Think You Know How to Stop School Shootings? Think Again! – Erik Kondo

  School shooting are a problem. Solving this problem requires some type of approach. Here are some commonly discussed and debated proposed solutions in no particular order: Pass stricter gun laws making it more difficult for potential shooters to obtain high powered weapons. Pass stricter laws on gun magazines making it more difficult for shooters … [Read more…]

The T.A.B.B.E. Test – Erik Kondo

There a few things that create more commentary than instructional videos of self-defense techniques. The question of whether or not something works is hotly debated. These discussions/arguments rarely follow a logical order. Conclusions are not arrived at. Most comments are repetitive and reductive. The purpose of the T.A.B.B.E. Test is to enable the Peer Review … [Read more…]

Boundary Setting – Rory Miller

I’ve described boundary setting in both ConCom and Scaling Force, but I was recently informed that I haven’t written it down quite the way I teach it. So here goes. Setting a boundary is not a negotiation or a conversation. It is a very different communication mode than most people ever use. This is why most people find … [Read more…]

Criticism ≠ Teaching – Rory Miller

  The last post was laying the groundwork for this one. I thought starting with the universally acknowledged evils of micromanagement would make this post more palatable. Instead, Danny Martin gave a very capable defense of an unpopular and nearly indefensible position. Truly well done. Jumping into this anyway, because it is important. Criticism is … [Read more…]

The Seven Aspects of Self-Defense: Conclusion

  Resources 1. Ethics and Legalities Facing Violence (Book and DVD) Meditations on Violence Please Understand Me (not germane to violence, but important for teaching models) ConCom Drills Manual – Rory Miller Jack Hoban and Robert Humphrey’s works 2. Violence Dynamics Facing Violence Logic of Violence Drills Manual Marc’s work on the stages of violent … [Read more…]

Seven Aspects of Self-Defense: Introduction

  The Seven Aspects of Self-defense Whether you are a student, practitioner, or instructor, SD is not a simple set of physical skills. At its best, it is an in-depth understanding of a class of problems, combined with social, mental and physical skillsets to neutralize those problems, whether by prevention or direct action. When we … [Read more…]