Game for increasing awareness by using a foam sword.
How is it done?
This exercise is done in pairs. One student sits in kiza, facing a blind wall. His or her partner holds a foam sword and stands at least 3 meters away. The back of the sitting student is facing the partner holding the foam sword. On the teacher’s command, the student holding the foam sword starts walking towards the sitting partner and tries to hit them on the head (softly). The sitting student must turn on the exact moment of impact, raising one arm to deflect the attack. Acting too late will result in a tap on the head and reacting too soon will result in a stab.
The incoming student can vary walking speed to surprise the sitting student. This game can be made more challenging by wearing socks so the sitting student can’t hear the incoming student.
What is it good for?
This is an exercise to enhance awareness of incoming danger. In this exercise, students learn to use all senses except their eyes (on which we so often depend). Students learn to act at the right moment and trust their feelings. By not using eyesight, students must depend on other senses and gut feeling to react. This skill is very useful in everyday life because often we ignore this feeling and freeze, failing to act in a proper and calm way.
Enhancing your awareness level and acting in a non-violent but decisive way can deescalate conflict, whether it is physical or verbally.