By Pamela Armitage
It’s difficult to describe the thoughts and emotions that run through you when checking your phone first thing in the morning only to discover a 3am text from a close friend confiding that she had just been raped. Add to that the fact you had an intuitive bad feeling about the date she was going on; and you find yourself searching for answers. What could she have done? What could her friends have done? How could this have been prevented? WTF?! So began my journey into The Self Defense World…
This certainly wasn’t the first time someone close to me had been victimized. My sister was molested at a young age by one of her best friend’s brother, I had friends that were in very physically abusive relationships, a friend’s mom was raped at knife point in their own home…I could go on and on with worse and worse but you get the point. The difference in this particular case was that I had a bad feeling about this guy, without having even met him. But I felt I was being paranoid so of course I just told her beforehand to be safe and to leave at any point if she’s uncomfortable or feels off. Sigh.
In the days following the assault, our conversations about it ranged from the hospital and police experience, to the events leading up to the assault, to the things he said to her during the assault and after his arrest etc.… but they all lead to the topic of self defense and prevention (the 2 I would later come to find are intertwined).
So I began my search into self defense. To say I was overwhelmed and confused is an understatement. Most, I was later to understand weren’t self defense at all though they were selling themselves as such. There were traditional martial arts, mixed martial arts and combatives; all claiming self defense in their marketing but very few if any actually focused on actual deterrence, they were all 90 to 100% physically oriented methods with every method being different than the other in terms of handling attacks while focusing on different aspects of fighting barely paying lip service to prevention, awareness, de-escalation and the like. And then there was that pesky intuitive bad feeling I had that was nagging at me about her date, like it was trying to tell me it somehow plays a role.
Frustrated and confused by all of it, I messaged a Facebook friend who I knew was into the whole martial arts and self defense scene. He immediately told me to be wary of what’s out there, that the large majority of it is not realistic to real world violence and has little to no psychology and human behaviour in relation to violence in their curriculums, not anywhere near the level they should.
Wow. That alone was eye opening and made sense considering the results of my lack of knowledge on the subject matter and recent personal research. He began telling me what to avoid and why. He then referred me to Richard Dimitri and Senshido, the system Rich founded in 1994. I befriended and contacted Rich on Facebook, as it turned out he was actually living 3 hours away from me at the time. Unfortunately, it would never work out that I could train with him while he was so close and a couple years later, he headed back east to Montreal.
And so my self defense interest slowly went to the back burner as life took over again. And boy did it take over. Over the next 3 years, my dad had a heart attack but survived, my husband at the time was diagnosed with cancer but kicked its ass, and my grandmother, sister, dog, and grandfather all died within a year of each other. And to top it off my marriage ended. I was reeling but found inspiration and strength in all of it. I took my yoga practice further by becoming a certified yoga teacher with a special focus on Trauma Sensitive Yoga. I wanted to help heal people suffering with PTSD which I felt was the root cause of addictions (the disease that took my sister) and other mental health issues. To quote Gaber Mate, “The question isn’t why the addiction? The question is why the pain?” I wanted to help others heal from their pain.
Then one day in October of 2016, I watched a self defense video on FB posted by a BJJ instructor. Marketed toward women, it demonstrated what appeared to be a very impressive choke hold using the attackers own shirt in the event of being on the ground in an attack. To the inexperienced, uneducated eye like mine at the time and probably countless others, it appeared to be simple and effective so I shared it.
“Bing” goes my inbox! Richard Dimitiri has sent me a private message to warn me of the info in this video being promoted as self defense. He explained briefly why which was perfectly logical, and sent me a drop box link to his rape prevention video free of charge. To say the least, I was impressed. Immediately he speaks of our psychological tools being the most important tool in a self defense arsenal and situation. Not “hit hard, hit first and ask questions later”. Not even close. “I could listen to this man talk for hours” I think to myself while watching this video. Talk about foreshadowing.
Fast forward 4 months and Rich and I are now talking on a regular basis and falling for each other. I come out to Montreal and learn more about him and self defense. I travel with him to Germany and France where he is teaching seminars. What I learn is enlightening and I realized there and then, just how deeply self defense is connected to my goals and my passion of helping people heal. But on a whole other level because not only does self defense have the ability to empower people, including victims, it also prevents victimization and trauma. Not only can I help heal those with trauma, but I can help prevent it too?! SOLD.
Come July of 2017 and I am certified with SAFE International (and rocking a broken hand as a souvenir lol) and I now work full time for SAFE as well as working on my Senshido certification, and living in Montreal. Since working for SAFE, I have had over 9 girls come forward with claims of abuse or assaults and we’ve been able to get them the help and the justice they deserve. Don’t even ask me to describe what that feels like because there are no words.
Self Defense is NOT even close to what I thought it was or what most with no clue how to tell the difference between self defense, martial arts and fighting are. I mean, you can’t blame the general population, including those involved in martial arts for believing they are the same thing. We’ve all been told for so long from movies and sports that self defense is all about techniques and moves. But it’s not; not at all. Moves are incidental. Rapists, muggers, pedophiles and murderers don’t attack people with martial arts, techniques or moves. There is nothing technical about rape, assault or murder.
The things you are defending yourself against in those anti-social type of violent situations (yes, there are types of violence and they’re very different from each other. Again, who knew?!), are things like rage, jealousy, racism, insecurity, fear, drug use, mental illness etc. These are powerful emotions, including the intent to take the life from another human being. Moves? Choreography? Sport? No. Survival. Reality. Fight, flight or freeze response. Adrenaline. Awareness. Intuition. INTUITION! The very thing that was warning me of my friend’s date when she was raped! As it turns out its VERY important and a big part of the preventative side of self defense. There is SO much important information in what I have learned from Rich that is missing from traditional, mixed martial arts and combatives.
Self Defense has no style and is not systematic. It is not culture specific nor is it “ownable”. It is HUMAN and it is predicated on powerful human emotions, behaviour, mental illness, abuse, addictions, substance abuse, psychopathy etc. Rich has made this connection unlike anyone I and from my understanding, the vast majority who has trained with him, anyone in the self defense world has. He has spent decades learning, researching, testing and evolving this information with real people from all walks of life, cultures, ages, gender, beliefs etc. He has opened thousands of minds to see this important difference. A difference that can literally be a matter of life and death for many.
As someone who can attest first hand that I, like most, thought self defense was all about training to be a bad ass, a ninja or Wonder Woman, Buffy or Nikita! However, I have had my eyes opened, my mind enlightened and my self-confidence and security soar since being educated on what self defense really is. I can’t stress enough how important this information is and would urge, borderline BEG, everyone to learn what Rich, Senshido and Safe International teaches. I would urge every woman on earth to learn this information considering the following statistics: In North America, 1 in 3-4 women will be a victim of sexual assault and/or rape at some point in their life, whether as a child, teenager or adult woman. Men and boys are no stranger to violence either. 1 in 6 will be a victim of sexual assault and we all know how often men get into fights with other men that can lead to tragedy.
For a moment, think of how many women and girls as well as men and boys you have in your life that you love and care about and apply that statistic to them. Apathy and denial are 2 traits every victim has. Apathy being “this will never happen to me. I live in a nice neighbourhood, I have good relationships etc.” Denial being “I can’t believe this happened to me” when it does happen. Police stations, sexual assault centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries are full of people who had apathy and denial. We have smoke alarms in case our house catches fire, we have car insurance in case of an accident or theft, and we have life insurance in the event of death. Self defense is no different than these safety measures. We don’t constantly worry our house will catch fire or that our car will be stolen. But we know if it happens, we are prepared. It is better to know this information and not ever need to use it than it is to need it and not know it at all. Make sense? Good! Now, as Rich would say “DO SOME SHIT!”
** Side note: The yearly economical cost of sexual violence is $4.8 billion, compared to gun violence at $3.1 billion. This is from Department of Justice Canada, 2009.
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In this installment, Rich goes over in a fine detail the differences between self defense, martial arts and fighting, differentiating and establishing strategies for social and antisocial violence and the differences between teaching those who are vulnerable and victimized in societies to those who already possess the predatory mindset, all in his usual straight in your face, unapologetic and honest fashion.
Filesize: 4.4GB | Duration: 28:46
I've had the pleasure and honour of being interviewed and writing for some of the biggest martial arts magazines in the world as well as several martial arts/self protection/physical fitness websites and blogs. Some date back to the early 90's, it's interesting to see how the core of it all has remained intact regardless of the changes I have personally been through.
Here are just a few of these. Hope you enjoy 'em:
"An interview with Senshido founder Richard Dimitri. Rich is best known as creator of the ‘Shredder’ — the linchpin of his Senshido reality-based self-defence system — but there’s much more to the man and his methods than that. When he visits Australia for seminars this month, much of what he teaches will deal with the psychology of violence and the behaviour of victims and attackers. Here, the world-renowned RBSD instructor and author of countless self-defence DVDs and books, gives us an insight into what makes him and his system tick." - BLITZ Magazine 2009 (Magazine no longer in print)
"In March of this year I had the pleasure of meeting and training with Rich. I was so impressed, not just with Rich’s techniques, but the man himself, that I asked Rich if he’d be kind enough to do an interview. Rich graciously agreed, and what follows is the most revealing, in-depth interview this “underground” star of the RBSD world has ever given. Prepare to have your beliefs challenged, for Rich Dimitri is a true maverick who speaks his mind and makes no apologies for it." - Anthony Colpo, High Performance Diet, Training and Health
Being Interviewed for FIGHTSPORT Magazine in Finland
"Richard Dimitri is one of the foremost authorities in reality-based self-defense and hand-to-hand combat. Recently, the Combative Corner had the honor of asking Mr. Dimitri “10 Questions.” He was so generous with his words that we've decided to separate this particular interview into 2 parts" - PART 1 - PART 2
"Black Bet Magazine Article, Richard Dimitri on the controversy of hand to hand combat in real street fights involving armed attackers." - Black Belt Magazine 2012
"In my opinion, Rich’s identity became synonymous with the Shredder, which is an injustice, as Rich is so much more than a self defense concept. I promised to ask Rich some questions he has never been asked in the countless interviews he has done over the years. I also agreed I had no interest in censoring him, because that would be taking away from who Richard is. So, the first question of the many I have presented to him is, “Why will bullying never be resolved?” Take it away Rich!" - Chris Roberts, SAFE International - Why Will Bullying Never Be Resolved
"Richard Dimitri is the owner and founder of Senshido. Based out of Canada, Mr. Dimitri is a reality-based instructor who has taught law enforcement officers, security personnel, film stars, bodyguards, amateur fighters, as well as people from all walks of life. He has been published in Black Belt magazine as well as producing 25 instructional tapes to date. His personal protection manual In Total Defense of Self has been heralded as one of the best works of its kind. Richard Dimitri is considered one of the top instructors in his field." - Martial Direct Interview 2003 (website no longer active)
Rich's Tips n' Rants 3 goes beyond verbal defusing and tackles violence at the social roots of confrontations. Rich shares his insights on why looking at the much bigger picture and dissecting things layer by layer into the origins that trigger social violence brings to light certain facets that enhances one's personal awareness and verbal defusing skills to not only avoid and if necessary, successfully de-escalate a potentially violent confrontation, but how to also increase your abilities to do so without contributing and perpetuating unnecessary violence.
Rich here, what can I say? Except this is one of my favourite people on this planet. I love her, she's pure awesome and probably my biggest inspiration to keep forging on. What this woman does daily, I haven't even scratched the surface of, my sister from another set of parents; Debi Steven.
My name is Debi Steven and I am the founder of a UK-based self-defence company, Premier Self-Defence Ltd; two karate businesses, FSKA London and Pee Wee Karate; and a UK Registered Charity, Action Breaks Silence.
I started my karate training in South Africa in 1989 at the age of 19 and, within eight years, was selected for the South African All Styles Karate team and travelled to Tokyo, Japan to compete at the Women's World All Styles Championships. In addition, in 1998, I worked as a bodyguard to the main actors in the Quentin Tarantino movie: 'Texas Blood Money' which was shot in Cape Town, before moving to the UK sixteen years ago.
Having been raped at 11 years old, however, I quickly realized that traditional martial arts were not the answer for women – or men – needing to defend themselves in the real world. In recognition of this, I completed instructors' courses across the world, including training in Canada with Richard Dimitri, becoming the first UK affiliate of Senshido; David Turton of the International Self Defence Federation; and many others.
I believe every woman has the right to live her life free from fear of sexual and gender based violence. In my empowerment workshops I share my belief with the participants that all women are BORN to defend themselves.
In 2013, driven especially by the growing incidence of violence against women in India, I founded Action Breaks Silence, firstly as a not-for-profit company, to offer my training FREE of charge to women and girls at risk of sexual or gender-based violence in South Asia and Africa. In October 2014, Action Breaks Silence became a fully registered UK charity and we have already taught 15,000 women and girls in India.
In March 2015, I was the recipient of an “International Women of Change” award at the Indonesian Film Festival where “Power”, a documentary about my life and work by journalist and film-maker Jeanny Gering, was given a Platinum award. I am a frequent speaker at events and conferences and am a regular contributor to BBC Radio, including an interview about her life on the BBC’s World Service, and other media.
Q 1. What significant change(s) on a human level, have you gone through over the last decade in direct relation to your work and how has it, if any, changed the way in which you teach/instruct?
I feel that I have done almost a full circle over the last 10 years which has profoundly affected the way I teach.
Instead of believing that physical self-defence skills and techniques are enough to defend yourself, I realised that the vital ingredient is possessing the mental strength to be able to respond physically when necessary. Unless you are empowered and can recognise and unlock that strength, it is almost irrelevant what physical skills you have. For that reason, I have re-crafted both the name and content of my workshops as “Empowerment through self-defence”.
The most challenging part of teaching now is, therefore, for me to be able to bring really nice woman and men to the position where they are OK about ripping someone’s eye out or causing physical pain. The ability to pass on embracing rage and identifying what triggers can be put in place to spark that rage to the participants is a key part of my work that simply wasn’t there 10 years ago.
So many instructors are still focused on all the ‘stranger’ stuff. Both on a physical and awareness level. The reality is very different and my workshops now reflect that.
Everything is life evolves and one needs to show that in our teachings.
Internationally 1 in 3 women will suffer violence by an intimate partner not by a stranger. These are men that we often have put our trust in, manipulative and very destructive men. Men in our homes!
Then there was the realisation for me which was so hard! The part women play in COVERING up this violence, ignoring this violence. Mothers who force their daughters into silence. Mothers and other women who insist that rape is part of marriage. These mothers and woman that are reinforcing the myths of sexual and gender based violence and not smashing those myths apart.
Q 2. Is there a particular incident/occurrence/situation you recall having directly experienced/been involved in that has deeply & emotionally touched and/or altered you and your perceptions of the world in general?
The first and obvious major incident that has shaped my life was when I was raped at 11 years old by someone that I knew and trusted. This damage was compounded over the next 16 years by telling nobody what had happened to me, which was how I learnt just how destructive keeping silent can be.
When I finally broke that silence at 27 years old, my next lesson was feeling the shame that society can impose on women/children that suffer sexual and gender based violence. It is no coincidence, therefore, that we chose the name “Action Breaks Silence” for the charity I have set up to create a world free from the fear of sexual and gender-based violence.
Throughout my life, every survivor that I have talked to has deeply and emotionally touched me and the work I am doing now in India and South Africa leaves me raw because of the scale of abuse and seeing just how disempowered woman are. The sense of male entitlement is overwhelming.
The CEO of Action Breaks Silence, Stephanie Highett, once said to me ”Debi, how is it that women, who make up 50% of the world’s population, can be so disrespected?”. I constantly ask my male friends “Are you one of the good guys?” and when they answer“Yes” I ask them if they truly understand what being a ‘good guy means and how hard they are prepared to fight. Are they prepared to stand actively and firmly next to us as we fight this global war against women?
Q 3. Have you ever thought of quitting the game altogether? If yes, why? And if you were to at this stage in your life (today) do something entirely different, what would it be?
I have never thought about quitting but one active choice I have made is to detach myself from most of the self-defence fraternity. In my experience, I have found many instructors are fuelled almost entirely by ego or greed and that makes me mad.
If I were to change career, however, I would definitely do something to do with animal rescue. I have one cute dog at the moment and I would definitely increase that. I would love to have at least five dogs.
Q 4. Do you feel you were proverbially ‘born’ to do what you do, that this was your calling?
Yes, I believe this is my calling and I definitely believe there are certain elements and forces driving my work that are outside my control. I feel I’m on a very fast moving train and I’m clinging on.
For example, as someone who had hated the city for years, if someone told me five years ago that I would initially focus my work in South Africa in Johannesburg, I would have laughed. But this year, Action Breaks Silence will be working in Soweto for the United Nations’ 16 days of Activism campaign to create awareness and stop violence against women.
I spent time there now and really changed my views on this incredible city.
Is there perhaps another thing you wish you would have done instead, or believe you are just as good at and should have perhaps explored instead?
I would have loved to have worked in the Sexual Crimes Unit of a police force and become a profiler but I grew up in South Africa and joining the police in South Africa in the eighties was not an option for me. It was run by the apartheid government and I would never have given a minute of my time to them.
Q 5. How has your work affected your personal life in regards to the relationships with those outside our field/profession? (Professional, personal, familial, romantic, etc.)
Since setting up Action Breaks Silence, I have obviously spent a lot of time travelling which has definitely affected the amount of time I can devote to my partner, friends and family at home in London. Fortunately, they are all extremely supportive (so far, anyway!) and I owe them all a lot of thanks, especially my mother and father who have had to look after my dog – now known as their ‘grand-dog’ – on a number of my trips!
It’s hard sometimes to keep the darkness I see all over the world at bay. I’m consumed by what I do and that make me a very poor dinner guest. I don’t often have stories soaked in sunshine to share.
Q 6. Do you have any regrets at all? If yes, which is the one that haunts you the most?
I do believe that my life would have been impacted positively if I had received counselling after my rape or not kept quiet for the 16 years after it. In my workshops, I describe the effect of sexual violence as the same as shattering a beautiful vase. You can put it back together, but it will never again be exactly the same. That is definitely the case for me.
One of my goals is that Action Breaks Silence opens survivor centres where women and girls are able to get free counselling.
Each time I a woman or girls talks to me about their rape/abuse in India I feel so helpless as I cannot offer them that help at the moment. Each time I have to walk away from them it truly devastates me.
Q 7. What are your proudest moments/achievements in both your private and professional lives?
Q 8. How do your friends and family outside the industry/self defense/martial arts world view what you do for a living? What are your thoughts and feelings about it?
There have been a number of occasions when my friends and family have been worried about my safety, especially over the last two or three years when I have increasingly been working in communities where many men oppose my teaching for any number of cultural or religious reasons.
I always listen to what they have to say and try to be as cautious as possible but, at this stage, nothing will stop me doing what I genuinely believe I was born to do, whatever the potential danger. I don’t take this lightly, however. I would never do anything to endanger the people I love or my team
Q 9. How often do you find yourself going against what you preach and teach, after all, we’re all human, we all have our ‘bad days’ and the like; and how often are you aware of it enough in the present moment to catch yourself do you think?
On my last trip to India at a school in a very poor village, I witnessed a teacher at that school beating a number of children. I heard the sound of the stick first and then as I turned witness the beatings.
It was a really complex situation as this workshop had been organised by a third party that had build up a relationship with this school over a number of years. The local men would not challenge the man with the stick, the headmaster of the school also would not stop it.
I got involved and all I have ever learnt and teach about verbal diffusion went out the window.
I challenged him, I threaten him, I publicly told the girls in the workshop, whilst this man watched me teach, that it is the weakest most pathetic man that beats women and children.
I could not stand by when our motto is ACTION BREAKS SILENCE.
Q 10. What now? Where do you go from here? Where do you see yourself in 10, 20 years both on a personal and professional level?
Our plans for Action Breaks Silence are huge and I will be really excited to work with my amazing team of trustees, our teams of local instructors and the CEO to make those come to fruition. If we do that, I am certain we will make a truly meaningful and lasting impact on the communities in which we have worked. If I can do that for the next 20 years, that will take me neatly through to retirement, when I will kick off my shoes and live happily ever after with my partner and our dogs, punctuated by travelling and exploring the world while I am still able to do so.
My UK self-defence company is called Premier Self-Defence and, as well as teaching at schools and organisations throughout the UK, we also hold courses for the general public. The details of all our services are on my website, www.premierself-defence.co.uk.
If you are interested in the work of Action Breaks Silence, please do visit our website – www.actionbreakssilence.org. We are in desperate need of funding and support so, if you share our passion for creating a better world for women & girls and want to get involved in any way, please contact us via info@actionbreakssilence.org.
Richard is back with Volume 2 of his self defense tips and rants, live from Penrith, Sydney, Australia at the Safe House for Safe International Sydney with Safe team member Jeff Phillips and owner Chris Roberts. Volume 2 covers 'Tactile Sensitivity', the ability to interpret your opponent's energy through the sense of touch (one of the 5 principles of physical retaliation) in great detail including 'sticky hands' principles, natural stances, tool and target development and knife defense.
My name is Jim Wagner. Many of you know me from my HIGH RISK column I wrote for Black Belt magazine, a million of you know me from my YouTube channel jimwagnerrbpp, some of you have my books, and others of you are learning about me for the first time here and now. My martial arts journey starts at an early age from some of the world's most renown instructors in the world: Kiyoshi Yamazaki, Dan Inosanto, Richard Bustillo, Larry Hartsell, Ted Lucaylucay and others. Unlike many martial artists I actually made a career of my martial arts skills by becoming a soldier, corrections officer, police officer, S.W.A.T. officer, diplomatic bodyguard, and a counterterrorist for the United States government – a 35-year career.
I’m still a warrior, although you’d call it a “weekend warrior,” but one of my most recent missions was protecting Marine One, the helicopter of President Barak Obama, with a U.S. Marine team, along with other aircraft during one of his visits to Los Angeles. Black Belt magazine named me Self-Defense Instructor of the Year in 2006, Budo magazine of Europe inducted me into their martial arts Hall of Fame the same year, followed by the Masters Hall of Fame in 2011, and then the Martial Arts History Museum in 2013. Why? Because I helped modernized the way people learn self-defense today, and many people have labeled me the "father of the reality-based self-defense movement." As a Defensive Tactics and Combatives instructor for the past 23 years I’ve had the privilege of training some of the most elite police and military units in the world: German counterterrorist team GSG9, the Israeli National Police Academy and Israel Defense Forces Bahad 8, Argentinean G.O.E, Brazilian G.A.T.E., Finnish National Police Academy, NATO Special Forces Base Pfullendorf, FBI S.W.A.T., U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group, U.S. Coast Guard Boarding Teams, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Air Force Security Forces, U.S. Army Special Reaction Teams, Mexican Special Operations teams, and the list goes on.
When Richard Dimitri contacted me asking me if I’d answer questions for a Blog interview I was honored. Unless you have been reading Black Belt magazine (USA), Budo International (Europe), or Blitz magazine (Australia), you may not know the modern history of the martial arts. For when I first started studying the martial arts in 1977 there was no mixed martial arts, no integrated firearms training, no talk of the O.O.D.A. Process, no combat first aid for post-conflict training, no courtroom survival, no “know your enemy,” the criminals, like General Sun Tzu advised, no learning to talk with the police after a crime, no understanding of physical evidence, none of it. In fact, jumping from one system to another was considered taboo. Bruce Lee was the first to start breaking that barrier in the Western World with his small group. Dan Insoanto implemented Lee’s concepts by teaching Jeet Kune Do, and as part of that early group I took it all to the next step: integrating modern weapons (firearms, chemicals, explosives, taser, etc.), criminal and police techniques and tactics, and introducing the first system in the martial arts dealing with terrorism called Terrorism Survival. So now, let’s get into the questions.
Q1: What significant change(s) on a human level, have you gone through over the last decade in direct relation to your work and how has it, if any, changed the way in which you teach/instruct?
The last decade, and add two more years added to that, have seen extreme changes in the martial arts on so many levels, and I have had a big part in it, which is well documented in dozens of police and martial arts publications worldwide going all the way back to the first article about me in SWAT magazine in the November 1988 issue. However, let’s start on January 21, 2003 was when I went public with my Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system. Before that I was only teaching police and military exclusively. Yet, I must go back a little father back in time to adequately explain how this last decade has had such an affect on me. First, as I mentioned before, I started writing for Black Belt magazine in 1998, and my monthly column HIGH RISK first débuted in the February 1999 issue, but was on the stands in January. Take a look at any martial arts magazine in the world published before this date and you will see virtually nothing about modern fighting: little about criminals, very little about police techniques and tactics, input from military personnel had disappeared for twenty years, and there was nothing about terrorism. Krav Maga was just starting to come on the scene, but the martial arts community did not know about “reality-based” systems. That is to say, systems designed to deal with actual criminals and terrorists, including modern weapons and tactics. Because of my unique background, and my column, I opened the floodgates to a whole new way of training in the martial arts, or literally translated, “war arts.” I started the movement, and like-minded instructors followed my lead.
Since I am credited as the “father of the reality-based movement,” I was breaking new ground and going in directions nobody had gone before in the martial arts. I introduced a lot of new ideas that were unheard of in martial arts schools around the world: paintball guns and then Airsoft, stage blood for realistic scenarios, Terrorism Survival, costumes, stage make-up, Criminal Chemical Defense, surviving a sniper, angles of movement during an Active Shooter, and so many other techniques and tactics I had picked up over the years. Those ten years of spreading my system around the world, literally, was exciting, exhausting, stressful, plenty of ups and downs, and a lot of nights in hotel rooms and lonely overseas flights back home.
Q2: Is there a particular incident/occurrence/situation you recall having directly experienced/been involved in that has deeply & emotionally touched and/or altered you and your perceptions of the world in general?
I had been a martial artist since I was 14-years-old. I studied Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Kung-fu, Judo, Filipino Kali, Chinese kickboxing, Wing Chun, and then I became a Private in the United States Army. What started to change my direction in the martial arts was the way the Army did training. Sure, they taught plenty of techniques and tactics, but after that most training was scenario-based. They spend a lot of dollars to make things look and feel real. I saw this realism, and scenario-based training, lacking in the traditional martial arts from which I came. What made me depart from the traditional martial arts altogether was when I was a corrections officer in a jail and a prisoner tried to kill me. Right then and there I realized that my martial arts had been good for preparing me for the “ego fight,” but not against the “life and death fight.” I guess you can say that this prisoner knocked some sense into me.
Q 3. Have you ever thought of quitting the game altogether? If yes, why? And if you were to at this stage in your life (today) do something entirely different, what would it be?
When I started the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system in 2003 I had a lot of things going for me. For several years I had little competition in what I was teaching, I was a fairly well known name in the martial arts world at the time because of my articles, videos, and books through Black Belt magazine in the USA and Budo International in Europe. Yet, despite my advantages it was very hard to make a good living at it compared to full time law enforcement. When I was wearing a badge there was a regular paycheck coming in and lots of benefits, but teaching self-defense for a living was a roller coaster ride; extreme highs and lows. During those rough times I thought about quitting a few times, but just as I was starting to look for a different career all of a sudden new opportunities came my way. Perhaps it was a military unit that wanted training one month, and then the next month two different police departments wanted me to teach their instructors. Or, I’d end up doing a television interview, or being on the cover of a martial arts magazine, and business would be booming again.
If I had to do something else with my life, that is to say not teach the martial arts at all, I’d go into writing full time. I just wrapped up my autobiography called The Greatest Martial Arts Story Ever Told, which is now on sale on Amazon. I have a couple of more books coming out this summer. I enjoy putting my thoughts down on paper or digitally.
Q 4. Do you feel you were proverbially ‘born’ to do what you do, that this was your calling?
I was not “born to be” a martial arts instructor. When I was a boy, I like many American boys, wanted to be an astronaut, soldier, adventurer, and because I had artistic abilities – an artist. I ended up in the martial arts like most people do, and that was to learn self-defense to survive the big bullies at school. One thing led to another, and I ended up teaching self-defense. Once I discovered that people liked the way I taught, and that they appreciated my easy realistic approach, I became more passionate about it, and eventually it became a career.
Q 5. How has your work affected your personal life in regards to the relationships with those outside our field/profession? (Professional, personal, familial, romantic, etc.)
The martial arts was the catalyst that motivated me into becoming a soldier, and then a corrections officer, then a cop, then a S.W.A.T. officer, then a bodyguard for the Sheriff’s Department, then a counterterrorist fighting the Global War On Terrorism, then a self-defense instructor, and finally a soldier again. I’ve been serving as a Reservist for the past nine and a half years. Obviously, this warrior mentality makes me view the world a bit differently than others. For example, I can have a good time at a party like everyone else, but I scan the area for possible danger. I look for signs of trouble. I’m a trained observer. Instead of sitting just anywhere in a restaurant I prefer a booth or table near a wall, preferably near an exit, and facing the majority of people – facing “center mass” as it were. I am less trusting of strangers, I know that even good colleagues and good friends can stab me in the back after years of trust, and I am disappointed in weak people. The martial arts, and a life of violence or the constant possibility of violence, has made its mark upon me. I won’t argue that. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. I’m just more aware of people and situations than most.
Q 6. Do you have any regrets at all? If yes, which is the one that haunts you the most?
Like any person I have some regrets. Nothing earth shattering, but small stuff. Yet, I look at my triumphs and tribulations as life building experiences. I know that I have learned from my mistakes, and that is what counts the most. Repeating mistakes is what would lead to haunting regrets.
Q 7. What are your proudest moments/achievements in both your private and professional lives?
My greatest achievement is being married for almost 30 years in a society that no longer knows how to keep their word or stay committed. I live in a very self-center culture now, and it’s all about “me.” When I stood before God and man at and repeated the words, “For better or worse, until death do us part,” I had every intention of keeping that promise, and I have. Marriage is not easy. It is not a feeling. It is a commitment. Commitment develops into a deeper love than the romance that was at the beginning.
As far as my professional achievements go, as a martial arts instructor, it is hearing stories from my students how I changed their lives, or even helped save their lives. For example, let me bring up my French student Julie Duranton. She was a shy teenager when she took her first self-defense course from me. Class by class I saw her come out of her shell and become more confident. The following year at another seminar in Paris she dreaded talking before a group, and so I had her teach a technique she knew to the other students. At first she refused, but then she reluctantly gave it a try. By the following year she was one of my assistant instructors, and her parents thanked me for giving her boldness and confidence. She was a changed person. Then, last year I got an email from Ryan Leef who was one of my students in British Columbia, Canada who was eventually elected as a Member of Parliament. In this email to me he thanked me for helping save “the entire Canadian government.” It turns out that when every major official of the Canadian government, including the Prime Minister, was in session on October 22, 2014 a terrorist stormed the building with a rifle trying to kill as many people as he could. Just outside the nation’s capital he had already killed a soldier and had a shoot out with the police. Ryan, who had taken my Terrorism Survival course a few years earlier, in 2009 to be exact, was the first one to react to the gunshots and started barricading the doors of the chambers. Others followed his lead. I had set up the exact same terrorism scenario when he was my student, and he was doing what I had taught him in a real situation. Next, he prepared to ambush the terrorist if he managed to penetrate into the room. He had a flagpole with a spear at the end with the determination, “Nobody is going to get through that door alive!” These stories, and more, are in my new book. But, I’ve also heard from my students from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, from police officers in New York City and Amsterdam who survived an attack, and even a housewife I had taught sent me an email stating that she was able to do the right thing when a man approached her at a gas station to harass her. I know through my teachings I have helped to keep a lot of people safe, and even more aware of dangers. Over the years I’ve been given a lot of awards, ribbons, medals, and inducted into Halls of Fame, but hearing actual survival stories from my students is the ultimate reward for me.
Q 8. How do your friends and family outside the industry/self defense/martial arts world view what you do for a living? What are your thoughts and feelings about it?
My stories are the stories my friends and family want to hear. It’s definitely not the life of a banker or an accountant. I’ve lived an exciting life, and people like that kind of stuff. Why are there so many cop shows and movies? Whether it’s about a car chase of a murderer I had back when, teaching a counterterrorist team in Europe, meeting the President of the United States in the Oval Office, or invited to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican last November, I have some very colorful images I put into people’s head. I’m never at a loss for a good story. Yet, honestly, I would not recommend my life, or life style, for anyone. It was too dangerous, too unstable, and too unpredictable. I’m just thankful I’ve made it this far.
Q 9. How often do you find yourself going against what you preach and teach, after all, we’re all human, we all have our ‘bad days’ and the like; and how often are you aware of it enough in the present moment to catch yourself do you think?
Most martial artists will never use their martial arts skills in a life and death fight. In fact, most martial arts instructors have not been in actual gunfights, knife fights, gang fight, or the like. Yes, perhaps they have been in an “ego fight,” the proverbial bar fight or shoving match, but never eye to eye with a criminal or terrorist who intended to kill them. Unfortunately, I have, and more times than I’d like to remember. As such, what I teach to my students is what has kept me alive in the jails, in the streets, and on counterterrorist missions. I truly do practice what I preach and teach. That said, the question is “have I made tactical mistakes before?” Yes, and some of them have almost cost me my life. It’s all part of the Conflict Cycle. The main thing is that I learn from my mistakes, adjust my training accordingly, and prepare myself mentally and physically for the next time I may face it. I also pass on this knowledge to my students. That’s the good thing about my past. I have actual experiences, and not just theory. I know what it is like for a blade to come at my neck or chest. I know what it feels like when the bullets are whizzing past. I’ve had to give first aid to injure or dying people. I know the anxiety of being outnumbered. I’ve had the thoughts, “Am I going to survive this?”
Q 10. What now? Where do you go from here? Where do you see yourself in 10, 20 years both on a personal and professional level?
I am now over 50-years-old and I know I am coming to the end of both my military career and my self-defense instructor career. Moving and shooting is a young man’s game for law enforcement and military. Even if I want to stay out in the field, because of my high rank and my age those above me will eventually put me behind a desk or have me “lead from the rear.” It is inevitable. Knowing this is going to happen I am preparing the next generation of soldiers to take over in my little part of the world. I’m trying to pass on my knowledge and experience, along with traditional values that are ever eroding in my country. And, if they are eroding in society, that means they are eroding in the military as well.
Regardless of the future I will always train myself, family members who want to learn, and some close friends in the martial arts, but I don’t see myself teaching publically in 10 years. I may be mentoring or encouraging those teaching my system in a decade, but my life then will definitely not be as it is today. I’ve always used the expression, “nothing lasts forever.” I wanted to be on a S.W.A.T. team, and I did it. I wanted to chase down criminals and drag them to jail, and I did it – plenty of it. I wanted to go around the world teaching, and in so doing I’ve been on every continent except Antarctica doing it. I wanted to have my own martial arts school, and I’ve had three in my life, and many teaching under my name in their own schools. When it comes to the martial arts, I’ve done it all, or at least more than most. However, I am a religious man. And, as much as I have enjoyed my life, I have always allowed God, Jesus Christ, to guide my life. I pray to Him daily, sometimes a few times a day. I have definitely prayed to Him when staring into the face of death, or finding myself in some very tight situations. So, in 10 years or 20 I know He will take care of me, be it in this life or the next. I’ve already lived long enough to see a few of my instructors pass away. I know my day will come eventually. I may not make it to the numbers 10 or 20. Again, “nothing lasts forever.” Not in this life anyway. However, I believe that the soul does last forever, and this life is all about the struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, Heaven and Hell, and God or continued rebellion. I believe that the Bible is true, for a lot of reasons, and I am putting all my eggs into that basket. As a martial arts instructor I have taught Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, straight, homosexuals, sane and borderline insane people over the years. To every single one of my students, regardless of their beliefs or background, I gave each one of them my very best. Anyone who has ever been in one of my classes or seminars could testify to that. I treated the housewife wanting to learn self-defense no differently than the high-speed low drag counterterrorist operator from an elite tactical team. But for me personally, the most important fight, and the one I wish I could have shared with all of my students more, is the one that determines where you’ll be for eternity. For me it has always been about John 3:16 (crack open a Bible, go to the New Testament, then to the Gospel of John and check it out or just Google it). It is the God’s plan for you, should you choose to believe it, in a nutshell.
To wrap up this interview for Rich, I encourage you to read my new book The Greatest Martial Arts Story Ever Told sold on Amazon in paperback or Kindle version, soon to be on iTunes. It is actually three books totaling over 1,500 pages and tons of photos. If you really want to know how much Reality-Based Personal Protection opened the doors for Krav Maga, KAPAP, Russian Systema, Combatives, and the rest, then you’ll enjoy reading this fascinating history. If you want to know about martial arts training in the police academy, in different militaries and police agencies around the world, and for the Global War on Terrorism, I’ll take you inside that world as well. If you want to know how I brought KAPAP out of Israel you’ll get a front row seat. And, God help you if you become well known and respected as a martial arts instructor, for you will have enemies coming out of the wood work like you can’t believe – enemies from the other side of the globe you have never met. Oh yes, I go into detail about the seedy side of the martial arts community, for I have been a target since day one. Even if history and cool fighting stories may not be your thing, you’ll learn a ton of techniques and tactics that will give you great ideas for your own training just by reading it. So, I’ll leave you with the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection motto – Be A Hard Target.
Raw, unapologetic and straight to the point, Rich shares his experiences, training and research with those interested in this new series of video downloads with the first volume covering over 40 minutes of materials to make you rethink your self-defense training and teaching paradigm. Topics include: Preemptive striking off various natural stances during verbal defusing, the ‘Italian Hands’ concept, differentiating a good guy having a bad day from a ‘bad guy’, the ripple effect and more.
I am in the process of shooting a series of new instructional videos which I am titling 'Rich Dimitri's Self Defense Tips n' Rants'. Volume 1 will be ready and available for download in the shop section before the end of the month with 2 other volumes being released by mid July.
My book the Tangent Redemptions of Anti Hero is now available in paperback format for purchase on http://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-dimitri/tangent-redemptions-of-an-anti-hero/paperback/product-22197257.html as well as download in the shop section of my site. The reviews have been nothing short of amazing with the most common comment after reading it being "This book should be made into a movie by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez!" - Only $15 and the first chapter is FREE TO READ HERE
Chris Roberts of Safe International and I are going to be in Australia at the end of the month for a seminar tour along with our bro Jim Armstrong of RAW Combatives. We will be in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, for more details on the seminars, please contact the number on the ad above.
Also, if you haven't had the chance of checking out my last interview which was also the first I've done in over 3 years, it's live and on youtube "Richard Dimitri Interview with JoJo Ruck"
That be about it for now.... thanks and all the best to one and all.
