Dealing With An Active Shooter… And Other Lousy Self-Defense Realities

Last week’s topic on the self-defense realities of dealing with an active shooter brought a huge response concerning our exploration of the swarming tactic as the best option in an otherwise lousy situation.

I noted that many used their response to promote the way they WISH the world operated… rather than the reality of HOW the world actually is. As a life-long student of our penchant for using violence on one another… this tendency has always fascinated me.

Because here’s the thing: When it comes to your own personal self-protection, you’ve got to make a fundamental decision… am I going to live in the real world… or the world as I ‘believe’ it exists.

Choose the former (the real world) and you’re forced to deal with some harsh realities… such as swarming an active shooter.

Choose the latter and you end up following Alice down the rabbit hole to a land of self-defense make believe…

…Where you get to ignore realities like training for bigger/stronger/faster threats, and the fact the bad guys probably carry weapons and often hunt in packs,

…Where weight classes, rules, and referees exist to protect you (even when they can’t),

…Where you can kick ass, and wear skullcaps or badass t-shirts with elaborate graphics of Celtic war symbols and death skulls,

…Where you can win trophies, tournaments and championships belts, and never once worry about getting stabbed, shot, or jumped by “his buddies” focused on stomping you to death.

It IS seductive… this “world as we wish it was.”

In the past 10 years most of the US military (as well as many law enforcement agencies) has opted for MMA-style training for its personnel. Yet quiz higher-ups on the goal of this training and they’re quick to point out it’s mostly for “team building” or “esprit de corps” — NOT building a skill set necessary for combat. It’s a decision I feel has cost them dearly.

Because train in the real world and you face the ultimate reality: to stop another human determined to cause you grievous bodily harm you must break a structure or sensory system until this predator is non-functional… meaning he’s injured, unconscious, or (if it’s what it takes for you to survive) dead.

That MMA-style programs are devoid of these skill sets is understandable. MMA isn’t somehow inferior, just not designed for the outliers of the real world, the packs of misfits with weapons who always appear bigger, faster and stronger.

MMA is competition… with a ring, a ref and rules. And highly entertaining. Which is precisely why I (and everyone else) enjoy it… because… it’s one time we can shut off our ‘real-world’ lenses!

Here’s my point: I attended the last UFC here in Las Vegas with my 17 year old son. It was an outstanding evening. We had great seats right on the floor, amongst fans and MMA competitors alike.

There we were, surrounded by some of the toughest guys and hardest men on earth. Yet as competent as they were in the seemingly violent world of MMA… transported suddenly into that crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, I don’t think they perform one bit better than anyone else running from the shooter.

As well trained as they all are for competition… they are simply unprepared for destruction.

Again, this isn’t a criticism of those who study MMA or competition martial arts. Like others they simply don’t want to be the ‘next person shot.’

Which is why I implore you to explore the ‘real world of violence’… as it truly is (not as you wish it were)… and ask yourself how you’d solve those lousy questions…

–Tim Larkin
Creator, Target Focus Training

PS. The easiest way to understand why the concept of ‘swarming the shooter’ is the best approach for minimizing loses when disaster unfolds (as it did in the Colorado shooting) is to review TFT’s principle-based approach to self-protection. And the quickest way to do that is by reading our book, “How To Survive The Most Critical 5 Seconds Of Your Life.”

And remember, you can now get both the book (in hardcopy) PLUS the professionally-recorded, 5-CD audio version at a special introductory price by going here: hardcopy book + audio CDs.

Nate Rogers 9.8.2012 2:31 am

I’m glad to hear that law enforcement is now embracing MMA-style training. That way makes it far simpler for them: instead of rendering a violent, but mentally-ill person non-functional, they can just shoot them; because mentally ill people, as we all know, can never contribute anything to society, even after efficacious therapeutic intervention.

Reply to comment

LarrySeptember 8th, 201211:46 am

Dude you are clueless!! First as Tim said MMA won’t cut it in real life!! So in fact, Leos would seem to be easy prey for a guy intent on killing them.
Second, how about having one of those “mentally ill” folks come at you with a gun & see how you react. Think you can talk them out of it? Here’s your choice, take them out or you get killed; which do you choose?
I’m always amazed(but shouldn’t be) how so many people live in fantasy land. It’s NOT a movie!!

Nate RogersSeptember 8th, 20121:57 pm

No, I’m not clueless. This happens to be something I now a bit about. Yes, a violent, mentally ill person needs to made nonfunctional. However, you needn’t kill them. Side of the neck, destroy the testicles, break the legs, puncture lung with ribs, enucleate an eye, destroy equilibrium via ear shot, all highly effective, none 100% lethal. Thinking that a violent and mentally ill person must be killed shows fear. If you fear what they can do to you, you lose. You’re supposed to be the predator, not the other way around.

kenSeptember 11th, 201211:12 am

nate what you said holds some water, but none of those are also a 100% gaurentee of subdueing a hostile advisary. furhter most criminals are not mentaly ill. and if you go into a situation thinking that, you are underestimating your advisary. that is the last thing you should ever do and most likely will be the last thing you do on this planet except feed worms. mma/ufc is a sport nothing more. yea leo’s should know how to subdue a person, but rule number one of any real combat art (kenpo, krav magra, samba etc all of which are not allowed in ufc fighting) going to ground means you die. so no i would not recomend that style be your first and formost studyy for self defence.

consider, any mma fighter could probubly pin me in no time. but while he holds me there, my brothers freinds comrades hit him over the head with a bat. who wins? pins and submission holds are great for the ring and for bouncers, in a real world life or death fight not so good….just something to consider

JustinSeptember 12th, 20124:38 pm

Nate,

As a person who suffers with mental illness I appreciate your sympathy and I thank you for it. It is a very difficult and sometimes indescribable way to live.
However, in my personal experiences with violence,many of which have occured in mental hospitals and group homes, I’ve learned that once someone wants to hurt you
(not just fight you, but hurt you), and there is no one there to help you but yourself, you can’t afford to be sympathetic towards your attacker. On one occasion, I almost got my neck broken trying to sympathize with my attacker. I was lucky. After having experienced this and other similar instances, I’ve learned that no matter how much I can sympathize or identify with anyone who is trying to hurt me, mentally ill or otherwise, I cannot afford to sympathize at the cost of my life. Violence opens your eyes and changes the way you look at things. I don’t wish such circumstances on you, but you never truly understand violence until it happens to you, and I would treat anyone who violently attacks me the same way, regardless of the situation. In this country we have many ideals about how we should treat people, but often ideals cannot be accomplished just because we believe in them. Asking someone to sympathize with another human being who is actively trying to hurt or kill them is asking the former to risk their own life. I sympathize with people who grow up in poverty and out of necessity turn to violent crime, but I can assure you that once someone points a knife or gun in my face, my sympathy will be greater for myself. Maybe they’re hungry, but do I deserve to die?
You may say that maybe the person doesn’t actually want to shoot or stab you; maybe they just want to scare you into you giving them your wallet, but do you think I’m going to wait to find out? I wouldn’t expect any kind of mercy from someone who is at the very least trying to make me think that they’ll kill me if I don’t comply. I understand where you are coming from, but take it from someone who has both perspectives. You can be sympathetic and probably be killed, or you can do what you have to to save your life.

Nate RogersSeptember 8th, 20122:18 pm

Also, I was being sarcastic when I said I was glad law enforcement was embracing MMA. I must not have made that apparent enough.

BrandonSeptember 11th, 201210:41 am

It looks like you totally ignored the content of this article

You are living in a fantasy world. You think that when some is rushing at you with a kitchen knife intent on ending your life, you will have the time to THINK about how you are going to attack him.
You don’t ‘think’ in violence. You only react. You do what you train. And if you train to carefully perform “nonlethal techniques” against a man who’s bigger and stronger than you and wants to kill you, then you have no grasp on reality.

Chuck VoigtsbergerSeptember 11th, 20122:13 pm

Your comment about the mentally ill truly shocks me. First, let me state that I am no bleeding heart liberal. I voted for Barry Goldwater. I was a Ross Perot supporter. But your comment about mentally ill people never contributing anything to society and therefore, it must be okay to shoot them is just so over the top I can’t let it go. The mentally ill do not choose their illness. That they can’t get proper medical attention is a political problem that they cannot help. I won’t go into all the ramifications of the politics of the way the mentally ill are handled in this country, but it is callously cold. I have worked as a court reporter and part of those duties included involuntary commitments. My brother worked as public defender handling involuntary commitments. As a result of those exposures I know quite a little bit about the way it works. The infamous California case of Hop Louie vs. State of California originated in the county where I worked. I am familiar with the LPS Act in California and most other states have similar legislation. The politicians of California, Republicans and Democrats coldly and calculatingly dismantled a system for caring for people who were sick; whose sickness prevented them from seeking health care and basically dumped them on the street. I could go on and on, but I must say that you are wrong about the mentally ill. If you had ever had a loved one who was stricken with the disease of mental illness, you would quickly learn just how wrong your viewpoint is.

Nate RogersSeptember 11th, 20125:30 pm

Scroll further down and read my last 2 blogs. That should eleviate any confusion.

Stuart Howard 9.8.2012 7:26 am

So true, I kinda got in trouble teaching a black belt class in my ex’s school but starting off by saying “I’m going to teach you how to save your life in the street and not going to be any magic wax on wax off stuff”. She later it made it sound like some “self defense” stuff they teach is no good. I laughed and said “well it’s not in the real world”. So much for honesty. All that stuff is good in it’s place but when business happens and the pucker factor hits I’ve have found that a simple direct approach works better.

Bill Franczak 9.8.2012 8:44 am

Another excellent blog ! (As always!) thanks!

Chris C 9.8.2012 11:22 am

An additional point, highlighted w/UFC 151, Jones refusal to fight Sonnen on 8 days notice; MMA fighters know who their opponent will be, style, strong/weak points. Not so in the real world of violence.

RAYMOND 9.8.2012 2:47 pm

YES TIM, YOU ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY AS YOU AND YOUR TEAM ALWAYS SEEM TO BE. I TOO AM AMAZED THAT EVEN AFTER EXPLANATIONS AND INSTRUCTION…SOME PEOPLE JUST AREN’T GOING TO GET IT. IN THE CORPS WE HAD PEOPLE WE CALLED THE ‘TEN PERCENTERS’ … THESE WERE THE 10% THAT JUST NEVER GOT WITH THE WHOLE PROGRAM. FOR SOME REASON, THEY JUST DIDN’T GET IT ! THE SAD SWITCH FROM THE OLD ‘DEFENDU’ HAND TO HAND TRAINING THAT I RECEIVED TO MMA IS A SAD COMMENTARY. THE SAME MENTALITY THAT SWITCHED FROM THE FORMIDABLE, WAR TESTED .45 COLT SEMI-AUTO TO THE BERETTA 9MM….BUT I RECENTLY READ THAT THE MARINES HAVE JUST ORDERED ABOUT $22M….WORTH OF NEW COLT .45′s AS A PRELIMINARY STEP TO RETURNING TO ‘WHAT WORKS IN COMBAT’ NOW WE CAN ONLY HOPE THEY RETURN TO THE KILL OR BE KILLED TECHNIQUES AND GET RID OF THE MA CRAP !(I speak as a 3d degree black belt) WHEN I WAS 19 THE CORPS TAUGHT ME HOW TO KILL WITHOUT A FIREARM IN A TOTAL OF ABOUT 8 HRS OF CQB….
I LEFT THE CORPS IN 1969 AND BECAME A POLICE OFFICER, WHERE THEY SPENT MANY MANY HOURS TEACHING ME HOW TO MAKE SOMEONE ‘COMPLY’…..TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS….IT IS MY OPINION THAT MOST (not all) COPS DIE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GIVEN THE DEADLY FORCE ASPECT OF CQB. WHEN THEY LOSE THEIR GUN OR CAN’T GET TO IT THEY USUALLY GET STOMPED OR KILLED….COMPLIANCE TECHNIQUES ONLY WORK ON THOSE WHO WILL SUBMIT TO THEM AND GIVE IN TO PAIN. THE NUT JOBS WON’T! THERE WAS A SIGN AT THE ACADEMY MANY YEARS AGO WITH JOHN WAYNE IN HIS MARINE GEAR FROM “THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA” IT SAID ” LIFE IS TOUGH, IT’S TOUGHER IF YOU’RE STUPID” …UNFORTUNATELY THE ACADEMIES ARE TEACHING COPS TECHNIQUES AND MINDSETS THAT CAUSE THEM TO “DIE STUPID” BECAUSE OF THIS “POLITICALLY CORRECT” GAP IN THEIR TRAINING…KEEP TRAINING THE COPS AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC…IT WILL SAVE THE LIVES OF THE “GOOD GUYS”….JUST MY THOUGHTS.
RAY FROM CHICAGO…

RubenSeptember 11th, 20121:54 pm

WHY ARE YOU YELLING!! LOL

Meg Hinkley 9.8.2012 6:02 pm

Tim,
I teach a women’s self defense program and could not agree with you more. Dealing with a real predator who wants to harm you-there are no rules.

Spencer Moser 9.8.2012 11:50 pm

Tim,
You mentioned, in the previous blog post, your Israeli friends have learned the hard way to swarm the shooter (and I completely embrace their hard learned knowledge– “Let’s Roll”, United Flight 93). What do your Israeli friends think of the Krav Maga training? Do they use empirical resources (the prison riot footage, video of actual injury, etcetera) like TFT? (My step daughter likes Krav Maga and I am trying to steer her into TFT, but my influence isn’t much. Hoping there is lots of common ground in case she hunkers down with it).
Thanks, admiration, respect to you and Chris
Spencer

Nate Rogers 9.9.2012 7:17 am

Yesterday I responded within this blog in an unsophisticated and ineloquent manner. I did so, foolishly, because I am emotionally invested in the well-being of people with mental illness, especially those whose symptoms manifest in violent tendencies. These may be veterans or others suffering from PTSD, or some other profound and negative life change and or chemical imbalance.

I feel these people need the benefit of rehabilitation and the empathy and understanding of their community, as their experiences, when shared by them after they receive treatment, may be of highest value to researchers, doctors, law enforcement, and members of their community. They cannot share their experiences when they are dead.

I have highest respect for Law Enforcement and truly desire their continued safety and security. I feel that Law enforcement officers and agents are being underserved by their superiors, be they bureaucrats or politicians, when they are not given free access (access purchased by their governing agency at no cost to them) to training offered by TFT; as it is this training that will allow them to understand and embrace their superiority in crisis situations, and so too to render otherwise good-hearted, mentally-ill people who are behaving violently, nonfunctional without having to kill them.

Without TFT training, the probability that fear will grip some officers and agents so tightly in a crisis situation involving a mentally ill person, potentially leading said officers and agents to feel as though they’ve no alternative but to shoot a victim of mental illness so as to neutralize the threat to the community, may rise.

This needn’t be the case. Law enforcement officers and agents are equally as formidable as the mentally ill and violent. Those officers who aren’t confident in their skills just need training to convince them of their own power.

It is my true opinion that MMA training does not equip them with this confidence. It may appear counterintuitive, but TFT’s violent nature grants its practitioners the skill sets needed to, if at all possible, render an offender non-functional sans killing them, whereas MMA training may fall far short of this standard.

Nate Rogers

JoseySeptember 11th, 201211:19 am

Nate,that was so much more well put than your initial post,I almost teared up.(I am not being sarcastic.)I am a military Vet,trained in CQB,and a bit experienced with asocial violence.I am also severely bi-polar.It took me nearly 3 years,on psychotropics,to get a good enough handle on the “mechanics” of the problem to function (quite dynamically) without them.For the last 20 years,I have run a successful business,enjoyed a happy marraige,and raised 2 very mentally competent children,all without the aid of “meds”.I am in complete agreement when I tell you that a mentally disturbed person can be much more of a help to professionals if they are alive,because I spend some of my own time doing it.Also,we must never forget,that mentally ill people are people too.Their condition doesn’t necessarily warrent a death sentence. -Josey

Nate RogersSeptember 11th, 201212:20 pm

Thanks, Josey. I’m happy to hear of your success.

In my opinion, if you empathize with the predator and not the prey, your fear quickly dissipates, and so too does your propensity to panic. You may then realize that, if ever confronted with asocial violence, sure, you can kill as effectively and efficiently as anybody else. It’s easy to kill people, so it’s no big deal to do it if it’s the best way to save your own life. However, if you injure your aggressors, then your aggressors are injured. Whether they’re sane, mentally ill, deviant, or desperate, is irrelevant: they’re injured. Injured people can’t hurt you. If you’ve truly injured them successfully by causing some trauma that would require intense medical intervention to be healed, and you kill them anyway, then you’ve successfully thought like a victim, because you killed them while in panic.

Nate RogersSeptember 11th, 20127:05 pm

To qualify my observation that killing people is easy, please understand that I’m simply referring to the objective act, not the emotional, moral, or cultural ramifications of doing so. The point I hope to make is that nearly anybody has the physical capacity and capability to save their own life, i.e., kill if necessary. And I do observe and respect the social implications that those who kill when it is not necessary are behaving asocially and not in the best interest of their community nor in their own best interest, psychologically, sociologically, and otherwise.

GeorgeOctober 2nd, 20129:36 am

Nate, you insult all combat veterans with your ignorant reference to PTSD as a mental disorder. I was an infantryman, two tours during Vietnam, Airborne, Ranger, SERE, SF, LRRP, fought in the jungles of the Central Highlands. Jungle warfare is the most brutal form of warfare because of the concealment dense tropical flora provides. That flora allows an adversary to be within grabbing distance, and when you are not prepared, and it happens, you can perish in seconds or less. Learning to survive and actually doing it are not the same thing as surviving requires not just extensive preparation, but an element of good fortune.

Jungle fighting required me and my team mates to become one with the terrain, the vegetation, the bugs and the weather. Living in an isolated environment 24×7 far away from other friendly forces required us to use our natural senses to scan our surroundings, to smell, to hear, to feel and use that, “I am being watched,” sense that has to be responded to immediately every single time.

I know there are many wannabees out there who have learned about the war by reading books and then adopted their readings as if they were own experiences, but not I. I am no wannabee. I am a, wish I hadn’t been.

The most alert, quickest responding, and most spontaneously violent win. The combination of refining our senses to scan, smell, listen, detect, target, use ultimate violence when necessary, and having to live with a never ending involuntary mental replaying of that violence is what PTSD is. I am not a bad man. I am a good and faithful citizen still willing to give my life for others. Somehow in the many situations I have been in and ended, the aggressors knew it and by breaking the engagement, or avoiding my area, managed to live that day. I projected ultimate power and I didn’t have to use it. They knew if that if they stayed clear of me they’d be okay. They knew the rules of territorial domain. Approach my personal space and you are in danger. Enter my personal space and you will not be spared. Otherwise, all of us with PTSD are pretty nice guys, good neighbors, policemen, firefighters, medics, nurses, doctors, teachers. We are everywhere, truck drivers, mechanics, carpenters, plumbers. There have been exceptions, but not many.

Except for the sleep disorder, and startle components, Combat Related PTSD is not a mental disorder for us. It is an advantage over others. It is a higher form og evolution. It is a badge of honor. We trained hard, fought well, faced and killed our enemies. We are a Band of Brothers.

With a mother screaming, and people standing around doing nothing, I ran into a burning home and saved a baby. I stopped at an accident scene where no one was doing anything but screaming about a motorcycle accident victim. He had a broken cheek bone, and was lying on his back, his mouth and nasopharynx filled with blood. His face was blue and he had started to convulse as I arrived. He was drowning in his own blood. I saved him. I have ended attacks on others just by commanding the aggressor to stop and even a few times, causing them great pain. I have done many other similar things. I know what to do and I do not hesitate to do it. I am fearless. I have Combat Related PTSD, TBI, hearing loss in my left ear, left eye impairment, frequent headaches from a proximity 500lb HE bomb explosion. Mind your corrupt thinking about us. Respect us. We have earned it. I have never arrested.

We have, and will continue to serve our people with love, honor and integrity.

ken 9.11.2012 11:04 am

about dam time someone wrote this article tim. well done sir. i too like the ufc, but it is just a sport. that does not take away from the men and women who participate it just points out the difference in training technique.

myself a former special forces soldier and avid martial artist (even as i get older and slowwer) i know what you are saying here is very true. mma does not teach you to fight for your life only for points and submission. just like boxing.

when i first started in both kenpo and krav magra the first rule was if you go to ground you die. that training principle holds true in every real world event i have experienced. the mma style of sport emphisises going to ground. just consider folks, as tim said most criminals hunt in packs. if you put a great move on bad guy number one and take him to the ground pinning him. what is to stop bad guys number 2- whatever from hitting you over the head with a bat or stabbing you etc…you get the picture.

mma training is better than nothing for a real world situatiaon but i personally will stick with kenpo and krav magra, both styles that are not allowed in the ufc…

Dr. HarrySeptember 11th, 201211:18 am

Living in Miami, I am frequently in contact with aggressive, mentally sick individuals who seek to harm myself and others. Just tell a workers compensation patient there is nothing wrong with him, and that there will be no million dollar pay-off, and watch the sparks and death threats fly. I have a very simple way to handle these situations. Walk away, run away, drive away. If you cannot do any of the above, and your life feels threatened, than before the other person strikes kill them. Yes, I said kill…not injure, incapacitate, talk them down, but maximum force in a minimum time period. Using any objects or potential weapons, strike, choke, stab,a nd bite them. If you have a fire arm shoot them three times in the center of mass. If you have nice Cold steel polycarbonate cane, strike them until they are down, and then hit them three more times in the head. They will have no mercy on you, so have no mercy on them. Anything else will get you, your fiends, and families injured or killed.

JPSeptember 17th, 20128:37 pm

Dr H – the INTENT is not to kill, but to STOP the agressor.. If the an agressor who is tryng to take your or another’s life or cause grave bodily harm dies as a result of your defensive action so be it. Acting with a stated INTENT to kill complicates the resulting Homicide investigation and a stated intent to kill is a potential path to a Murder charge by a politically-motivated prosecutor.

Dr Watson 9.11.2012 11:26 am

You talk of the real world and most folks do not live in that real world. I am an old guy and I know that survival is based on 2 things your quick thinking and luck at times.

I have several rules to “LIVE BY”
1 do not follow the rules
[I carry even when it is forbiden by the property owner unless they can frisk me and arrest me] private property folks cant do it.
2 never say I have or show my gun unless or until I am fireing it at the bad guys.[suprise is my friend and not theirs]
Always cheat if possible

Jack MarshallSeptember 11th, 20124:08 pm

Absolutely! There are no rules in a street fight, only outcomes. I am getting older, also, and after retiring from 25 years as a police officer more than 10 years ago, I feel I am more formidable now than ever. The reason is partially training and mostly eliminating from my mental response plan all the sufff that doesn’t work. I have survived several all or nothing fights. I cheated. There is no “fair” in fighting those who intend to kill you. Fact is, there is no fighting. It is simply “go crazy” on their ass and walk. Master some moves and make them pay.

John Mac 9.11.2012 11:31 am

Hi Tim,

I read you book, “How To Survive The Most Critical 5 Seconds Of Your Life.”
My opinion of the book itself is like a big advertisement for your TFT training coarse. Your training coarse is probably very good for real life situations; I would love to attend one of the seminar/training camps sometime, but your book does not actually give any real info as to how to really protect yourself in a life and death situation. The books main point – go to a TFT training camp

Thanks,
John Mac

Tim LarkinSeptember 11th, 201212:37 pm

Hey John,
The point of the book wasnt to give a how to, step by step course of instruction on hand to hand combat. I wrote it with Chris with the idea to discuss the principles of violence in particular the ideas of Anti-Social behavior versus Asocial violence.

We have many DVD products that show the system of TFT and we felt a book that discussed the principles of violence was far more useful to people becuase that is usuually where people make thier mistakes.

My goal with clients isn’t to ultimately get them to use the training but to live a life where using the training is as minimised as possible. The subjects discussed in the book were to that end.

TFT is hardly mentioned by name in the book and I can assure you it wasnt designed as a lead generation vehicle for live training. I’m sorry that was the impression left with you after reading it.

Zube PavaoSeptember 11th, 20121:46 pm

Tim, I have almost all of your book & dvd products (2 more dvd sets to get still, but it’ll happen when finances permit) And I have to say that I think you did an excellent job with “How To Survive The Most Critical 5 Seconds Of Your Life” It is certainly one of my favorite and most recommended reads. I think it’s not so much that the book comes across as an ad for the live training, rather it makes a very strong case for why everyone should “learn to swim” as it were, in the sea of asocial violence, and then points out that an easy way to do that is through a TFT training. (Which shouldn’t really come as a surprise, if it’s YOUR book, chances are YOUR training would be a good supplement for it. That is as it should be!) I hope that was clear and not just cofusing… Anyway, I haven’t yet got a chance to attend a live training (HIGH on my bucket list!!!) but I have been an avid student of TFT to the best of my ability with my limited resources for the past two years. (I had a friend say I treated it like college, which made me really happy!) I’ve shown your videos to a few trusted,properly socialized, and like minded friends, but the biggest thing for me was getting to share this amazing information with my sister. She wants to be a pediatrician, and one day she came to me two years ago and said, “I may go to Memphis (TN) or some other big city for college in a couple years, and when I do, I want to be able to walk down the street without unnecessary fear. Can you teach me to protect myself?” As a green belt in Karate at the time the only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t have the skills to take her to that level that quickly, but if there’s one thing I can do, it’s learn. So began the search for the keys to violence, a search that culminated with possibly the most controversial “sample DVD” ever made Essential TFT. I hated it. It scared me. Those guys had to be wrong! But the more I looked, the more I realized they weren’t. And I’m happy to say that more than a year ago, I tested my sister (who’s 5’2” and less than 120lb) against knives, sticks, guns, multiple assailants (One of whom is my 6’2” 230lb best friend. A farmer, brown belt in karate, and the most natural TFT student I ever met,) and anything else I could think to test her on, joint breaks, throws, no hands, etc. and right now I can say with complete confidence (while I live in CA and her in TN) Thank you, Tim, Chris, Torin,Vonnie (You have a place in every heart you touched forever!) and Everyone else at TFT: Thank you for keeping my family safe!

Zube Pavao

Charles Johnson 9.11.2012 11:33 am

Yeah Tim…that’s like taking a knife to a gunfight…I remember plenty way back in 1964…my son of 33 years was in Air Force Special Ops and after discharge he trained in UFC-MMA not to fight just to stay fit…he had nothing to prove…he’s the father of 4 sons…in U.S. Army Special Forces we were trained in plenty…and were extremely fit…the person saying wound rather than take sombody out is dreaming…shoot a bogey in the leg and he might cut your throat or blow your brains out…you have to use perfect intelligence…so get your heads out of the sand people…this world we live in could and might turn really ugly really fast…prepare…the more training you do the less blood on the battlefield…same goes for this…I believe I’ve seen just about anything that can happen…4 tours will teach you quite a lot…especially in the world of Black Ops…never underestimate your adversary…that’s when you get your ass kicked real good…I’m just a little guy 6’5″ and about 295 lbs…I still carry a SIG P-220 and damn sure know how to use it…but I’m always aware of what’s lurking around me…as everyone should be…but most are not…take those muscle shirts…and all that garbage that’s written on them and poke ‘em where the sun doesn’t shine…they’re not going to help you…if you believe they are you’re delusional and living in a fairy tale world of make believe…Hang Tuff & Cover Your Own…De Oppresso Liber…Kindest Regards!

Joseph Newbern 9.11.2012 11:41 am

Mr. Larkin,

Your “World that is vs. world that we wish for” paradigm needs to be extrapolated to every other aspect of life. Many people seem opposed (if not outright hostile) to the idea that some humans can be expected to do the wrong thing, out of negligence or malice. We really cannot afford to forget that.

Thanks for continuing to state this plainly.

Lou 9.11.2012 12:20 pm

great program. I have really appreciated the teaching….sad to see so many well meaning sheep going about their self-delusion each day in our country…..”if I am nice to others they will be nice to me” thinking does not work individually and does not work corporately [attn Mr. Obama]

The analogy of swimming to save your life used in the course is a great one. Thanks again.

Lou

Brian 9.11.2012 12:56 pm

I couldn’t agree more with the swarming tactic.It is a harsh reality we all would have to face in a situation like that . There would be no way to avoid
casulties , no matter how well trained someone is.

But that would be the only way to limit casulties, the reality is 3 is better than 30.

JoshOctober 21st, 20122:12 pm

was it not “swarming” in Arizona when the congresswoman was shot??? sure the media did not call it that, and that term never made the headlines, but yes. the shooter fell under attack, was not able to reload his weapon and the shooting stopped. If i remember correctly wasnt there a 50ish year old woman that helped in the swarm, they did not get shot, but they sure did not let him reload and continue either. I appologize if my info is wrong, but this seems like what i remember from the news article after the incident. maybe we should all review those old articles and we can find heroic people doing Mr. Larkins bizzare techniques and they dont even realize it, but they have already proved they can be effective. Thats because these techniques are not “new”, but they are bold, some dangerous, but very effective and in the self defense industry companies want people to feel safe, not feel like there jumping straight into the fight. Ever heard the term “false sence of security” its at work in todays society in more ways than one and people are not as prepared as they like to immagine. Bravo Mr. Larkin, for saying what needs to be said in a BOLD straight forward way. I am in Law enforcement and i was more scared AFTER my self defence (defensive tactics) training than ever. why?? i was worried i would forget something, not apply the arm bar just wright, affraid i would use TOO MUCH pressure and break something. Police get criticized all the time for Excessive force, yes i know some cops have gotten carried away at times, but bottom line… no one cares about the cops life, everyone cares about the scumbags civil rights… im not saying that people are not entitled to there freedom, but once you cross that line, this country is to sympathetic and this is why most americans dont know how to protect themselves.

steve bays 9.11.2012 1:01 pm

I am employed by a private security company that is publicly owned . Even tho I have been issued a sidearm the company has made sure to protect its shareholders by equipping and training its personnel to come in second in a life and death situation . Our firearms instructor informed us that our pistols are not to be referred to as weapons … Only the “bad guys” carry / use weapons . We are “good guys” so we carry a sidearm . What kind of feel good , politically correct , corporate BS is that ? When rocks the size of baseballs where being thrown at me at 3 am while I was manning a post on the Az / Mexico border , none of their training seemed to apply . Bottom line … Shareholders would rather my colleagues and I end up martyrs for the cause of good . One of us injuring or killing anyone regardless of the situation is bad for business . That being said , I believe the reality of what your material / training offers is invaluable and saves lives . I have purchased material from you in the past and will continue to do so in the future . I hope to someday participate in a live training event .
Keep doing what you do , Steve Bays

Len Baxter 9.11.2012 1:30 pm

Mr. Larkin, I have been reading and listening to your words for awhile. I haven’t disagreed with anything you have written or said. I am saving as much money as I can daily in order to take your live class. Thank you.

Daryl 9.11.2012 3:54 pm

Tim,
Most folks recoil in horror when you suggest they stand up and defend themselves in any bad situation.We are simply unable to accept that we are capable of real violence when needed. Our culture promotes peace at all costs, and since most of us have never had a serious, violent encounter, we are at a loss in an emergency situation. It takes getting your ass handed to you a few times for most people to accept the need to train for violence. Your TFT course is by far the best preparation for this kind of mind training. No question. Swarm the bastard!

Frank 9.11.2012 6:33 pm

When ANYONE mentally ill or not starts killing they have to be stopped a quickly as possible, if that includes killing them, then so be it!

The killer is still a human being and, if possible, without allowing more killing, that human being should be given every chance of living. Morally, at least my morals, the least amount of effective force should be used and not more. Practically, a killer with a gun should be shot as fast as possible and if he/she dies, too bad. BUT, if I have a chance to safely use a taser, pepper spray, a fire extingusher ar even a ball bat then I do not believe it is OK to shoot (my personal morals).

Let’s face it, most of the time when an active killer strikes, choices are few. Personally, given an active killer situation, I will immediately start shooting and will continue until the gun is dropped or the killer is on the round. That assumes I have a reasonable shot.

Given no gun and close proximity, charge and hope someone else does too. That is a really p..s poor situation but I’m going down fighting!

Danmo43 9.11.2012 8:15 pm

I have always yelled at the martial arts movies where the guys being beat up by one guy always go into him one at a time. DUH!!

kenneth kaplan 9.12.2012 6:08 am

Tim, First i would never attened an event that states “no weapons allowed” This invites people who have evil thoughts.If I was at the theater at the time of the shooting. I would have used the confusion to try to take a clear shoot at the shooter. I have a CCW to carry. To try and swarm the shooter would have been the wrong decision.

Phil 9.12.2012 6:19 am

OK…live in the real world.

But in the real world if you swarm a shooter , you are likely to be the only one swarming him and if he can see you he’ll probs pick you off.

So until this “swarming” technique gets out to more people….isn’t it a decision about each individual case, what is more likely to lead to the survival of you and the ones you care about…to run or to swarm

JoshOctober 21st, 20129:50 am

@ Phill and Kenneth Kaplan- When there is an active shooter event, or even a guy with a gun, yes every case is different. The decision to “swarm” may not always be the best or only choice, the point is that it is “A choice”. I understand basic CCW courses tell you to protect yourself without puttig yourself in danger, i understand the thought that if you are the only on to swarm you will simply be shot as you approach. here is what i dont understand, and why i feel the need to try a few examples to illistrate my point.
first… what i dont understand…..
A. if you have a CCW and a means to defend yourself, why cower and “wait” for a shot. while your waiting, the bad guy is shooting and innocent people are going down, some dying. if you have no shot, force a shot… do something to make him move, retreat, take his focus off those who cant defend himself. if you show him your a threat, yes now your his target, likely… his only target untill he kills you or you kill him. Isnt that why you have a ccw???? think about this, would you be happy if a police officer was in that room and he “hid” while the shooting was taking place “waiting”, no you would expect him to stand up, address the threat and save your A@@. by you deciding to CCW… is it only you that you care about, or everyone who is innocently being shot all around you. HEROS dont take time to “think” they just act!
B. Next, phil states you are likely to be the only one swarming. this is possible if you are out alone. but if your with friends/family you have the opportunity to talk to them right now, before violence and explain to them what swarming is and how it is dangerous, but a necessity. when everyone runs away, its like shooting fish in a barrell, everyone funnels toward an exit and one person can inflict alot of harm at that exit with ease. what if five people rushed him, he may get two then overpowered and 50+ are saved from harm. the way i do math 2 is better than 50 anyday. And yes, before there are any comments about MY life being in jepordy, I served in the military for 9 years and i have been in law enforcement for 10years, so yes… i would run, have ran, and will continue to run towards the shooter and risk my life to save yours.
I am not sure why when the term swarm is used, alot of people feel like that means you have to have twenty guys and cover some great distance to accomplish it, a swarm can happen with one or two people that are at arms length or even 5,7,10 feet away that can get there quick with one or two steps. sometimes the 5-7 foot range can be best as you can get momentum to drive the guy off ballance or into a wall and then begin your attack to overwhelm (notice i did not say overpower…. OVERWHELM) the attacker with violence.
Now some examples….
example 1- you and three friends are on your way to a concert. you stop at a local gas station to fill up your car/truck/suv. you go in to pay for gas, your friends come in to get drinks/snacks. as you are paying a guy walks in and puts a gun in your face and the clerks face and demands money, wallets, ect….. HE IS WITHIN arms reach of almost all involved, the decision to swarm should be an instant reaction. immediately overwhelm, disarm and hurt him real bad real fast. or… submit and give him the opportunity to shoot each of you one at a time if he so chooses. you never know what a person will do, so there is no gurantee that just because you give him what he wants that he wont shoot you, some fear you will identify them and dont want witnesses whil others fire a shot on accident because of addreniline and others still… fire a shot into your chest out of pleasure or to a warning to the rest of the group not to follow as he runs away like a coward. if im going to get shoot, its because i “decided” to not be a victim and to take action, NOT because some punk decided i was an easy target.
Next example, you and your friends and family are in a shoping mall food court, its a early sunday morning and the mall is not that busy. a guy comes in and shows or fires a gun, hes on the other side of the eating area some 20-30 feet away with tables between you and him. the exit is 5 feet away from your table, if you leave there are only employees left at each food service counter that also have a rear exit… in this case, i would protect my family and exit quickly… wait i regress… im a cop and i always have my gun, me personally i like those odds, me against one bad guy at 30 feet… im putting him down right fu@king now, but to the average citizen…. the exit would be the wise and safe choice as you risk more by swarming because your are the only one in danger.
and finally, just my opinion… things to concider when thinking about the swarm issue/technique…
– how many people are in danger
– what type of weapon, you can swarm a gunman with 3 or more people, but would you want to if it were a belt fed fully auto SAW rifle… no.
– how far/easy is it for you to get to him
– what choices are there for escape (for everyone in danger not just you)
– is the risk of your life justified
ok, bottomline…. if a man pulls a gun and you have to think about should i swarm, its too late. that is a decision that you should have made already, it should be a reflex action, you see a gun and you have a gun you are trained to stop the threat right, well it works if you dont have or cant get yours too. the difference is, now you have to take his so you do have one, but dont get caught up trying to disarm him and struggle over the gun. take him out ASAP and at best, simply control the arm holding the gun to minimize the threat until he is unconcious or dead.

Bill 9.12.2012 6:41 am

I liked the swarming technique. Running away, when everyone else is sitting there like ducks, seems cowardly to me. Now, when I’m in an environment where shooters have attacked before (like at my own church, New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where an attack did happen), when I don’t have my firearm with me and am only carrying my pepper spray, I think through what would need to be done to make a swarm occur. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be the only one …

JoshOctober 21st, 201210:36 am

Bill
I was saddened to hear of the incident at your church. there are many others that have been victim to violent attacks also. schools and churches are easy targets because they are by design a place where people are supposed to feel safe. yet they offer no real protection. schools have started implimenting metal detectors, security cameras, security guards and in some places school district police services with police in each school. it sadens me that our society has come to this, but i am glad to know that you are trying to prepare and take action if needed. my best advise i can give to you is simply “dont wait”. dont sit there in you pew, with your pepper spray, wondering who else will help if a swarm is needed. im sure you talk with others in your church, im sure you have a memorial of some type of the incident that happend previously, use these. talk to people about “what if” it happens again. let them know your ideas, let them know your preperations, let them be aware of the knowledge and information you know. dont keep it a secret, your life may depend on others knowing what you know.

Charles 9.12.2012 8:43 am

I know it is only an over-used literary device, but your “(and everyone else)” is annoying. I have never watched any of the fake wrestling shows, because I find them utterly ridiculous. I don’t even want to see the two-minute promos on TV.

Owen K. 9.12.2012 9:19 am

I was trainned in the “old” school style of destructive hand to hand combat in the U.S. Marines. Were were taught tactics that would seem offensive to most people. It is truly a mindset. That trainning took place so long ago, that I am now in a position where I have to “retrain” my mind to accept the destructive side of hand to hand. The human mind is a powerful force.

Ronnie March. 9.17.2012 5:20 am

Hello Tim,

Just to say that the Book and C.D.s ordered have still not arrived, am i to assume they are in transit ?

Regards Ronnie.

Ralph CharltonSeptember 19th, 201212:02 pm

Ronnie, Sarah will follow up directly with you to help locate your order. -Ralph

Bill Johnson 9.18.2012 10:00 am

The bad guys don’t play by the rules, if you do you lose plain & simple. As far as I’m concerned if you attack me you have akready set the rules of the game that anything goes and I get to do whatever it takes to win. If in the process you lose your life that’s too bad, you attacked me first!

chuck 11.1.2012 3:17 pm

it’s sad to to give me no information. read all this crap and it’s all to sell a book to tell me nothing at all. thanks for nothing. chuck

Dealing With An Active Shooter… And Other Lousy Self-Defense Realities

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