Bad Guy Calls Cop's Bluff

The fantasy: A gun solves every self defense situation.
The reality: You can only use a gun if there is "justified use of deadly force".

Every scumbag criminal knows this and will not think twice about resisting or evading when guns are drawn.

In this video the cop pulls his firearm in hopes to scare the shit out of the bad guy. Bad guy knows the cop won't shoot. Bad guy resists and attacks the cop. Now the gun is a deadly liability. This cop is lucky that the criminal only wanted to distract him to escape and not put a severe hurting on him.

In a perfect world, if you resist with any use of force, the officer should have the right to shoot you. Hey, where I come from if the police tell you to freeze, you freeze. The poor cop is actually fighting the guy with one hand while he tries to holster his weapon.

It was later reported that the bad guy had a box cutter and some other paraphernalia, but nothing that couldn't be explained as a "tool" by even the worst public defender.

The department later said the the officer "acted correctly". In my opinion, the officer may have "acted correctly" but is a hell of a lot more lucky than good. This officer is lucky that this guy just didn't beat the living shit out of him, which he is probably regretting right now and the next time he's backed up against the wall, he's going to be damn sure he gets away.

Police Policy and use of force laws have literally sterilized law enforcement. The training and tactics taught are all but useless in the real world. A cops only chance is if he gets an instructor who has been in the real world and teaches "off the book." Seriously, if the officer in this situation did something that would render the bad guy unconscious from the get go, he would have been safe, the store manager would have been safe and the bad guy would have woken up in custody.

This is why the GUARDIAN DEFENSIVE TACTICS POLICE COMBATIVES has become so popular over the past year. Simply because it puts the good guys first and the scumbags second.

I'll say it again, this cop is lucky.


There is a full report on the incident HERE

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Martial Arts Training and Police Work

One of the greatest values of martial arts training is learning other people’s physical capabilities when “mixing it up.” Being taken off your feet by a Division I wrestler is an eye-opening experience. Being thrown to the ground eight straight times in various fashions by a guy who is 25 pounds lighter and a head shorter than you is indeed humbling. And rolling with a guy who used to play football on Sundays is just plain scary.

But all these experiences teach invaluable lessons to a Police Officer. First, it shows that going toe to toe with any adversary is a risky proposition. Just think how many people out there possess physical and athletic skills that you do not. Fighting fair in law enforcement is a true roll of the dice. Our job is not a contest of physical abilities. Our job is to win before the other guy even knew it was a fight.

Second, sizing up a bad guy by looks alone is a weak strategy. Assuming big guys can’t be fast and skinny guys can’t be strong is a huge mistake. One of my training partners defines the term “deceivingly strong.” Look at him and you would call him unremarkable. But when you roll with him, he is a beast. I know it is cliché, but underestimating your opponent will get you hurt. So, just hit everyone hard.

Next, it is almost impossible to get a non-compliant subject controlled without striking. Rolling live really exposes the shortcomings of pressure points and joint locks. Even most submissions are difficult to pull off and often compromise your position of dominance. Defensive Tactics for Law Enforcement revolve around mindset and the ability to strike. Everything else (throws, ground fighting, cuffing) builds off of that foundation.

Last, fighting is tiring! Nothing tests your wind like trying to move a guy who doesn’t want to be moved. The fatigue factor is tremendous. Now throw in stress and adrenaline!! Studies show that Police Officers who are in excellent physical condition can hit the wall after two minutes in an altercation. You can’t respect your personal fatigue threshold until you have experienced it.

It surprises me how many Officers shy away from physical contact outside of work. The only way to truly prepare is to know (and roll with) who is out there. So get on the mat and have some fun!!!

Ed Kane

Ed is a Detective and Defensive Tactics instructor in New Jersey. He is also a Guardian Defensive Tactics Instructor for The SDC.

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The Truth About Verbal Judo

Using nonviolent solutions for any conflict should be the goal of every citizen. Methods of verbal judo and other conflict management devices profess to give anyone who employs them the ability to disable any potential attacker with the use of negotiation and persuasion techniques designed to discourage even the most potentially violent offender. The downfall of these methods is that they not only imply, but claim that every day people can diffuse any situation. Imagine, a 110 pound soccer mom talking herself out of being raped by a 6'5", 285 pound sociopath. This notion is beyond fantasy to the point of irresponsible and down right dangerous for the person who thins that they can talk their way out of anything.

These guys can't wait to hear what you have to say!

The idea that you can resolve conflict without fighting or, better yet, not even knowing how to fight or protect yourself is what these methods imply. Kids are taught that bullying is wrong and that bullies can be handled in a nonviolent manner. Adults are lead to believe that they can talk their way out of any situation no matter how dangerous and violent the criminal is. We are all lead to believe that you can resolve conflict without having to resort to violence. In reality, this could not be farther from the truth.

All decisions you make are based on a risk reward decision. Every thing from what to eat for breakfast to what you do at work or who you're going to sleep with is based on risk reward. For example, catching an STD (sexually transmitted disease) doe not sound appealing, but if you were to catch that disease sleeping with Angelina Jolie...well, it just might be worth it.

Criminals operate on the same risk reward function. The criminal and bully risk three things:
The Three Things Every Criminal Fears
1. Being caught
2. Being identified
3. Being injured

The success of verbal judo is directly proportional to the chances of any one of these three things happening to the attacker.

Depending on the payoff or desperation, the criminal will allow a greater risk of these three things to happen. If a bully were to think he was going to get in trouble or get his ass kicked, he would simply move to the next target. The reason you are able to persuade anyone from robbing, raping, killing or bullying you is if you can convince them that one of those three things will happen to them if they chose you as a victim.

This only works if you are believable. The same holds true in the realm of international diplomacy. Do you really think the North Koreans wouldn't be marching in the streets of Seoul if the US wasn't in the mix? People get very diplomatic when they realize that there is a rel potential of physical harm. Like the saying goes, "I get a lot more with a kind word and a gun, than just a kind word."

Verbal judo skills are great for police because, well, they're cops, with guns and back up and jail and lawyers and lock up. What works well for a court appointed, heavily armed member of the law enforcement community might not go over so well for an unarmed housewife from Wichita.

In fact, the whole idea of verbal judo or anti-bullying techniques only works when the potential victim demonstrates to the aggressor that there is a greater chance of one of the 3 things every criminal fears.

Listen, no verbal judo is going to stop a career criminal taking what he wants if he doesn't think something is going to happen to him. The problem is you project your set of morals and ethics to a criminal or a bully. Do you think a junkie is worried about his quarterly review or his final exams? Do you think a bully cares that you're going to be scared?
The reason that criminals and bullies engage in such behavior is because there is something wrong with them. Something in their brain has misfired and caused them to engage in this deviant behavior. Accept the fact that they have abandoned all reasoning.

Deviants are like mean dogs. Normally, a socialized dog is something not to be feared, but a mean dog that has been either abused by Micheal Vick or feral, is something that should be corrected or destroyed. When you see the man dog you don't think to yourself "That looks like my dog at home, maybe if I give him a treat, or pet him, he'll be nice?"
Humans are the same way, most are good because they want to be or have to be, some can be corrected and others have to be destroyed. There is just no reasoning with them. Your first clue that something is wrong with them is that they engage in criminal behavior.

All of your powers of persuasion will only work if you can back it up. This comes from confidence which comes from experience. Experience comes from proper training, preparation and real life situations. The more your prepare, the more confidence you exude. Please don't confuse "confidence" with "bravado". confidence is something that is acquired over time, bravado is something that is manufactured and empty.

Listen. we're all animals at our core and you can't deny your instincts. You can tell when someone looks tough or gives you a "vibe" that they may be a problem. The more you train and the more real life experiences you have the more you become in tune to this. Criminals. living out on the street are very in tune with this. In the marketing for The Self Defense training System [url]http://www.theselfdefenseco.com[/url] we use the saying "BE FEARED". And while to some this may have a bullying connotation, in the street it's all about sending a message to would be predators. We want them to fear you. It's an attitude that is required when dealing with a segment of society that has decided not to play by the rules. we're not talking about scaring friends, family members and co-workers (OK, maybe a little), we're talking about taking the power back. The power of fear.

Bad people don't understand reasoning, they understand fear. Don't sell me the "hooker with a heart of gold". Criminals will say and do anything in order to satisfy their deviant wants and desires. I have a few friends and acquaintances over the years who work in Special Victims Units and catch people trying to procure 8 year old girls for their sick, perverted needs. These sub-humans think they are talking to the father of the child in hopes of taking custody of the child so they can "raise them" like Elizabeth Smart or Jaycee Dugard. How do you think their moral compass works? Do you think these people have the same thoughts that you have?

You can study all the verbal judo and take all of the anti-bullying seminars you want, but it's not going to do you lick of good if you can't back up what your saying by increasing the potential of the 3 things ever criminal fears: Identified, Caught or Injured.

Diplomacy begins with building up your military forces not diplomats.

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

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Win $1000 from the Self Defense Company Contest Submissions!! (So far)

The following are the latest video submissions for the 2010 Where's Your Dojo contest!! The person who submits the winning video will receive $1000 from the Self Defense Company. We're going to crown the winner in January 2011.

For details on how you can get your gnarled hands on $1000 US go to the "Wheres Your Dojo" Contest Page HERE



This submission is from LtCol Darren Poesel of the USMC. He is training servicemen, woman and contractors with The Self Defense Training System in Kabul. At present, Darren in back in the sandbox again. God speed and come home safe Colonel.



This contest submission is from Vince Veloso training in the Self Defense Training System in New Jersey. Vince is a longtime martial artists and SDTS practitioner as well as a kick ass jazz musician.



This is Josef Prochazka from the Czech Republic. He's another longtime Self Defense Training System Practitioner who put together a small training group at his home.

Finally...a teaser from Gunther:



Gunther is a BIG fan of The Self Defense Training System. He lives on a farm in South Africa where he trains and speaks his mind....a lot (just look at his facebook posts on the SDC fan page). He's been with the SDTS for about a year and to tell the truth, between the simplicity and ease of use of the SDTS and the intensity and desire that Gunther trains with, it looks like he's been doing it for years. We should have his "official submission in a few days.

YOU WILL CHOOSE THE WINNER!!!

Voting will go like this, once all of the videos are in (the goal is 50 total or mid to late January) we will make an announcement to go to facebook and like your favorite videos. The one with the most likes at the end of a weeks time wins.

It's that simple.

If you think you can do better than what you see here, grab a camera (or even your phone) and put something together that's 1 to 4 minutes in length that demonstrates how you train and what the Self Defense Training System has done for you.

For Details go to the WHERES YOUR DOJO? Contest page HERE. The link is http://www.selfdefensecompany.com/contests.asp

I look forward to seeing your submission.
Until next time, Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO-Improvised Black Jack- Damian Ross, The Self Defense Company

http://www.theselfdefenseco.com/module11.asp
Self Defense Training System, Module 11 "Old School Weapons and Tactics" Preview

This clip was inspired by Module 11 of the Self Defense Training System titled "Old School Weapons and Tactics". In this clip Damian Ross of The Self Defense Company converts a few simple household items into a devastating impact weapon. Using a simple bandanna and a weighted object, in this case some steel nuts or a weight from a balloon display, you can have an incredibly effective impact weapon. We have used used everything from fishing weights, loose change to ball bearings and it all works well.
Sure you can do this many other items like a sock for example. But it's a lot easier to explain why your carrying a bandanna easier than it is a sock. If you're in law enforcement it's a good idea to store this type of thinking in the back of your head.

Most times the best weapons aren't even weapons at all. In Module 8 of the SDTS "Weapons Defense" we show you a plethora (thank you "Three Amigos") of weapons that you can pick up at your local hardware store. It doesn't have to be "combat certified" to do severe damage. Any number of hand tools are extremely lethal if used in the correct manner. This is something to keep in mind when you're thinking of home defense. A lot of people will go through great lengths to secrete various weapons throughout their homes. This s fine, but many times they will pass perfectly good tools to get to the one they've hidden. One exercise you can do is when you walk into a room, look for something that can be used as a weapon. Mark it's location and imagine how that weapon could be implemented. It's real simple and takes only seconds.

There are many states and countries that outlaw certain types of weapons. If you live in a place that outlaws pepper spray, wasp and hornet repellent makes a great substitute. The point is, restricting weapons NEVER stops men from dong evil to one another. For every new law, the criminal has figured out 10 ways around it. Remember the "Club". That device that locked your car's steering wheel into position? It took the car jacking world 5 seconds to figure out that if you cut the car's steering wheel with a hack saw, the club popped right off.

Where there is a will, there is a way. It works for booth good and evil.

Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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Tough Mudder Challenge- Damian Ross, The Self Defense Company

Listen, I know I should seem like I'm over the top personally, but I'm really not. Let's just say, I believe everything I write 100%, but I'm pretty low key and the image you get when you think "EXTREME SPORTS" is mountain dew drinking, bungee-base jumping, snow board skate boarding slackers who like to smoke pot and listen to Green Day. On the other hand, unlike other runners and triathletes I don't "MONITOR MY CALORIC INTAKE", I eat. I don't "CARB UP", I eat more Pasta, Bread and Oat Meal, I don't "HYDRATE", I drink f$%ing water. I didn't start running long distance races and doing challenges to do nothing other than challenge myself.

Over the past year a new challenge has come on the horizon and is starting to get noticed by extreme sports enthusiasts and tri-athletes alike. It's called the Tough Mudder. It is a 6 to 12 mile obstacle course designed to push the limits of nerve and endurance. It is inspired by British SAS training and bills itself as the Toughest Race on the Planet.

In the end it was challenging but I wouldn't go as far as calling it tougher than an Iron Man Triathlon or the God Awful Survival of the Shawangunks race . But it has it's moments.

I just ran the 12 mile tristate tough mudder on Saturday, November 20th in English town and I have to say, it was damn cold. There is no need to do that much swimming in late November in NJ. Not sober anyway.



This is us before the race. A former Ranger, two marathon runners and me. This is before we realized what we got our selves into.






The first obstacle- The Two Rope Bridge.
They said it was really the "second" but what they called an obstacle I called "making us run in the water for no reason other than to call it an obstacle.



This is us climbing on to the "Walk The Plank". I renamed this obstacle to the "Spirit Breaker". Allow me to elaborate. You had to rope climb on to the obstacle then voluntarily jump 15 plus feet into 20 feet of dark, murky, freezing water. Now if you have never experienced this before, it's a hell of a thing. First, you want to do what they call a life guard dive. Which is basically a way to hit the water so your head only goes a few inches below the surface. Apparently a few people on our team didn't get that memo. If you have never been in freezing water or dark, murky water (so dark that you can't see the sunlight from 6 inches below the surface) the experience can be a little "unnerving". When you hit the water, all of the air in your lungs is expelled and your heart seems to stop from the thermal shock of the water. Next, you open your eyes, it's black and you are completely disoriented. You may think you will know where the surface is, but trust me...you don't. You have to chill out and start to float a little bit, then start swimming. One of our team mates thought he could propel himself off of the bottom, but when his feet stuck in the muck and slowly released him, he hightailed it to shore.

Note to Tough Mudder Staff "Put rescue and support in the water." More than a few people needed assistance in the water. One of our team mates as well as others, needed assistance and if it wasn't for us and fellow racers there would have been some major problems.



This is a shot I took of the "Spirit Taker" while experiencing the first stages of hypothermia. See the people standing on top of the obstacle? It was there bright idea to help the people drowning by lowering a rope that stopped about three feet above the water. I'd like to thank the others who helped us fish our friend and other racers out.




As if the drowning experience wasn't enough, to add a little insults to injury we had to swim under these barrels before making it to shore.













Oh look we get to swim again. After a short half mile jog, it was back into the freezing water for a short 100 yard swim.



And finally..MUD!!! Well at least we're not drowning. This was about a 300 yard push through the mud. of the 12 mile course about 6 miles of it was mud. Quote of the day, "Chicks in France are are paying top dollar for this stuff." (Thank You Bill Murray).



The brochure said 60 foot cargo net. I don't know who measure these things by if these are 60 feet tall then I have a 12 foot C!@#$.






Yes, they made us crawl under barbed wire (with safety wire of course).




They don't call it Tough "MUDDER" for nothing. The guy in the picture with me is Kobie Jackson. He's the one who wrote and performs all of the music on The Self Defense Training System. See, even musicians with the SDC kick ass. (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

There were about 12 other obstacles that included scaling 10 foot walls, crawling through 20 foot tunnels, 50 yard fire walk which was really more like a "smoke walk" which gave you ZERO visibility with the real prospect of tripping into a burning bail of hay and finally the "electric shock" run. This was the mystery obstacle and could have been left out entirely since it served no real purpose other than causing an involuntary "FUCK!!!" out of my mouth when I was shocked. Picture a pergola with wires hanging from it. You can

The upshot is, the Tough Mudder was a good experience and I will be doing it again. It is a lot more interesting than a marathon and it fosters team spirit. I like the fact that they didn't keep time and encouraged others to help fellow racers out. Other than a few safety issues which I'm sure will be tweaked, if you can do it...do it. Run, do body weight exercises and life. Remember, you can "OPT OUT" of any obstacle. No one notices and no one cares.



The after shot.

Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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VIDEO- Defense vs. Rear Naked Choke (standing) Damian Ross, The Self Defense Co...

This clip is an out take from the raw footage from Module 4 of The Self Defense Training System titled "Defense vs Mugs and Holds." In this segment we talk about the realities of being strangle in the real world. The first thing you should understand is that if your attacker knows what he is doing and is capable of executing it, no defense in the world s going to save you. If trained Properly in this type of attack (as seen in Module 12 of The Self Defense Training System) there is no defending it. The same holds true for any attack or situation. If you are going to think you're going to wait until after a professional boxer starts swinging to defend yourself, you're going to wake up in the ER.

The majority of martial artists believe that just because you know a "counter technique" to something that means you can defend it or worse, you feel you re impervious to that particular attack. This could not be farther from the truth.

We know from our experience and more important than us, basic tactics of combat, that the person who initiates the attack has a much greater chance of success than the person being attacked. It is only when the person being attacked can withstand the initial assault and when the attacker has made a mistake in his attack that you have a real shot at defending yourself. Then you must react in a way that changes the momentum of the assault in your favor. As with all situations, you must maintain your balance and immediately launch a counter offensive to turn the tide in your favor.

Always Attack The Man!!! This is the mantra of The Self Defense Training System. Of course when you're being choked to death or when there's a knife at your throat, you have to deal with it, but your focus is on the man, not the attack. In Module 8 of the Self Defense Training System we go into this in depth, but the bottom line is, the fight is not over until the threat is stopped. I can always tell the level of experience when I get comments like "you have to control the weapon." Here's a news flash: the weapon could lay on the floor for a million years and not hurt a soul. It's only until some maniac picks it up and starts waiving it around that it becomes a problem. The equation here is Weapon = no problem. Weapon + Maniac = problem. Eliminate the manic and there isn't any problem. Second, if you get stabbed or shot you do not instantly die. Google knife attack survivor image. You'll see a whole host of nasty pics of people sliced up who survived. Getting stabbed or shot wile you're beating the crap out of someone is a whole lot different than getting stabbed and shot while you're being killed. There are dozens of modern day stories or regular people who have had no prior training, surviving an armed attack. It is always your best bet to end the person attacking you and move past the initial contact as quickly as possible.

I know I went off on a tangent, but oh well, that's just me.

Until next time,

Until next time, Train Honestly,


Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

www.selfdefensecompany.com Corporate Center
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