Beware the Shredder Cometh

From a blog post dated 16th November 2008:

Hey everybody, just got done participating in a seminar at our gym on Saturday, and let me tell you it was a real eye opener.

The man teaching it was Richard Dimitri of Canada, he is the founder of Senshido,a realistic based self defense system who's primary directive is enhancing your survivability.

He came to teach a "Close Quarter Conceptual Tool" that really works for the street, this tool is called "The Shredder" and let me tell you it will put fear and terror in the hearts of the violent if they encounter it.

Now don't get me wrong, Rich is a very nice person and went above and beyond to teach us this valuable information and he did it without any ego or bravado.

As a matter of fact right up front he told all of us that if we just came here to learn new techniques to fight and kick someones ass, then we were at the wrong seminar.

There were many Law Enforcement Personnel as well as Martial Artists participating at the seminar and they all enjoyed the information that was taught that day.

As for me and my students, we were all impressed with what Rich brought to the table and let me tell you it takes allot to impress them.

After going over the physiological and behavioral concepts of the "Shredder" we got into the physical aspects by learning through progressive drills demonstrated by Rich and his assistant Ted Williams.

Then we would work the drills with at least three different partners and even Rich himself, to get the concepts down.

The great thing about the "Shredder" is that you can add it to your present fighting system no matter what it is immediately and not miss a step.

Rich was constantly working with everyone correcting any mistakes while performing the progressive "Shredder" drills.

He even extended the seminar to make sure everyone got the "Shredder" down and answered every question asked.

For those who have never experienced the "Shredder" get to one of Rich's seminars as fast as you can and learn this life saving tool or get the DVD's and manual.
Don't just learn to survive, learn to prevail.

You can contact Rich at https://www.senshido.com/ or at RDimitri@Senshido.com

Daniel Sambrano

"Keep It Simple and Savage"
http://www.superherosystems.com/

 

The Man, The Legend: Interview with Richard Dimitri

This interview by Simon Sultana was originally posted on www.personalprotectiontraining.com.au.

Today, I am writing this special blog along side a special guest who has been an important part of the self defence scene globally for the better part of 25 years. Richard Dimitri is someone who I hold in high regard and have always wanted to meet face to face and train with. Today's post would be the equivalent of Graham Norton getting the opportunity to interview Chuck Norris for the first time. I feel that over time just like two college professors discussing theories, we have formed a unique friendship spanning from Australia to Canada. I am truly blessed.

I mention this because I am not a newspaper journalist, I do not work for a TV station, I definitely am not a Hollywood A-Lister. I am just a humble self defence instructor and security officer based Down Under who has a passion for sharing his knowledge and collaborating with those in the industry . I was overjoyed that Rich chose to be interviewed by me and why I felt it is my responsibility to learn more about the man who created 'The Shredder' and the legendary Senshido system.

I knew there was more depth to this man then what I saw on the glossy pages of Blitz Magazine. Australia no longer produces the legendary Blitz Magazine which gave instructors and martial arts suppliers the chance to showcase their products and services to those heavily invested in the scene. If an instructor was visiting Australia, or a particular product or trend was revolutionising the industry, you would first hear about it in Blitz. It was like the Bible of Martial Arts, somewhere you could always find reputable and sage like wisdom.

Following him on Facebook for the last few years now, I had the opportunity to see certain things that I never would of seen. Richard is like an oracle, who often isnt afraid to voice his opinions on a smattering of topics. Combined with his wicked sense of humour, incredible lust for learning and desire to help those in need, I feel that to those who are incredibly judgemental may see him as quite offensive and rebellious. I never have seen him in that light, albeit a slightly misunderstood individual with a very powerful message which is why I wanted to interview him and set the record straight.

Rest assured, by getting to know Rich over our late night Facebook chats, he is an incredibly decent man with a strong sense of justice and is a devoted family man and when you listen to his story, one must simply be impressed with the amount of experience he has teaching, but debunking outdated theories, that are simply preserved for tradition's sake. In today's current security climate and me working in the private security industry, has taught me that if your not growing, you are simply dying.

So please, sit back, get comfortable and lets give Rich a warm welcome.

How long has it been since you started training and working in the industry? What drove you to create your trademark combat system Senshido International?

I began my martial arts training at the age of 6.  My dad enrolled me in Kyokushinkai Karate the day after taking me to see Enter the Dragon in the drive-in theater.  I became so enamoured and passionate about Bruce Lee (as countless before and after me have) that I devoured anything and everything that had to do with martial arts, combatives, self defense, criminology, the psychology of violence, how serial killers think and the like.

While studying, training and researching everything I could on those subject matters and after the traumatic event of my 4-year-old brother unfortunately, accidently drowning when I was 12, I relentlessly put all of my rage and festering hate caused by the trauma into a volatile life style.

By the age of 16, 17 I had already acquired a few black belts that I began, much like my idol at the time Bruce Lee, forming my own system of combat and teaching friends, local kids in the neighborhood etc. in church basements, garages, backyards and high school gyms.

By the age of 19 and via a fateful event where I proverbially zigged instead of zagged, I began working in the security/bodyguarding/bouncing/private investigation industries and went on to do so till the age of 41 when my son was born.It was mainly contractual work and the like, for various Investigation firms, organizations, businesses, bars, pubs, corporates, bankers, business men that spanned between North America, Mexico and certain parts of Europe.

By 1994, I had found nothing which satisfied my sense of ‘reality’ in the self defense and martial arts world, though many came damn close, to settle on any that I finally created Senshido and opened my own school in the heart of downtown Montreal in April of 1994.

Every trainer usually has a background in some sort of martial art, what martial arts did you study and now your highly experienced do you still train in any arts other then your system? 

As stated above, I began with Kyokushinkai Karate, I did that for a few years until I got my green belt, then we moved neighborhoods and couldn’t find another Kyokushinkai school but there was a Hung Gar Gung Fu school not far from where we lived and at the age of 11, I began Hung Gar and went on to do so for over a decade during which I also trained in Sil Lum Pai Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Aikido, Greco Roman wrestling and Tae Kwon Do.

I discovered Boxing, Muay Thai and grappling through Tony Blauer’s then Chu Fen Do, which was for all intent and purposes, Jeet Kune Do with a twist. But, what differentiated Blauer from all the others of his time, was the fact that he incorporated the psychology of human behavior in relation to violence into his system.  If he pioneered anything, it was that.  No one else was doing it at the time and most still aren’t today as a matter of fact, not at any credible level.

Due to personal and professional reasons we parted ways and I continued my training with various others including Jeff Alexander of Warrior Spirit in Seattle Washington, BJJ with Sylvain Moroney of Bravado JJ, trained with Rorion and Royce Gracie, Boxing in various gyms coupled with the experience I was gaining on the jobs outside of teaching and training.

As time and injuries prevailed, my training and focus shifted to pure and applied self defense.  More and more, I derailed from the martial arts and combatives fields and gravitated to strictly teaching confrontation management, violence prevention and defense tactics to anyone and everyone wanting to learn.

I dropped the name ‘Senshido’ as it literally became and still is a fucking burden and a half to be honest, shit like politics, being placed into a faction, arguments of bullshit, names, labels and stylistic interference with growth and reaching those that truly need the materials.

My training today consists strictly of functional strength training, shadow boxing and occasionally sparring/drilling with some students who come to train with me from abroad.

Agreed. My system is called Si-Kyu-Shudo-Kai, and for simplicity sake I have just called it Personal Protection Training. Since doing so I have gained a cult following some interesting areas from around the world. Uganda, probably being the most obscure place I have a following.

I also learnt that you have worked in the security industry also, much like myself. Are you still active in private security and what has been the most difficult job you did which you had genuinely felt concern for regarding your personal safety? 

I am no longer active and haven’t been since 2012 which is months after my son was born.  I ended up working in those fields via an ill-fated incident at a Gold’s Gym back in 1991 which gave me a platform to exorcise my demons and inadvertently creating many, many new ones along the way.

As for memorable ones I felt concerned for my safety, in retrospect, too many to tell. But at the time, no concerns whatsoever.  I didn’t truly and honestly didn’t understand or possess an ounce of fear until my son was born.  Between the ages of 19 and 36, I lived 24/7 full tilt boogey, 1 million percent adrenaline and literally fundamentally believing at the core of my being, that I was indestructible.

I had been and continued to put myself and go through so much shit and hell and came out relatively unscathed considering, and sometimes miraculously so, that truly believed, I had become one of the action heroes I was mesmerized by from the early 80’s to the late 90’s.  I grew up smack dab at the birth and rise of the action hero.  Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Stallone, Arnie, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Van Damme, Seagal, the brooding muscular hero with a dark past who beat all the bad guys and always got the girl…. Except I was never very muscular, and I rarely got the girl lol….

Most notable about your Senshido system is the 'Shredder'. Tell us more about what it is? 

Such a misunderstood concept, lol…. From thinking it’s a tiger claw to scratching the face to simply a ‘system of eye gouging’ lmfao…. Ignorance isn’t malice, stupidity fucking is. These aren’t ignorant statements, they’re fucking stupid.

Basically stated, the Shredder is nothing more than 5 principles of physical retaliation used in conjunction with each other. These are, in no particular order:

1) Striking my opponent using my most appropriate tool to the nearest and most damaging target available based on the gravity of the situation of course.

2) Aiming first for the primary targets on a human being which are debilitating, and these are strictly speaking, the eyes and the throat.  They are the only two targets on the human body that cause retreating defensive disengagement.  No one moves forward and through an eye gouge or windpipe crush/strike; followed by secondary targets, which are anything and everything else you can get to in order of importance.

3) Using non telegraphic movement and economy of motion, Musashi said, ‘do nothing of which is of no use’… though some seem to think telegraphing is not only fine, but encouraged… they’re also flat earthers though lmfao… these 2 are interrelated and so I put them into 1 principle leaving only the next step.

4) Understand and apply tactile sensitivity, the ability to interpret an individual’s movement through the sense of touch when the hand is quicker than the eye and contact has been made between opponents.

Now, apply these 4-5 principles at close range, and it appears like you’re mauling someone if, of course, if one is able to think out of the manufactured and proverbial box from whatever system or style they train in which limit them…. the tools I teach are quite diversified and not limited to strictly physical applications either.  They are taught in a way that allows the individual to use any part of their body as well as their environment in conjunction as a potential tool/weapon to cause damage, distraction, hesitation, unbalance, defensive flinching and disengagement while most are looking to either submit or knock out with the limits of their style.

‘The Shredder’ performed at kicking or boxing range looks nothing like ‘Shredding’ at all, but all 5 principles still apply and are just as functional. The name is a deterrent.  It limits the vast application this concept offers and only those who have experienced first hand have come to truly understand it.  It is the fucking Equalizer.

I know you are focused on training alongside Chris Roberts of SAFE international. How did you guys meet and what makes training in this system different to Senshido? 

Chris and I met while I was working with 3 international women’s movements in Cairo, Egypt back in 2010.  He took a seminar with a brother who was teaching his version of the Shredder he called the Jungle Cat or something or other, and Chris found the concept so functional and easily adaptable that he asked the brother if he could incorporate it into SAFE.  The brother told Chris he got it from me and that Chris should hit me up, which he did, and the rest is history.

Why do I work with Chris so closely? Several reasons. Let me clarify. For starters, the man has no emotional attachment to any system or style, all he cares about is providing the best damn life saving self defense information he can to his clients, hence the name of his company is not the name of a system or style, but a direct testament to his mission statement of keeping people SAFE in the face of violence.  That alone was baffling.  He was the first and to date, the only instructor in the self defense industry that I have met, and I have met tons including several of the ‘big names’ out there and Chris is the only one who cares more about his students than systems, styles, politics, who created what, lineages, etc.

Chris also devised a way to teach and reach the general public, those with absolutely no experience whatsoever in martial arts and self defense, those who attend these workshops because they have to for work or school, those who have already been victimized, in a way no one else has been able to including myself in the self defense world.  Not just that; what he is able to impart in literally 4-5 hours tops, is functional and countless teenage girls, health care workers, real estate agents etc. have successfully defended themselves in all kinds of situations from violent rapes to domestic abuse to attempted murder.  The testimonials have been and continue to come regularly.

Chris adopted whatever aspects of my materials/information/experience with my full blessings to SAFE he didn’t already have as he deemed it to be the most factual, realistic and sound materials of its kind he had come across to date and Chris had not only trained with several of the top reality-based guys in our field already but got certified with a few as well. Today, he teaches nothing of what he garnered from any of these people….

By 2012, I had sunken into a major depression due to PTSD and a sudden halting screech to my lifestyle which went from a million miles a minute to being a dad living in an isolated town in a valley between the Rocky Mountains out west.  My depression manifested itself as dark cynicism and total isolation. Frustrations with the politics of Senshido and the bullshit that dragged along with it, along with my shift in focus from teaching self defense to teaching conflict management and violence prevention and the fact that I felt that nothing I was doing was amounting to anything coupled with my ex suffering from post partum depression and becoming incredibly emotionally abusive towards me, I shut off. I quit it all, didn’t want anything do with teaching self defense or Senshido anymore, and I dropped everything handing over Senshido to my team (a mistake I regret till this present moment as I should have shut that fucker down for good and moved on but that’s my fucking cross to bear).

I got myself a regular job for the first time in my adult life.  And since I had no experience in anything other than the fields mentioned above and not much of that is needed in a small touristic town anyway, I did anything that would make me a buck and keep me close to my boy. I delivered pizza, worked at a video store, worked at the Source, landscaping, bouncing gigs for special occasions like Christmas, new years and Halloween parties at the local pub all the while sinking further into my depression.

As I was desperately trying to kill the legacy I nearly died and went to prison countless times to bring to the world for, Chris wouldn’t have any of it.  He believes me to be the very best in the world at what I do…. He’s either insane, bias or wants to have sex with me. I’m still not sure which. But that brother kept my career alive for 4 years by posting clips, memes, vids, all kinds of anything that had to do with me teaching…. He was literally advertising and marketing me more than himself for those years…. He thought, and by his own words, that the world needed me to teach this as it’s a gift I have - and not to share it, well… would be a low down, dirty shame.

When I finally got treated for my depression, I came back to teaching and Chris, knowing that I had a boy at home and that travelling the 4 corners of the globe kept me away from him for weeks, sometimes a month and more at a time, offered me to teach for SAFE closer to home where I can be with my boy every single weekend, holidays and the like as well as travel the world, but less frequently.

SAFE teaches pure and applied self defense, so I didn’t have to change anything in the materials/information…. I just had to learn how to transmit it to teenage girls, elderly, house wives and the like as opposed to fighters, martial artists, cops and soldiers.

Senshido has more of a combatives RBSD reputation than SAFE does, each caters to a specific market though both dabble in the others as well, in the end, everyone is free to teach who they want.

Chris and I also collaborated together on what we call the Rich and Roberts Show as the chemistry between he and I is amazing, we work super well together, we both have the exact same vision, which is reach and teach as many as we can in the hopes of saving, changing, improving lives and by proxy, communities and he’s also fucking great at the business side of things which I could give a rats fuck about to be honest…. If I wanted to be a business man, I would have gone into business administration, that’s not my strength, passion or desire….

Chris and SAFE have been and still are one of my best sources of reaching people as the man is incessant with his work which has strongly derived from his unfortunate neurologically caused loss of voice over the last decade.  And so, I am also his surrogate voice for many gigs he sadly till present day, can no longer teach by himself and so I help him with his certifications and international work as well.

So in essence, I work on a contractual level for SAFE, I teach under the Senshido banner when it’s for any of my former team members, and under Rich Dimitri’s Self Defense services on my own. Frankly, I teach the exact same materials and information wherever I go, under whatever fucking banner as I don’t give a shit about banners or names be it SAFE, Senshido or anything else for that matter, the only difference is the method and delivery based on the clientele that changes. It’s a fluid thing….

The fact you have been to the brink and back, shows true strength. Conquering those issues, and having the support of a friend like Chris is truly a blessing. Thanks for sharing that so openly with my readers.

I have followed your journey in the now defunct Blitz magazine which finished in March this year. I respect the fact you have demystified self defence and focused on practicality. What is your opinion of other RBSD systems out there in these modern times compared to say 20 years ago? Have we evolved per se? 

Well, violence has evolved so by proxy so has what I teach. It's only natural as is with most things, that self defense evolves as violence does. I have always said and continue to maintain that a 75-year-old grandmother or an 11 year old daughter or son can't successfully "perform" or manage to perform over 90% of what is being passed off as self defense these days especially in anti social violence.

Most people in our industry can’t differentiate between pure and applied self defense, martial arts and combatives. These are 3 distinct animals. It’s like comparing ping pong, tennis and badminton. What most people are teaching as self defense today is either martial arts or combatives, it is rooted in strength, aggressivity, technical applications, fine motor skills, athleticism of some kind and are mainly rooted in physical work. No way any of that works for the average civilian who takes a 3-5-10 hour workshop who never trained before and probably will never train again.

Over 95% of what I see being passed off as self defense would only work for exactly the clients they are getting; already experienced martial artists and practitioners, cops, soldiers, bouncers, defense tactics instructors and even them, over half of these people couldn’t make over 75% of what they learned in these seminars and workshops function in real time, real speed, real life violent confrontation. Works great on pads, on consenting and willing partners who are dressed for the occasion and training one on one in a large empty room with no obstacles, no weapons of opportunity, no threat of life, no grounding in anything that even comes close to resembling what real world confrontations look like and how they happen.

My research rarely, if ever, came from learning from others in our industry, quite the contrary, when I did watch them, I did so in order to learn what not to do and do the exact fucking opposite.

My main sources of research comes from real life, real people, who survived or sadly and unfortunately perished in violence and in every form of social and anti social from every individual’s perspective including the defender, the attacker, the bystanders and witnesses, the law, etc. I research and watch loads of criminal investigative shows such as Forensic Files, Fear Thy Neighbor, Kenda, etc. I read books on criminology, the criminal mind, the MO of the most notorious serial rapists and killers, etc. I keep myself updated on international stats, news, changes in laws, legal cases, things regarding rape, domestic abuse and other situations that have anything to do with real world conflict or violence.

I could give a fuck what Krav, JKD, MMA, Combatives are trying to pass off as self defense to be honest…. These are styles and systems based on cultures, ideologies, certain environments, frames of time and mind, etc. they are fragments of truth distorted by what Bruce Lee prophetically referred to as the classical mess…. No different from any religion or political party, segregating and stylizing something human which no longer maintains a ground in our ever-changing reality but solidifies what is fluid and should remain as such…. Self defense is human.

That is why with all my years of training in 5 different systems, I have filtered my training syllabus to just a few pages of practical techniques, that I have repeatedly drilled and pressure tested. I am fortunate that one of my students who has ASD can follow the concepts and throughouly enjoys my teaching. Do you have any client success stories you are willing to share of any of those who you have trained to become instructors or students?

I’ve got countless. I can tell you that I have, over the last quarter century alone received tens of thousands of testimonials from people all over the world. Ranging from “thank you for saving my life” to “thank you for changing my life”. The latter being so vitally important because that’s how we lower incidents of violence and suffering, by changing our lives and ourselves for the better.

The most recent have been from the over twenty five teenage girls my life partner, Pam Armitage who also works with me and for SAFE International, through working high schools for SAFE for that matter, have gotten over 25 teenage girls between the aged of 14 and 16 to come out and divulge the fact that they were presently being abused and every single one of these girls knew their attacker either intimately or via acquaintance.

These girls were being either sexually, physically, emotionally, psychologically, economically or even spiritually abused, some a combination of 2 or more of the above and by family members, coaches, bosses, a best friend’s brother, a boyfriend, a doctor, a teacher…

Through their divulgence, we were able to pull them our of their hells, provide social care and therapy as well as legally intervene with the predators who victimized them.

Pam and I also just returned from a trip in Quito Ecuador where we were working with a Christian organization to help the victims of human trafficking.  Our 1 week trip there already changed lives and got the ball rolling for countless others… This will be a yearly trip for us to go help out there.

The fact you are making a change in the lives of those who often are forgotten about in today's society is commendable. I feel that as a self defence instructor that we all share a common goal and that is personal safety for those we teach. Have you much like myself irritated traditional martial artists by so called 'bastardising' the arts? 

Bro, I’ve pissed everyone off at one point or another, the traditionalists, the purists, the mixed martial artists, the reality-based guys, the sports fighters, the street fighters, the religious, the left, the right, the fucking center, my mom, the Dalai Lama lol….

The thing I have always liked about you is you say whats on your mind, and you always back your reasoning with sound logic and evidence. Has there been times when you were surprised why someone would try to discredit the valuable work that you do?

Frankly nothing anyone does surprises me ever. And I am used to the haters, they are amusing and honestly make me laugh because I know beyond the shadow of any reasonable doubt the value of my work, I see and hear about it first hand all the time, to this day and by professionals the world over no less.

So frankly, the stupid and the jealous entertain me, they don’t upset me and I never, ever bother engaging with any of them ever, I just usually reply with sheer nonsense and immaturity as it entertains me to no end lol…

Finally, I know that you have been busy working hard to build your brand over many years. What is your plan for the future? What do you see yourself doing in the next say 5-10 years?

See, that’s the thing, I don’t have a typical brand anymore really…. I define myself by my work, my work is evolving, and so crystalizing it with a brand does it a huge disservice…. I suppose the dove logo I’ve been using since 2008 is ‘branding’ of sorts, and the dove is a representation of both peace and freedom from oppression which are 2 of the core benefits of what I teach, a way of self awareness through peaceful self actualization.

My goals for the next 5-10 years are to continue evolving forward, steering away from the reality based self defense, martial arts and combative fields and more towards conflict management and violence prevention. Pam and I are on the verge of releasing an online course unlike any of its kind which will be available within the next six months.

I had stopped certifying people since 2011 pretty much and had abolished my certification program due to personal reasons at the time but recently revamped it entirely and put together an extremely detailed and comprehensive certification course for professionals only. I am no longer interested in certifying people who do nothing with the materials, certificate collectors, instructors looking to gain a cool new trick or gimmick and the like. This course is designed for professionals ready to implement the information and materials immediately into their current professions whatever they may be.

Chris and I are also working on a new members website where we will be providing courses, clips, breakdowns, articles, anecdotes, information, etc. on conflict management, violence prevention and self protection to its members

My goal is to be closer to home more often so I can be with my boy and family more so working on several things to allow this to become a reality. As always however, I will always travel to wherever I am needed…

That is just terrific Rich. I am certain with your drive and passion for the work you do, you will reach those goals. You will always have support from those at Personal Protection Training and I am humbled you chose to partake in this interview. Keep up the good work, and please keep in touch. 

My Journey Into The Self-Defense World

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.

INT. # 6 Inside the Heart of Debi Steven

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.

Debi Steven - informalMy 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?

 

  1. Founding Action Breaks Silence, a UK registered Charity. We are committed to creating a world free from fear of sexual and gender-based violence. We have already taught our Empowerment through Self-Defence workshop to over 15,000 women and girls in India absolutely FREE of charge over the last 18 months. We are expanding to Johannesburg, South Africa later this year. Most participants have been from very disadvantaged communities.

 

  1. This year I was awarded an ‘International Woman of Change” award at a festival in Indonesia where a documentary on my work in India called “Power” by a young journalist, Jeanny Gering also won a Platinum award. Since then “Power” has won the “Best Short Documentary” Award’ at the Artemis Film Festival in the USA.

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.

Int. #5 Inside the Heart of Jim Wagner

wagner-jimMy 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.   

June/July news n’ updates

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.

trah

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

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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.

Joanna Ruckenstein Interviews Me at A1A

My Family the Carnival

10923288_10152815227006625_5473260946008819785_nFrom day 1, April 11th 1994 when I first opened the doors of Senshido at the arrogant age of 24, I’ve attracted some of the best humanity has to offer to surround me across the never ending journey.

Scan_20140611_143150It’s what set us apart.  If you were a misfit, if you felt alone, if you felt like you didn’t belong anywhere and were or are regarded as the proverbial ‘black sheep’, a freak, deemed ‘insane’ or just felt completely out of place amongst the norms; you had a home with us at Senshido.

For the most part, Senshido and I attracted characters, survivors. These were and are as real as people get; raw, opinionated, and honest to the bone, each and every one of them marched strictly to the beat of their own drummer and made no apologies for it. They were people with empathy, heart, passion and more often than not, misunderstood by most. They really cared about the very people who labeled, judged and misunderstood them.

Though they come from every walk of life, culture, religion or lack thereof, socialScan_20140610_102200 denomination, race and social economical backgrounds, we all shared a few common grounds that created an immediate bond.  Senshido became home for many.

Our student’s were our friends. We’d hang out after classes, go out together, partied together, worked, trained, travelled and even lived together at times.  We’d be there for each other during some of the toughest moments when it seemed no one else understood or gave a shit. We literally laughed, cried, fought and bled together.

Scan_20140610_130837It is how I handpicked the Senshido team both local and international.  I used to refuse between 50 and 60 requests to join our team per year on average.  In order to join the Senshido team I had to get to know you on a personal level, we had to be friends first and foremost. We had to share common grounds large enough for me to trust you with my legacy.

These people became more than friends, they became family.  They are all over the world and not just those that have become instructors, but those who have participated in and attended our classes and workshops on a regular basis as well; they are all family and treated as such.

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The family has exponentially grown along with Safe International and Spartan Gear; we are a large but tight community. We more than have each other’s backs.  The May 23rd Montreal seminar was a huge testament to that, people from all over the world showed up including Australia, Europe, the US, Brazil and more.

You’d think walking into a room with so many instructors from so many different groups and parts of the world would sound like a martial combat symposium but you were greeted with hugs, love, beer, weed and goat jokes.

Scan_20140609_171023_002I’ll tell you one thing, we are not everyone’s cup of proverbial tea and you know what, we don’t give a fuck either. That’s the beauty of it.  We’re not out to please or tease ya, we’re out to give you the best damn self defense training we can provide and do we ever; and if you’re not a puckered up tight assed anally retentive individual that offends easily, then maybe, just maybe…. You can be a part of our carnival.

 

 

As one of our friends Jace Lynn put it:

“In 1992, a crack crazy unit was sent to train with Rich by a court for a goat crime they probably committed. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Canadian underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as a ragtag outfit of street fighters. If you have a problem; if no one else can help, and if you can find them; they won't give a Fuck. Maybe you can hire… The Goat team.”

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Int. #4: Inside the Heart of Lee Morrison

LeeMy name is Lee Morrison I work the International seminar circuit teaching Combatives to Civilians, Law Enforcement, Security and Military Units. I operate under my company Urban Combatives or UC and am based in the UK.

 


 

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?

As an Instructor who always thinks more as a student, I realised that the more you teach others the more you really learn and grasp yourself.  I think I’ve found my niche in life. I never really wanted to teach but kind of veered into it which on a personal level, finding something you really can do well, is a very fortunate thing as there are many things I’m not so good at. I guess I feel it has given me purpose and direction so far in life. I like working with good people that get something worthwhile from what I teach, I don’t just mean in a Self-Protection sense but things that translate to other areas of life in general. Combatives just gives me a vehicle for that.

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?

Oh mate, many from the earliest age, none of which make fun reading. During my life people and human nature in general never fucking failed to disappoint. With that said I have met many of positive influences also. In regards to dealing with violence? I learnt long ago that people only treat you the way you let them.

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 did look to doing something else as the travelling and various other elements of working the circuit were having a negative impact on a previous relationship. So I took a regular job and did a lot less teaching for a while but the same outcome became inevitable. During this time I felt like I should be doing what I love best, but career was in no way more important than my relationship at the time and so I tried. In view of the future, injuries and of course age dictate a timescale. There is no way that I will continue doing this when I am in no way as capable as I am now. I will hang it up and pass it to my top guys if they want to continue. For me, I have a few ideas, some lecturing in University, working on my media company, some clothing line ideas but most of all I’d like to get into fight scene choreography for ‘realistic’ depictions of violence in film.

Q 4. Do you feel you were proverbially ‘born’ to do what you do, that this was your calling? 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?

Yes I think so, like I said before, it was a calling I was born to do this shit!

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.)

Travelling 3 times a month abroad takes its toll in a relationship, working a regular job brings a fair basic living if you work hard at it. But UC has made me a comfortable living, nothing fantastic by any means but good. I am not a materialistic man in any way, but I like to take care of the people I care about so it has been a necessary means to that end, doing something I enjoy very much.

If you work around, study, immerse yourself and have had a vast experience of violence it is possible to a certain degree, to become somewhat de-sensitized to the small things most people may have a larger reaction to. I mean this in a verbal/conversation sense.

Example a bigger kid shoves your kid over in class; there is a procedure to follow with such things with teachers etc. My response to my son was to take the kid by the hair and bounce his face off his desk a couple of times, it WON’T happen again son! There I proceeded to show him how. Not acceptable in ‘normal’ society apparently.

A ‘pikey’ threatens to punch my 65 year old mother in law in the face, so I realize no amount of conversation with this man will bring about a suitable outcome. So I go to his house and tell the man if he ever says a single word in her direction again I will fucking end him, I offer him the opportunity to show me what he thinks he can do, he declines!

A good result I think made possible from projection of pure Intent and confidence to back it up.  No physical response needed.  But apparently NOT normal behavior. Bit of a catch 22, when you share less love of the human race than some, you get branded anti-social, yet when family or friends potentially have a confrontational problem in my circle, who do you think they think about, to bring it to a conclusion for them?

I think serious people within our field that have come to their general conclusions from live experience, may be less tolerant with anti-social people and if that feels like a normal response to them, can also have a profound effect on those around you that don’t think that way.

Q 6. Do you have any regrets at all? If yes, which is the one that haunts you the most?

Yes of course I’m human. Best left unsaid I think.

Q 7. What are your proudest moments/achievements in both your private and professional lives?

In personal life the birth of all my children 🙂 in my line of work, getting to work alongside my most motivation role model, Kelly McCann at the Crucible with an Elite Unit. Was just great like Robby Williams getting to sing with Frank Sinatra

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?

They think I’m an educated thug! ( : Just kidding, I don’t know, they see me on YouTube and stuff but know me in a very different light. They know I’m capable and caring some say I have a presence about me, but I tend to leave my work at the gate.

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?

Not often but I realize it immediately and usually say something like ‘do what I say, not what I do’ will a smile and a laugh.

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 doing a lot more in the US right now so I’d like to explore that further. I absolutely love Australia, I have two good guys out there who you know Rich, Nox Tauakipulu in Sydney and Jimmy Armstrong in Melbourne I’m there every year and the plan is to move there.

 

Int. # 3: Inside the Heart of Tim Larkin

Larkin headshotSo for the past 25 years I’ve instructed people on the realities of dealing with imminent violence. My system is called Target Focus Training. The client list has included everyone from the elites of the military and law enforcement community, celebrities, CEO’s, and great people in over 52 countries.

I have an instructor cadre of 48 instructors (10 Master Instructors) and we offer seminars worldwide. My HQ is in Las Vegas and we operate another full time facility in San Diego.

I’m a father of four (20 year old son, 4 year old son, twin 20 month old daughters) and my wife is a LT on Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept.
I want to thank Richard for this interview because these questions are very different than the run of the mill media questions I usually answer. I take what I do seriously but never have made the mistake of taking myself seriously and with that in mind here are my answers.


 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?

The biggest change that I've gone through is that I've become a much better communicator on the subject of violence.

I realize the vast majority of the clients don't necessarily want to do long-term training nor do they actually want to be good at "self-defense".

Most people come to me because they don't have an understanding of violence and how it pertains to them personally and how to navigate the subject.

This is a big departure from my early career where the focus was on producing "badasses" and exclusively focusing on military/ law-enforcement units and hard-core practitioners.

I still love to train those groups/individuals but I've found that they'll still seek me out whereas the people that truly need the basic information rarely will so I've availed myself to speaking in other non traditional arenas where I reach people that wouldn't necessarily seek out a self-defense instructor for information on how to live a safer life.

This change came about after 9/11 when I received more inquiries from general population groups and associations. I was challenged on how to craft the message so they hear me rather than dismiss the message as too aggressive. It made me a better communicator and forced me to re-think how to introduce the subject of self protection.

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?

I wouldn't say there's a particular incident but the fact that I have traveled worldwide since I was a small child gives me a different perspective on the human condition.

It's gonna sound like the negative take but I operate with the idea that everybody is just three days away from killing each other.

What I mean by that is if you take away access to water from a group in three days you are gonna see a vast difference in how humans interact with each other. I just like to keep that in the back of mind whenever I'm operating in society.

Probably sounds like an extreme attitude but I found it to keep me very polite and very aware

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?

Sure there have been many times that I've thought that I would leave the industry. Sometimes it was because of better financial opportunities in other fields, sometimes because of difficulties with partners in the business.

I think if I was to leave I would still find a way to teach a subject that I'm passionate about.  I really enjoy the challenge of becoming a subject matter expert and then sharing that knowledge with others.

Q 4. Do you feel you were proverbially ‘born’ to do what you do, that this was your calling? 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 definitely think I was born (sounds hokey but I'll stick with "born") to teach people.

This subject matter was something, since I was a small boy, that fascinated me so it's not a surprise to me that I ended up in this field.

I can't really think of another subject that I'm as comfortable with or more passionate about that I wish I had explored more.

I feel pretty comfortable that this is an easy area for me to share my talents of communication. It has never felt like work for me.

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.)

Well my career has cost me two divorces and numerous other personal relationships due to my travel schedule and passion to get out and share the material.

Most people couldn't understand why I was so devoted to training and the fact that I would be gone for months at a time in various parts of the world training what they saw as merely punching and kicking.

I have to admit that I wasn't the best at attempting to enlighten those around me about what I did.

I had more the attitude if they couldn't figure it out it wasn't worth communicating to them. In hindsight I probably should've had more patience in attempting to communicate this to those around me but honestly I don't think it would've made a difference in how those relationships turned out.

Q 6. Do you have any regrets at all? If yes, which is the one that haunts you the most?

My regrets come from the fact that throughout my life and career I've had opportunities to receive training and enlightenment from some incredible people and enjoy amazing places but because I was so single-minded in my career I often missed out on taking advantage of those incredible opportunities.

I think this is a common pattern in driven type A personalities to sometimes not stop and smell the roses and I certainly have been guilty of that in the past.

Q 7. What are your proudest moments/achievements in both your private and professional lives?

As young intel officer in the late 80s early 90s I participated in some incredible operations and worked with units that I really didn't deserve to be part of.To this day I still have great relationships as a result of those years.

Professionally in 2002 I presented in Prague to a group which included the recent former head of MI6.

After the presentation he took me aside and told me was the finest presentation he'd ever seen on hand to hand combat and opened some doors for me after that event that were professionally incredible.

Since that time I've had multiple magazine covers a New York Times bestseller, lots of media accolades etc...yet nothing has outdone that conversation I had in Prague.

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?

Until recently I've been a bit of an embarrassment for my mom and dad as they couldn't understand why I never used my degree in international business to get a real career.

I always laugh thinking of the 52 countries that I presented in, numerous corporations that I worked with as well as other business professionals yet my mom sees me basically as a punching and kicking specialist.

That is hard for her to compete with in her social circles since her friends have kids who are Drs and lawyers. So she loses those bragging rights.

My friends mostly misunderstand what I do and usually talk about me in tough guy terms or joke with me about being a "killer". I like it this way because the majority of my friends don't participate in self-defense training.

I have many friends who are entrepreneurs in other fields and I'm able to have a relationship with them and talk about things that have nothing to do with my subject matter.

I find this to be essential for me to stay grounded.

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?

I'm definitely a very flawed individual and there are many times I catch myself going against what I teach.

Often times it has to do with daily meditation other times it has to do with how I responded to antisocial aggression behavior. I humbly recognize that it's much easier "to do as I say" and hopefully ignore "do as I do".

But I think this is a very human condition and I'm okay with it because I don't delude myself that I don't violate on my own teachings and I do catch myself in the act. That last part is the important bit.

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?

At this stage in my career I'm really trying to leverage my audience so I'm focusing the majority my time on writing books, doing presentations in front of large audiences and really trying to get my message out.

So this is taking me away from small group trainings which of been the focus of the past 25 years of my career.

What I found now is that I can share my message and make much bigger impact if I focus on using technology and media to reach as many people as possible.

This doesn't mean that I don't still train...I do and I still find it to be my favorite way to spend time with clients.

My personal journey changed in that I'm okay handing over some of the day-to-day reigns to my senior people which frees me up to do the larger projects. It is been a hard transition for me to delegate some of those responsibilities as I am a perfectionist.

But I really enjoy the opportunity to expand the audience who can hear my message.

I have other business interests that don't require as much of my time and they are fun. But for the next 20 years I think in some way shape or form I will still be communicating the message of self protection in some format as I really enjoy it and I enjoy the challenge of continuing to be relevant in the industry.

So the easiest way to hear more about how I look at the things would be via my recent TEDx talk which really covers how I look at the subject of violence.  View it now at this link “Paradox Of Violence”.

To find out more about me or my system here is the link: Target Focus Training

Once again thanks to Richard for letting me speak to his audience and I hope he'll let me return the favor in the near future.

Int. #2: Inside the Heart of Hock Hochheim

11180266_893812314011521_1127418603_nEverybody just calls me Hock, even though some are still compelled to call me “sir.” And I feel uncomfortable with even that title, since I had to call numerous idiots “sir” in the military. I am a former military patrolman and investigator and a former Texas patrolman and investigator. After my retirement in 1997, I was a private investigator. I started Ed Parker Kenpo Karate in 1972 and since, I’ve done numerous martial arts and picked up a few black belts along the way. I currently teach about 40 hand, stick, knife and gun seminars in about 12 or 13 countries a year. I also write novels and non-fiction books.


 

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?

Ten years went fast, but if I conjure up an image of myself teaching somewhere at that time, it seems like 25 years ago. Not being a very introspective person, I think, change-wise, I still hone away at material to its generic core, trying to see what and where that core could fit in the other subjects I try to pass on.

In these ten years I still try to get people to experiment through options and select their favorite 8 to 10, or 12 favorite ‘self defense” things for most of the problem-solving that fits their world. But as I age (in my 60s), I now tell people to review their list every 8 or so years to see of they can still do their favorites well enough and maybe consider some changes.

These last years though, I start all sessions off with a speech that includes, “nothing I, or we will do, will be perfect. Everything we do will have a counter.” Just to get the right mindset that we are going to exercise though a variety of options. This bit of truth gets a chuckle from some smart folks and shocks others because they think martial system “heads” and ringleaders are there to deliver “magic bullets” to all attack problems.

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?

I started out in the 1970s just looking for a job that was exciting and didn’t bore me. The military and police work. There was a slow osmosis in police work, a whole collection of events from crime to car wrecks, that made me mature up and realize that police work was important. But it took awhile. And then, way too late in life, I realized how important militaries are and could be. It would be hard for me to pick one or two deep things, emotional things because so many bad things happened to me that if I try to pick one or two, my mind flips from one to the next, to the next. Ugly, ugly and more ugly. And I dislike visiting the memories, really. I don’t even want to visit the Army bases and cities I worked in, because there are so many bad memories at so many locations.

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?

Weekly. I think about quitting weekly, but I can’t because it is my job. People will say to me:

“It must be great, traveling around the world and doing your passion. Where is your favorite place to go?” My quick answer is “home,”…and, this? This…ain’t my passion.

I do a fair number of interviews and many don’t get “published,” because my answers don’t fit their anticipated mold. One of the “moldy” questions recently was – “Martial arts. How did you first discover this passion?”

I said that that was hard for me to answer that question the way it was posed. It was hard for me to include the word “passion” in with a dead customer on the floor from a bank robbery. Or, a soldier gutted in some trench. Or a wife stabbed in the chest. Somebody’s jaw broken. It soon became apparent to the martial arts interviewer that I had a completely different view than what he perceived “passion and martial arts life” to be. So, another interview disappeared off the charts.

And I do grow impatient with people in the business. You know, now I am “60s-stupid.” I was REALLY stupid when I was in my 20s. I was still stupid, but less so in my 30s. In that progression I was 40s-stupid. Then 50s-stupid. Stupid about life and fighting. In my 60s, I am still stupid but not as stupid as I was. I know stupid and I can recognize it. I am constantly seeing and hearing stupid stuff from the various decades of ages in this business. Hearing the testosterone-driven, bad-mouthing criticisms about everyone and everything.

Quitting or not, I have an odd and unexplainable interest in…for lack of a better word, “tactics.” I don’t know why. I am like a hoarder, obsessed, drawn to the ways of fighting big and small. It is not fun. It is not a hobby. It is not a passion. It is unhealthy and I recognize that. But I’ve seen stuff and I know stuff. Next, people asked me what stuff I’ve learned. Next thing, I am teaching the stuff. Next thing, I am making more money teaching that stuff than at police work. Crazy money compared to the low-paying police job. A fool would not and could not do both. Next thing, I am teaching stuff, 40 times a year all over. I don’t really know how this happened? I didn’t plan it. I didn’t want it. I just kept moving forward week to week. Now, 18 years have passed by. I am really too old to do much else at this stage of my life, except maybe write.

Q 4. Do you feel you were proverbially ‘born’ to do what you do, that this was your calling? 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 am, I think, first and foremost a writer. Second, a detective. Third, maybe this fighting stuff? I was probably born to be a writer. It’s a music I get. I have an ear for it. And I can stand the painful labor of it all. Being a detective, not so much a patrolman but an investigator was a natural for me, both in the military and in Texas. But it was exhausting work, with a toll. Through time, I did grow very tired of people’s problems. Day after day, month and year after year, people’s problems. After 26 years I’d had enough of it. I never was a social worker type. I use to joke that victim’s were mere vessels for me to get my hands around the throats of criminals. But it was half a joke. Victims of various tragedies wore me to a frazzle.

I do wish I had just played baseball. I honestly did have potential in my teens. Imagine living your life going out on a green field everyday and playing a slow game of baseball. I really don’t like to watch baseball, but loved playing ball. Yeah. Baseball.

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.)

Being an obsessive hoarder, I know it has. But, when I was a Texas detective for 17 years, I fit the classic stereotype. Nothing personal stood in my way when working cases. Lots of things fell by the wayside. Here these last 18 years of my traveling and teaching, my kids are grown and busy, and my wife (now 3rd which tells you something right there) is in on this business too, so we are very close and she gets the time and the effort.

Q 6. Do you have any regrets at all? If yes, which is the one that haunts you the most?

Loads. (I still have one unsolved homicide from the 1980s!) But, looking back on this particular path? I should have rejoined the Army in the Army Reserves, a few years after I got out, and had a few years in Texas policing, I should have joined the Reserves. The Army Reserves really bend over backward to get you in and keep you in and happy. It’s the Reserves! I could gotten Warrant Officer schools, CID/FBI schools, so much and in 25 plus years, jeez, Now? I would be “set” by now. Oh, I would have deployed overseas about 4 or 6 times, but at six months clips and that’s ok with me. People can retire from the Reserves. I have a retirement from the police department which is not much, and then that extra Army Reserves retirement on top to boot would have been great? Plus, I could have kept a hand in that military “game,” and contributed something to the cause.

Then of course, there are a long series of smaller regrets, -“WHY did I sell all my 1950s and 1960s comic books in the 70s? If I had simply saved them? I’d be rich!” -“WHY didn’t I train martial arts when I was in Korea?” -Baseball? Did someone mention baseball already? -on and on.

Q 7. What are your proudest moments/achievements in both your private and professional lives?

Solving some murder cases, getting convictions, are most satisfying, especially solving the “mystery” ones. So many murders are committed with easily identified, emotional suspects. But ones without this solution are way harder. A mystery. Solving these murders are the big leagues of policing. I have won those Superbowls. I have even caught a hit man, and seriously helped capture two serial killers.

Getting my second novel, My Gun is My Passport, published, and then getting an award for it was very cool. As far as the fighting business? A few small ones. I guess teaching in the one South African Police Academy was very unique. Kick boxing with, and then being able to beat one of my best, earliest and important instructors Ray Medina back in the 1980s was a personal landmark for me. I did raise two kids into functioning, adults with professional jobs. And that ain’t hay! My Knife/Counter-Knife book is a beauty, I think. The big, oversized hardcover, with over 1,000 how-to color photos. I still love the look and feel of it. Lots of work.

It is important not to let these things go to your head. Never take yourself too seriously. As Julius Caesar first said, then Patton said, “all glory is fleeting.” I believe that it’s not what you’ve done, it’s what you are about to do that makes you vital and important. Kevin Pollak, the actor, comedian, writer and director says, “if you’re waiting, you ain’t creating.” (And…all that kind of talk)

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?

They think I am an oddity. I usually hide it for as long as I can. I am on a whole lot of plane flights and people, like at events and gatherings and parties and so forth, like to ask “what do you do?” If I tell people the truth? They act impressed, but like I am a freak, or super soldier, but I myself, can’t see how they could possibly believe me. I mean, if a stranger told me they did what I did, I wouldn’t believe them. So, I dodge it. I started telling people years ago I sold insurance, thinking that was boring enough, but it was a mistake. EVERYONE has insurance problems and this just lead to more and more conversation. Next, I told people that I traveled a lot, scouting locations for Long John Silver’s, for future, fast food locations. This is a going-nowhere conversation piece. A dead end. They look at you, sometimes with pity, and then change the subject.

I am not a rah-rah person about this fighting stuff, which is a huge detriment to my business, I know this. I do what I have to do to stay afloat. Now you want to talk about my books and writing? Watch out! Step back! Here it comes! I won’t shut up.

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?

Low expectations! Seriously, I don’t preach much at all. I don’t expect much of myself or other people either. If I suddenly discover an hypocrisy in my doctrine, I fix it immediately.

One professional snafu I still get in is that I still teach Filipino martial arts when requested. I don’t push the subject, but I do have a ton of time and grade in it. Parts of arts can contradict my major battle plan that I preach and teach, creating a problem, but, if hired out for the event, I sing the golden-oldies. And I realize it really is just an interest and a hobby for so many people. It’s fun, addictive and its exercise and makes people happy. The real benefits are abstract. They are interested in the history, the look and feel of it, like some people like Corvettes or the Boston Red Sox. So, I am there with a big smile on.

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?

Probably dead. What’s the average age of death? 75? I got about 12 years left. And the 70s are a rough decline, whew! I’ll fight it back, but man! I hope to be retired sooner than that, collecting all the money I sent in to Uncle Sam, and writing international, bestselling novels and non-fiction stories, made into movies, in which I will have brief cameos like Stan Lee.

But right now, I will continue to chug along. Make the gigs I promised to make. Chisel the material I am obsessed to chip away on, like the hoarder than I am. It seems like I live my life in 6 months chunks, 6 at a time. I see and worry about the next 6 month schedule more than the distant future. I worry about those 20 some-odd gigs I have to go in the next six months. What will I do? How will I get there? How will I advertise them best? What’s the best way to do all things?

Personally, in the coming years, I just want to hang out with my wife now and even more so in the future. Unless, you know, all those movie cameos keep me too, too busy.

Hock’s webpage is www.ForceNecessary.com. His email is Hock@HocksCQC.com. He currently teaches hand, stick, knife and gun tactics in about 40 seminars a year in 13 allied countries. His latest non-fiction book is “Don’t Even Think About It” Confessions and Memories of a Former Military and Texas Lawman, Private Investigator and Body Guard.

 

Int. #1: Inside the Heart of Mark Hatmaker

Hatmaker headshotMy first Interview is with Mark Hatmaker, he is the owner and operator of Extreme Self Protection a clearinghouse of old school Boxing, Wrestling, Combination Man (the original MMA athlete), conditioning, and pragmatic street-defense information.

He is the author of over 15 books and over 175 training videos and counting.

For more information visit his site at www.extremeselfprotection.com

 


 

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 single biggest change for me over the past decade in both my personal and professional life is giving up on the concept of certainty. What I mean by that is that the older I get (I’ll flatter myself and call it wisdom when it might be nothing more than early onset senility) the less I am impressed or enthused about set systems, fixed curriculums, dogmatic answers in all domains not just martial arts/self-defense. Canned philosophical answers, rote religious tropes, ready-made political wisdom and all the rest strike me as being as little behind the curve.

Not to say that each of these answers may (or may not) hold some aspect of truth to them, just that they often seem to be intellectual holding places, excuses to stop growth and to assume a mantle of comprehension where none may exist. Most things in life are far more chaotic or dependent on chance than I assumed in my younger years. The more and more I grasp/embrace the randomness of life and complex systems the more it seems that I can get a little better glimpse of what might be useful-or my best guess at useful.

For a lengthy digression on this topic see the works of Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Many ballpark his work as primarily belonging to the realm of financial observation, but I think he would disagree with that assertion. I myself find the philosophy of randomness is applicable to almost any and all areas of my life.

As for how it directly affects my teaching, I don’t dig set curricula at all, particularly in self-defense work. Instead I see greater wisdom in providing loose-templates of response choices, putting the athlete through a variety of stress drills and observing what movement patterns manifest for them and then play to their idiosyncratic strength. I find far greater success with this stress-culling process than me arbitrarily trying to overlay skill-sets on another individual.

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?

In regard to the first question, there was no triggering event to spark an “Ah, so this is how things really are” but since assuming this “the world is primarily random” stance I’ve had more than a few experiences that seem to confirm that we/I/everyone don’t really at a serious level understand the world we live in.

A simple enough experiment is to record all of your own predictions, everything from how much you think you’ll enjoy a vacation, to if this season of Justified will be any good, really any and all predictions. A habit of doing this has led me to reveal that I really have no idea for the most part of what I will think or do in this world. Keep in mind this is me predicting myself, presumably a subject I should have expert knowledge of.

I carry this experiment over into my observations of friends and family (privately, of course, no sense in saying “Man, you sure are wrong a lot”) and have noticed how often what others say, do, predict about this or that other person or event turns out to be so far off base. Even in light of our personal horrible prediction records, we carry on making predictions and taking them seriously.

If I’m getting too far into the weeds with this conversation feel free to ask me to clarify or shut up.

Q3. 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?

You know I’ve not thought about quitting. I’ve had more than a few injuries that gave me pause to wonder how long this feeble body can do what it does, but at the cognitive “want to” level, I haven’t considered quitting, not yet.

Q4. Do you feel you were proverbially ‘born’ to do what you do, that this was your calling? 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?

Keeping in my mind my “belief” in chance, I really see very little aspects of my life that were the result of a direct plan. On one hand I can look over my life and see a direct line that seems to say “Yeah, this was destined, this event led to this therefore this” but that is most likely narrative fallacy.

I didn’t’ choose my parents, the country I was born into, my native language, where my parents lived, the myriad random influences that went into roiling around in my noggin that stewed into making me what I am. I sincerely think that much of life is chance and we respond to it as it occurs and it is only in hindsight often that things look a bit more linear.

Q5. How has your work affected your personal life in regards to the relationships with those outside our field/profession? (Professional, personal, familial, romantic, etc.)

I really can’t say I’ve seen any negative impact at all. I’m really at net gain, I’ve met some exceptionally kind, generous, lovely human beings within this field that have gone on the become friends outside of training. No complaints at all.

Q6. Do you have any regrets at all? If yes, which is the one that haunts you the most?

Regrets. Absolutely. Everyday. Fortunately most of them are in the small “r” version of the word regret. Any day I do what might be a time-wasting activity, a space-filler as opposed to doing something real, not always necessarily productive, well, that would be a small “r” regret.

Taking things, and people for granted always looms large in my mind. I like to think I’ve got my head wrapped around the appreciation habit but back-sliding is easy.

I find what helps me to keep on track is not to ask myself what it is I would like to do tomorrow as we always get grandiose with future plans and forget that more than likely we will manufacture excuses, instead I ask myself “What do I wish I did yesterday?” That question is a tonic that reminds me to correct regrets before I regret them if that makes any sense.

Q7. What are your proudest moments/achievements in both your private and professional lives?

Professionally, I’ve been mighty fortunate. Whether it be projects in the works, or projects that come to fruition, or the friendships I’ve made, or the “Hey, this is fun” look on someone’s face as they are training-I really dig all of that. We’re all essentially grown-ups “playing karate” I fail to see why we should take any of it seriously. Don’t get me wrong, train hard, yes indeed. Make it a serious hard-assed affair with all the fun sucked out of it. Seems a big mistake to me.

Personally, my wife, my daughter, life in general. I don’t like to use the word pride here as to me pride connotes that I had something to do with an effort, that I have earned a share in some success. I do like to use the word impress as it seems to get closer to how I feel when I look at the precious people in my life. I’m impressed with who they are and their accomplishments and reactions to the world and that in turn makes me mighty glad to have them in my life.

Q8. 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?

It honestly rarely, if ever, comes up. I’m not a shop-talk guy. They know what I do for a living, I know what they do for a living and there it lies. I really don’t see what I do as being any different from a guy who works at a muffler shop, with the exception that that guy can fix a muffler and I can’t.

Q9. 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?

If we’re talking professionally-I’m pretty consistent. If we’re talking personally maybe 60/40 (that 60% being the bad side). I really do see life as pretty much a random process, one that can be responded to with grace, honor, appreciation, and humility, but despite how much I find predictions/assumptions/unwarranted judgements off-base more often than not I still can’t seem to completely give up making unfounded guesses.

In the areas of mundane things this doesn’t matter-for example, “I don’t’ think I like goat-cheese, oh, wait its pretty good.” Where it is a horrible habit is to see another human and judge a book by its cover, to make assumptions. Categorizing and labeling another human strikes me as devaluing and demeaning and I have to admit I don’t have this licked yet.

Q10. What now? Where do you go from here? Where do you see yourself in 10, 20 years both on a personal and professional level?

Prepare for a disappointing answer. I really have no idea. I no longer make long-term plans. Yes, I sock money away for “retirement” whatever that will mean in my case. I make grocery lists, I make monthly training schedules, I’ll outline a book or project I’m working on but I do zero “In 5 years I will have a pony-tail and have earned my helicopter license” plans.

I guess this makes me a short-term planner and a wait and see-er when it comes to the long-term. I’ll respond to what life throws at me as it really does all the throwing, and assume that I really don’t have too much of a say in the thing until life decides to ask.

Richard, I’ve got to say I really enjoyed this line of questioning. Whether my pseudo-philosophical maundering is of any interest to others I have no idea, but thanks for the opportunity to introspect all the same.

If anyone wants more info on our approach to conditioning, boxing, wrestling, MMA, and street defense go to our websitewww.extremeselfprotection.com and have a browse. If you do have a browse and have any questions about the material, or, hell questions about the above discussion drop me an email mark@extremeselfprotection.com always looking for the next friend.

Have a good one, one and all!

Mark Hatmaker