Breakaway and Self Defence Training

Workplace violence and aggression continue to rise across sectors, particularly in healthcare, public services, and customer-facing roles. When de-escalation strategies are not enough, staff must be equipped with the skills to protect themselves and others safely and lawfully.
Our training supports organisations in meeting their duty of care under UK legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, while aligning with sector-specific guidance such as NHS Violence Prevention and Reduction (VPR) standards.

This course blends underpinning knowledge with practical, scenario-based skills to ensure staff can respond confidently, safely, and proportionately in real-world situations.

Content is tailored to your organisation, but typically includes:

• Personal safety awareness and dynamic risk assessment
  Understanding how to identify, assess, and respond to risk in real time, including environmental awareness and decision-making under pressure
• Early recognition of escalation and behavioural cues
  Identifying warning signs of aggression and understanding when de-escalation may no longer be effective
• Positioning, distancing, and personal safety strategies
  Maintaining safe space, managing proximity, and using movement to reduce vulnerability and exposure to risk
• Breakaway techniques from common grabs and holds
  Practical methods to safely disengage from wrist grabs, clothing holds, hair pulls, and other forms of physical contact
• Protective responses to strikes and physical aggression
  Simple, effective techniques to protect against pushes, strikes, and sudden assaults while prioritising disengagement
• Safe disengagement and exit strategies
  Techniques focused on creating opportunities to break contact and move to safety, rather than prolonged physical engagement
• Decision-making and proportionate use of force
  Applying the UK legal framework to ensure all actions are reasonable, necessary, and defensible
• Scenario-based training aligned to your environment
  Realistic simulations based on your sector, roles, and common incidents to embed learning and build confidence
• Post-incident considerations and personal safety reflection
  Understanding what happens after an incident, including reporting, reflection, and supporting staff wellbeing