2007 November - Target Focus Training

Tim Larkin’s Target Focus Training Combat Training Principles

“Secrets For Staying Alive When ‘Rules’ Don’t Apply”

When Surviving Isn’t Enough: The Critical Reason Why You Can’t Just Survive An Attack — You Must Win.

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“What can be successfully willed must first be seen and understood.”
-Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall
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70/30.

That’s the split.

Seventy percent of people I train come to me after the fact. They’re survivors.

But I’m here to tell you — today, surviving isn’t enough.

It’s not even close.

Jim is a survivor.

It was a crisp autumn night he stood frozen with fear as the meth-induced rage of a mugger worked into an unprovoked homicidal attack.

He was stabbed 3 times.

He’s still with us because his girlfriend attempted to stop the thug. She was stabbed twice in the neck and bled-out before the paramedics could arrive.

At 32, Jim had years of martial arts training but he lacked the one thing necessary to win.

John is a police officer with 12 years on the force and numerous defensive tactics courses under his belt. He’s a survivor.

On a bright August day he pulled over a ‘79 Chevy Camaro for a dangerous lane change while speeding.

As he approached, the 6′5″, 262lbs very drunk driver got out to contest John’s decision to stop him.

Before he finished the verbal warning he’d used a 1,000 times before, the driver bum-rushed John, lifted him off the deck and slammed him to the pavement.

Following the techniques he’s been drilled in, John fumbled for his pepper spray while the driver only laughed as he repeatedly pounded John’s head against the pavement.

John lost consciousness as kicks to the head and torso rained down from the alcohol-fueled rage.
He’s still on the force today but in an admin job. Nerve damage to his right side is pretty severe.

His facial reconstructive surgery went well and surgeons think he’ll regain 90% control of his facial muscles, eventually.

John’s defensive tactics training was extensive. The board that reviewed the video of the incident stated John responded exactly as he was trained.

The only problem was his training lacked the one thing necessary to win.

Jamie is a survivor, too.

She did everything the serial rapist asked.

But the self defense course she took never gave her a technique for the way this 234lbs brut held her on the floor of her apartment.

When she said she’d do whatever he wanted he responded by punching her face and breaking her jaw. From there it got worse.

After 3 reconstructive surgeries, she eventually recovered from the beating but not from being raped.

Her self defense training had great techniques and real life scenarios. Hell, it even had an instructor in a padded suit attacking them, one she could hit as hard as she wanted.

But it lacked the one thing necessary to win.

Now, rather than giving you the answer, I’d like to hear what you think was lacking in the training of these three survivors.

Send your thoughts to me at: http://www.askdatabase.com/campaigns/?af=35874

I’ll review them and discuss this further in my next newsletter.

Until then, ask yourself if you are training to survive or training to win.

And more importantly… do you truly know the difference?

Until next time,

Tim Larkin
Master Close-Combat Instructor,
Creator of Target Focus Training

PS. New self defense training class: Las Vegas March 7-9, 2008 .This is where you learn to win… not just survive. And you do it in just 3 days. And it stays with you forever… even if you never practice again.

At first, it may be hard to wrap you mind around because it goes against everything you’ve ever been told or trained for or even believed. But it’s what people who win use. And when you understand it, you’ll know how to win too.