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Chase, Wrestle and Roll

Junior Martial Arts in Penrith, Cumbria

Kempo 6
  1. Strive to have a good moral character 
  2. Keep an Honest and Sincere Way
  3. Cultivate Perseverance, a will for striving
  4. Develop a respectful attitude
  5. Restrain physical aggression 

Fun and Play for Juniors - a child-friendly environment for learning martial arts and personal safety skills through games and play.


Martial Arts and Self-Defence are serious topics requiring motivation and discipline - but at a young age there is plenty of fun to be had while learning foundational skills.  

Inspired by the tenet that "Play is the Way" our class for juniors mainly aims to let them explore the fundamentals while enjoying themselves in games, exercises and movement tasks:

  • Rolling and Moving on the Floor:  'I am okay if I get knocked down - I know how to get back up'
  • Wrestling and Rough-housing:  'When someone grabs me, shoves me, I feel relatively calm - I can Respond (not React)'
  • Introduce Verbal Skills and Boundary Setting:  'would you let the Big Bad Wolf into your house?'
  • Body Language and Posture:  'I give off signals that say I am Aware, I see You, I have Confidence'
  • Instinctive Protection:  'my body has amazing reflexes which help to keep me safe'
  • Coordination:  'I know common patterns of movement that I can practice by myself'
  • Age- and stage- appropriate methods of self-protection:  'I don't need to hurt or injure the bully at school (but I know how to physically respond if he/she tries to hurt me)'
    • Non-Aggressive Postures
    • Defensive Shapes to give me time to think
    • Achieving Control / Stopping the Assault
    • Moving Towards Safety When Appropriate

The methods taught in these sessions bridge the martial arts and the practical self-protection material from our core content - focussed on the needs of children and young people whose parents are keen to see them introduced into this topic through play, fun and engagement at their level.

We teach the 9 Attitudes for Personal Safety:

The Relaxed Attitude

Activated when there is nothing to worry about, when in a place or among people who make you feel safe and secure.  An important anchor for all that is good and worth protecting in life.

The Alert Attitude

Activated when our innate body-mind system detects some anomaly in our environment which draws our attention and demands that we examine it closely to review if we are safe.

The Preventive Attitude

Activated when we identify that an anomaly in our environment is a risk to our safety and we actively need to do something to reduce the threat of it becoming harmful to us.

The Survival Attitude

Activated when our instinctive protective mechanisms have fired under a sudden assault and and we cognitively seek to leverage those reflexes to survive the inital collision.

The Reversal Attitude

Activated at the moment when, fuelled by emotion, we physically, psychologically and emotionally regain balance and transition into productive movement to stop or slow the assailant.

The Engagement Attitude

Activated when we press an opportunity created by survival and reversal and exploit it by causing dysfunction in the assailant, in order to meet our protection goal.

The Escape Attitude

Activated when our protection goal is to move towards safety and away from the assailant immediately as the opportunity presents itself.

The Control Attitude

Activated when we cannot simply move towards safety and away from the assailant, usually in complex situations regarding some duty of care to them or others.

The Harm Attitude

Activated when the only viable option to create safety is to definitively stop the assailant from being able to continue to cause harm.

Restraint Training: Control Phase and Restraint Phase Differences 2

Lead Instructor: Ger O'Dea 

“Since 1986, I have studied all around the world, exploring systems and meeting instructors from a variety of traditions and methodologies.  I studied Japanese at university, studied the old texts, lived in the culture.  My goal was then and still is now, to be able to answer the difficult questions about interpersonal conflict in the most meaningful, helpful way possible for my students.  

I have learned, and earned, my craft from some of the pre-eminent personal safety coaches in the world.  In my corporate work, I primarily meet healthcare, education, security and community teams - workers of all kinds, contact professionals from the security, financial services and property sectors and from time to time I work with survivors of sexual assault or bullying.  


Dynamis Gym is the vital testing ground I established in 2006 where people with varying experiences with conflict come together to explore the reality of violence, aggression and the means to stop it or prevent it.  The environment is inherently a safe one where health, wellbeing (and injury prevention) are valued.


I often have only limited time with my students, but I am always inspired when the attitudes and methodology we use as trainers bring clarity to the problems of confrontation our people face in their life and work.


Where we have more time with individuals on a private basis, I have seen them transformed by our physical and tactical training - they emerge more confident, more aware, with fewer limiting beliefs.


My aim is that the training I provide is accessible and effective for every person who seeks it out - regardless of age, gender, size, occupation, past experience or expectations.”


Relevant Qualifications:

  • Level 4 Diploma in Child Psychology - 2020
  • Institute of Conflict Management L4 Physical Skills Tutor Award - 2017
  • Verbal Defense and Influence (Vistelar) - 2014
  • Cardiff University / Bond Solon Expert Witness - 2012
  • BTEC L3 Self-Defence Instruction - 2011
  • BTEC L3 Coaching and Instruction in Physical Restraint Practice - 2007
  • BTEC L3 Physical Restraint Practice - 2006

Professional Courses Completed:

  • Dynamis CPD - Cushion, Baskind, Klugiewicz - Jan 2022
  • College of Policing OST - PST Trainer Development Metropolitan Police Rollout Dec 2021
  • College of Policing OST - PST Trainer Development Avon & Somerset Rollout April 2021
  • College of Policing OST- PST  Training Pathfinder Programme Rollout March 2021
  • Level 4 Diploma in Child Psychology - August 2020
  • Eric Baskind “Managing Violence and Aggression” Healthcare Masterclass - February 2020
  • Vistelar Non-Escalation, De-Escalation and Crisis Intervention Trainer Course - December 2019
  • Prof. Chris Cushion “Maximising Training Effectiveness” CPD December 2018
  • Functional Edge System Advanced Trainer Course Edged Weapons II - July 2016
  • Functional Edge System Advanced Trainer Course Multiple Assailants - October 2015
  • Functional Edge System Advanced Trainer Course Control Tactics - May 2015
  • “Verbal Defense and Influence” Instructor Certification - June 2014
  • Functional Edge System Advanced Trainer Course Restricted Positions - Feb 2014
  • Functional Edge System Advanced Trainer Course Edged Weapon Defence - May 2013 
  • Functional Edge System Advanced Trainer Course Ground Survival - Oct 2012
  • Introduction to Violence - Rory Miller - May 2012
  • Conflict Communications - Rory Miller - May 2012
  • Expert Witness Certification (Cardfiff University / Bond Solon) - March 2012
  • Self-Defence Instructor Course/ BTEC L3 - April 2011
  • Functional Edge System Trainer Course II - July 2011
  • Functional Edge System Trainer Course - March 2011
  • Conflict Management  / BTEC L3 Course - July 2010
  • General Services Association Annual Conference - June 2010
  • Certified at the AELE Workshop on Legal, Psychological and Biomechanical Aspects of Officer-Involved Lethal and Less-Lethal Use of Force - Oct 2009 
  • Institute for Prevention of In-Custody Deaths Certified Use-of-Force Trainer - Oct 2009
  • Sexual Violence Awareness Course @ EWRASAC - Sept 2009
  • CIEH Risk Assessment L3 Course - May 2009
  • CIEH Manual Handling L2 Course - May 2009
  • Blauer Tactical Systems Weapon Protection Advanced Certification - April 2009
  • PTLLS Course / BTEC L4 - March 2008
  • Restraint Coaching and Instruction Course / BTEC L3 - June 2007
  • Restraint Instructor Qualifying Course / BTEC L3 - March 2007
  • Blauer Tactical Systems Groundfighting Advanced Certification - Feb 2007
  • Blauer Tactical Systems Ballistic Microfight Advanced Certification - Feb 2007
  • Blauer Tactical Systems Personal Defense Readiness - April 2006

International Okinawan Karate Federation

Polander Academy of Kempo

Gerard was awarded 4th Dan Black Belt by Hanshi Peter Polander in August 2023.

As learners advance through the initial Chase Wrestle and Roll curriculum they may begin to learn classical Okinawan Kempo Kata and Self-Protection concepts.

Polander Academy of Kempo - https://polanderkempo.com
International Okinawan Kempo Federation - https://okinawankempo.com/