Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Keep it Simple: Innovation Through Method not Technique

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” - Henry David Thoreau

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo daVinci

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” - Albert Einstein

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” - Albert Einstein

“The simplest things are often the truest.” Richard Bach

“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” Frederick Chopin

Every great martial artist, defensive tactics instructor or coach I have ever known were masters at simplification. Yet martial artists and people in general always seek to complicate things. They over analyze and extrapolate dozens, if not hundreds of possibilities for any specific situation. Now it seems that I tend to "beat up" martial artists, but the same holds true for any form of education because it's human nature to do this, it's just that martial arts fall into the realm of what I do.

There is a need to over teach, over explain and a need to ADD technique instead of subtracting. With instruction people get bored. They feel that if they can remember the technique in class and repeat it that they actually KNOW IT. This is bullshit.
I have thrown tens of thousands of edge of hand, chin jabs, reverse punches, single leg take downs, double leg take downs and the list goes on and on. While technically the techniques have changed, they have all evolved over time. My edge of hand 20 years ago may resemble the one that I do know, but the velocity and brutality in which I deliver it has changed. The single leg take down I learned in first grade was not the one I did in college.

Any good instructor feels they need to keep the class engaged and stimulated. Adding new technique is the easiest way to keep students interested. The learning curve is reset and they are not bored. But adding new technique is like giving your kids cookies when they're hungry. Sure it shuts them up and you know they will eat it, but in the end it's not good for them. What you need to do is feed them their meat and vegetables. The only way to get them to eat what's good for them is to present it in a different manner. You need to do the same thing for your students.

Techniques and tactics of hand to hand combat WILL NEVER CHANGE. The only thing that changes is technology. We know what techniques work and there is nothing new under the sun. Since Cane crushed Abel with a rock, man on man combat will always be just that. REAL innovation is in HOW you train, not WHAT you train.

Good instructors, excuse me, GREAT instructors will innovate in the drills that they use to educate their students. When you force students to adapt their skills to new and different situations those skills become ingrained and instinctive. This is what you need to accomplish: give people a proven set of skills that they can apply to any situation. The less skills the better. In the SDTS we have a lot of technique. I personally use only about six. But my six might be different than your six so in a universal program you need to allow students to explore and grow. But the six techniques always consist of three that everybody does and three that are unique to them based on past experience and aptitude.

Innovate your training. I watched SDC Instructors Reuben Bean and Joe Landry do SDTS entry drills that I never even thought of! They broke a combination down even FURTHER! It was awesome.

It's easy to give techniques. There are millions of them out there and most of them are inefficient or completely impossible to perform in a life and death situation. But they are abundant and there are thousands upon thousands of videos to purchase and its easy to collect technique and impress a great deal of people. But that's doing them a disservice.

Imagine a football coach who showed up every week with a new set of plays and completely new offense and defense. How well do you think that team is going to perform, not very good. A good coach prepares his team by adapting what they already do to their opponent's strengths and weaknesses. They train to adapt, just as you should do, just as you NEED to do.

Don't add, subtract. Always seek to simplify. Innovate in the way you train and don't be afraid to experiment. I have had a massive amount of failures to create one thing that works. But even in the innovation process there is learning.


Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Get your "Bug Out Bag"


Tomorrow the Northeast is going to get hit with the worst storm in 50 years. The good sense in me tells me that the emergency response people will do an outstanding job and no matter what happens, things will return to normal. But the survivalist in me won't let me go without some type of preparation.

People panic. Yesterday on Long Beach Island, NJ I watch people ransack the grocery stores, gas stations and banks. While all of this is good, it was the panic and manner in which they did this. Understand that our determination to survive turns us into extremely selfish people. Desperate people will stop at nothing, no matter who gets hurt. In a pinch if you have something that they think will enable them to survive, they will take it with little or no regard for you and your family. I wish it were different, but that's just the way it is.

Your house should be stocked and prepared accordingly, but it's good to have something prepared in case you need to exit your home in a hurry. Now in this case I'm not thinking about Armageddon. I'm really more concerned with power outage for 2 to 5 days in the New York City area. I'm going to be concerned with food, water, shelter and transportation to an area that has power if need be. I'm also very concerned about looters and home invasion. Areas without power have no way to contact the police. Plus the police and national guard will have their hands full. In my "Bug Out Bag" I have a few things that are broken down into a few categories:

Protection
Intelligence/Communication
Utility
Sustenance
Currency
Clothing
Transportation

Prepare for the mission.

I know I'm not going to be in the arctic or away for several weeks, so it's good to be realistic about the situation. There is no need to pack a tent when I can drive a few hours to a place that has power, water and a four star hotel.

Protection:
Everything must be concealable. no sense to alarm anyone in this case since this is not the end of the world. I want to be able to move about without drawing attention to myself.
Concealable firearm
Concealable edged weapons
Assorted small impact weapons
Assorted concealable weapons
Heavy Duty door stop*
*The door stop is extremely important and I take one were ever I go. It is the best way to make sure a door stays shut. Wedge one of those suckers into the base of a door and it is going to be very difficult to open without a battering ram. This way if someone even had the key to your hotel room, they're not getting it.


Intelligence/Communication
Computer and back up hard drives with solar recharger
Cellular antenna
Radio or Radio App on phone
Solar charger for phone
NOTE: They do have multimedia solar chargers
Identification/passport

Utility
Lighters
Hammer
Flashlight/lanterns
Tooth Brush/toiletries
First Aide Kit

Sustenance
Power bars/ granola bars
No need to go crazy here since we can get out of the affected area relatively quickly.

Currency
Credit Cards
Cash (small bills- some people might not be able to make change)
Jewelry (if you don't have a safe deposit box, better take the stuff someone may want to take)

Remember, if you're forced to leave your home, leave little for the looters. All hard drives and valuable should go with you.

Clothing

When you dress like a commando people either think you're nuts or won't take you seriously. You want to dress comfortably and tactically in clothes that enable you to conceal, move and blend. Try to dress a little younger, but in nondescript clothes. Khaki pants will enable you to move, sweat and conceal while BDU's will be a call out. Combat boots are ok, but running shoes are better. You will be able to move and stay on your feet a long time but not draw attention to yourself. Black sweatshirt hoodie is great because it can provide concealment. Try to resist putting on the Ed Hardy...just because you shouldn't...ever.

Transportation

Gassed up and packed. You should own a 4X4. You should have this thing in good running order and you should have a few extra gallons of gas. Besides milk, bread, water, batteries and eggs, gas is the number one item to run out. So give yourself a every advantage by getting topped of and having a little extra just in case.

I'm a realist and if a little extra effort gives me a little bit of sanity, so be it. Plus, when you put these things together and prepare, your mind becomes prepared and you have a plan.

Do I think the masses will come down my street looking to steal my canned goods, NO. But do I think we may be out of power for several days YES. Do I think people may take advantage of the power outage...HELL YES. Do I think I may be in a situation where I will need to operate at a different location? YES. Do I feel that in my absence my house will get burglarized by people who know my home is without an alarm and unoccupied? Definitely.

I know there are a whole host of generators and crank radios that I can be talking about here, but we don't need to do that for this situation. Believe me, the first sign of Armageddon I will be bolting a 50 cal to the back of my jeep and me, my family and my "BIG Bug out bag" will be heading for the hills.

Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.




Monday, August 22, 2011

Humbled and Honored


In a word the 2011 summit was amazing. The most incredible part, the aspect I remember most wasn’t the training or even the evening events, it was the people. I never thought I would miss the 15 hour days, but as I sit here and reflect on this past week, I find myself missing the people who attended.
Those four days allowed me to reconnect with some old friends and make some new ones. We trained hard during the day and laughed the entire time doing it. At night we got out of our defensive tactics mindset and let our hair down…well some of us. We crammed into Go Karts, shot each other with lasers, shot little clay pigeons and climbed the walls. It was a blast and I was fortunate to spend time with some fantastic people and I am honored they took the time out of their busy lives to spend time with me and The Self Defense Company.
Needless to say we learned a lot about each other during those intense 60 hours. Some of those little gems of wisdom are listed below.

The 21 things we learned at the 2011 Self Defense Company Training Summit:
1. If your eye is still connected when it pops out, you will immediately
throw up due to the change in perspective
2. When mugging, chose a revolver
3. When being mugged hope for a semi-auto
4. Ex-wives are expensive
5. The desert sucks
6. It’s better to fold than to scrunch
7. Smell your fingers before you lick them
8. Stay at the resort
9. Never write a list of 70 questions at 3:30am
10. All it takes is a little tequila to transition from paleontologist to chef
11. Best advice I ever gave myself : “Never sacrifice integrity”
12. Favorite sound: Silence
13. A belly flop off a 15 foot high dive will give you a welt and bragging rights for life
14. How not to pay taxes…ever
15. Have your papers in Panama
16. A pickup truck is not a car
17. There is a shortage of stop signs in the greater Kitchner, Ontario area
18. Being mauled by a bear is far better than being attacked by bees
19. There’s nothing like Wallmart after 2:00am
20. You don’t need a license to rent a shot gun in New Jersey…but you do need it to drive a Go Kart
21. Sylvester Stallone is a thespian genius
One group, united
Everybody trained together. I mean this literally. I only had to instruct the group to change partners once during the entire four days. After that, everyone just worked with everyone else. I’ve never seen anything like it. Usually you get a few groups working together and they stay with each other from beginning to end. Not this group. Every time I turned I saw new people wanting to work together. It got to the point that people were seeking people they haven’t worked with before. It was truly incredible. This spirit elevated the attitude in the room and sent the energy level through the roof. It was like when you walked in, you just got in a better mood, even though the subject matter was brutal.

It’s just that simple!

Even though the group came from every walk of life from IT professionals, retired Navy Seals to Oil Rig Workers, they all had one thing in common…they understand the concept behind the SDTS (Self Defense Training System). They see the beauty in its simplicity, they understand the tactics of this principle driven system. Every time we went to a new technique I could just hear Dennis “It’s just that simple!” They all GOT it and it that alone made it all worthwhile to me. I don’t ever want someone indebted to me or any other SDC Instructor. I want them empowered. I want them to be able to perform better than me in a shorter amount of time.

I see the future and it looks fantastic

I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen six months, a year, five years from now. The next generation of SDC Experts is driven, skilled and intelligent. They will bring the SDC to new heights and I can’t wait. A legacy is being created and it’s exceeding my expectations.

Angela- Thank you for putting all of the events, transportation, meals, photo and video together, you are the reason I am able to function in the world. We have been through so much and the years of sacrifice are beginning to show returns. Great things come to those who deserve it (and do something about it).
Michael- Thank you my friend, it’s been 5 years already and we are now seeing the fruits of our labor. You are indispensible; you pick up where I leave off. Your ability to organize and articulate continues to amaze me.
Darren- Thank you for choosing to stick your flag in the SDC, your wisdom guidance and vision are truly an asset. More great things to come.
Joe- You’re like the younger brother I never had. It’s been seven years since we first met. Your drive, dedication and skill continue to amaze me. I’ve watch you start as a reserved quiet person and grow into a reserved, quite person who know what they are talking about! Thank you for staying with me.
Reuben- I think of you and I smile. My heart fills with pride and joy when I’m in your presence. Your skill is only exceeded by your heart and compassion. I love what you do with the SDTS. In your hands it turns into a buzz saw. Yes, I am getting to your island this year.
Pete- What can I say, you were the one who sparked the start of this some thirteen years ago. Thank you for everything.
Lauren- Thank you for saying “WTF” and taking some much needed days off and spend time with us. I hope this is the first of many times training and hanging out together. The only thing that exceeds your whit and ego is your work ethic. I don’t recall you ever resting. Reminds me of someone else I know…
Scott- When you look up the term “Good Old Boy” there’s your picture. I know you are going to continue to grow in the coming months and I am excited to see what happens down in NOLA. Plus I’m coming to see you, just give me an excuse. Rocky, huh, whoda thunkit?
Dawn- Thanks for letting Scott come. 
Jenna- We’ll our girl is growing up! You went from newbie to ass kicker in 4 days! Enjoy the bruises; I hope to see more from training (hopefully more on Scott and less on you). I can’t tell you how critical it is that women receive this training. Next year bring more friends. “Man Camp” needs more women!
Charles- Thank you sir for sharing your time with us, you were insightful and a great pleasure to train with. When I see people like you coming to the SDC I know we’re doing something right.
Chris- Thanks for making the trip from the great white north. Keep practicing (on your skeet) for next year. Damn shame we stopped when we did, you were just hitting your stride.
Maanab- You arrived late but within a few hours you fit in with the group like you were there the whole time. I look forward to your further involvement with the SDC.
George- OK, your memory is a little scary. During certs you managed to repeat my phrasing word for word. Vertigo or phobia, I was damn impressed that you climbed that wall…twice.
Dwayne- I still can’t believe you were on the mail list since 2003! That’s incredible. Well, it’s a good thing since we finally had the chance to meet. Thanks for understanding and having the vision to see where martial arts and self defense CAN coexist.
Ken- Great to meet you. You were another person who trained with intensity and I don’t think you took a break…ever! I’m just glad you got your tire fixed. Who knows, I may be in Lincoln Park before you know it.
Dave- If we continue to attract people such as you with the experience, professionalism and expertise you possess, we are limitless. It was a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to spending more time together in the near future.
Dennis- what can I say, you’re a rock star and it is an honor and a privilege to have you on board.
Lawrence- Who knew that you wanted to meet Gandhi to ask him how on earth he could turn the other cheek? I didn’t hear much from you, but you sure made yourself known in training. Thank you for coming and I look forward to next year.
Larry- It was awesome to see you again. Sorry we had to cut it short. Next year we will have a rematch on the Go Karts. Thank you for making the long drive.
Emanuel- I know it’s tough to keep Darren in line, but I have faith in you. Thank you for taking time from your business and detective work to train with us. Given your work ethic and attitude I can’t wait to see what you’re like next year.
Jason- Anyone who takes the belly flop dare “just cause” has that certain something that we look for. I hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with the SDC. Thank you for taking vacation time to come train with us.
Kevin- Hey ZeroCool, you are the next gen of SDC Instructor. If we continue to attract people like you (which are clearly few and far between), then there is nothing we can do. After 5 minutes I realized you are an asset. Thank you for making the SDC a part of your life.

We are already crafting an even more amazing 2012 so stay tuned.

Thank you all for making my year.
Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Day 1 Training Summit 2011 is in the books- Damian Ross

The first day of the 2011 training summit is in the books and I have to say, it's been truly amazing. Sure we put in a 10 hour day of training, certification and education and there was no shortage of sweat and hard work. It was just bigger than that.

The in the few short years of it's existence, the Self Defense Company is starting to mature. The next generation of instructors is now starting to emerge. People like Kevin Winters who is one such instructor who embodies the new wave of SDC Instructor who is humble, intelligent, tough and extremely motivated. He trained side by side with our "old school" SDC Instructors Darren Poesel, Joe Landry and Reuben Bean. In a nutshell, I like where the SDC has been and I like where it's going even better! When we attract people like former Navy Seal Dennis Doroczy I know we're on the right path.

Now for the top 10 things I learned about our members I didn't expect...

1. I fell 45 feet off an oil rig onto land and didn't get hurt

2. I trained over 500 attack dogs

3. I opened my chute too late

4. I became a detective when my daughter turned 15

5. I have no musical talent or ability whatsoever

6. I almost killed my wife in a triathlon

7. I appeared in a Steak and Shake commercial

8. I was kicked out of one of the best schools in the country
9. I have been bitten by the only two deadly spiders in North America
10. I put 3 siblings through college by "questionable" means

This was a great day, now off to Laser Tag and Go Carts

PS. To see the pics on live go see the album on our Facebook Page


Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.

Monday, August 15, 2011

I Can't Wait for Wednesday

This Wednesday is when the 2011 Intensive Training Camp for The Self Defense Company begins. I get to spend four days and nights with SDC Instructors and SDTS Legion Training Members from all over the world. I can't tell you how stoked I am to see some old friends and make some new ones. As the company expands and our corp instructor staff grows it's still amazing to see people still involved and instructing from over 5 years ago.

I really enjoy the seminars because they enable me to do what I like best, teach, train and interact with others on a technical and tactical level. Since the business took off, I haven't been able to instruct on a regular basis. It's unfortunate, but it's the nature of the beast. The idea of teaching on a daily basis is a huge misconception of every instructor and business owner.

You start teaching martial arts and self defense because you want to do something you love. You think that you will be able to teach and the business end will "be taken care of". Unfortunately if you want to grow your business, you need to focus on just that. There's a saying, work on your business, not in your business.
Your business is like a huge ocean liner, the teaching day to day is the engine that drives the business. While instruction is essential for your business to run, someone has got to steer the ship. If you're a business owner, you're the captain. It's you and only you, you cannot afford to have anyone else in charge.

From the beginning we teach our instructors to think like this. Hey, I'm sure you want to be teaching all of your classes and your clients want you to teach them all the time because YOU are their favorite. But what happens when you're sick, injured or heck, just want to go on vacation? Believe me, if your clientele had an adequate substitute, they would be just as happy.

Your business is more important than you. If you are going to survive and truly build something spectacular, than you must understand this.

I think this is the most important lesson that we teach to our instructors. In the beginning, you will be teaching the classes yourself and you can do that and be successful for the short term. You will have your exclusive list of clients and you work with that group on a weekly to monthly basis. You can do great at this. My sister is a pilates instructor for the last 20 years (google "kathi ross-nash pilates" if you think I'm a big deal in self defense, wait till you get a load of her!)

But to really become wealthy and successful you need to "replicate" yourself.

That means training and qualifying others to do your job, hopefully better than you do. In order to do that you need a few things, first and fore most are instructors.
In order to develop the right instructor you need the right systems to train and certify your instructors in a timely manner. Second you need to compensate them which means giving up a piece of the pie in order to do that. Finally you need to check your ego at the door. If you are going to have quality instructors that instill confidence in the people they teach, they are going to have STRONG personalities. Which is a tough pill for a lot of martial arts instructors to swallow. Martial artists tend to get sucked into that whole "I made you, you owe me" mentality. This attitude is like a cancer that has literally crippled the martial arts industry. If you are a good instructor and more important a good businessman or woman you will need to have an organization that develops and recognizes talent.

One of the biggest fears business owners and martial artists have is that a good instructor may go open another studio some place else. Well, nothing will guarantee that from happening in ANY business. You can have all of the non-compete contracts you want, but if you don't have the tens of thousands to enforce that contract, it's no better than the paper it's printed on. But, if you have a brand name with a set of systems in place along with support, you are more protected than you think. Your business isn't just the instruction or the end product, it's everything that goes into making that product. It's like restaurants and great chefs. The chef will move, but if the restauranteur knows what he's doing, it will be business as usual.

Anyway, this week is when I get to see the new talent. The people coming to the training summit are the "feet on the street" and the true advocates of the Self Defense Training System and I can't wait to spend time with them.

Every year we will "one up" ourselves over the previous year. This year we added evening activities and Instructor Certifications. Already for next year we're looking at a local university for lodging and meals so it can be the absolute easiest and most cost effective for everyone involved.

Now, I'm just waiting for Mike Archangel to arrive, no doubt he will have a list of last minute "ideas" conjured up during his drive from Pittsburgh.

If you're not coming to the summit, we are filming it for an October release!

Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Most Important Close Combat Lesson You Will Ever Learn

Once engaged with the enemy, close the distance. Don't spar, don't feint, don't fake, JUST GO!!!!
As you close the distance you take what's given to you. You start with strikes. Strikes are the fastest and most efficient way to end the contact (fight). You can knock someone out a hell of a lot faster with a strike than a submission. If you don't sufficiently injure or incapacitate your target with strike you immediately go to gouges, tears and hooks. Use these to create openings in order to either end the fight or create an opening to strike. Grappling and submission techniques are literally last on the list because they require skill, finite motor skills and take longer to get into position and apply. You may find (as in SDTS Module 3) that you can use a combination of gouges, strikes and submissions if trained in the right manner with the correct intent. But, it's always better to strike first...and ask questions later.

Always take ground. This is extremely important. You need to be where the enemy is standing the entire time. Always move forward and into your target. This is imperative for two reasons. One, moving directly into your target while you're delivering a barrage of attacks is the most efficient, most effective way to deliver the most amount of damage on target. It will ensure that all of your body weight and power are behind your technique. The second reason is that it keeps your target off balance. A retreating, off balance target can not mount a good offensive. Sure, there are last ditch efforts in some spinning techniques, but if you are attacking correctly as seen in Module 1 of the SDTS your target will not have a chance. This holds true in one on one combat as in warfare between armies. Armies suffer the most casualties when they retreat.

Now I'm sure there are some people who will talk about "small circles" and "redirection of power". While there is some truth to this, it has little place in close quarters combat and does not play a significant role in strategy and tactics. In the heat of battle you will only be able to advance or retreat, not DANCE. In a nutshell, most movements that you do are already circular, it's the nature of body mechanics. Even a straight punch travels an elliptical path. I will say the overwhelming majority of martial arts instructors complicate the explanation of simple movement for reasons ranging from self importance to filling time, either way, the best coaches and instructors I have known sought to simply what they taught. In fact, you should only "correct" one or two mistakes per session. When learning a physical activity you should perform it until you are exhausted. This way your body has a chance to figure out the most efficient way to complete a task. You will auto-correct yourself. This is why in the SDTS we hit targets and training dummies A LOT>

The Common Denominators of Close Combat


All situations can be broken down to distance, position, momentum and balance. This is the crux of the SDTS. Distance: how far he is from you. Position: where you are in relation to your target. Momentum: always be moving and taking ground. Balance: break his, maintain yours. Combine that with techniques that will cause maximum damage to your target and minimum damage to you. This is the truth of combat.

Listen, there's a way we want things to be and the way they actually are. We WANT them to be pretty and neat. We WANT to be able to wrap our attacker up in a nice little package, twist him up with joint locks and wave to our buddies, but that's not reality. Reality is there is a man in front of you who doesn't care about your hopes and dreams. He's pissed off and doesn't think like you do. You have something he wants and he's going to take it. Reality is you have so much adrenaline going through your veins that you can hardly speak let alone think.

And he's going to keep taking until he decides it's enough. In order to survive you are going to have to go through him. You are going to have to do the unthinkable and the unmentionable. Hey, I wish it wasn't like this, but it is. Some times good people have to do bad things.

Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.



Friday, August 5, 2011

How To Remove Your Personal Information From Background Check Websites


After our social media background check, are you afraid of what a future employer may find out about you? Rest easy as we have some tips to help you remove your personal information from more than a dozen online background check websites.

How Do These Sites Get My Information?
There are hundreds of online background check websites that gather information on people. In the US, these online databases are populated with information from public records like real estate transactions, arrest records, court cases, marriages, divorces, etc.

Before the Internet, investigators would have to go to the local town hall or the state records office and request this public information in person. Now with databases a dime a dozen, most of this information is readily accessible if you know where to look.
A background check website will both mine these public databases and obtain demographic information from marketing companies. If you're young, you're paper trail is likely small, but if you're older, the amount of publicly available information can be staggering.

What They Know About You?
Most of this information is not as salacious as those party pics from the Bahamas, but you may not want your future boss finding out you recently went through a messy divorce. Before you start the removal process, you'll need to find out what information these companies have, if any. We used Social Intelligence for our background check, but there's a dozen or more big players that focus primarily on public information and not your social networks. It's these public databases that we'll look at here.
You'll need to go to the following sites and search for your name, address, and age.
Intelius.com
Acxiom.com
MyLife.com
ZabaSearch.com
Spoke.com
BeenVerified.com
PeekYou.com
USSearch.com
PeopleFinders.com
PeopleLookup.com
PeopleSmart.com
PrivateEye.com
WhitePages.com
USA-People-Search.com
Spokeo.com
PublicRecordsNow.com
DOBSearch.com
Radaris.com

Compiled by pibbman, these sites are considered the major players and have information that is scraped by smaller sites. Once you confirm a site has your information, mark it off and prepare to move onto the next step which is the removal process.

How Do I Purge My Information From These Sites?
Here's the hard part. Removing your information won't be easy as there's no one place that'll remove everything for you. Each site has different contact information and different procedures for removal. Some require you to fill out an Internet form, others require you to call and some even ask you to fax your driver's license to confirm your identity. If you send in your driver's license, make sure you black out all information except your name, address and DOB. Only give these companies the bare minimum they need to identify you and nothing more.
This contact list compiled by LawyerCT will help you get started. Be prepared to spend a lot of time pouring through these websites, compiling the information they need and sending it to them. They don't make it easy and you'll be irritated by emails that bounce and fax numbers that don't answer. Relax and drink a cold beer while you do this, it'll help.

If you can't stand this process, there are record removal companies that'll do this on your behalf for a fee. These companies may not be 100% effective, though, as some background check websites won't honor a removal request from a third-party. You and only you can ask for your information to be removed.

I Did It, It's Done, Now What?
Breathe easier knowing you have erased some, if not all, of your public information from these aggregators. This is only the beginning, though. You'll need to keep checking back to make sure new information does not appear. Try to keep yourself out of their radar. Don't get arrested or fight a legal battle. And if you get married, be ready to start this process all over again.

Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.