Tag: combatives

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.

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

WHY MALES NEED WOMEN’S SELF-DEFENSE

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMNIST:
EVAN PERPERIS — A U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER & A CHAMPION OBSTACLE COURSE RACER

I’ve been training in various styles of martial arts for several years and spent most of my adult life preparing for and then deploying to combat zones around the world for the U.S. Army.

Despite having significantly more self-defense training than the average person, I recently attended two different spouse/women’s self-defense seminars — one online through Tiga Tactics and one in person offered on a military base by a local martial arts gym.

While you may think it’s not necessary, here’s why I took the time to learn “women’s
self-defense.” As with all things Tiga Tactics, the justification comes in a set of three:

1) They Don’t, So I Do: My sister, wife, and daughter don’t love training in combat or combat sports like I do.

If I tried to teach them all the stuff I learn in the several hours a week I spend in training, not only would it be likely impossible, but they would also lose interest really quickly.

Instead, I wanted to know what others were putting out so I could get the ladies in my family functional as soon as possible.

The same logic not only applies to my wife but other members of my family as well. Whether that be my daughter, my sister, my young son, or my parents. Unless you grew up in a combat-sports family, chances are not everyone you know has the attention span that you do when it comes to fighting.

2) Easy to Learn: In the fitness industry there’s a saying that goes, “The best diet is one that you can stick to and the best workout routine is one that you will regularly do”.

A self-defense program that requires months and years of training to be effective will likely not work for a large percentage of the population.

Instead those looking for self-defense who have a limited attention span need to be taught quickly, at their convenience, and at their own pace.

This is what Tiga Tactics has done with their online programs: allow you to move on your own schedule, at your own pace, as well as let you re-watch programs as many times as needed.

3) Ability to Practice/Re-Train: Even if a style is easy to learn, if your spouse wants to be effective, he or she is still going to need practice or some refresher training.

Training consistently is the best solution and what is most recommended if you want to get better. However, you need to start someplace, and Tiga Tactics gives you an easy way to access information in the comfort of your own home.

Their online course “Fighting Chance Combatives” is something you can view on demand. As digital media, you can re-watch it any time you want as long as you have internet access and a computer or mobile device. 

Tiga Tactics has taken their no-nonsense approach to getting functional ASAP and applied it to self-defense specifically for women or those of smaller stature (get “Fighting Chance Combatives” here).

As a male, I may never have to use some of the tactics and tips shared by the instructors at Tiga Tactics (although a lot more are useful than you would think), but I’m glad I know. Before my daughter grows up and starts venturing out on her own, I’ll be sure to give her these tools to survive, too.

UNLOCK YOUR ACCESS TO "FIGHTING CHANCE COMBATIVES" HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Evan Perperis is a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran with a cumulative 44 months of combat deployments. He’s currently a brown belt at Shaolin Kempo Karate, has been trained in Modern Army Combatives Program Level I and is currently training in Kali, Jeet Kune Do, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

When not practicing martial arts or working, he’s racing as a professional Obstacle Course Racing athlete with more than 65 podium finishes and helping others as a National Strength & Conditioning Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT). His website is Strength & Speed, and his biography is available in hard copy/digital and audiobook from Amazon.

He’s Lucky to Be Alive

Posted on by Patrick Vuong

The dude really should count his lucky stars today.
 
The man I’m talking about in the headline is a 29-year-old New York subway rider who was smashed in the head with a hammer last week.
 
His assailant was Christian Jeffers, a career criminal who has at least 47 (yes, forty-seven!) prior arrests before being arraigned last Friday for the unprovoked and vicious attack.
 
Jeffers bumped into the victim on the train platform then screamed, “Why you hit me?”
 
Then he suddenly pulled out a hammer from a bag and swung!
 
The victim got one arm up as he stepped back, but it wasn’t enough — nor was it the right defensive move — and the hammer landed with a sickening thunk sound.
 
From confrontational question to cranium contact, the scary assault took just 3 seconds.
 
“I didn’t see the hammer,” the victim told the New York Post. “It happened, like, too quick for me to react.”
 
The 29-year-old fell to the concrete, his forehead bleeding from the hammer blow. He was hospitalized, but fortunately not for too long.
 
There’s a lot to unpack with this case, but here are our top 3 takeaways:
 

  • Avoid the “poisoned hand:” The shoulder bump that preceded the hammer attacker reminded me of what my Kung Fu master called the “poisoned hand.” No, it’s not an ancient death touch technique; it’s the concept of avoiding damage by not being where a kick or punch would land. This means getting in and out of range quickly.

    Jeffers understood range when he intentionally bumped into his victim. So, when possible in public, get out of the way. Give people as wide a berth as possible and recognize when someone is within striking range — both yours and theirs.

  • Steel your mind: It’s pretty clear by what the victim told reporters that he didn’t expect to be in a fight that day — especially against a career criminal armed with a hammer! If you can’t even imagine an event happening, it’s pretty difficult to prepare for it when it does happen.

    That’s why, as part of my defensive mindset ritual, I either perform one draw of my chosen self-defense tool or say to myself, “This could be the day I might have to fight for my life or the life of a loved one.” This prepares me mentally right out of the gate.

  • Don’t rely on your reaction time: Jeffer’s 29-year-old victim said that things happened too quickly for him to react. But that’s the problem with most unsuspecting prey; they always assume they’ll see an assault coming and have the time and distance to react.

    News flash: Evil does not strike slowly. Two-legged predators attack in the concrete jungle just like their four-legged brethren do in the wild — unexpectedly, quickly, and violently.

 
That’s why you need consistent and realistic training, because (as the saying goes) you do not rise to the occasion but rather fall to the level of your training.
 
Conrad and I have spent years pressure-testing techniques against resistant partners armed with training weapons (from knives and guns to sticks and baseball bats).
 
We know what it takes to survive an urban ambush involving a hammer or any other blunt weapon.
 
And it’s not necessarily what’s taught on the range or in the dojo.
 
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend decades studying martial arts, combat sports, and combatives like we did.
 
That’s because we’ve distilled the best tips, tactics, and training drills in “Club Proof 1.0.”
 
And in honor of my namesake holiday today, you can get this home study course for half price during St. Patrick’s Day week.
 
Just use the 50% off promo code stpaddy2022 at checkout.

Enroll in “Club Proof” today so you don’t have to rely on luck to survive a blunt weapon attack.

But don’t wait — our St. Patrick’s Day sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time this Saturday.

CLICK HERE TO ENROLL NOW!

GET FUNCTIONAL ASAP

Posted on by Evan Perperis

GUEST COLUMNIST:
EVAN PERPERIS, A U.S. ARMY GREEN BERET & CHAMPION OBSTACLE COURSE RACER

If you’ve been part of a martial arts training center you may have noticed that there is a decent amount of turnover.

People will show up, train for just the free classes or stay for a month and then leave. Perhaps I am not describing a stranger but rather you or a loved one.

The problem with this is it doesn’t give you the skills you need to be functional in any way, shape, or form. In fact the little you learn or think you may remember may give you a false sense of confidence.

Luckily, Tiga Tactics has a couple of programs that distill techniques down to their basics and provide lessons based on the current attention span of many in our society.

Bottom line is you need to get basic functionality as soon as possible.

The attackers you encounter in the streets will use ambush tactics and tools that are easy to conceal and legal to own. These includes things like:

  • Their Fist: A fist never requires justification as to why a bad guy is “carrying” it. Everyone has their fists on them all the time and it can be extremely effective especially when there is little warning of an impending attack.

  • A Knife: Many knives are legal to carry for both good guys and bad guys (size/style dependent based on your local laws). So why are you going to let the bad guys start off with an advantage.

  • A Club: A club could be a baseball bat, metal rod or any other hard object in a similar shape. Situation dependent, these can be disguised (i.e. metal rod with newspaper rolled around it), hidden nearby (i.e. disguised as trash or an abandoned object near the site of the ambush site) or explained away (i.e. carry an object that has reasonable justification like a baseball bat near a baseball field).

All of these common attack methodologies are taught in Tiga Tactic’s full suite of courses: defense against the fist (“Punch Proof”), defense against a knife (“Stab Proof”), using your own knife (“EDC Karambit”) and defense against a club (“Club Proof”).

The lessons revolve around their methodology distilled using data obtained from close circuit TV covering actual crimes and by pressure testing their techniques in scenarios.

One of the best aspects you’ll find is that Tiga Tactics provides training and starts off each course with some basic instruction on situational awareness. After all if you can avoid being in the location of the future criminal act, you’ll avoid the incident altogether. If that fails, they also provide indicators of an impending attack, buying you the seconds or milliseconds you may need to be properly ready to react.

In the end, training for longer periods in person with a professional instructor is the way to get closer to mastery. That being said, many of our families or friends don’t have the time, effort, energy or money to commit to achieving a basic functionality. Tiga Tactic’s course give that functionality covered in an attention span that can be accomplished in a single day.

Plus, once you pay once you can go back periodically wand watch the training. This means that unlike an in person seminar, you can essentially take the seminar as many times as you want. Check out their full line of courses here, and I hope to see you in their private Facebook group (reserved only for Tiga Tactics students, alumni, instructors, and VIPs).  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Evan Perperis is a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran with a cumulative 44 months of combat deployments. He’s currently a brown belt at Shaolin Kempo Karate, has been trained in Modern Army Combatives Program Level I and is currently training in Kali, Jeet Kune Do, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

When not practicing martial arts or working, he’s racing as a professional Obstacle Course Racing athlete with more than 65 podium finishes and helping others as a National Strength & Conditioning Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT). His website is Strength & Speed, and his biography is available in hard copy/digital and audiobook from Amazon.

Stab/Slash Survival Skills Seminar in Virginia

Posted on by Tiga Tactics Propaganda

WHAT

Tiga Tactics is proud to announce that we’re collaborating with Red Team Alliance to bring our acclaimed Stab/Slash Survival Skills Seminar to the East Coast for a special two-day event.

Sign Up for 2 Days

Click below to sign up for both days of the seminar. There’s a discount for first-responders, law enforcement, military, and veterans. (Thanks for your service and sacrifices!)

Click Here to Register

Sign Up for 1 Day

Can’t make both days? No worries. Click below to sign up for one day of the seminar. There’s a discount for first-responders, law enforcement, military, and veterans. (Thanks for your service and sacrifices!)

Click Here to Register

WHY

We’re going to reveal what many other systems don’t teach (or don’t know enough about to teach) their students about violent knife attacks:

  1. How criminals truly attack.
  2. Simple (but not easy) defenses against those attacks.
  3. Effective yet fun training progressions distilled from the 12 combative styles that we’re certified in.

We didn’t create a new martial art style. Instead, we formulated the street-effective solutions to the most common knife attacks by first studying how real criminals use an edged weapon and then creating natural responses to stop those attacks.

This isn’t an issue of styles, it’s a matter of survival. 

WHEN

This two-day event will take place on November 2 and 3, 2019, during the following times:

  • Day One: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Day Two: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE

Red Team Alliance – East
3308 Bourbon Street
Fredericksburg VA 22408

WHO

While other arts might teach you hypothetical knife defenses that work great on paper, we will give you proven techniques and concepts that will work against a resistant attacker in a real-world setting. How? 

Our instructors — Dr. Conrad Bui and Patrick Vuong — have a combined 60 years of martial arts and combatives experience, including instructor certifications in the bladed arts of Filipino Kali and Indonesia Silat. We’ve spent countless hours training to filter out what really works on the street.

We’ve spent thousands of dollars on gear, tuition, and training videos to hone our skills and knowledge.

And we’ve watched years worth of surveillance footage and smartphone videos of real-life knife attacks.

Combining life-saving knowledge, street-effective techniques, and realistic training progressions that are safe and fun, Tiga Tactics has distilled all of that into a groundbreaking seminar that could potentially save lives and keep you and your loved ones safe from an edged weapon ambush.

# OF BLACK BELTS (or equivalent) OUR 2 INSTRUCTORS HAVE EARNED
0

WHAT TO BRING

The following is mandatory for attendance at our Stab/Slash Survival Skills Seminar:

  • Comfortable workout clothes
  • Athletic footwear
  • Safety-rated eye protection (ANSI Z87+, MIL-PRF-32432, etc.)
  • Groin cup
  • Blunt training blade

The following is optional items you might want to consider bringing:

  • Forearm guards
  • Water
  • Hand towel
  • Snacks or small meal

TESTIMONIALS

The following are what some students have said about our Stab/Slash Survival Skills Seminar.

“The simplicity of the techniques is what really impresses me. Not only is it simple, it also gives me a high percentage of surviving these types of knife ambushes.”

Sherman Chin
7th-Degree Black Belt in Kajukenbo

“What I liked was that you broke it down to really simple things so I can walk out of here remembering them. And I liked that you did the research — that’s much more useful than anything like this that I’ve been to before.“

A. Davé
San Jose, California

“I’ve seen a million videos over the years of knife attacks. So this is one of the first classes that deals with the multiple stab aspect. The techniques are very simple and super effective.“

Peter Mouttapa
Karate Black Belt

IRONCLAD GUARANTEE

Even if you’re a grandmaster, you will find something new or something of value in the first two hours of our seminar. If you don’t, we’ll refund your money. No questions asked. Seriously. That’s how revolutionary this seminar is. 

COST

The cost is $297 for both days or $167 for one day.

However, we offer a few discounts for those who like to plan ahead, as well as an additional discount for first-responders, members of the military and law enforcement, and veterans who show valid government ID.*

Early Bird Registration
(Through September 20)

For one day:

  • $127 
  • $112 for first-responders, military, law enforcement, and veterans *

For both days:

  • $237
  • $202 for first-responders, military, law enforcement, and veterans *

Preregistration
(September 21 to October 25)

For one day:

  • $137 
  • $117 for first-responders, military, law enforcement, and veterans *

For both days:

  • $257 
  • $219 for first-responders, military, law enforcement, and veterans *

At the Door

For one day:

  • $167 
  • $142 for first-responders, military, law enforcement, and veterans *

For both days:

  • $297
  • $253 for first-responders, military, law enforcement, and veterans ​s *

* DISCOUNT ALERT: If you’re a first-responder, member of the military or law enforcement, or a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, send us a copy of your identification by emailing info@tigatactics.com before paying and we will get you a special coupon code so you can enjoy the appropriate discount. 

Register now, as space is limited and slots are filling up!

Sign Up for 2 Days

Click below to sign up for both days of the seminar. There’s a discount for first-responders, law enforcement, military, and veterans. (Thanks for your service and sacrifices!)

Click Here to Register

Sign Up for 1 Day

Can’t make both days? No worries. Click below to sign up for one day of the seminar. There’s a discount for first-responders, law enforcement, military, and veterans. (Thanks for your service and sacrifices!)

Click Here to Register