Category: Self-Defense

5 REASONS TO ATTEND AN IN-PERSON SEMINAR

5 REASONS TO ATTEND AN IN-PERSON SEMINAR

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMN BY EVAN PERPERIS, A U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES COMBAT VETERAN & A WORLD CHAMPION OBSTACLE COURSE RACER

If you are already committed to Tiga Tactics courses, you may be wondering “why bother coming to a live in person seminar if I’m already getting instructional videos online?” Here’s a list of five reasons why I would attend in person seminars:

 

1) Interaction with other styles/people

When I go to a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) seminar, everyone in the room trains BJJ. When I go to a Jeet Kune Do seminar, they all train Jeet Kune Do. When I go to a Kali seminar, they all — big surprise! — train Kali. But when you come to a Tiga Tactics Combatives seminar, you’ll get to meet people of all different martial arts styles.

I’ve met people whose primary art ranges from Muay Thai to Pencak Silat and Aikido to Mixed Martial Arts. And I’ve met people who have never trained in anything.

That is just what I remember off the top of my head. I not only learn from the seminar but also learn from the other students on why they do techniques a certain way and what are some of the benefits of those styles. It is a truly great exposure to the world of martial arts and a reminder that, if you are an Aikido practitioner, you have more in common with the BJJ competitor than a random person on the street who doesn’t train at all.

 

2) You will walk out the door better

I’ve been through a variety of seminars of different styles. Some are great, some are okay and some I’ll get so much information that, if I can remember one or two techniques, I would consider that a win.

The one guarantee I’ll give you is that if you come to a Tiga Tactics seminar, you will walk out the door better.

It’s not just that you’ll learn new material or technique, you’ll get a chance to drill it and pressure-test it so when you leave, it is now a part of your skillset — something that you can actually apply under pressure. After every single Tiga Tactics seminar, I’ve left feeling more capable on the way out the door at the end of the weekend, something I can’t always say for other in-person training events.

 

3) In-person training is hard to beat.

The video training offered by Tiga Tactics is absolutely great. You can learn, drill, and improve anywhere at any time. You aren’t limited by your access to whatever is in your local area or proximity to a major city.

However, there are some refinements you need to get in person. Having one of the Tiga Tactics instructors provide immediate and face-to-face feedback can help fix reoccurring mistakes you may not even realize you are making.

Furthermore, jumping back to point one, the variety of styles, abilities, and experience provide you with a new host of training partners. This is better than training with the same partner all the time or others who move/train in the same way you do because you attend the same martial arts school.

 

4) Access to experts

Having access to Tiga Tactics staff is a great resource not only for combatives-focused training but also for some specific styles. The depth and breadth of knowledge learned from more than a dozen black belts by the instructors cannot be replicated. It requires a lifetime of effort and you’ll have access to their brains all weekend in a small class setting.

 

5) It’s fun

While all of the above reasons will make you better, this might be the most important reason to come.

In 2023, I wasn’t planning on attending one of the seminars. When I found out co-founder Patrick Vuong would be unable to make it, I adjusted my plans and came out to help teach as an assistant instructor. It was a ton of fun and one of my favorite weekends of the year. Training is fun, and the way Tiga Tactics teaches is not only enjoyable but educational. Don’t just take my word for it though, show up to experience it yourself.

 

If these five reasons aren’t good enough for you, I’m not sure what will be. I can just tell you from personal experience as someone who has been in the military for 20 years and deployed to combat zones for a good chunk of that time, I find value in their courses both in person and online.

For those who are new, it is never too late to start training. For those who have been around a while, you can never get too much work on the basics. Hope to see you at a seminar soon!

Train With A Special Forces Combat Vet

If you want to train with Evan Perperis in person, secure your seat for the upcoming Toolset Training Tour.

He will be a featured guest instructor at the San Francisco stop of this popular seminar series on July 18-19, when he’ll show you how to select, draw, and use an everyday-carry tool for self-protection.

Having been deployed to some of the most dangerous places on the planet and earned instructorships in multiple combat systems, Evan will also share how his experiences shaped his approach to personal protection.

SAVE YOUR SEAT BEFORE IT FILLS
ANALYZING WWII GUTTER-FIGHTING KNIFE WORK

ANALYZING WWII GUTTER-FIGHTING KNIFE WORK

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMN BY EVAN PERPERIS, A U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES COMBAT VETERAN & A WORLD CHAMPION OBSTACLE COURSE RACER

Tiga Tactics has developed a self-defense method distilled from more than a dozen different styles learned by co-founders Dr. Conrad Bui and Patrick Vuong. Long before either of them was born, the now-famous Lt. Colonel W.E. Fairbairn developed a combatives system for training soldiers in World War II based off his experiences with the Shanghai police.

Thanks to YouTube and someone uploading an old copy in Greek, you can now watch some of Fairbairn’s training methodology. I was curious to see how his World War II combatives compared to the Tiga Tactics’ suite of courses, which were developed by Conrad and Patrick after watching hundreds of real attacks captured on closed-circuit TV (CCTV) and cellphone footage.

Here are some overlapping points and some ways that were wildly different:

  • Sophistication Through Simplicity: Fairbairn knew that he didn’t have a lot of time to get young soldiers ready for war. In fact in the video, he cites that he can teach you knife work in “only a half hour.” Tiga Tactics also understands that not everyone wants to be a martial artist taking multiple years to prepare for a possible attack.

    Both systems focus on simplicity in techniques. Rather than teach a dozen steps you won’t remember, both emphasize simplicity to ensure you’ll be able to remember the moves during high stress. For Tiga Tactics, this comes in the form of their Toolbox — which is crucial to getting your strikes into play under pressure or whether you’re stopping a lethal weapon or creating space to draw your own EDC Knife.

  • Shadow-fighting: Most of the video has Fairbairn working solo without a training partner. This is simply shadowboxing or solo training. Tiga Tactics’ methods work best with a partner, but you can still learn many of the moves by yourself in the comfort of your own home through their full lineup of online courses. Tiga Tactics also uses shadowfighting as part of their training progression — an important part of any system that allows you to build muscle memory for all of your techniques.

  • Mindset: In the beginning of the video Fairbairn mentions the importance of mindset by telling the audience the only outcomes are “kill or be killed” (a phrase made famous by one of his successors, Colonel Rex Applegate, who used it as a title of his book). This importance of mindset mirrors many of the mindset training Tiga Tactics teaches — including the motto, “run if you can, destroy if you must.

  • Maintaining Good Base: Fairbairn spends a fair amount of time in the 12-minute video talking about foot placement, balance, and footwork. This is an often-overlooked part of martial arts or combatives training by beginners. Tiga Tactics knows the value of this not only for their EDC Knife course but they have a whole series focused on the importance of maintaining and reestablishing your base through the Antigrappling series.

  • Body Movement Behind the Blade: Whether you have taken EDC Knife, EDC Karambit or Machete Fighting courses, you’ve heard Dr. Conrad talk about the importance of using body mechanics behind the blade. Fairbairn also emphasizes this in his instructional video.

  • Carrying, Drawing, and Repeating: For a 12-minute video, Fairbairn crams a lot in, and if you don’t pay attention you’ll miss some of the important lessons. He briefly mentions where to carry and the importance of drawing directly into a strike. Although glossed over in his video, if you take EDC Knife or EDC Karambit you’ll get plenty of repetitions through the Tiga Tactics methodology of slow, smooth, and fast. Then if you come to an in-person seminar, you’ll get a ton of repetitions often disguised as games or competitions to further refine the one part you will 100% use if you need your blade for self-defense: drawing the tool.

Not every Fairbairn technique transferred over well, including grip on blade and practice rolling the knife in your hands. This runs counter to what Tiga Tactics teaches and the importance of the “death grip” on your blade — because if you lose your grip, you’re (probably) going to die. Although the Lieutenant Colonel later says to grip the knife “viciously,” I think Tiga Tactics’ grip recommendations provide a more stable grasp when pressure tested.

I’m not saying that you should watch Fairbairn’s knife video and use that as your primary method of self-defense. I’m simply saying I think it is interesting to see how far we have come, what principles remain the same, and what has changed over time now that we have more data from things like CCTV showing real attacks.

Watch the 12-minute historic video for free here and then sign up to update the knowledge with Tiga Tactics with their online courses updated for modern times.

Train With A Special Forces Combat Vet

If you want to train with Evan Perperis in person, secure your seat for the upcoming Toolset Training Tour.

He will be a featured guest instructor at the San Francisco stop of this popular seminar series on July 18-19, when he’ll show you how to select, draw, and use an everyday-carry tool for self-protection.

Having been deployed to some of the most dangerous places on the planet and earned instructorships in multiple combat systems, Evan will also share how his experiences shaped his approach to personal protection.

SAVE YOUR SEAT BEFORE IT FILLS
IS CARRYING A BLADE RIGHT FOR YOU?

IS CARRYING A BLADE RIGHT FOR YOU?

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMNIST:
EVAN PERPERIS — A U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES MAJOR (RETIRED) & A CHAMPION OBSTACLE COURSE RACER

Picture this: It’s my first Tiga Tactics in-person seminar after taking most of their online courses. I’m sitting in a room full of martial artists from a variety of disciplines.

Dr. Conrad asks the group, “Who carries a knife for self-defense?” Much to my surprise only about half the hands go up. I’m honestly shocked — I assum it would be 100%. After all, the event is called the EDC Knife Seminar — as in Everyday-Carry Knife Seminar.

Of course, there is no wrong answer. But we went around the room discussing why each person chose to carry or not carry. Looking back now, I found the answers to be very interesting. Here were some of the things people said. They raised some key questions you should ask yourself if you are planning on carrying a blade as tool that can be used for self-protection:

  • Willingness to Use It: The most common reason not to carry an edged tool had to do with mindset. Several people cited that if they were in a self-protection situation (even life or death) they don’t think they would be able to use it.

    If this shocks you, perhaps you haven’t dug into what real life knife attacks look like. When someone uses a knife against another person, it is messy, violent and chaotic. If you aren’t mentally prepared for that, it may be very traumatic.

    It is not like the movies with one stab and the bad guy collapses. Rather, it is often repeated plunges into the flesh resembling a sewing machine or a psycho stab (check out the Knife Defense course if you want to learn the defense against the two most common types of knife attacks).  

    There are knife self-defense situations in which there are 10 or 20 stabs to get the attacker off the victim. Why so many?

    Often the person being stabbed doesn’t realize they are getting stabbed; they assumed they were being punched. However, when they look down do they realize they are being stabbed as they see or feel blood on their body. If the bad guy is truly committed to hurting you, they are going to keep attacking until they are physically unable to continue. This requires more than a single puncture wound. The victim continues to defend with the knife simply because the attacker continues to attack.


  • Fear of Using It: Bouncing off the first reason, some of the attendees cited that they don’t carry one because they have a short temper. I thought this was a very mature decision by martial artists who were OK exposing their own flaws.

    Essentially, they were worried that if they always carried one, they might use it in a situation where it was not 100% necessary.


  • Consequences of Using It: Piggybacking on the first two reasons is the consequences of using it. If you use a blade in self-defense, there is a good chance that you may take the life of your attacker. Can you deal with the psychological trauma of having to go through that?

    (Side note: As an Army Special Forces veteran who deployed to combat zones frequently over my career, I had not even considered this. My coworkers and I crossed that hurdle so far in the past I had forgotten that for most people that is still a big step. Not wrong one way or the other, just something I hadn’t considered in a long time.)

    On the flip side, could you deal with psychological trauma of what might happen if you don’t defend yourself?


  • Lack of Knowledge on Implementation: For those martial artists who didn’t study a bladed art or rookies who never trained in anything, they didn’t have the skillset to effectively employ the tool. Luckily for them they were at a knife seminar and luckily for you, that same information is now available online via the EDC Knife program.


  • Worried About Getting Disarmed: The fifth reason has to do with the requirement to use the tool in close range. Most muggings or street attacks are street ambushes, as evidenced by Dr. Conrad Bui and Patrick Vuong’s research studying security footage.

    This means that the fight starts in the punching, trapping, or standing grappling ranges. When you are that close, there is a saying that “your weapons become our weapons”. This means that you are so close that if you lack the knowledge on implementation along with retention, your own tool can be taken away from you and used against you. Both of these also receive solutions by taking the EDC Knife course.

 

Carrying a blade for self-defense is not for everyone. There are plenty of reasons to carry one and plenty of reasons not to.

However, if you are going to carry something you better know how to use it. This is true for carrying a pistol, a knife, pepper spray, or one of those self-defense keychains (if you choose to go that route).

If you don’t take the time to improve your mindset and skillset via Tiga Tactics online courses, you won’t be able to perform them under pressure. Take the time now and start training today.

"THAT DOESN'T WORK IN REAL LIFE"

“THAT DOESN’T WORK IN REAL LIFE”

Posted on by Patrick Vuong

Well, guess what?

It not only worked in real life, it also saved the lives of 200 people.

“It” being Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — or more specifically the BJJ used to stop an airplane passenger who tried to open an exit door mid-flight.

Last weekend, an intoxicated man on a Frontier Airlines flight tried to open the door, attempted to force his way into the cockpit, then choked an off-duty flight attendant.

Nearby passengers moved away, but not John Longood. 

The former MMA fighter and BJJ black belt jumped into the fray.

Using nothing flashy, he restrained the man, controlled his movement, and kept everyone safe until the plane made an emergency landing.

Here are 3 takeaways:

1. Skill beats strength.
Longood used wrist control, positioning, and experience. In fact, he was so relatively calm in the chaos that he continued to chew his gum throughout the ordeal.

2. Kindness saves lives.
He could have easily dropped elbow strikes or snapped limbs. Instead, the martial artist chose restraint, keeping everyone — including the drunk man — unharmed.

3. You never rise to the occasion.
You fall back to the level of your training. Under stress, you don’t magically become John Wick if your preparation is more like Austin Powers’.

That’s why we practice.

Not because we expect trouble.

Because if trouble finds us, we want options.

At the San Francisco stop of the Toolset Training Tour, you’ll spend two full days developing the practical skills, tactics, and decision-making that matter when things get chaotic, fast, and unpredictable.

But don’t wait. Preregistration closes tomorrow.

Reserve Your Seat at the Toolset Training Tour

Whether you’re a civilian, security professional, or simply someone who takes personal protection seriously, this seminar on July 18-19 will give you the skills to use the tools you have … and under pressure to protect yourself and those you love. 

Sharpen Your Self-Defense Skills
HOW TO SELECT A SELF-DEFENSE FLASHLIGHT

HOW TO SELECT A SELF-DEFENSE FLASHLIGHT

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMNIST:
EVAN PERPERIS — A U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES MAJOR (RETIRED) & A CHAMPION OBSTACLE COURSE RACER

In the past, I’ve talked about why a knife makes an excellent everyday-carry (EDC) tool. However, not all environments allow you to carry a blade — e.g. airport, federal buildings, and cities with restrictive laws.

Furthermore, there are some people who don’t feel comfortable carrying a blade for self-protection for a variety of reasons. There are other choices that include less-lethal options, like a Kubotan or pocketstick. However, if I’m going to carry an object I can use for self-defense, I prefer if it has some other functions, such as a very sturdy pen, a KeySmart-style keychain or, in this case, a flashlight.

Here are a couple of key things I look for when choosing an EDC Flashlight:

  • Sturdiness: While it doesn’t have to be made out of Adamantium (Wolverine’s claws), it should be durable. If I drop my flashlight or hit something with it and it breaks, it is too weak. There’s no hard rule — like, it has to be made out of material X, but it should feel strong and sturdy in your hands.

    I tend to like brands like SureFire, which I know are comfortable with the ruggedness of military usage and are designed to withstand the recoil of being attached to a rifle.

  • Lumens: You want a flashlight that has a bright output. Just like sturdiness, there is not magic number of lumens you are looking for. Furthermore, every flashlight company measures lumens differently so I would only compare the lumens number if you are comparing within the same brand. Additionally, be aware that the brighter the flashlight is, the quicker the batteries will need to be replaced.

    In my opinion, the brighter the better — but there is a tradeoff associated with brightness, and it usually comes at the cost of weight, size, and price.

  • Size: You don’t need the giant Maglite flashlight with three D-cell batteries from the 1980s. (Do they still make those? Google tells me they do.) I need something I can carry in my pocket and not have it be uncomfortable or weigh me down.

    Personally, I like ones with a carry clip just like a folding knife. This means all my repetitions where I practice drawing a folder under pressure will transfer over better than if I have to pull my flashlight out of a pouch. For flashlights, I want it to extend just slightly beyond my hand with a closed grip. This means the striking edge sticks out the bottom, but not so far out the bottom that someone else could grab it and pry it away from me.

  • Single-Hand Activation: Your flashlight should be able to be activated one handed. This means if it is a twist flashlight, I would put it back on the shelf. Button- or switch-activated flashlights will depend on the placement of the button. Since I like to hold my flashlight in a reverse or icepick-style grip, I want the activation button near the back of the flashlight.

  • Not Too Aggressive: You can buy some flashlights with crazy beveled edges in the front that look more like a weapon than my knife. Chances are, if you are buying something like that, authorities won’t let you carry it anywhere that doesn’t allow self-defense tools. Instead, I like something with a slight edge but little or no bevels on the front.

  • Fits Well in My Hand: Finally, my EDC flashlight needs to fit in my hand well. The grip can’t be too slippery, the thickness can’t be too thick or too thin, and I need to be able to put my thumb on the tail of it. If it has a sharp tail cap (more of a problem with tactical pens than flashlights) it is of little use. The last thing I want to do is strike something and my thumb takes more damage than the target.

As with anytime I talk toolset for Tiga Tactics, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of getting the right mindset and skillset for implementation.

For Tiga Tactics, they have a specialized course that focuses on EDC Flashlight that I highly recommend taking. It not only talks flashlight selection as well as uses for striking, but also for using it as its primary purpose: to illuminate the unknown in the dark.

A KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION IN CHAOS

A KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION IN CHAOS

Posted on by Patrick Vuong

A kindergarten graduation in Ohio was cancelled last week after a massive brawl broke out between parents.

One woman was hospitalized.

Another was arrested for felonious assault.

The scrap was over seats, according to reports. Words were exchanged. Tempers flared. 

Then hair was pulled, punches were thrown, and people were shoved down.

“I never in a million years would have thought that would happen at a kindergarten graduation ceremony,” said Craig Mays, a parent who said he was suckerpunched then stomped on by multiple people.

This is why situational awareness and emotional discipline matter.

Our top 3 takeaways:

1) Social aggression often starts small.
Not with elaborate plans or a weapon being brandished, but with a look, a cuss word, or even just a perceived slight. Essentially, it’s ego, entitlement, and escalation. 

2) Crowds change behavior.
After one person loses emotional control, others often follow. Mob mentality is real, and it happens fast.

3) Discretion is a self-defense skill.
The ability to recognize nonverbal cues, manage distance, and regulate emotions can keep situations from spiraling.

This is exactly why we train.

Not to become paranoid.

Not to become aggressive.

But to become calmer under pressure, harder to intimidate, and more capable when chaos erupts.

If you want practical training for handling uncertainty and violence, join us for the San Francisco stop of Toolset Training Tour on July 18-19.

This is not theory-based martial arts choreography.

This is training built around:

  • Awareness and prevention
  • Analysis of real-world attacks
  • Ethical decision-making under stress
  • Practical tactics and techniques rooted in reality

Whether you’re new to training or experienced, this seminar will sharpen the way you think about personal protection.

Get Real-World Training here
"I DON'T NEED TRAINING, I HAVE..."

“I DON’T NEED TRAINING, I HAVE…”

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMNIST: Evan Perperis, a U.S. Army Special Forces Combat Vet, Shares His Thoughts on a Common Excuse We Hear

 

I’ve heard it more times than I can count, and I’ve seen people imply it even more than that.

“I don’t need to train, I’ll just shoot them”.

“I don’t need to train, I’ll just stab them.”

“I don’t need to train, I’ll just use this” [while holding up the latest self-defense gimmick].

They buy a gun along with getting a concealed carry permit, and they think the problem is solved. Perhaps it’s a can of pepper spray instead. Or a spiked self-defense keychain hangs from their keys.

In a country that tends to value physical solutions over mental ones, this is not surprising — but the logic is flawed.

Here are some key reasons why the logic of “I don’t need training, I have this” fails.

1) Most attacks start in ambush range: Dr. Conrad Bui and Patrick Vuong have analyzed hundreds of real-life attacks available via security camera and cellphone footage. One of the constants is that most attacks start very close. This means if you don’t have your hand on your self-defense tool when the attack starts you are going to have to fight your way to a position that allows you to employ your tool.

2) People don’t practice with their tool: Most of the people I know who own self-defense keychains never practice with them. Ever. They’ve never activated their pepper spray, which means they may not be familiar with the basics including things like removing the safety. It also means they probably don’t understand that it is an area weapon. Yes, you’ll get the bad guy, but also be prepared for some of that spray to blow back in your face.

If it is a striking tool, they don’t practice hitting with it, which means things like range, angle, level, and timing — all necessary to properly employ a hit with a striking weapon — are probably underdeveloped. Additionally, if you’ve never hit something hard with your self-defense tool, are you sure it isn’t going to hurt your own hand when you employ it under stress?

3) The ability to deploy a tool requires basic fundamentals learned via martial arts: Piggybacking off the end of the last paragraph about fundamentals like range, angle, level and timing, if you don’t train any sort of striking art on a regular basis, you probably can’t do any of those things well.

This is why although Tiga Tactics is my primary base for how I approach self-defense even though I continue to train in other styles, including striking and grappling arts.

4) Many people are never pressure tested in any form: Finally, many of these people never pressure test anything. If the most pressure you’ve felt in the last year is speaking in a public setting at work or an angry email from a boss, you probably don’t have the mental adaptability to deal with an attacker when they are already attacking you.

There isn’t one solution to pressure testing, but doing things under mental and physical duress with an elevated heart rate that is stressful and requires thinking is the goal. In the military they do this frequently, if you train martial arts and your school does tests for rank or sparring, you will get this as well.

In the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community, we have a list of five SOF truths, one of which is “humans are more important than hardware.” There are multiple meanings to this phrase but part of it is you need to invest in yourself and the software (mindset/skillset) that allow you to do difficult things.

The tool on your keychain is simply that, a tool. If you lack the rest of the pyramid of personal protection to effectively employ it, you might as well leave the tool at home. In the military we preach don’t take something into combat that you haven’t tested and trained with. I think the same is true for civilians training for self-defense. Start by taking some courses like Sharper Knife, Sharper Mind, Fighting Chance Combatives and EDC Knife. You’ll find the skills you learn in those are good not only for employing a knife but for any self-defense item.

THIS LAW DIDN'T SAVE HER — WOULD YOU BE READY?

THIS LAW DIDN’T SAVE HER — WOULD YOU BE READY?

Posted on by Patrick Vuong

OUR CO-FOUNDER PATRICK VUONG DISCUSSES WHY LAWS DON’T SAVE YOU

 

The Laken Riley Act was recently signed into law — but will do no good for its namesake.

That’s because Laken Riley was murdered while going for a morning run at the University of Georgia’s Oconee Forest Park almost a year ago this month.

The last person the 22-year-old nursing student contacted was her mother.

“Good morning,” she texted her mom. “About to go for a run if you’re free to talk.”

  • At 9:03 a.m. Riley called her mother, but she didn’t answer.
  • At 9:11 a.m. Riley called 911.
  • At 9:12 a.m. the 911 operator called her back twice. No response.
  • At 9:28 a.m. her heart stopped, according to her smartwatch.
  • At 12:38 p.m. police found Riley’s body in a wooded area in the park.

“She fought for her life. She fought for her dignity,” said prosecutor Sheila Ross during the trial against Riley’s killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra of Venezuela.

The 26-year-old undocumented migrant was eventually convicted of murder, along with 9 other charges including kidnapping and aggravated assault with intent to rape.

But I’m not going to get into the wider immigration debate. Instead, I want to narrow it down to personal protection.

After all, Riley did everything a jogger is supposed to do to stay safe.

She shared her iPhone location with her roommates. She went out in broad daylight. And she ran with her phone in her hand.

And yet she was STILL beaten with a rock and strangled to death.

This is a tragic reminder that doing “the right things” might still not be enough to save you.

Calling 911 won’t save you.

Laws won’t save you.

Ultimately, only YOU can save you.

That’s why we’re hosting the Runners Guide to Self-Defense Webinar on February 23.

This exclusive 1-hour online event will feature retired Special Forces soldier and Obstacle Course Racing world champion Evan Perperis, who will reveal what you can do to avoid, deter, and defend against a violent attack while you’re outside training or hiking.

You’ll discover key lifestyle choices, on top of learning fight-stopping techniques, that can safeguard you and your loved ones.

And don’t think you need to be a jogger to attend.

Essentially, if you walk in public — and who doesn’t? — you and your loved ones will benefit from this virtual seminar.

Click here now
DEEP DIVE INTO THE SLOGAN, “RUN IF YOU CAN. DESTROY IF YOU MUST™

DEEP DIVE INTO THE SLOGAN, “RUN IF YOU CAN. DESTROY IF YOU MUST™

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMNIST: Evan Perperis, an Army Special Forces Soldier (retired) Shares His Thoughts on Our Motto​

 

Talking with some of my military coworkers — who are the most lethal people I know — we were talking about the spectrum of violence and what happens if we get into a fight.

Where I stand, and where many of the smartest members of the military I know agreed, is I’m going to do everything I can do avoid a fight. Why?

This includes reasons like:

  • I don’t want to seriously hurt someone.
  • I don’t want any additional legal/financial/psychological trouble
  • I don’t know the skill level of the guy I’m fighting (too high and I get hurt, too low and it’s not even fair)
  • I don’t know what model he is operating under (e.g. Is he going to start the fight by stabbing me?)
  • And maybe because it is simply not the nice thing to do.

This means that I’ll do everything to avoid the fight. I’ll be kind, try to deter the aggression, deescalate the brewing conflict and, even if it hurts my ego, I’ll run away.

When all of these have failed and my life or the lives of my family are in danger, we switch to the “destroy if you must.”

Destroying may mean everything up to and including lethal options, if required. It is not something I’m looking to do, want to do or am seeking, but is a part of being a protector (like a member of the military or just ethical civilian). Destroying doesn’t always mean lethal; it may just mean preventing the threat from continuing the attack and allowing space for those in danger to get to safety.

The spectrum of violence in real life (excluding training or sport fighting) goes from nothing to serious bodily harm with almost nothing in between. There simply is not a good reason to fight outside of a sportive or training center otherwise.

If you haven’t adopted many of the slogans and life lessons of Tiga Tactics, it is time to start looking at yourself in the mirror. Then think through the long-term consequences and 2nd/3rd order effects that may come from being too aggressive.

You’ll find if you stick to Tiga Tactics mindset, you’ll hopefully never have to use the skillset and toolset portion of the Pyramid of Personal Protection.

Run If You Can, Destroy If You Must™ (merchandishe now available here)

THE WORST SELF-DEFENSE ADVICE?

Posted on by Patrick Vuong

OUR CO-FOUNDER PATRICK VUONG DISCUSSES ONE OF THE MOST HOLLOW ADVICE HE'S HEARD FROM SO-CALLED EXPERTS.

“Just run.”
 
This is among the worst self-defense advice I’ve heard from so-called experts.
 
And sadly, I’m hearing it a lot more lately because social media has given them a much larger megaphone to spread their nonsense.
 
“Just run” ranks right up there with “Just stand up” in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and “Just shoot ‘em” in the firearms world.
 
If ONLY it were that easy!
 
People who spout such hollow advice have obviously never practiced against a resistant partner, let alone realistically pressure-tested at full speed and power.
 
This is why my co-founder Dr. Conrad Bui and I have the motto, “Run if you can. Destroy if you must.”
 
The second phrase doesn’t necessarily mean taking a life; it could be destroying a bad guy’s intent to harm us or, say, destroying his hand so he can no longer hold a weapon.
 
Evan Perperis knows all too well what “destroy if you must” means.
 
During his two decades in the U.S. Army, this retired Special Forces soldier spent a whopping 44 months deployed to the Middle East.
 
Yet, he still found himself running — literally.
 
Even though he was in the world’s most dangerous war zones, Evan continued to train for Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) events when he wasn’t battling terrorists.
 
Needless to say, this OCR world champion understands how to stay safe while training outdoors.
 
And he’s going to share both his combat expertise and real-world experiences at our Runners Guide to Self-Defense Webinar on February 23.
 
In this exclusive 1-hour online seminar, we’re teaming up with the retired Green Beret to unveil how to:

  • Avoid the most common (and deadly) mistakes while working out.

  • Develop a training plan that will deter criminals.

  • Make small adjustments to gear and apparel for maximum safety.

 
There will also be a Q&A segment so you can ask him anything and get candid answers from a combat veteran.
 
This live-streaming event will enhance your personal protection skills — regardless if you’re an athlete, a hiker, or even just a walking enthusiast.
 
If you register by Valentine’s Day, you’ll not only lock in the best price but also receive lifetime access to a recording of the webinar.
 
But don’t wait, because attendance will be capped.

Click here to reserve your slot now