The Final Word in Context: MURDER
There is a level of confusion about what it is exactly that we do, confusion that I am, quite frankly, tired of hashing and rehashing. There are deep-seated biological, psychological and societal reasons for this confusion — and so it is perfectly natural for this confusion to persist — but as an instructor it frustrates […]
Scenario Based Training Vs. The Hard Knot
When people say ‘scenario-based training,’ they’re actually using a code phrase for ‘all the crap that comes before the actual violence.’ The yelling, the approach, the grabby man-dance. Of course, once the violence starts it’s all the same old, same old–injury, injury, injury. Pedestrian, predictable, and downright boring. All the stuff that comes before, all […]
Time to Stop Lying to Yourself
Experienced instructors are some of the most relaxed people I know. The question is, of course, why? When you have the mechanical ability to cause injury and couple it with the driving motivator of intent, everything throttles back and gets calm and easy–you’re not out spoiling for a fight or giving yourself an anxiety disorder […]
The Mindset to Survive and the Will to Win
Combat Training Principles — Secrets For Staying Alive When ‘Rules’ Don’t Apply **************************************************************** “A man who waits to believe in action before acting is anything you like, but he’s not a man of action. You must act as you breathe.” – Georges Clemenceau ***************************************************************** So what was lacking in the training of the 3 survivors […]
Training to “Wait and See”
A frequent question we get is, “Okay, I get this whole violence thing, but what if–” and then it’s usually followed by something the other guy is thinking of doing, trying to do, or just plain doing. This is code for ‘I don’t want to get hurt.’ Well, nobody does… If this were something that […]
Why Self-Defense is NOT Enough…
The biggest problem with ‘self-defense’ is that it says nothing about what has to happen to the other guy. Or, to be blunt, it says nothing about what you have to do to the other guy. And that missing something is probably whatever it is that he wants to do to you. Think about it […]
SOCIAL OR ASOCIAL VIOLENCE – WHY BOTHER?
The question between social and asocial violence is a great conundrum, and one that I get asked frequently. We spend a good chunk of our non-mat time trying to educate people in how to tell the difference between appropriate and inappropriate uses of the tool of violence. After more than 20 years of doing this […]
THE ULTIMATE SELF-DEFENSE FIGHTING TECHNIQUE
The ultimate, undefeatable secret self-defense fighting technique doesn’t exist. Sorry. After eons of tearing into each other, it’s all been done, cataloged and trained. Ad nauseam. There is, literally, nothing new under the sun. What we do have from all that awful R&D is a vast spew of systems, styles, traditions, paths and ways. And […]
STRIKING – TFT STYLE
In our DVD products and at live self defense training sessions we make a big deal of the fact that most of what is taught about punching or kicking won’t do squat for you in a real street confrontation. You’re far more likely to just piss off some thug until you learn that every punch […]
ACCESS THE MEAT: CHOOSING THE LEVEL OF INTERACTION IN VIOLENT CONFLICT
One of the key features of the sociopath is that he sees everyone as essentially the same–a piece of meat to be butchered. Sociopaths look at everyone this way, regardless of personality, skill, or ability. A big strong guy with a black belt looks the same to him as a sleeping little girl. The sociopath […]