No modern weapons, no bullet-proof jackets and no high spinning kicks. The Tamil Nadu Commando Force personnel will soon follow a new, unarmed and non-lethal technique during combat. A batch of 50 commandos is now undergoing training in Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art and self-defense system. The personnel, who are usually called in to deal with extraordinary situations, are undergoing intensive training to handle these complex and deadly situations. During the 100-hour basic training, divided over two hours on weekdays, the commandos will also be taught to deal with unarmed attacks and how to neutralize attacks with weapons like knifes and pistols.
The martial art itself does not involve difficult movements that require regular practice, but deals with simple gross motor skills that can immobilise a person by hitting ‘vulnerable’ parts, said S Sreeram, the co-ordinator and instructor of the Chennai chapter of the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF).
“The training module for each unit of the police department is different as they face different situations. A policeman on the beat deals with regular law and order situations while commandos are called in for critical situations. Like the terrorist attack in Mumbai when the local police were found wanting and the commandos were called in,” explained Sreeram, who has been training them.
Sreeram has already trained 70 policemen and women from the Tamil Nadu Special Police in 2012 following which the martial art was demonstrated before Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during the police parade last year. Impressed by the self-defense system, various units of the Tamil Nadu Police also jumped on the bandwagon, including the TN Commando force. “There will be an evaluation process after the basic training and the commandos will be shortlisted for advanced training and later for the trainers’ course,” said Sreeram.