Today I was on social media, and I saw one of the most disturbing videos I’ve ever seen.  It’s too sickening to post here, so I will provide the basic summary of what happened. As a man about my age stepped out of his car, a young man strolled up behind him, shot him in the head, and then robbed him. This all occurred in broad daylight, somewhere in Atlanta. The man was actually wearing a shirt that said “security” and he was not small.  He likely had some fighting skills. In this instance, he was completely unaware of what was about to happen to him… he literally never saw it coming ..read more

If you want to have the ability to hit and kick hard, you will need to build up your strength. The best way to build strength is by pumping iron. Here’s a good routine I’ve used over the years to build muscle and and strength. First, here are the basic exercises I include in my routine… Bench Press Photo by Bruno Bueno The bench press is a great compound exercise for working the chest and triceps, and there is secondary effect on the front of the shoulders and the forearms. Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press I like the seated overhead dumbbell press best for overall shoulder development.  T ..read more

We’re living in an increasingly dangerous world.  There is no denying that. If you don’t already train, it’s time you get started in learning how to protect yourself.  Here are some skills it’s time you learned. Street Smarts The best way to survive a violent assault is to avoid it altogether.  In order to increase your odds of avoiding a dangerous situation, you need to become more aware of your surroundings. Everytime you leave your house, there is at least a tiny chance that you will become a target.  Therefore, it’s critical that you start to switch your antenna as soon ..read more

For many people, the best everyday carry tool for self defense is a firearm.  If they live in a jurisdiction where it is easy to obtain a concealed carry permit, they would not be mistaken. Many people on the planet do not have such a luxury.  I live in the state of Maryland, and they make it extremely difficult to obtain a concealed carry permit here. Recently, I’ve been thinking… what is the best everyday carry tool for self defense, besides a firearm? When I trained in Kung Fu, we worked with weapons such as the broad sword, nunchaku and bo staff. Unfortunately, we can’t just walk ..read more

The Vital Pyramid A while back I wrote about the Vital Pyramid, which described a particular concept relating to combatives training.  This concept discusses the tools necessary to prepare yourself in the event of an unwanted criminal assault. The base of the pyramid is “Mindset.”  You need a certain mindset in order to deal with a criminal situation.  The other three levels of the pyramid include, from bottom to top, tactics, skills and kit.  I will get into those down the road. In that previous post, I touched briefly each of these levels.  With these post, I want ..read more

Lee Morrison The world has changed rapidly in the last couple of years, and particularly in 2020. Our politicians seem to be emboldened by the idea of gaining more and more control over the citizens that elect them. Whether you believe that to be the case or not, one thing is for sure… violence has been on the rise, and the trend in many areas around the country is to have the police become less involved in protecting citizens. Therefore, I thought I would take the time to discuss the concept of the Tier 1 Civilian. I learned about this concept from Lee Morrison, who is often regarded to be ..read more

We live in troubling times.  There is no denying that.  As a result, everyone should learn at least some self protection skills. For many people who may live in areas where they are not allowed to open carry or conceal carry a gun, a tool such as pepper spray should be part of your everyday carry kit. With that said, it is critical that you learn when it is appropriate or not to deploy such a tool. Over the weekend, we learned when it is inappropriate, and the consequences proved to be deadly. In Denver, there were political demonstrations, and as is often the case, two sides collide ..read more

Over the last several months, we’ve seen protests turn into rioting and looting.  Some people were killed as a result.  Others were injured badly. As usual, many of these incidents could’ve been avoided altogether, so I thought I’d reiterate some basic tenets of self protection. First of all, your primary goal is to get back home to your family. Most of the rioting has not been occurring in residential areas, but in downtown areas.  This is because the rioters are also interested in looting. With this in mind, when you have a good idea that your business may be targeted, prepare ..read more

It’s no secret, we are living in turbulent times.  Many lives and businesses have been turned upside down by the violent protests that have rocked many of our cities in recent months. It is not surprising that gun sales have gone through the roof, but that is just one step you should probably take in an effort to protect yourself and your family. Given what’s been going on in recent months, I thought it might be a good idea to outline the steps you should take now to improve your own self protection, and that of your family. Home Security No matter where you live, you should get yourself ..read more

So, what is the best martial art for a street fight? Well, there has always been considerable debate about this topic, so let me throw in my two cents. First of all, what needs to be considered are the key principles to winning a street fight, which are… Hit first Hit hard Attachment and control Continuous assault Hit high and low Move forward/take ground Secondly, we need to consider some other characteristics of a street fight… Street fights rarely occur where there are just two people fighting alone… there is usually a crowd, and one or both combatants likely have friends nearby. One or ..read more