HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. — Airmen from the 66th Security Forces Squadron and Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., recently completed a combatives course here to enhance hand-to-hand combat skills and physical readiness.
“The course teaches basic fighting strategies, establishing a foundation not only for combat, but also how to de-escalate a situation,” said Tech. Sgt. Dean Concepcion, 66 SFS combatives course senior instructor. “There are times where you need to calm a situation and talk through it; not every situation needs to result in a physical fight.”
“Most people have never been in a fight,” said Concepcion. “This course prepares Airmen with the basic skills they need to properly react to a given situation.”
The training reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to readiness by preparing Airmen for challenges both at home and while in deployed environments.
“Participants should expect not only physical demands, but also mental and emotional challenges,” said Senior Airman Lekena McCallum, 66 SFS basic combative course instructor.
The course also included an academic component, where students learned about the history of the program.
Participation is open to all Airmen and civilians, provided they are not on physical training waivers or have injuries preventing them from taking the course.
“We often think that we will be ready when the time comes, but without the proper training, you will not know for sure if you are prepared to meet that threat,” said Concepcion.
For more information about future course offerings, contact Concepcion at dean.concepcion@us.af.mil or McCallum at lekena.mccallum@us.af.mil.
