Q. What is your training ideology?

A. Most people do not come in with a game plan. If they do, I evaluate it and counsel them on whether or not it is an appropriate direction for the goal they have set. For example if someone comes in and says “I want to learn Brazilian Jui Jitsu”, I ask them why. If they say “for self defense” I tell them about the limitations of only being able to fight on the ground. However, if they have a good stand up game and want to add the ground to it that’s another story. When someone has no prior experience and they are looking to train something that they can use to defend themselves I like to start people off with a “best options” empty hand structure. Even when they have experience in other arts, traditional, sport, combat or otherwise I like the “best options” idea as a first step. Teaching people to avoid or escape, how to recognize threats before they materialize, how to move, how to hit, close the gap and fight in close range is my mainstay. Then we move on to clinch, ground, the basics of weapons, firearms, bladed, impact, projectile, white light etc. and then the integration of all those elements working together. All of this takes most people twelve to eighteen months of serious training. Within that time frame most people develop a good degree of familiarity and proficiency in each area. Now, if I would have suggested that they learn kickboxing for those twelve to eighteen months they would only have a very limited number of options to work with in worst case scenarios. Another area of consideration is that most people do not train for extended periods of time. It’s rare to find individuals willing to put in years of training. If a person does commit to long term training that’s when we develop each area to the highest level that person is able to perform at. In reality most people train for about one to six months. I need to provide them with the best, most functional material I can in that time.

Q. What if a person does not want to learn clinch, ground, firearms etc?

A. That’s what “best options” are all about. Learning a small set of effective tools that can be trained and developed over a short period of time proportionate to what the individual is willing to put into it. I will train people in whatever elements they desire but I will encourage them to venture into the totality of Self Preservation.

Q. What do you feel is the single most neglected area of training?

A. Home defense. Most people do not have a basic plan of action for a home invasion scenario. Two intruders with weapons at 0: Dark Thirty is not something you can handle with good boxing. People do not realize that the goal is not to beat these guys, it’s to keep yourself, the wife and the kids safe. You need to think some things out in advance: the use of firearms, tele/cell phones, personal combat lights, safe rooms, architecture etc.

Q. Where do you stand on firearms?

A. I am not only a firearms instructor, I am an advocate. The right to keep and bear arms is not available to a large part of the world population. U.S. citizens are fortunate that this right was secured for them. I would never hinder any law abiding citizen from owning a firearm. Adding special fees to gun purchases, having a waiting period and charging for mandatory state safety training is wrong. It’s wrong because some people cannot afford it. This hinders them from exercising their “right” to keep and bear arms. Notwithstanding that, imagine if someone said you had to take a special class, and pay for it, before you could vote. I do strongly encourage all current and would be gun owners to get “quality” training. Safety, handling, marksmanship, tactics etc. Good firearms training does not cost, it pays. I’ve come across numerous individuals who do not think they need training simply because they have “owned” a gun for X number of years. Or they tell me they’ve been shooting since they were five. All I can say to them is “That’s great Bob, but there is a world of difference between shooting and fighting with a firearm.”

Q. Why can’t certified instructors open CSPT secondary facilities?

A. Because they are not me. They need to stand on their own abilities, policies, procedures and innovations. Most certified instructors do not do exactly what I do, exactly how I do it. They do not have the same resources I have. The CSPT started five years ago. Before that things were only part time and my clients were all local. Currently I have law enforcement and private clients coming in from all over the world. We produce our own instructional DVDs and sell them worldwide to professionals and average everyday people. I could not have done that by being any ones “secondary facility”. I want the instructors I certify to succeed as well.

Q. What do you think about instructional videos?

A. I like’em. We try to produce high quality, information intensive programs on DVD. Information is “martial currency”. That’s what people are paying for. Video is another way to get that information. The viewer must “do” something with that information however. Instructional videos also allow people to see things they would have never been able to see otherwise due to an inability to afford training programs, work schedules etc. They can be very useful resources. I started my venture into the martial arts world in the late 80’s by watching an instructional video.

Q. Why don’t you like traditional martial arts?

A. Because it’s largely ineffective nonsense. It’s dated technology. The lack of functional technique and training methods. The so called “master-student” relationship. The “image” of effectiveness. The pecking order. The fact that 12 year olds can earn black belts (do they still use black belts???). The fact that they actually hit boards and bricks (which do not hit back and do not go after your loved ones). The fact that many instructors treat their students as resources not clients... I could go on all day.

Q. What do you want people to know about Self Preservation training that you think they may not understand?

A. It’s not about winning, it’s about surviving. It’s not about looking good, it’s about keeping your loved ones safe. It’s about being prepared. It’s about being determined. It’s about circumspection, not paranoia. It’s not about the ego. It’s not about being a “tough guy”. Self Preservation is a direction, not a destination. Self Preservation is the art of the every man.