What Will It Take?

We teach women Counter Assault Tactics classes every month, and every month I get at least 4 of the same responses while advertising for this life saving class. – The famous;

“No Thank You, I can Already Defend Myself!”

Statistics show us though, that MOST Americans could not effectively defend themselves and their loved ones if they were forced to. – Let me explain further… 295,000 reported Rapes occur in the U.S. every year! 65% of those rape victims have admitted that they thought they could already defend themselves!! WOW! How do you know what you can do and how you would respond to a Life-Threatening situation, if you have never been in one? Furthermore, how do you know how to respond to this Life-Threatening situation if you have never been trained to?

Are we Americans so prideful that we would neglect obviously needed survival training just so others will be convinced that WE already know how to defend ourselves?

Please forgive the TONE of my writing. This subject has been on my heart for many months now.- I am tired of watching the news and seeing innocent men, women, and children become statistics.

One violent crime against a man, women or child every 5 seconds!
– What Will It Take?

One rape occurs every 2 minutes! – What Will It Take?

One man, women, or child is bludgeoned or stabbed to death every 60 minutes! – What Will It Take?

Students age 12 to 19 were victims of 190,000 serious violent crimes at school, and about 489,000 away from school! What Will It Take?

Wake up America! You cannot already defend yourself!!

Those planes that hit the trade center and the pentagon, how many of those people on board thought that they could already defend themselves? – I find it strange that the only plane that did not reach its target was the one where a few brave Americans stepped up to the plate, became a team and took control. And this team was lead by a TRAINED MARTIAL ARTIST by the name of Jeremy Glick!

What Will It Take America? Let’s step up and become a team like those great Americans did on Flight 93.

When the time comes and you find yourself looking at that Life-Threatening situation.

When you’re staring death in the eyes.

When fear has crippled your body.

When Pride doesn’t matter anymore.

When this time comes, only one thing will matter, TRAINED or UN-TRAINED! Which one are you going to be?

We must pray for peace, but history has taught us so much, if only we take the time to learn the lessons. We must stop looking to false securities and temporary safeties.

The Bible says that we are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge… Oh how true this is.

In a world where senseless attacks, kidnappings and rapes are at an all time high. A world where we face the threat of a terrorist attack daily. It’s time that we get serious an drop all the Self-Pride and obtain the survival KNOWLEDGE that is so readily available to us.

It’s Time That We Make Personal Protection Training a Responsibility, and Not Just an Option! THE TIME IS NOW!



On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
(From the book, On Combat by Lt. Col. D. Grossman) -Nov./Dec ,07

"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"

- William J. Bennett
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil me n in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

The gift of aggression
"What goes on around you... compares little with what goes on inside you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors.

One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions:

"I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, an d walk right out the other side."

Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for vio lence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about “Tommy” the British soldier:
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall behind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after Septemb er 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a "counter-predator," that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage.

One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed.

As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. “You got a problem, man?” one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. “You think you’re tough, or somethin’?” the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them.

“As a matter of fact, I am tough,” the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze.

The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers--athletes, business people and parents--from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke

Reflections on the Revolution in France Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment w hen the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said tha t officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have a ny idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice “when/then” thinking, not “if/when.” Instead of saying,“If it happens then I will take action,” the warrior says, “When it happens then I will be ready.”

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.

Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:
"I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit." - Brigadier General Chuck Yeager Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level." And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... “Baa.”

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that contin uum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth. www.killology.com

What Really Happens In A Knife Fight -- Jan. 2009

The Following Is Excerpt Taken Out Of Black Belt Magazine January 2009 Edition. The Article Was Written By Knife Master James Keating.

So what's it really like? Your hands may sweat, your mouth might become dry and your breathing may get heavier. Your response may be to shake it off and move. Perhaps if you scream, it'll focus your senses on the task at hand. A "respect" getter" is a move well suited for such moments. You will want to throw out some respect getters and establish your grove, or you will risk falling behind.

The first thing that will pop into your mind is that this is no game. You might die. Adrenaline kicks in and a twinge of fear will probably arrive at that same time. Suddenly your game, but because of the adrenaline dump you're a bit awkward, even shaky. While idiots may mock that shaking as cowardice, I suggest you learn about the process- it vanishes quickly quickly and actually helps you prepare for combat. Ego, vanity and pride have no place in a life or death conflict. The only thing that counts is surviving. "live to tell the tale" has always been one of my mottos.

When the first slash or cut lands true, blood will flow. The amount spilled will depend on the location and depth of the wound. This factor alone often stuns those who are unfamiliar with weapon based violence. Anticipate lots and lots of blood, a real mess, and know that it will be accompanied by a smell that's hard to describe, one that hangs heavy in the air and gets inside you, like the smell of death. It's almost impossible to shake, so don't be shocked. Shock can be fatal because it makes you lock onto an aspect of the fight that's counterproductive to your survival. It turns you from stalker to gawker. Push on and ignore the diversion.

Meanwhile, seek an escape route. If things go bad, you can always run. If the fight dictates that you should flee to avoid being cornered, do it! I promise someone will want to stop ypou in the worse way.

Unless you practice impact style cutting, it's easy to lose your knife. The force of your own blow is often un-expected. It can snap the weapon right out of your hand. That does not mean you need to adopt a death grip, but you need to understand the force involved. The pressures and energies of a real fight are different than those encountered in a studio or dojo.

Hitting your target seems like it would be easy, but the data I have gathered say otherwise. Misses or bad shots that don't connect are planned, and they are pretty common, which is why I recommend making several cuts per attack. Get used to firing off three to five shots with each burst of movement. Don't be dismayed if some of your best slashes or thrust have no effect. Just keep cutting, checking and thrusting. You should train accuracy exercises with a live blade. Train intelligently and watch out for yourself. As John Wayne said, "Life is tough, but it's tougher if your stupid."

Sometimes in a fight involving weapons, it seems that all your knowledge and skill suddenly dry up and disappear. It's easy to panic at this point. A mind freeze can happen to the best. You must have a means to counter it-a way to un-thaw- so you can continue fighting fiercely.

Even while battling, you should scan for objects to hurl, objects that can shield you and routes that can be used for escape. Stay alert and visually active. Use the environment as a secondary means of controlling the enemy and creating chaos inside the fight radius. Creating chaos forces him to react. Be proactive to keep him reactive. Spreading chaos can be as easy as flipping over a table, as simply as blowing out a candle at the right moment. It's like making a loud noise, using a unexpected tactic. It's hurling ten dinner plates across the room.

Finally, reality dictates that you will soon be in contact with law enforcement. Proper interaction is critical if you are to make a successful court appearance. Have a plan for what you will do when police come looking for you-and they will, assuming you were identified, because you were in a fight where weapons were present.

Now, it's time to continue your quest for combat knowledge. I hope that these few thoughts have entertained you and maybe even enlightened you. It's been my honor. ~ James Keating

What Will It Take? -- Sept./Oct. 2007
By Guro Billy Brown

9/11! All across the U.S. we remember this date with great sadness. We drive with our headlights on and we hang our flags proud. The national anthem can be heard in every town. – But, what did 9/11 really teach us? What did we really learn as far as our personal protection is concerned? I’m sad to say that from where I’m standing, I see that very few Americans learned anything!!

What Will It Take?

We teach women Counter Assault Tactics classes every month, and every month I get at least 4 of the same responses while advertising for this life saving class. – The famous;

“No Thank You, I can Already Defend Myself!”

Statistics show us though, that MOST Americans could not effectively defend themselves and their loved ones if they were forced to. – Let me explain further… 295,000 reported Rapes occur in the U.S. every year! 65% of those rape victims have admitted that they thought they could already defend themselves!! WOW! How do you know what you can do and how you would respond to a Life-Threatening situation, if you have never been in one? Furthermore, how do you know how to respond to this Life-Threatening situation if you have never been trained to?

Are we Americans so prideful that we would neglect obviously needed survival training just so others will be convinced that WE already know how to defend ourselves?

Please forgive the TONE of my writing. This subject has been on my heart for many months now.- I am tired of watching the news and seeing innocent men, women, and children become statistics.

One violent crime against a man, women or child every 5 seconds!
– What Will It Take?

One rape occurs every 2 minutes! – What Will It Take?

One man, women, or child is bludgeoned or stabbed to death every 60 minutes! – What Will It Take?

Students age 12 to 19 were victims of 190,000 serious violent crimes at school, and about 489,000 away from school! What Will It Take?

Wake up America! You cannot already defend yourself!!

Those planes that hit the trade center and the pentagon, how many of those people on board thought that they could already defend themselves? – I find it strange that the only plane that did not reach its target was the one where a few brave Americans stepped up to the plate, became a team and took control. And this team was lead by a TRAINED MARTIAL ARTIST by the name of Jeremy Glick!

What Will It Take America? Let’s step up and become a team like those great Americans did on Flight 93.

When the time comes and you find yourself looking at that Life-Threatening situation.

When you’re staring death in the eyes.

When fear has crippled your body.

When Pride doesn’t matter anymore.

When this time comes, only one thing will matter, TRAINED or UN-TRAINED! Which one are you going to be?

We must pray for peace, but history has taught us so much, if only we take the time to learn the lessons. We must stop looking to false securities and temporary safeties.

The Bible says that we are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge… Oh how true this is.

In a world where senseless attacks, kidnappings and rapes are at an all time high. A world where we face the threat of a terrorist attack daily. It’s time that we get serious an drop all the Self-Pride and obtain the survival KNOWLEDGE that is so readily available to us.

It’s Time That We Make Personal Protection Training a Responsibility, and Not Just an Option! THE TIME IS NOW!



Battle Meditation
By Guro Billy Brown - July/Aug. 2007

Many people hear the word "Meditation", and immediately get the wrong image. Mediation is sometimes made fun of, and it's there to be made fun of when we see Hollywood's depiction of Meditation being some Zen Master who can float and walk on water all while humming the sound "Aumn".

If you are a Modern Day Warrior who is dedicated to developing the ability to not only protect your own life, but the lives of your loved ones if forced to, then forget all that humbug you see in Hollywood!

I want you to remember TWO NEW definitions for the word "Meditation".

1. Meditation: The process of conscious controlled focus of the mind, which may take place when the thinking process, both visual and auditory, has shut down.

And Definition Two:

2. Meditation: A set of intentional practices leading to an altered state or trait of consciousness characterized by expanded awareness, greater presence, and a more integrated sense of self.

Once the Modern Day Warrior Learns the REAL meaning of the word "Meditation", he or she must then ask themselves; "Why is all this important?"

Here is the answer.

When we are forced to deal with Life Threatening Situations, whether it is your own life or the lives of others, FEAR Manifestations happen, both physiologically and psychologically. Our bodies then respond by releasing the hormones adrenaline (or epinephrine), Nora adrenaline (Nora epinephrine), and Cortisol into our blood stream. This is all part of what is known as the fight or flight response. Now, this is where it can get tricky, and it usually does, you see, if we don't understand what is happening, or how to manage it, the cycle of fear manifestations can mentally, emotionally and physically be debilitating to us and actually shut our bodies off.

Here or some Progressive Manifestations of FEAR: Rapid Heart Beat, Difficulty Breathing, Speechlessness, Sweat, Body Shakes, Nausea, Dizziness, Panic, Vision and Auditory Malfunctions, Much, Much More!

Now, read the first definition again. ------------- How does one obtain what that definition depicted? Answer: Now, read the second definition I gave. -----

A famous football coach once said; "The way we train is the way we play." This statement is more TRUE for the Modern Day Warrior than even a Pro Athlete!

We must train to overcome fear. The only way to do this is to have a part of our training schedules that brings us into Real World Environments (Urban, Wooded, Snow, Ice, etc) with Real World Scenarios (Muggings, Home Invasions, Mass Attacks, Weapons, ETC.)

We can stay in the Dojo, or even in the Cage, for all of our MMA Friends, but the Dojo and Cage will never give one the TRUE feeling of what happens in the REAL WORLD when REAL FEAR tries to take over our bodies and destroy us. When we are faced with multiple opponents with all types of weapons, with nothing but pavement under our feet, all while trying to protect our wife and child! I would not want to have on my clean white Gi and I definitely would not want to be horizontal trying to use my guard position in that scenario. Would you?

We must understand that conquering fear, means facing fear. The way we TRAIN is how we learn to face our fears and do away with them..

Ground Fighting In The Real World!

There is much banter and bickering in the “martial arts” world about the value and efficiency of ground fighting in all realms of fighting from the ring to the battlefield. So many instructors are teaching the Brazilian method of ground fighting that it blurs the mind. Mixed Martial Arts competitions have done unbelievable things for the growth of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in America.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Sambo, Judo and wrestling are excellent methods for defeating opponents in the realm of organized competition. However when it comes to the real world of fighting, where hard pavement, broken bottles, knives, guns and other prickly objects come into play, these sports by themselves are critically flawed.

The primary goal of all ground fighting sports is to maneuver yourself and your opponent to the ground in order to pin your opponent or apply a submission hold or a choke out. In the real world going to the ground means that you have limited your mobility, situational awareness and means of fighting off other attackers. If you have been taken to the ground for some reason (a fall, an explosion, an adversarial takedown, etc.) your primary objective needs to be getting back on your feet. Lying on your back in the “Guard” is asking to have your head kicked in by your adversary’s partners in crime. In the real world people carry knives, guns, and other weapons. If you are lying in the guard biding your time, not observing the environment; you will get stabbed, shot or otherwise molested in a way you will not like.

The US Army has recently added an entire module on Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to the Combatives Field Manual. It must always be kept in mind that soldiers carry rucksacks, rifles, pistols, body armor and pounds upon pounds of other lethal goodies. Try ground fighting in the basic load out for a modern infantryman or MP. The guard is nearly impossible to attain due to the equipment located on the soldiers back. What does he do with his rifle while he is playing cage match with the enemy? What about other enemy soldiers walking up and shooting this so-called ground fighter in the head. Even if the soldier is able to see the threat coming he can’t do anything about it because he has traded his mobility for a non-dominant position. Soldiers need a comprehensive system of getting off the ground if they find themselves there without disregarding the soldier’s weaponry and combat load.

This is not to say that Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Sambo, Judo and Wrestling do not have combative application. On the contrary, takedowns, side control, the front and rear mount, joint locking, choking techniques and counters are all essential to a comprehensive approach to fighting. Even the guard position has definite street fighting application due to its increased level of environmental awareness, and energy conservation; but the mindset of the non-sport ground fighter has to be modified to focus on maintaining weapon control, situational awareness, mobility, and equipment restrictions. High level practitioners and instructors of the ground game must be very aware of this and adjust accordingly for the street paradigm. An offensive mindset is the key to victory in the real world of fighting. Without that aggressive mindset, an individual is left with being at the disposal of his adversary. Do not let the choice for action be held in the hands of your opponent. Make your opponent react to you! Own the ground! Own your opponent!

- BRYAN M. SEAVER, CPS & THE MODERN COMBATIVE SCIENCE SYSTEM/ P.M.A.T.S. Representative

he Blind Leading The Blind
By Guro Billy Brown

It truly saddens me that 90% of the Martial Art Schools today should not be called Martial Art Schools at all.

Back in the “Older” days, there were a bunch of hard working, caring individuals who actually sought out to Lead and Empower their students. The concepts of discipline and dedication meant something. Instructors made sure that their students could not only defend their own lives, but the lives of the innocent as well, if forced to.

Let’s fast-forward a few years!

Now, all I see is politics, watered down Martial Arts training and burnt out instructors. The individual student is no longer important. Now, it’s the style, system and “Master” that are important. Everyone claims to have the TRUTH in Combat and yet their students could not fight their way out of a cheap paper bag, a wet one at that!

I often visit websites of well-known schools and organizations and it burdens my heart to see these sites are no longer fun filled, information packed websites for the students to enjoy, stay updated and learn from, instead now they look like one BIG sales gimmick asking for and often demanding money on every page.

Discipline, focus and dedication is no longer needed as the student can now buy a Black Belt in 6 months, if their pockets are deep enough that is!

So called “Masters” sitting high on their thrones, Masters that at one time cared about the direction of their students. Masters that at one time wore the title well, but now they have loss all sight of why they were blessed with their gifts in the first place. They have loss all sight of their original purpose, which was to develop Highly Motivated and Confident, Well Skilled, Disciplined Leaders, and not only within their Martial Arts Journey, but in their whole lives as well.

Now, it’s all about how much money they can take from their students and how good they look in their suits standing in group pictures! The students are left with a uniform with lots of patches and stripes and a false sense of security that could get them killed!

The Blind Is Truly Leading The Blind!

Instructors, I implore you, come back to your roots! Stop caring so much about money and start caring again about the students. We can stay highly professional, with out selling out! If we stay honest and always exceed our student’s expectations, they will WANT to pay us for the life changing service that we offer!

We are given this gift, this ability to Guide, Lead and Teach but let’s not forget what the word T.E.A.C.H. means; To Educate and Condition HONESTLY! Not only honesty with our students, but maybe even more importantly, with ourselves!

Let us use these Gifts in which God has blessed each of us with, let us use them for what they were meant for; Leading The Blind Into Truth And Ultimately Into A More EMPOWERED And VICTORIOUS Life Forever!