Can self-defence skills provide a solution? Yes, in part.
In most cases, practice shows that knowing self-defence systems and being able to apply them in a split second in a live situation are two completely different things. Fighting in a training in a familiar environment with familiar partners is not the same as defending yourself against an unexpected and aggressive attack.
It is very difficult to be prepared for an attack in an everyday situation. This is why we cannot react effectively or we simply freeze under the adrenaline rush that floods our body.
The other problem that had to be solved was how to deal safely with violent situations in the school environment. In these cases, both the attacker and the person attacked are students, and a serious confrontation always carries the risk of physical or psychological injury or even legal consequences. In our experience, no self-defence system has ever offered a safe solution: the risk of all three factors is too high when using any one system.
In response to the problems encountered, it was necessary to develop a self-defence system specifically for the age group and school environment in question, which, after appropriate mental, tactical and technical training, would also provide effective assistance to students in real-life situations, taking into account the following aspects:
The age and physical condition of the participants:
– Primary school students
– Secondary school students
– Secondary school students
The environmental characteristics:
– At school
– Outside school
A revolutionary innovation in self-defence training
To this day, there are globally no self-defence methods taught and used that are specifically designed for the school environment. Although traditional self-defence methods are included in school curricula, usually abroad, but it can take years to master them as an actual skill.
Based on reports from teachers, we explored the dangerous situations they have encountered in their work and for which they would like to see effective, practical solutions.
Based on these problems and situations, we developed effective, safe and easy-to-learn self-defence solutions for them and created the TREVA – Fit For Life program, which now offers a comprehensive solution against violence inside and, of course, outside school. The newly developed, non-violent self-defence system for young people was named TREVA, using the middle letters of the Hungarian word éleTREVAlók (“fit for life”).
During the creation of the TREVA system, the main focus was on the mental preparation of students. The goal is always prevention, the early detection of attacks and the avoidance of attacks so that no one is hurt if possible.
Self-defence training provides students with a basic understanding of an individual’s right to self-defence, the ethics of self-defence, as well as attacker profiles and the underlying motivations of attacker types. By presenting real-life situations to age groups, followed by a joint analysis of the situations and a reflection, we help students prepare mentally.
In all cases, the focus is on prevention and avoidance, as most students are neither mentally nor physically prepared to deal with a violent situation.
The first priority was to develop a non-violent self-defence method that minimizes the risk of injury. In addition to the defence techniques, young students must of course also learn to use appropriate attack techniques if their use is unavoidable.
We have found that students who master TREVA’s non-violent self-defence methods are much less likely to get into confrontations, can effectively and safely handle conflict situations, and can defend themselves or even their fellow students.
Our conversations with teachers confirmed that they, too, lack the effective means to deal with these situations and that they seek answers to the following questions:
– How can they deal with bullying at school?
– How can they protect their students in a violent situation?
– How can they defend themselves against an angry student or parent?
As a comprehensive solution, we have developed the TREVA – Fit For Life program, which offers both students and teachers practical help in dealing with violent situations at school.
In developing the program, we set ourselves a clear goal: the safety of students and teachers.