As far as Self Preservation goes we are simply looking for the truth of the matter!!! Generally there are no "street fights" per se. There are "assaults." When we are under the pressure of an assault we must rapidly "counter assault" our attacker, not "fight" with him! We need high probability tactics (which are generally gross motor functions) and progressive training methods to develop those tactics. It's not about fighting!!! A fight is when two people square off and mutually agree to exchange blows. You have to know your best options and you must have a delivery system to execute those options. So our goal is "Counter Assault." We can fight in all the ranges (kicking-punching-CQB/clinch-grappling), and with sticks, knives, improvised weapons, OC (pepper) Spray and firearms. We also learn to move in and out of all these ranges/options.

The goal is always escape. We are not trying to “win”. To actually win you generally have to make your opponent give up. We are stopping the threat and creating a window of opportunity to remove ourselves from the situation. All the while being prepared to submit the attacker if needed.

We are not talking about self defense here. Self defense is a limited response to a limited threat. Self Preservation is training to counter an assault anywhere, anytime, with anything, against anyone, under any circumstances.

If you do not train for the self defense situations you may be confronted with you have a low probability of being able to deal with those situations. This is not referring to a person looking at you funny or cursing your mother. Nor are we looking at two persons having a heated argument which escalates into one putting the other in ahead lock until he “gives.” I’m talking about things like:

*Someone moving at you, grabbing you, unloading punches at you and then bouncing your head off the sidewalk.

*Someone asking you the time and hitting you as you look at your watch.

*An intruder in your home at 2:00am.

*A full blown attack on a loved one, or the innocent, where you must intervene.

Basically it boils down to dealing with spontaneous violence imposed upon you by people who want to hurt you for any given reason. This is not generally done by persons of equal size. It is usually larger/stronger persons looking for a victim not a challenge. Multiple and /or armed attackers is also the norm.

Your goal in this circumstance is to simply “stop the violence.” In order to do that you are going to need the following:

*Training and development of high probability tactics (Unarmed and weapons).

*Some level of physical fitness (Usually gained through training the tactics and light supplemental training).

*Mindset (A basic understanding of pre-fight and fight psychology).

The primary purpose/intent of the Center for Self Preservation Training is to take the individual on a temporary/permanent excursion in the reality of combat. The advent of modern "No Holds Barred" fighting has changed the face of martial arts forever. However, the application of both lethal and non lethal force must be part of your training. As well as functional training methods. We have helped men and women from all walks of life to better understand this and to develop their true potential for self preservation.

Demi Barbito and Pat Young from the CSPT.