Canines employed by the military, law enforcement agencies, and protection/security train often in controlled aggression. These dogs practice making their bites stronger, their bodies stronger, and they also get a healthy dose of obedience training with the most important emphasis being the ‘out’. In canine bite work the out means that the dog lets go immediately when commanded by the handler.  This is where the controlled aggression kicks in for the training and real life situations. A trained dog will go all out towards an attacker/criminal but knows when to stop his bite when commanded. I highly suggest you go to youtube and search for K9  Dog Attacks. You will notice on command that K9 dogs dive into their work towards the threat with absolutely no regard to their own well being. These dogs go all out until they are given the out command by their handler, in which they do immediately. These dogs are not much different than our selves, in the sense of our training and what we seek to achieve. The dogs train to offer protection and law enforcement. We train for our own protection and fitness, and we train so that we may better protect our property and loved ones. This sounds very much what protection/law enforcement canines train for. With all of that being said the two things that canines in these field do better than us is the ability to dive into the mix without fear and to know when it’s time to stop on the handler’s verbal command. It’s never a good idea to get into a fight or self defense situation, however when we have no choice we must go into in one hundred percent with ‘going home safe’ being the only thought, and knowing when to shut it down. Sadly, even in self defense situations we can find ourselves on the wrong side of the law. So, it’s very important to know when the threat is no longer a threat, and to stop the confrontation in that moment.  I’ll leave a few youtube links at the bottom of the page. Please enjoy the joy these dogs have in doing their jobs, and the control they have when told to stop doing their job.

Temperatures are warm. The weather is pleasant. The sun is shining. This can be the time of year where members and or martial artists ease up on the throttle. Don’t! Train harder. Train faster. Fact- crime goes up during pleasant weather. Criminals and violent people are typically lazy people. Thus, they, like us, don’t want to do things in the cold or in the rain. As we get more comfortable with the weather— so do they, and they become much more active. We spend more time in public places during the spring and summer and we spend more time outdoors, and so do they. Thus,  we have more opportunities to become targets and possibly victims. We train in Westlake. Granted an extremely pleasant part of Texas. However, with spring break and summer around the corner we will find ourselves traveling more outside of the friendly confines of Westlake. With travels we find ourselves in unfamiliar territories surrounded by people and culture we don’t know. So, travel, have fun, enjoy the weather, and keep training- not only from a fitness stand point, but from a safety stand point as well.

Basic defense against gun review and advanced gun defenses from all directions. One of the most commonly used deadly weapons in violent street assaults is the handgun. This seminar will focus on defense against handguns used in these deadly assaults. Stay tuned for more information to come.
This seminar will be held at our Westlake location: 8100 Bee Caves Road (at The Children’s Center) Westlake, TX 78746 . This seminar is open to Members and guests alike.

The seminar will be Saturday, March 26th from 12noon- 3pm. The cost is $25.00 per person. Current members can attend free if you bring a guest!

Call 512.799.2116 to reserve your spot today!

Like it or not we share our little corner of the world and the entire planet with fellow humans, animals, insects, and plants. As humans we share the road. We share businesses. We share neighborhoods. We share towns and cities. We share the continent. We share the planet. As a martial artist we strive to attain a higher understanding of self defense, fitness, awareness, and mental/spiritual strength. All of this ultimately to give us greater health, and to prepare us for an unknown attacker who may or may not threaten us. But, we are prepared just in case. Time and time again I stumble across the following plot in headlines, movies, novels, and television shows. A person is assaulted, said person screams for help, and the nearby viewing public does not get involved. They turn their ears and eyes off to simply not be involved. In fact, this passerby flight syndrome is so real that most law enforcement organizations tell folks in trouble to yell ‘fire’ instead of screaming for help. Why? Because it is human nature to run and see a fire, but not human nature to run and help. None of us are looking for trouble. When a nearby person screams for help or are being attacked and are in trouble we naturally want to avoid it. This entry does not apply to car wreck victims, heart attack victims, or people in health distress. This entry applies to people being attacked by another person or persons. We should help. We could and can make a difference. But, most of us will not risk our lives to help someone that is being assaulted, raped, murdered, ect.

Let’s pretend I was in the mall parking lot near closing time and I heard and saw a woman being assaulted. My options would be to physically come to her aid, call the cops, or pretend I didn’t notice it. Granted in the era of cell phones most of us would certainly call the cops. However, police response times could be five to fifteen minutes away. Let’s say I ignored it. Let’s say I just got in my car drove away and called the cops. Said victim dies. Would I be able to live with myself? Could anyone live with themselves after allowing a fellow human being attacked and ultimately killed without intervention? If the above scenario did occur I’d like to think I would get involved and come to said victim’s aid. Sure there’s risk. But, there is also risk to my soul if I failed to assist.

As a martial artist I’d like to believe I would help. That I would intervene and try to make a difference. That I would come to the aid of a victim despite the obvious threat to myself. I’d like to believe most of my students would do the same. I believe it is our duty to make ourselves safer, our families safer, and our community safer. We can do so by being aware, by being kind, and helping a person in need. Most predators are seeking the path of least resistance. So, if a person or people do intervene there is a chance said attacker will leave quickly. However, there is a risk, but there is also a risk to our souls if we do nothing.

Cheers,
Jett

In nature aggression is a natural defense mechanism that many prey and predator possess. When we think of aggression in nature it’s quite natural to think of wolves, lions, tigers, and other predators. But, this is not the type of predator aggression I am writing about. Every animal will implement aggression when they themselves, their territory, or their young are in danger. The type of aggression depends on the animal. Wolves, big cats, bears, and other  predators will fight the threat. Deer will fight each other or utilize their outstanding running abilities to escape said threat. That being said, if you approached a buck whom was trapped in a corner who’s only way out was through you- hang onto your seat, because said buck would charge you, lunge at you, attempt to hit you with his his rack or paws. If you’ve ever seen a video of a rodent, or fox, or smaller animal captured in a man mad trap they seem rabid, insane, and terrifying.  Growling, snarling, and screaming for approaching humans or animals to stay away. This is their natural response to life threatening situations. Even a fluffy rabbit can go to town against a threat. So, nature’s way of assisting animals to value their lives, health, and safety is through the aggression switch. I imagine at some point human beings, being a product of nature, were at some point more aggressive than today’s model. More able to fight and defend like a wild and rabid animal. But, over time we have become softer as life gets easier through technology, and we have evolved from our earlier ancestors so that we are more socially correct and accepted. However, aggression in humans still exists, and most predators/criminals when committing a crime are working through some form of aggression. Which, is why everyone else, who lives within the boundaries of society and the law are potential targets. So, for the law biding potential targets/ prey we must learn how to turn the aggression button on when ourselves or our family has been targeted by a violent criminal. Most martial arts bask in form, technique, bloated self defense systems that require a hand held encyclopedia to remember. I believe in form, technique, and self defense. I view martial arts as not only system of self defense, but as a system of enhancing one’s self. So, technique, form, mental strength, are a big part of the martial artist’s journey. However, what most programs fail to teach is the that when one is attacked her technique, focus, accuracy will suffer. Most schools do not allow drills and curriculum  which allow one to develop, enhance, and utilize the aggression switch, which could also be called the “go nuts moment so you go home safe”.  One thing I like to share with my students when we are working on these all out pounding on the pads drills is to visualize a wild animal backed into a corner. Visualize the growling, the snarling, and the rabid and wild state animals will do when at risk and do have a flight option.  Criminals are looking for the path of least resistance. If you can turn on the aggression switch and go off I believe your chances of going home safe are greatly improved.  So, developing the wild aggression switch is as important as learning how and where to strike, and how to defend against surprise attacks be it chokes, grabs, or strikes. Find the wild animal in you and learn to build the ferocity and the aggression so that you can turn it on in a time of need. Usually, the prey is smaller or less prepared than the predator. Aggression and knowledge of fighting can and will bring balance to what is naturally an imbalance. Bottom line is to be aware, never think it cannot happen to you, develop aggression, learn how to fight and defend and don’t feel bad about handing a predator his butt so that you can go home safe. It can happen to anyone, anytime, and anyplace. Be prepared.

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