LINES system provides Airmen life-saving self defense lessons

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • Thunderbolt editor
MACDILL AFB, Fla. --  Make no mistake, the LINE system of fighting is not to be confused with the country and western dance of the same name. In fact, the only thing ache and breaky in the Linear Infighting Neural Override Engagement System, is perhaps your enemy opponent's arm. 

First Lt. Hue Le, 6th Communications Squadron, one of the instructors for the upcoming LINE training course, said the training begins Monday and runs every weekday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. through March 21. Classes typically have 10 to 25 students. 

She said the free course is open to any servicemembers, but is particularly effective at filling a gap in self defense training for Airmen, who unlike Marines and Soldiers, do not as a matter or course receive hand-to-hand combat training. For more information on the LINE classes, contact Lt. Le at 828-1003. 

"If you don't have any kind of formal training in self defense, this can be very valuable," said Lt. Le. "You can use it to defend yourself against an enemy or defend your comrades." 

Airman should consider that self defense is not just for battle. Anyone could find themselves attacked while doing anything from shopping to taking a walk in their neighborhood, she said. 

"It's (LINE) not just for someone deployed or in the Middle East," said Lt. Le. "You never know when you are going to have to defend yourself, family or someone else." 

Lt. Le said the LINE system has been identified as a particularly aggressive system, but she added that students of the style are able to "scale" it to their needs. 

"You don't have to use it to its fullest," she said. "Each situation is different and you don't have to kill someone for stealing your wallet, but you may need to use enough force to protect yourself." 

For those servicemembers who believe in today's weapons technology and tactics make hand-to-hand fighting a skill of little value, Lt. Le cautions that not knowing how to fight when a weapon is lost or taken from you, or once the ammunition runs out, is not a situation anyone wants to find themselves in. 

"As unlikely as it might be, you want to know what to do," she said. 

The LINE course is broken into six sections, starting with phase one, which is wristlocks and counters against choke holds. Part two deals with countering punches and kicks, while part three addresses ground techniques. Parts four and five deal with unarmed defense against a knife and knife fighting, while the final segment is dedicated to "removal" of enemy personnel. 

Students are free to pick and choose which sessions of training they want to attend and are not obligated to learn all the tactics. 

"There are certain parts of the training that may not be needed or do not appeal to everyone," said Lt. Le. 

The classes will be held outdoors in a vacant field at the south end of the base near the wastewater treatment plant. At least three, and likely more, instructors will be teaching the course. All have been certified to instruct the system, which was developed by self defense pro and former Marine Ron Donvito. 

Former 6th Communications Squadron commander Lt. Col. Kevin Krouse, was instrumental in bringing the combat system to MacDill after becoming a certified instructor in 2004. While at MacDill, he taught some 200 Airmen the 27 basic techniques of the system, holding one instructor course before leaving MacDill for his new duty station.