Practice makes perfect.  This is an especially important philosophy for correctional officers who are training to defend themselves against knife attacks.  Now, with VirtualBlade, a new training tool on the market, COs and other law enforcement personnel are able to more realistically assess their ability to ward off an attacker armed with a knife and develop successful strategies for how to best protect themselves.

At last week's Mock Prison Riot, attendees had a chance to test out VirtualBlade in a variety of scenarios, including one where an inmate held a hostage at knifepoint.  Although no there was no real blood on the hostage's body when all was said and done, the highly visible chalk marks produced by VirtualBlade indicated that knife injuries had been sustained.

"[In the scenario], the hostage taker had control of the hostage.  Tthey struck [him] and you could see he had been injured," said Odell Wood, Commander of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's (DRC) Special Tactics and Response (STAR) team, which participated in the scenario. 

By using a training knife equipped with VirtualBlade, officers involved in the hostage scenario, as well as several other training sessions at the Mock Riot, were able to determine exactly who had been stabbed by training knives during the commotion of each staged incident.  Rather than depending on the assailant or the target to determine whether or not the knife made contact with them, VirtualBlade leaves a bright mark on the victim.

"So many times, you don't know if [someone has] been cut or hit," said Wood.  "It's good for training.  From a tactical point, they don't have to say 'I cut you.' The tactical team could see he had been cut."

VirtualBlade comes in a kit, which consists of an adhesive that peels and sticks to any wood, rubber, plastic or metal training knife, and non-toxic, non-staining, green or blue chalk, which, when rubbed on the adhesive, turns the training knife into a marking system, designed to show when someone has been "injured" during a knife training exercise.

According to David Shulman, President of the VirtualBlade Corporation and the mastermind behind the product, it's the only knife training device of its kind on the market.

"It's the only thing that you can use for edges [weapons training] that will actually show you where you were marked," said Shulman.

Shulman explained that VirtualBlade is unique because it can provide instant feedback to people participating in a training exercise about how effective they were in defending themselves against a knife attack.

"When doing knife training, when practicing knife disarms, with just a plain rubber or wooden knife, you never know what really happens," said Shulman.  "People are cut all the time and aren't aware of it because, in the 'fog of war,' who knows what happens.  You can't feel much because the adrenaline is flowing."

With VirtualBlade, however, the results become clear.  According to Shulman, the green and blue chalk shows up well against most colors and serves as a clear indicator of when a knife has made damaging contact with an individual.

"This is not your sister's sidewalk chalk," said Shulman, explaining that although it wipes off skin and washes off clothing easily, it can produce at least 10 virtual cuts during a single training exercise, exposing how badly someone would have been injured in a similar real-life situation. 

And that is the point of using Virtual Blade - to give COs and other law enforcement or military personnel an idea of how well they would perform during a real-world struggle.

"What it does is it really changes the dynamics of the practice.  It puts an edge weapon mark on you," Shulman said.  "It's going to actually help them understand the dynamics of edges weapons in real-time, how they have to defend against it and what works and what doesn't."

Shulman said that the need for this type of training device in the martial arts arena sparked his idea for VirtualBlade.  But then he decided that law enforcement, the military and corrections have similar - yet far more important - needs.

"Marshall artists play around in the gym and go home," said Shulman.  "But the police and the military have to go home every night, for real."

This type of training tool is especially important for COs, since they often face the threat of being attacked with shanks, he said.  Recognizing that concern, he took his product to the Mock Riot, where he was impressed with what he saw.

"I was blown away by the professional, creative minds that are out there, all geared toward keeping the officers safe, functioning, and, actually, keeping the prisoner safe, as well," Shulman said.

While agencies can currently purchase a VirtualBlade kit, which includes a training knife, for around $20, Shulman said that he has teamed up with Sharkee, Inc., an industry leader in training knife equipment, to produce the first-ever all-in-one training knife, with the adhesive material embedded in the edge of the weapon.  That device will require only the chalk to be reapplied when using it, he explained. 

Shulman expects the next version of his product to be released within a month. 

In the meantime, Shulman said his product can meet the knife training needs of the corrections industry.

"There's nothing else out there like this at all," said Shulman. 

Resources:

www.virtualblade.com

http://sharkee.com