Damian Ross VIDEO- The Self Defense Company Black Jack Billy Club combination 1

Up until the early 80's the black jack billy club was a favorite among law enforcement and bad guys alike. it's easily carried, concealed and incredibly brutal. The construction is simple, a lead weight welded to a spring and wrapped in leather. You can pick them up for less than $20.00 and is a personal favorite. The Black Jack is featured in Module 11 of the Self Defense Training System titled "Old School Weapons and Tactics". .

Is it effective? It works like magic. No joke, the black jack is like black belt in a bottle. It is scary how much damage it inflicts. Even when you ht non-lethal targets areas like the arms or hands the pain is excruciating. When you need to get someone's attention a quick flick on their wrist will be enough to buckle the average man's knees. So please use extreme caution when working with the black jack.

Years ago when I first started training with the black jack, I took it to my work out area and started using it on the training dummy. As I got warmed up, my workout got a little more intense, so much in fact that the black jack bounced off of the rubbery surface of the training dummy and cracked yours truly in the head. When came to my senses, my head was throbbing. I picked myself up off the floor, dusted off and realized two things. First, the black jack is no joke. Even off a deflected strike t had enough juice to put me down. Second, you must train with your weapon on a target that you can hit, stab or shoot. Imagine if that was in the real world and I clocked myself in the head. I would be as dead as Elvis. Training with live blades, impact weapons and firearms on realistic targets trains you to position your body in a particular way in relation to the weapon. Especially with edged weapons and impact weapons. The trajectory of the stab or strike changes slightly with the prospect of getting any sort of blow back from the weapon. You be come extremely aware of this with knives and other edged weapons.

If you're gong to carry a weapon, any weapon from pepper spray to firearms, it is foolish that you don't at least try it a few times to understand how it works and feels. Don't make the first time you use t when your life is on the line, because, at the risk of sounding corny, it could be your last.

Until next time, Train Honestly,


Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO-Damian Ross, The Self Defense Company, Yawara Stick Combinations

This yawara stick combination comes from Module 11 of the Self Defense Training System titled "Old School weapons and Tactics". The yawara stick originated in Japanese jujutsu and reached it's peak in modern day popularity in the 1940's when it was used for police work. The stick itself can be made out of a variety of materials and have different end shapes varying from sharp and pointed to smooth and round. The stick is not illegal to carry and when made of wood is easy to transport. It is and EXTREMELY effective tool for focusing the power of your strikes and dramatically increases the penetration of damage into your target. Even strikes to the body, arms and legs are tremendously painful. The stick can also be used n grappling situations to create space and cause extreme pain to your target as seen in Module 11 of The Self Defense Training System.

This types of weapons are incredibly easy to obtain and carry. Even a close ASP baton can be used in this manner. Anything that is hard and a little larger than the width of your hand can be...oh, that didn't sound right. You know what I mean. You don't have to get all tactical to "make" one. They're cheap anyway, this one cost all of $10.00.

The next important point I want to stress is that the body mechanics for use of the weapon remain the same, this is true for all of the weapons used in the Self Defense Training System. This is deliberate by design since it is in efficient, impractical and ineffective to train different body mechanics for different weapons when under stress you can only recall a handful of gross motor skills. The SDTS in this way is modeled after Japanese Jujutsu. Where jujutsu and even judo were based on the sword, the Self Defense Training System is based on Module 1, Essential Self Defense . Once those core moves are mastered, it is easy to move through the program. This is what has been proven to work time and time again. Learning a basic skill set and adapting it to any situation is the method of training that has the highest success rate in the field. It doesn't matter if you're in calculus class or on the football field. It's the person who understands the basics and how to adapt the basics quickly and easily to each situation that wins the day.

Until next time, Train Honestly,


Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO-Close Combat Stick Fighting Drill - Damian Ross, The Self Defense Company

This drill comes from Module 9 of the Self Defense Training System, "Weapons Offensive Tactics". In this clip, Self Defense Company CEO, Damian Ross demonstrates a simple yet devastating opening combination with the short stick or club.

n close combat it is much more effective to use the club with a two handed grip as seen in the video than what's normally taught. In fact, unless you are swinging a bat, axe handle or lead pipe, swinging the club is only advisable in a handful of situations. You don't need to be Rodney King to realize that there is not a lot of knock out power in swinging a night stick. Will it hurt, YES, will it eventually stop you, sure, but is it the most powerful and effective, absolutely not. Add to the equation that modern impact weapons designed for law enforcement lack any significant weight to supply enough knock down power. Weapons like the ASP are more designed for comfort instead of performance. Officers were tired of having to remove and replace their night sticks in their belts every time they entered and exited the cruiser.
Hey, I'm not saying they don't hurt, but when you're faced with a drug induced or emotionally disturbed person you are not gong to be happy.

There is a reason riot squads around the globe still use these types of two handed techniques, they work. Now they have even replaced the club with the riot shield (a little more humane) but the same combative movement and tactics none the less.

The reason two handed techniques work so well is simple, you can put more body weight and power behind the strike and the obvious reason is at close range t s impossible to swing the club at all. In Module 9 of the self defense training system we show you how to use the club in grabs, holds and even round situations. Nothing fancy, just what works.

Until next time, Train Honestly,


Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO- 3 Count Chop Drill from the Guard

This drill comes from Module 3 of the Self Defense Training System "Ground Fighting for Keeps". In this clip Damian Ross, CEO of the Self Defense Company demonstrates how to train these strikes that will enable you to shift the momentum of the fight in your favor and improve your position from the guard.

Submission are nice and work, but other than strangles from your target's back, there is not a submission or a position where a capable target could not strike, bite or gouge you. In module 3 you see how simple and vicious unarmed methods will enable you to improve your position and escape. Imagine what you would do in the street tried a triangle choke on you. While they're getting you to submit, you will be eviscerating them when you bite there inner thigh or genitals. Hey, do I really want to bite someone in the nuts? Of course not, but if taking a bite in the families jewels is the difference between me going home or going to the morgue, I'm going to do what I have to do. Make the choice NOW and NOT THEN.

In module 9 "Weapons Offensive Tactics" we show you how easy it is to use weapons, especially edged weapons in a ground fight scenario. I don't know why every women in the world does not have at least 4 to 6 edged weapons concealed about their bodies. In module 9 we show you the many places and ways to conceal and carry edged weapons.



The sleeve dagger (pictured on the left) is an excellent tool and one of the many places to conceal a weapon. One in each sleeve is ideal since one arm may get pinned or injured. Most martial arts systems demand that you fight your opponent unarmed. They may not demand it, but they will not offer any other training that even suggests using a weapon. The notion of ignoring weapons is naive, foolish and down right stupid. Weapons are tools, not to be depended on, but are an integral part of your personal protection arsenal. If you're a 110 pound woman pinned down by a 220 pound man you are in for a world of hurt. But if you were properly trained in weapons training you would DEFINITELY survive and win against KING KONG!!! If you are properly armed and trained, Royce Gracie doesn't stand a chance. The point is, ground fight and grappling are worthy pursuits but still fall under the sports category and need to be treated as such.

Truth be told, give me an MMA, wrestler, BJJ, Judo, Sambo, or whatever fighter and put them up against someone who has trained in module 3 and module 9 of the Self Defense Training System, they wouldn't stand a chance in real world conditions. I say this not to boast, but to make you think about scope and purpose of training. The SDTS practitioner only cares about ending the fight by whatever means necessary while the MMA expert is operating under conditioning restricted by rules. On the flip side and SDTS practitioner would not fare well in the cage for the same reason, purpose and scope of training.

The notion that my style is better than your style is almost ludicrous when you start to ask yourself what was your style developed for? All modern martial arts were developed for nationalism, exercise, sport and profit. Not self defense.

WOW, I really went off there for a bit...sorry about that. Anyway, the point of this drill as described in the video is to get him to stop beating the hell out of you, just long enough for you to either pull him towards you in a reverse strangle or kick him off you with your legs. In a real fight on the ground you always look to better your position. If he's hitting or stabbing you, get him to stop. If you're in the mount, get to the guard, if you're in the guard get to your feet. Always strive to improve your position and don't waste time and energy trying to end the fight from the ground unless it's presented to you on a silver platter.

Until next time, Train Honestly,

Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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Sorry to Burst Your Bubble...

I received a comment on the Double Forearm Shiver video regarding my previous training and experience for the reason why the techniques I execute look as polished as they do. The person who sent the comment was respectful and well meaning so I will treat him with the utmost respect because his assumption is one that most martial artists make.

His comment is as follows:
Sir,
Although I agree that traditional martial arts training does not prepare for real world attacks, they are an important element of it.

Your ability to bring out the best of your close combat techniques are mainly due to talent and skills acquired in your prev martial arts training. Your execution of throws, submissions and heck even the "chop" are all neatly done, and one can tell your training before it.

I started with close combat training and moved on to krav maga and now traditional martial arts. It is just good to explore all areas.

Thiam Yeng

Thiam,
What your seeing has little or nothing to do with my past training and more and everything to do with athleticism and my current training. Many martial artists miss this point and tend to justify what they teach as a reason for my proficiency in The Self Defense Training System. First of all, let's get one thing straight, I developed and founded the Self Defense Training System and if I don't look good doing it, we have a problem. If Tony Bennett can't sing "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" there's a problem. Second I have been training people in this method for over 12 years and counting. You can even see some of them on the SDC Youtube Channel.

The Self Defense Training System is not a martial art. It is a defensive tactics training program. It's purpose is to train anyone to be the best prepared for real world self defense in the shortest amount of time. Anything else in gravy. It is clear you have chosen to make martial arts a hobby and possibly a lifestyle choice. That's great, but it's not essential for self defense.

What will save you in the street is 10% physical, 90% mental (I have an email blast from one of our Instructors, LtCol Darren Poesel USMC going out in a few minutes). The problem martial artists face regarding self defense are a few.

First and foremost, the business model for martial arts demands that customers stay involved as long as possible. In order to do that, more and more techniques are added to extend student involvement. Sport and competition are also used as a means of extending student enrollment but not as much as you think since a very small percentage (in my 9 years of running schools, less than 10% of students ever competed).

The second issue is that the techniques are there, but lost in the volumes of other techniques you are forced to learn. In Tae Kwon Do for example you learn volumes of technique, yet in sparring you may only use 5 or 6. And they are usually the same techniques everybody else is using. What separates the good from the bad are speed, power, timing and instinct...ATHLETICISM combined with good training guidance and GREAT TRAINING PARTNERS. The techniques are the tools, what makes a champion a champion is the aforementioned factors plus....ATTITUDE!!! On the elite levels of sport it's 10% physical 90% mental.

Look Thiam, at the end of the day the reason my chops look so good is because I've done about 10,000 of them in my life time. If you want to be good at something, you train it and practice it. If I want to be good at soccer, I don't practice basketball. If you ant to be good at self defense you train in The Self Defense Training System , not a traditional martial art or anything else. If you want to be proficient in close quarters combat, focus on those skills and spend the other time running and lifting weights. I have literally trained thousands of people in this manner of the last two decades and it's always been the same: Some people have a natural gift, some need to work harder at it. But unlike sports and martial arts, anyone with the desire can learn to protect themselves. It's basic and natural, not convoluted and complex.

Thanks for your comment, and as always Train honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO- Double Forearm Shiver Stops Him Dead in His Tracks- Damian Ross, The Self Defense Company

Waiting to be touched by a felon. Martial arts and self defense systems train you to wait. When you're training grabs and holds in the dojo it always looks like this: Partners get next to each other, attacker grabs defender, defender does prescribed attack. Then you get in a circle and one by one you get attacked by people who know two things: what you're going to do and how they are going to react. Everything works and you look like a kung fu rock star.

In the real world...attacker grabs defender and proceeds to punch, kick, stab and bludgeon the snot out of defender immediately. You think you will have time to react, but this is the cold hard truth you must come to grips with. As soon as your grabbed, it's almost over. The bad guy has a plan, you don't. By the time (seconds) you figure out what type of attack it is, they will be outlining your body with chalk. Your mind does not work the way you think it will work when you are stressed. Think about the times you are extremely tired in training, where all you can is basic strikes...that's more like the real world when you're under a real attack.

Point of note: the initial attack only PREEMPTS THE REAL ASSAULT. That grab of the collar or the sleeve is only meant to distract you or pin you down for the follow up. The fact of the matter is, that initial grab is inconsequential. But it's the initial grab that "experts" focus on, we say, forget the initial attack and always "Always Attack the Man!"

This technique in this video comes from Module 4 of The Self Defense Training System titled "Defense vs. Mugs and Holds". In this video, Damian Ross of the Self Defense Company demonstrates the double forearm shiver, designed to stop and shock your attacker when he gets too close. The problem with other systems is that they train you to wait to be attacked and then they train you to focus on the initial attack.The Real issue is that the initial grab is what preempts the actual attack. In most cases the initial grab is only meant as a distraction or a way to pin you down and set up up for the real, follow up attack. This double forearm shiver is one of many tactics from Module 4 that enable you to react in an extreme close range before it's too late.

Train your instinct. When someone gets to close you have to be sensitive to this and react immediately by either moving or attacking. If you tell them to move and they don't, now you have no choice but to act. By act I mean blast them into the stone age.

I can't tell you how many specific defenses I was forced to learn earning my black belts. I literally have sat in the middle of a group of attackers literally hundreds of times. They would come in and in true dojo-Hollywood fashion I would dispatch them one by one. Hell, I even won trophies doing it. But when I reflected my current training against my real world experiences they didn't match up. The real world was fast and frustrating. It was surreal in nature and over before I knew it. That's why when I discovered the Self Defense Training System, I knew it would work and I have a secret for you...(it really does).
I discovered that 90% of what I learned for self defense through my previous training could be shit-canned. I simply chalked my time up to experience. I made a lot of great friends (even met my wife)and discovered the training that would lead to The Self Defense Training System through my martial arts training, so I definitely got my money's worth. Sometimes you have to go through a whole lot of BS until you can identify the truth.

Until next time, Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO- How to Develop Core Throwing Power, Damian Ross of The Self Defense Company

This installment of "This Old Ass Kicker" (working title). Hell, I have to name these things something and it has to have a hook. I digress... this clip is an exercise from Module 10 Combat Throws and Take Downs. Before I start, I want to say something about "Throwing" in the street. It's an extra. Knocking a man cold with a strike is clearly the most efficient and easiest way to knock someone's "dick in the dirt". A knock out blow happens in a fraction of second while submissions take seconds and even a minute until the guy's out cold. Longer if you want him to stay that way. Getting someone to tap in the dojo is FAR EASIER than putting someone to sleep in the street. But if you look to further your study of self defense, submissions, throws and take downs give you some options. Especially if you are in law enforcement or security where you are required to apprehend a target. In the civilian world, special circumstances not withstanding, there's little need for submissions or take downs since according to law, you should be fighting for your life or looking to escape.

Though I must admit, throwing someone in competition or in the real world is pretty cool. There's nothing like taking another human body and hurling it through the air and when that body out weighs you by 50 to 100 pounds it's extremely exciting. I remember years ago, my Yonezuka Sensei, then 69 years old, was watching practice when a student who looked all of 300 pounds was looking for a partner. Yonezuka (Yone) suggested to one of the ranked players (a 220 pounder) to go with the 300 pound giant. The 220 pounder said no, that he was hurt ans didn't want to risk injury. Yone's reaction was priceless. At 180 and almost twice the 220 fighter's age, he got on the mat with the 300 pounder and launched him with ippon seionage. He might as well have just called the 220 pounder a pussy.

One of the exercises Yone had my do to develop that single shoulder throw was this weight sled pull. we feature this drill (and may others) in Module 10 of The Self Defense Training System.

The throws you use for combat are limited and simple. Sport has expanded the development of throws where the object is to get your opponent down on a matted surface and gain a dominant position with little regard for going to the ground yourself. The perfect combat throw takes your target to the ground while you remain on your feet. In Module 10 of The Self Defense Training System we go through the do's and don'ts of which throws to use and why. More important we show you which throws to avoid and for what reason.

For example, a double leg take down is a great technique for MMA and wrestling but not your first option for the street. First of all, it has a huge potential to put you underneath your target. In wrestling and in MMA, many time the opponent sprawls and buries your face in the mat. Rubbing your face, elbows and knees on the mat stinks, but smashing them on the concrete just plain sucks. Also, it automatically limits your mobility and forces you to be locked up with one single target for an extended period of time. You must always assume your target has friends. I had an experience where I took a guy down and was about to apply the old ground and pound when a few of his buddies did not like how the fight was going. The next thing I knew I was getting pummeled with kicks and punches. I was lucky to get out of there intact, I was glad to see the police.

Lesson learned. Hey, shit happens and yes, sometimes you do end up in some hairy situations but you never choose them. Never choose the ground, never put yourself in a bad position intentionally. In The Self Defense Training System you have a set of protocol that ingrains the tactics in your technique. There is a strict protocol to follow regarding the hierarchy of technique.

The following list is based on effectiveness, ease of use and time in training to be mastered.
1. Firearms
2. Edged weapons
3. Impact weapons
4. Sprays and foams (for escape)
5. Alarms (for escape)
6. Strikes
7. Take downs
8. Strangles
9. Joint submissions/dislocations
10. Throws

What the difference between a throw and a take down? A throw requires more hip movement and technique while a take down does not. In Module 10 of The Self Defense Training System you will see throws like the single side shoulder throw and the hip throw as well as take downs like the hockey take down and the bulldog take down.
Take downs are a lot easier to master as you can see from the list above.

In law enforcement where a group must subdue one, the take downs are your only option and throws are simply out of the question.

Train as much as you can, but keep your priorities straight. Look at the above list and move forward when you can do the previous skills proficiently.

Until next time, Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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