. This free professional learning for educators gives you a framework for creating classrooms where all students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. 🔗 Learn more + access the training here 👉https://lnkd.in/gA6fKEwp

At Forest Schools, tool use isn’t about risk for risk’s sake – it’s about trust, teamwork, and real-world learning. Children learn to handle tools with care, communicate clearly, and support one another. These moments build language, confidence, and cooperation far beyond the woodland. Every session follows strict safety steps: ratios are maintained, kits are checked, and start-and-stop signals are agreed before work begins. Through these routines, learners experience managed risk within clear boundaries. We believe that when children are trusted with responsibility, they rise to it. The result is safer, more capable, and more confident young people who understand both the power and the respect that tools demand.