In a word, injury.

You can have the most wicked, lightning-fast technique on the planet, but if the end result isn't fight-ending injury, then it's little better than a parlor trick. That's not to say that technique, in and of itself, is 'bad'--a technique that gets that injury, repeatedly and reliably, is pure gold. You can bet your life on it.

The question is, how can you tell the difference? Easy. The crippling, fight-ending techniques are the ones that target a specific square-inch of vulnerable anatomy and then wreck it so it can't do it's job anymore. We're talking about the burst eye ball, the crushed throat, the blown-out knee. None of these things are going to be able to do the important job they're supposed to do--these injuries degrade the man's ability to function normally. As you shut him down you save your own life.

You can ask these questions about any given technique you know, or are shown:

• What specific square-inch of him does it effect?
  
  
• Is what's behind/inside that square-inch important for him to function normally?
  
  
• Does the technique wreck it such that it'll only recover with medical intervention?

If you're not sure about the first one, the other two are moot. If you can't answer the other two specifically, by way of physics and physiology, you probably shouldn't bet your life on that technique. I know I wouldn't.

Another interesting exercise you can do is seek out video of fight-ending injuries that happen in the ring--they're typically viewed as unfortunate and sickening 'accidents'. But we can learn an awful lot from them. Look at everything that happens up to the actual injury--techniques are flying, the competition is fierce--but no one is getting injured beyond those things that the resolute can 'walk off': lacerations, contusions, pain and other non-specific trauma. It's when the specific trauma occurs that things change dramatically--competition ends, the fight is called and medical aid rushes into the ring. Often, people walk around stunned and confused at what's transpired.

What's to be learned from this tragedy?

We can look at what was different when that specific injury occured. What set it apart (other than the result) from all the ferocity of the preceeding competition? You'll find, in general, it was bodyweight through a specific square-inch of important anatomy. And that anatomy gave out in a body-rending, mind-shattering injury, changing everything suddenly and irrevocably. It literally ended the fight.

This is where we have to start if we're talking about violence where your life is on the line. That fight-ending injury isn't where we're going, or what we're trying to do--it's where we start.

And if you're not starting there, you can't bet your life on it.

Chris Ranck-Buhr
Master Instructor
Target-Focus Training
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

Labels: competition, injury, technique

Once you understand the difference between social aggression and asocial violence, you can make informed decisions on what you're looking at -- if it's a ranting, noisy display, you have a choice. If someone pulls a knife and cuts you, you won't make the fatal mistake of asking them why.

What you may have thought of as a single, sweeping continuum from hard stares to yelling to shoving to trading blows to grappling to killing can now be seen for what it is: a social display of aggression where the end-goal is not killing. The end-goal is social dominance. Now you understand that the tool of violence-the destruction of the human body with the goal of shutting down the brain-is always available. You don't have to work your way through a step-by-step process to get charged up in order to use it.

And neither does he.

This should be the most sobering point. If you get into a rough-and-tumble bar fight to show him what's what and he decides that he needs to injure you, that's what's going to happen. You think you're going to trade blows. He just wants to stab you. Something is terribly out of balance here and you're going to pay the price for playing by the rules in the place where there were none.

If, on the other hand, he just wants to compete with you for respect and territory, then it's all going to work itself out like it always does.

The problem is that you have no idea what he's thinking as you stand up to go after him. Will he play by the rules? Or will he feel so threatened that he will resort to violence to injure you, put you down, and end you? You won't know until it's happening, and that's just not a smart bet.

Your best bet is keeping the competition in the ring-not on the street where it's completely uncontrolled-and keeping the tool of violence for solving the problems that only that tool can solve. Like when someone wants to seriously maim or kill you. Being able to recognize the difference between social posturing and asocial violence will allow you to assess situations and make an informed decision on whether or not (and to what degree) to get involved.

If you find yourself asking "Should I hit him?" the answer is probably No.

The only reason you are even asking is because something deep down inside of you has recognized that, from a social and moral point of view, there's something iffy about responding to the situation with violence. It's the little angel of conscience on your shoulder, whispering in your ear.

Asocial violence is easy to recognize. It'll make you sick to your gut and freeze your blood. You won't have time for internal debates. The debate won't even come up. In it's place will be a sudden vacuum devoid of moral or ethical considerations. A vacuum that must be filled with decisive action. Attempting to communicate in this silent void is to assist in your own murder. Your words, your body language, your very humanity, mean nothing to the criminal sociopath. He won't even blink when he pulls the trigger.

Keeping the social and asocial clear, clean and separate will save you a lot of trouble. It'll keep you from breaking someone's neck in a bar fight and it'll keep you from negotiating with a serial killer. It keeps surprises to a minimum, and that's always a Good Thing.

In Summary

• When we think of violence we think of social interactions gone wrong-the bar fight, and at the outer end, the mugging. We prepare for these situations from a social point of view; we look through our social tool box to try to find remedies.
  


• Asocial violence is a very different beast than we've been led to believe from our social perspective, and cannot be handled using social tools. In fact, attempting to do this is what makes the average citizen such a brilliant victim.
  
• The criminal sociopath knows that violence is good for one thing and one thing only: shutting off the human brain.
  


• Confusing the two is bad for your health.
  


• Recognizing the difference between them saves you a lot of trouble.

Personal regards,
Tim Larkin

http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

Labels: self defense, self protection

I've received a lot of questions asking what I think about the History Channel's "Human Weapon" Series so here's my take:

I think the History Channel's "Human Weapon" is a great way for people to get a good look at a lot of the more popular martial arts like: Karate, Judo, Silat, Escrima, Muy Thai, Kung Fu as well as some of the lesser known arts like: Pankration, Savate, Bokador, and Sambo. The series also covers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training as well as military hand to hand combat systems like Israel's Krav Maga and the US Marine Corps Martial Art Program.

The series is ambitious in its coverage of the history of these martial arts and fighting systems while giving the viewer a good grounding on the unique training approaches each discipline brings to the table.

The hosts, Jason Chambers and Bill Duff, are good sports as they attempt to digest one Martial Art/Combat Sport after another and subject themselves good naturedly to each unique training protocol the martial art/combat sport utilizes to prepare for competition.

Most entertaining is the end of each segment when one of these poor bastards subjects himself to a match with that discipline's competition champion. So far in the series the guys have fared better than you'd think in these matches.

So for the above reasons alone I'd recommend the series be watched by those interested in Martial Arts, Self Defense, or Combat Sports in general.

If you watch it with a discriminating eye towards effective use of violence you'll gather a tremendous amount of information about the limiting aspects of these martial arts/fighting systems have when it comes to learning effective methods and principles for dealing with real violence on the street.

The episodes show how most of the training favors the bigger/faster/stronger approach to dealing with self defense. The physics and physiology discussed in the explanation portion of the instruction is often either wrong or misguided. Most times sheer aggression is favored over a clear explanation for the techniques shown in the series.

The result of that approach is that more often than not the hosts don't "get it". This is not because the guys are inept but because the instruction is incomplete. A great instructor should be able to show strikes, throws, and joint breaks that have clear explanations any student can replicate.

That doesn't mean the student can do it right away but it does mean that they understand exactly what they need to do to accomplish the technique shown. I find this to be the most intriguing "back story" of the series. That is that most of the "experts" in these arts and sports fail to give clear explanations of what they are trying to accomplish with each technique.

As far as good targeting of the human body -- there is little of it anywhere in the series. Backing up the little targeting of the human body (that they do show) with real physics and physiology would be helpful but that is also missing (even though they have cool graphics and animations of such subjects).

These elements are not so important when competition is the goal because these oversights are neutered with rules, weight classes, and conditioning methods. But when your life is on the line and you have no referee, no weight classes, and no rules it is absolutely essential you go into your violent confrontation armed with this critical information --- that is, if you want to survive and take out the bigger/faster/stronger threat (and the "friends" he brings with him).

So I'd strongly recommend you check out the History Channel's Human Weapon series, just watch it two different ways. The first is for the entertainment provided by the great hosts and history of each martial art or combat sport. The second is to look for the gaps these martial arts and combat sports have when placed against the standard of what works in the world of real violence.

So that's all for now,

Tim Larkin
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

Labels: combat sports, Escrima, Human Weapon, Judo, karate, Krav Maga, Kung Fu, mixed martial arts, MMA, Muy Thai, self defense, Silat

The Essential Differences Between Social Aggression and Asocial Violence

Social Confrontation is:

• Avoidable
• Survivable
• Can be solved using social skills.

Asocial Violence is:

• Lethal
• Unaffected by social skills
• and requires decisive action.

The violence that comes from social posturing is avoidable; it is often loud, dramatic and instantly recognizable. You get to see it coming. And that means you can dodge it if you choose to.

If you don't choose to (or cannot) leave, these sorts of problems can be handled with the social tools we're all familiar with. We've all talked our way out of a bad situation-you wouldn't have made it this far in life if you weren't good at negotiating.

We all know how to calm someone down. We all know how to capitulate. We also all know how to act like a jerk and add fuel to the fire and turn an argument into a shouting match, a shouting match into a fist fight. The important point here is that in social situations, you have a choice.

Social aggression is also eminently survivable. The typical goal in a bar fight is not to kill anyone-it's simply to best the other person and dominate them physically. Does this mean you can't be killed in a bar fight? Of course not. What we're saying is that the death rate in the typical Saturday night punch-up is far lower than one would expect, with the bulk of fatalities being accidental, and the rest because one person really did want to kill the other. You can get killed in a bar fight, or an argument over a parking space, or any other trivial social status confrontation. It's just highly unlikely.

Asocial violence, on the other hand, cannot be handled with social tools and is far less survivable. Negotiating with a serial killer is like arguing with a bullet-if it's coming your way words are not going to deflect it. If someone has decided to stab you to death, capitulation only makes their work easier.

Confusing the Two

The big problem arises when we confuse the two-when we don't know there's a difference between competition and destruction, between social and asocial violence. No one's going to get confused in the ring; we are all very good at recognizing social competition, a contest of strength, skill and desire. We cheer for our favorite and the best man wins. It works out great as long as we're all playing by the same rules.

The big problem is competing with someone who wants to kill you. As social beings we try to drag our rules into a realm that is completely devoid of them-the asocial violent act. This is where things go terribly wrong. While we try to impose our rules to keep everything fair and above board, the killer is only recognizing the laws of physics and how they relate to physiology.

In other words, he's going to stab you when you're not looking, he's going to kick you in the throat when you're down. If things don't look so hot for him he'll capitulate to get you to let go so he can pull a gun and shoot you. He'll use your social baggage against you.

Violence has nothing to do with competition or communication. It's purely about destruction. The scariest person in the room is not the shouting, screaming, gesticulating weightlifter making snarling faces-it's the 5'4" gangbanger quietly sliding a blade out of his pocket. He's not going to draw attention to himself; if he wants to kill you, he's not going to talk about it. He's just going to get it done.

The good news is that true sociopathy is rare. The bad news is that you can't really tell the difference. Nor can you read people's minds to find out their intentions. Faced with these realities, you need a tool that is going to work 100% of the time on 100% of the population-one that is going to work equally well on everyone you use it on. Social persuasion techniques like pain compliance and submission holds require the other person to play by the rules and capitulate.

It's not going to work on everyone, and the people you want it to work on most-criminal sociopaths-are just plain not going to cooperate. This begs the question: why is it that the people who are most successful at using violence have almost no training? What makes the criminal sociopath so effective?

Social Permissions: Monkey See, Monkey Do

As social, sane people, we tend to think of violence in social terms-either by framing everything as the schoolyard David and Goliath or by believing that if we take our social rules with us into the void place we can somehow hang onto our humanity and therefore not stoop to 'their' level.

We tend to think of violence as a force continuum where if he yells at you, you can yell at him. If he pushes you, then you can push him. If he throws a punch then you can hit back. We also believe that the worst kind of violence, that which results in death, happens somewhere out at the end of this progression, if it gets pushed far enough.

The problem is that it is not necessary to get "worked up" or walk through all these various steps to get to serious crippling injury or death; punching someone in the throat or stabbing them in the neck is readily available at all times, in all places.

This is what the criminal sociopath knows.

Can someone ramp up through all the steps and whip themselves into a frothy frenzy that ends in killing? Yes. But what the criminal sociopath knows is that he can get there instantaneously. He can go from smiling and shrugging to stabbing in the amount of time it takes him to reach into his pocket.

And the really scary part is so can you.

Violence is always available; you just have to choose to do it. You don't need to walk through the social dance one step at a time to get there. You don't need to get ready, or drop into a fighting stance, or give a verbal warning. You can swing the tool of violence whenever you wish, at a moment's notice. And this is exactly what you must to do in the face of asocial violence in order to survive.

Wednesday... Part 3, the final installment of this Social vs Asocial Violence post.

All for now,
Tim

http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

Labels: fighting, lethal

Labels: boxing, gun, karate, mixed martial arts, self defense

I've been putting up some posts on the subject of the tool of Violence. This is very different from most views on Self Defense. I think today's post clarifies exactly why this understanding is critical to you surviving what most poeple call "self-defense" situations...

SOCIAL CONFRONTATION VS. ASOCIAL VIOLENCE: DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THE TRAP

You're in fifth grade and you've had it with the school bully. He's been at you every day this year; humiliating you, taunting you, pushing you around. Giving you random shots in the arm that leave you sore for days.

You've let it slide for months because you're not a bad person. You've been taught to turn the other cheek, to meet violence with peace, knowing that bullies eventually tire and peace wins out.

But mostly you've let it slide because you're afraid.

But today is different. Today he pushed you one too many times, and too far--he pushed you over an invisible line in your head and your fear evaporated in the heat of rage. You want to give it all back to him. You put your head down and charge him, knock him back and start swinging away, landing blow after blow against the sides of his head.

He's startled but quickly recovers and gets you in a headlock. As the two of you struggle, a crowd of children gathers around you, attracted to the action like iron filings in a magnetic field, all of them chanting in joyous unison: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Suddenly, a teacher steps in and pulls the two of you apart, much to everyone's disappointment.

This is pretty standard stuff. We've all been there, whether you were a participant, or in the crowd that came running to see.

Let's switch it up a bit and suppose, just for argument's sake, that instead of a fist fight the kid brings a gun to school and shoots the bully in the head.

Do you think the other kids would gather around to watch, to cheer him on? What would you do?

You'd do what any of us would do in the face of violence-- you'd get the hell out of there.

Both of these situations involve violence. So why are there two very different reactions from the crowd?

We all know real violence when we see it--someone being shot in the head, or stabbed repeatedly, or kicked to death by a mob. We have a primal, visceral reaction to the real thing. It sickens us.

And yet, we can watch a bloody and grueling title bout with nothing but excitement, cheering for our favorite as the two fighters beat each other to the point of exhaustion.

What's going on here?

It's very simple, really, and has to do with the difference between social interaction and asocial violence.

The first scenario (the fist fight) is inherently social; the bully, who occupies a position of power high up on the social totem pole, is being challenged. If the kid manages to cow the bully and make him cry, the kid will gain social status while the bully will lose status. Everyone gathers around because it's important to see who will be victorious--you want to associate yourself with the winner and shun the loser. Such an upset, such a potential drastic change in the playground pecking order, is important to witness. The outcome of this event holds many repercussions for everyone in the social order. If the bully loses, he and his toadies will see their power eroded; kids will be less likely to hand over their lunch money. The kid who bested him will be a hero and automatically rise above the bully in social regard. If the bully prevails, the status quo is not only maintained, but reinforced. Once again, it's extremely important, as a member enmeshed in this social order, to witness the contest and its outcome.

The second scenario (the school shooting) is inherently asocial, that is, we instantly recognize that it has nothing to with communication and there will be no change in the social order--there will only be mayhem, death, and misery. As such it holds no interest for the witnesses; it holds only terror.

This is what we mean when we speak of a divide between social and asocial violence. They are two very different interactions with very different expected outcomes. And confusing one for the other can get you killed.

Another way of looking at it is that one is a competition while the other is only about destruction. Competitions have rules. Destruction is just about who gets it right first... Happy Hour with all the Happy squeezed out of it!

If we fast-forward the school yard scenario 12 or so years we end up with a bar fight. And what do we see there?

Flaring arms and butting chests, enraged faces, shouted profanity. Throwing things. The biggest guy being 'held back' by a much smaller person. Pushing and shoving, trading punches to the head. And, more often than not, grappling and rolling around on the ground.

This is classic inter-male aggression; it's what you get when you mix alcohol, testosterone, and territorial tendencies in the presence of available females. And it's the same behavior seen across the animal kingdom. The thrashing, ranting and raving of the silverback gorilla, the head butting of rams, the clashing of male grizzly bears. All of these displays have everything to do with communicating displeasure and the threat of violence, but rarely, if ever, result in killing. The goal is to cow the interloper and run him off your territory, thereby gaining social status.

Every aspect of the display is designed to convince the rival that they should capitulate. The screaming and shouting, the angry faces say "I'm seriously agitated!" The flaring arms and out-thrust chests are to make the person look bigger in an attempt to scare off the rival. Pushing and shoving are for physical intimidation and to show strength and power. Punches to the head are communication as well; interacting with the head and face are an attempt to access and show displeasure with the person who resides in the body. Clinching and rolling around on the ground is a great way to look viciously engaged without hurting or getting hurt.

The bar fight looks and sounds like it does because it is a display, meant to be seen and heard by all those in attendance. The participants are doing these things because no one really wants to seriously injure the other; in fact, if you interrupted them and offered them handguns to shoot at each other they'd probably think you were insane.

Asocial violence is brutally streamlined by comparison.

It starts quietly, suddenly, and unmistakably. It's knocking a man down and kicking him to death. It's one person beating another with a tire iron until he stops moving. It's stabbing someone 14 times. It's pulling the gun and firing round after round into him until he goes down and then stepping in close to make sure the last two go through the brain.

If you're a sane, socialized person, those images make you physically ill. That's because you recognize them for what they are--asocial violence. The breakdown of everything we humans hold dear, the absence of our favorite construct, the very fabric of society itself. It's an awful place where there's no such thing as a 'fair fight' or honor.

It's the place where there are no rules and anything goes.

It's the place were people kill and get killed.

----- end of Part 1 -----

In Part 2... why asocial violence is such a very different beast than we've been led to believe, and why you cannot handle it using social tools. In fact, attempting to do so is what makes the average citizen such a brilliant victim.

All for now,
Tim Larkin
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

The entire content of this blog including images & text are copyright 2007 by The TFT Group & Target-Focus Training, all rights reserved.©

Labels: self defense, self protection

We threw in 2 new bonuses for those attending any of the new 1-day live training classes.

Seems many missed the announcement.

As you begin to understand just how easy it is for you to injure some thug attacking you, and realize you can get these skills in a day, you probably want to take a closer look at both these now...

First, as soon as you register, we're mailing you a brand new DVD that shows you a unique system of movement patterns that can effectively retrain your body's nervous system and let you once again move as freely, easily and pain-free as you did as a kid.

Seriously.

I'd seen this material before and felt it had so much potential to help my students execute their movements better, I invited the creator, Dr. Eric Cobb (his company is Z-Health Performance
Solutions) to demonstrate it to one of my live classes.

We videotaped the entire hour he spoke.

Listen to me. Dr. Cobb's system works unlike anything you've seen.

Hiroshi Allen watched the demonstration that day. Hiroshi was a world-class martial artist who'd retired several years before because injuries kept him from competing at the international level.

After listening to Dr. Cobb and spending 30 minutes with him after class, Hiroshi (in about 3 weeks) UN-retired and when I last talked with him (on a live call from Japan) he was kicking butt on the international scene again. When you talk with him he still can't believe how he moves now.

TFT Mastery member, Dr. Viatcheslav Popovsky, former Associate Professor at the Lesgaft State Physical Culture Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, also heard Dr. Cobb and commented:

"...I have seen material similar to this unique and innovative exercise system back in Russia but it was very much mystical Eastern stuff with no one who could explain how or even why it worked. Dr. Cobb not only demonstrates it, he explains the science behind why this works."

I use parts of the routines on this DVD every day! Others go through the entire sequence daily (it takes 12 minutes, tops).

Follow what's here and you'll find yourself moving smoother, easier, even pain-free, very quickly ("Z" works fast because it targets your nervous system, the fastest system in your body).

Here's the thing: outside of the 23 folks attending that special class, just 6 people have ever seen the DVD. I've been holding it for months to go along with a special fitness package but I've released 50 copies for those registering for any 1-day.

Sign up and your copy will be in the mail the next day!

The second bonus is equally special. That's because...

...we're moving you to the very front of the line for our new "Distance Learning" program coming this fall, buying you a one-month "test-drive" of the system.

Editing is nearly done and the self-protection skills you'll take away from this new program that let's you "attend" a live training without having to travel anywhere, will astound you. More on it later.

I've done my part with these 2 huge bonuses. The rest is up to you...

1-day special classes.

Personal regards,
Tim Larkin
http://www.targetfocustraining.com

Labels: Distance Learning, self protection, self-defense classes, Tim Larkin

The current issue of Black Belt magazine has another Target-Focus Training article (it's our 3rd including the cover of the July 2006 issue).

Labels: self protection, Tim Larkin, weapons

Some know-it-all's still keep yaking about how people can't learn to protect themselves in just a day.

Same thing they said about the longer 2 1/2-day training we've now successfully taught to more than a 1,000 folks worldwide.

So it's not surprising they'd say the same things about the new 1-day classes.

But more and more I'm hearing from folks like you who must deal with random acts of violence and finally begin to see the simple power they possess after just a day with TFT.

As you know by now, it's got nothing to do with size, speed, strength, athletic ability or prior training. And while it isn't magic, I guess to some seeing the application of scientifically proven principles applied to personal protection is kind of 'magical'.

But each day as you read these messages on how you can protect yourself, you sense a feeling of vulnerability and you begin to realize why these tested principles may be the one thing that saves your life when unavoidable physical violence comes knocking.

You can squash that vulnerability quickly and easily by popping into either D.C. on August 24th or New York on September 8th.

Each class runs from 9 to 5, and we're now providing lunch to maximize your training time.

There's even plenty of time to hang around and enjoy the city for the weekend, if you'd like.

Gettin' yourself hooked up is the big thing right now.

See, there's not a lot of time and there aren't many spots left.

The D.C. class has one or two openings left but that's probably all we'll take.

New York has about 5 last I looked (including one "bring-a-guest" option).

Clearly, now's the time to join us at either event:
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/selfdefenseclass/1day.html

Vonnie can help with any questions. Email her at: mailto:vonnie@targetfocustraining.com (preferred) or call her at 360-582-9578 (US Pacific Time).

And yes, all the extra goodies are available:

1. Your entire registration fee may be applied to a 3-day class (effectively you attend either 1-day on me for FREE),
2. We buy your first month in the hot new "Distance Learning" program coming this fall, and
3. You get the available-nowhere-else bonus movement and joint mobility DVD featuring Dr. Eric Cobb.

http://www.targetfocustraining.com/selfdefenseclass/1day.html

That's it for now,
Tim Larkin

Labels: New York Self-defense class, self-defense classes, Washington DC self-defense class

In a violence conflict, the ONLY thing that means anything is... causing an INJURY!

Causing trauma puts you in control.

That is why injury is the most fundamental and important concept in violence. It is the common thread woven through the fabric of every violent encounter.

To be successful in violent conflict you need to focus entirely on causing injury--any technique, tactic, and/or tool you use needs to achieve this single goal. Anything that does not directly cause trauma is useless to you.

When you look at the vast breadth of people's experiences from war, prison violence, street crime and terrorism, it seems like nothing but raw chaos. How could there possibly be one simple solution for surviving all of these different scenarios?

The answer lies in looking at what they have in common, instead of looking at each situation independently. One simple fact keeps coming up: in violence, there is always one person doing the injuring (i.e., stomping, stabbing, shooting), and one person getting injured. And the one doing the injuring is typically the one who gets to walk away.

The only thing that changes anything in violent conflict is injury.

It doesn't matter who's involved--professional or criminal, soldier or civilian. It doesn't matter what tools are used--fists and boots, sticks and knives, firearms and explosives.

The person doing the violence--the person causing injury--is the one who prevails. The person having violence done to them--the person getting injured--is the one who fails. Whether it's a ruptured eye, a blown-out knee, or a bullet in the brain, the final arbiter of success in violence is injury.

You must start with the desired result (injury) and make sure all of your efforts get you there.

This is the difference between training to focus on results rather than focusing on methods. A method, whether it’s a specific 'style' or technique or tool, is a solution in search of a problem; methods are often developed in a vacuum, apart from the realities of violence. The question must always be asked: "what is the goal—what is the desired result?"

Violence begins and ends with injury.

You have to start with the goal and work outwards.

When evaluating any technique or tool you have to ask, "Where is the injury?" If there is none, or if it's merely insinuated, you can reject that approach out of hand. It is useless to you.

All for now,
Tim Larkin
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

The entire content of this blog including images & text are copyright ©2007 by The TFT Group & Target-Focus Training, all rights reserved.

Labels: self protection

Using violence to solve social problems is like using dynamite to open your car door. It'll do the job, but it'll cause a whole heap of other problems.

Violence has nothing to do with communication. It's not part of the negotiations that form the vast bulk of personal interaction. It's the last resort, when communication isn't an option and it's injure or be injured.

Violence is what you use the moment you feel threatened.

If you realize it's possible to talk your way out of a difficult situation, that should probably be your first choice.

Often, an aggressive person will put on a show to dominate without actually resorting to violence. They'll make themselves look bigger, scream obscenities or issue threats.

Sometimes, they're just trying to intimidate in the hope that you'll back down. Sometimes, they're psyching themselves up for violence. You'll have to decide and act if you feel there's a real threat.

Once you decide to act, act immediately.

If you don't believe a problem can be solved with language and diplomacy, say nothing. Don't look them in the eye or engage in conversation. When you enter into a conversation with a threatening person, you enter a gray zone in which it's much harder to disengage and strike the first blow.

Leave if you wish to and if you can.

Violence isn't always the answer. In fact, it's rarely the answer. But when it is the answer... it's the only answer!

Use violence when you have no other choice.

And once you start, you're not done until you finish it on your terms.

All for now,
Tim Larkin
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

Labels: self protection

I'll keep this short...

Both the Washington, D.C. & New York City 1-day classes are a go!

If that was holding you back, scratch it from your list and see how much we cram into the new 1-day class format. Get registered before all spots are scarfed up (D.C. is red-hot and filling faster than expected).

Since email delivery is spotty, at best, we're gonna push all emails up here as well going forward. Be sure to check back regularly to see if you've missed anything.

I'll have some of my Master Instructors posting here, too. We'll throw an array of ideas at you that you've probably not seen or thought much about before... if ever.

So, bookmark the blog while you're here!

That's it for now,

Tim Larkin
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

Labels: 1-day class, New York Training, Washington DC Training