Hey everyone! So, I'm writing an action thriller about a bodyguard agency that provides protection specifically to kids (typically between the ages of 0-18), and part of the plot involves having my main character go through the agency's training program. However, I'm having a lot of trouble finding good reference material for what kind of combat training bodyguards go through. I thought that I could base it on the training program the US Secret Service uses, but there's very little in the way of research material on that end. If all else fails, I'll see if I can put in a Freedom of Information Act request, but that costs money, and I'm a poor college student, so I'd really like to save that as a last resort. Could y'all help me out?
There really are lots of options. First of all there are lots of types of budyguards. And then you're writing fiction, and also different countries have different laws. For instance in some countries such people can't have guns, and in some they can. And then also the combat training can depend a lot on the area. The country, what kind of styles they practice there, it can vary. Also it depends when. You could check out some forums about combat training, see what they say about theirs and from where they are. And when. Ten years ago they might have been doing this and now that. Often they have different tipes of training.
I don't believe the US secret service would provide a great deal of information on their training even under F.O.I. It would defeat their purpose to a great extent. I would suggest speaking to some security guards for a start. They might not be exactly what you are looking for but they will provide a basic understanding to start with.
From google's first page of "secret service training:" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/17/AR2009071701785.html http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/secret-service-agent-workout-routine https://whitehouse.gov1.info/secretservice/
The first thing to note is that the primary job of a bodyguard, apart from planning and spotting threats, is to put himself/herself between the threat and the client, taking the bullet or knife if necessary. Some info for a start- http://www.pimall.com/nais/bodyguardvip.html http://www.csoonline.com/article/2112401/infosec-staffing/the-six-things-you-need-to-know-about-executive-protection.html
