Self defense is a concern for many people, worldwide. This blog will feature self-defense related articles, features, statistics and tectics to make you feel safer at home, work or when you are in public. We also discuss efficient handgun weapon deployment for citizens, law enforcement and military personnel. The blog is published by Robb Hamic.
October 28, 2009- Austin, TX- I believe that self defense is a human right. It is my mission to deliver training that is relevant for a broad cross-section of people. We all have different abilities and bring different strengths to the training session. We all have different vulnerabilities based on our own situations and environments. Self defense training should be adaptable for all people. Take a look at these pictures and ask yourself "who is winning this fight?" **This woman had only been taught a tactic once and then she was attacked by surprise by our instructor.**
I have been exposed to a handful of people who have been the victims of violent crime lately. It is unfortunate and all of these situations involved good people and predators. This is a disturbing trend in our society but it has always been this way. One of my mentors is Tony Blauer and he has conducted extensive research on self defense, conflict management, fear management, fighting, avoidance, detection and recognition of danger for more than thirty years. I train as one of his instructors and he has given me access to his research. I see that he was spreading this research and teaching self defense to those who didn't want to be victims of crime decades ago.
We all see things differently and I think certain factors are critical to a fight or defensive situation. The following factors determine the 'good guy's' cognitive or reactive choices in a bad situation (think about it):
Awareness
Speed/ Suddenness of attack
Aggression
Proximity
I have been a student of martial arts and self defense for half of my life and I can't remember how many techniques that I have been taught. How many ways can you think to defend against a strait punch?
Enter- the indisputable "Hick's Law."
Hick's Law, named after British psychologist William Edmund Hick, or the Hick–Hyman Law (for Ray Hyman), describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices he or she has. The Hick-Hyman Law assesses cognitive information capacity in choice reaction experiments. The amount of time taken to process a certain amount of bits in the Hick-Hyman Law is known as the rate of gain of information.
October 23, 209- Austin, TX- As students, we all bet our lives on our instruction for reality based self defense. Think about it. Self defense is not martial arts. It is used to detect, deter or defend against a violent, potentially life ending attack. It is meant for the 3% of society who want to kill us and do harm to our families. Murderers, rapists, home invaders, gang members, stalkers, mean people, workplace violence, kidnapping, car jacking or just a plain street fighters are the ones who will bring this kind of fight to us. As always, I have to give credit to the master instructors that I train under, especially Tony Blauer who invented the above concept. (www.pdrteam.com)
No offense or disrespect to any instructor but who are they? What do they teach? Have they or their students used the tactics taught to defend themselves or their families violent attacks? Do they train for real life scenarios? Do they train under stress and with full contact? Are the tactics taught just theory or does everyone test them against full contact fights that come by surprise by bad guys that really fight? Many martial arts have nothing to do with self defense in a real life context. Consider these definitions:
Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training. While they may be studied for various reasons. In addition, some martial arts are linked to beliefs. Many arts are also practiced competitively, but may also take the form of dance.
Self-defense is the act of defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force is available in many jurisdictions, but the interpretation varies widely. To be aquitted of any kind of physical harm-related crime (such asassault and battery and homicide) using the self-defense justification, one must prove legal provocation, meaning that one must prove that they were in a position where not using self-defense would most likely lead to significant injury to life, limb, or property.
No offense to martial arts instructors. I love martial arts and practice several myself but everything has its place. Some things work in the dojo but you would or could never use them in the street. As a self defense coach and instructor I have to switch hats and teach my students gross motor skill movements that are fast, effective and accessible in a real fight, attack or ambush. My goal is to give everyone something from my seminars and classes that they can use right away and not to create a self perpetuating situation where a student has to come to class twice a week, for years to learn the best stuff. I make it easy and simple and teach the same stuff to women, men, mature kids, military and law enforcement.
We employ the latest phycological research, fear management, conflict management, recognition, non violent postures, choice speech and if necessary effective self defense tactics that work in real life. I lecture on use of force, imminent jeopardy and the legal ramifications of using self defense. In a real fight you have thee fights to consider:
-The fight with yourself before the actual fight begins (emotional)
-The fight with the bad guy
-The fight in court (civilly) or with law enforcement (criminally)
I have been involved in reality self defense 'systems' that purport to be reality based. It sounded good to me and I thought I was getting the real deal but upon reflection; I may have wasted some time and money. It all comes down to this: if you have a system that sets up a predetermined attack and it is rehearsed by students under controlled situations, it is not realistic. If it is called reality then set up as a cognitive drill it may not be 'real' reality. Real fights are ugly, mean, fast and often by surprise. They look like this video below..
If you notice, the fights look very similar.. Ugly and unrefined. No fancy moves by either person. The attacks initiated a haymaker punch or dirty tackle as Primary Initiation Attack (PIA). This is a compilation of attacks from all over and it gives us some insight to how fights really happen.
Do you train for these kinds of attacks in your self defense training? When you train- does the "bad guy" act appropriately? It is important. Maybe even life and death important.
I was recently certified as a Ballistic Micro Fight Instructor at Blauer Tactical Systems in Virginia Beach. This is an additional certification under the Personal Defense Readiness (PDR) system. Take a look at this video and pay particular attention to the attacks and responses by the students. This is as close to real as you get. Tony Blauer created High Gear Suits that allow for a full range of movement in a full-on fight so that students can fight force on force and minimize injury. High Gear is the only option for those who want to train at full speed and practice tactics full contact without serious injury.
Summit Self Defense has integrated PDR's principals into its self defense system. We deliver realistic training to women, men, military and law enforcement locally, nationally and internationally. We have a number of certified instructors and we specialize in all self defense options such as: personal safety, verbal de-escalation tactics, threat recognition, use of force curriculum, women's self defense, hand to hand combatitives, gun deployment, concealed handgun licensing, Taser deployment and OC use and deployment.
We have schools and training locally in the following metro areas: Austin, Albuquerque and San Francisco. We also train locally in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Santa Fe and the Bay Area and South of San Francisco as far as Monterey.
We travel nationwide to deliver a variety of training to corporations (both as a speaker/trainer and workplace violence training and response), groups, organizations, law enforcement agencies, military units and individuals who need a diversity of self defense or combatitive options for their vulnerabilities and environments.
October, 22, 2009- Austin, TX- Summit Self Defense specializes in providing women's self defense seminars and classes Nationwide in the United States. We have several instructors who operate in several states, delivering much needed training to women who need options in an increasingly violent society.
Violence, predatory criminals, mean people and sociopaths make it hard for any of us to feel at ease and we all have vulnerabilities. We all need options for the challenges that we encounter. Unfortunately women are twice as likely to be attacked than men and they know their attacker much of the time. They are attacked by tier intimate partners over 20% of the time. Sad statistics. The fact that almost one half of crimes aren't reported to police makes us feel even more uneasy.
Bad guys want three things: Property, body or the life of their victim.
Bad Guy's don't want to get caught, hurt or the crime to take too long.
Let's make it harder for them and if you are a women seek out realistic self defense training that fits into your schedule. Don't confuse self defense with martial arts. It is not quite the same. Self defense is what I teach you so that you can survive an attack so that you can make it to your next martial arts class. No disrespect intended but any training has to be rooted in real life incidents and teach the student how to detect the problem before it occurs, if possible. The difference is "street vs. sport" models that incorporate easily accessible, useable tactically sound tactics to STOP THE ATTACK so you can go on with your life.
Confrontation management skills, choice speech and escape techniques need to be stressed for women and men equally when they are faced with a fight. The best fight is the one you don't engage. If you must defend yourself then you have to fight smart. This is the art in the self defense that we teach.
Summit Self Defense instructors are available locally in the following cities/ metro areas: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and San Francisco. Our team travels to locations nationwide to deliver seminars, talks and training to corporations, groups, organizations or individually for clients in special need.
Direct inquiries to Robb Hamic, Founder and Chief Instructor for Summit Self Defense: robb@summitselfdefense.com. You may call him for response: 512-284-0087.
October 13, 2009- Austin, TX- I received an e-mail from one of my readers who told me that he and a friend had been mugged in Dallas Texas. He was seeking advice and real world self defense options. I get a number of e-mails a day concerning this blog or the training that I deliver. We all have vulnerabilities, fears and problems that we should confront. Denial is the wrong choice and we have to learn from our experiences. Please see the e-mail and my response below:
Robb,
So what is the punch line to the SPEAR system? I see your posts and read them. Saw the video on the post you linked over from your page. The video sounds interesting, but what is it that gets you out of physiological flinch response and into an appropriate combat response? Also, is this Krav Maga based? Or something on its own? Seems like there may be some parallels.
I see you are in Austin, I am up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
I was mugged a while back with a buddy of mine. He studied Akido all through college and was I think a black belt level in it. There were two attackers with a gun that came running up on us around the corner from behind. My first reaction was what the...? Then I heard my buddy screaming "oh my God" looked over and he was just in a panic. At that point the opportunity to react seemed like it was going to put us in more danger than letting the dudes take our wallets and go. But I was pissed. I think next time something like that happens I won't have that What the ... reaction, but if there is a way to be sure, I would like to learn it, and also teach my wife and kids, so they don't get caught with their pants down.
Dear XXXX,
PDR (www.pdrteam.com) and SPEAR are the first behaviorally inspired, instinctive response systems that address ambushes, sucker punches and surprise attacks. PDR is a bridge to whatever combatitive system you use (karate, jujitsu, krav maga, instinct, etc.) and it takes noting away from any system. It gives you time to weather an abrupt incoming attack and get to a point of dominance by using instinct, kinesiology and muscle recruitment. It is a smart way of fighting. It was developed by Tony Blauer and it is a stand alone system. Conversion of the 'startle-flinch' is what gets anyone to a more controlled situation and in what we call a 'point of dominance (POD).' This is when you can access your combatitives to address the attacker and his use of violence against you, using reasonable force.
I am sorry about your mugging. It sucks but it can happen to all of us. The problem with most 'systems' is that they don't work under stress and they are complex (rather than gross motor skill). We all need something we can recall at a moment's notice that is instinctive. The problem with dealing with bad guys is that you don't know all of what they want. The choices are limited though.. Money, Body or Life..
Take a look at PDR on http://www.youtuube.com and just search Personal Defense Readiness and see if it makes sense for you and addresses your potential vulnerabilities. I come to Dallas to do seminars and I think PDR is a great tool for anyone's toolbox. I will have my advance schedule for next year up soon and maybe you can come to one of my seminars.
October 12, 2009- Austin, TX- Are you looking for a women's self defense seminar, class or lesson in Texas? If so, please consider scrutinize you self defense instructor carefully. Robb Hamic is a self defense instructor who delivers women's self defense training in Texas. I Believe that women need self defense but it has to fit into their schedule and lifestyle. It MUST be easy to learn and use under stress. Don't let this happen to you..
Women's self defense facts:
- 1 in 3 women will be battered or sexually assaulted in their lifetimes.
- In crimes involving women, they know their attacker 57% of the time
- For the last 10 years the US Surgeon General lists battery as the single most common injury to women
- In an attack, a bad guy wants one (or more) of three things: Body, Money, Life
The Jim Carey video illustrates the the feel of some self defense classes. Self defense is a skill that people need to be able to use under stress. Good self defense is rooted in gross motor skill and instinct that comes naturally under stress. Do you want to learn something that looks good in the dojo or something that works in the streets? The best self defense tactics are not pretty but they work.
A good course covers critical thinking about self-defense strategies, assertiveness, powerful communication skills, and easy-to-remember physical techniques. The instructor respects and responds to your fears and concerns. Instruction is based on a belief that women can act competently, decisively, and take action for their own protection. Essentially, a good course is based on intelligence and not muscle. It offers tools for enabling a woman to connect with her own strength and power. These courses are out there. Good luck in your research. Taking a self-defense class is one of the most positive acts a woman can do for herself!
Contact Robb Hamic for more information or to schedule a seminar or class in Texas: robb@summitselfdefense.com
Austin School 2900 N. Quinlan Park Rd Suite 131- B-240 Austin, TX 78732 512-284-0087 (mobile) Toll Free: 877-260-3773
Austin, TX- October 9, 2009- Many of my students are seeking more than just my lectures on Personal Defense Readiness, PDR and the SPEAR system. This Youtube features Tony Blauer, who invented the system, describing startle-flinch and the SPEAR. It is a fantastic view and worth your 4 minutes.
My students can direct questions to me through my e-mail: robb@summitselfdefense.com or call me. Anyone interested in learning the a simple and easy to use self defense system contact me. PDR (www.pdrteam.com) takes nothing away form anyone practicing a martial art, law enforcement or military training. It is just a another tool for your tool box and it allows you to weather an ambush from an attacker so that you can stay in the fight.
October 9, 2009- Austin, TX- The new website femaleselfdefense.com got a great new press-release. I am honored to be traveling across the county to provide women's self defense seminars, classes and training.
Austin Texas based, Summit Self Defense has launched a large program to provide women's self defense training in all forms. "I understand that we all have vulnerabilities and we all have fears. Some women are in bad situations and need immediate help while others want to ensure their safety for those they love. I address all women's concerns for self defense options and offer many different types of training in positive learning environment," says Summit's Founder, Robb Hamic.
I always begin my ladies self defense class with the question "how many of us can successfully defend ourselves from a violent attack- right now." I realize that this is a bad 'ice breaker.' Most people bow their heads or avoid my eye contact. That's OK because we all have to start somewhere.
Next, I talk about the 'Boston Strangler,' Albert DeSalvo. Between June 14, 1962 and January 4, 1964, 13 single women (between the ages of 19 and 85) were murdered in the Boston area. Most had been sexually assaulted in their apartments and were murdered in the manner indicated above. Without any sign of forced entry into their dwellings, the women were assumed to have either known their assailant or have voluntarily allowed him into their homes, believing him to be an apartment maintenance person or some other service person. While the police were not convinced that all of these murders were the work of a single individual, much of the public believed so. The media certainly fueled the idea of a single murderer referring to him with names such as 'The Phantom' and 'The Sunset Killer' before settling on 'The Boston Strangler.
Now, I give the women another 'what if' where I remove them from the attack and tell them that The Boston Strangler is standing over their child when they enter their home. I ask if they could defend their child? I get a lot of different responses but there is an overwhelming yes (or I would die trying).
October 7, 2009- Dallas, TX — Off a muddy road in rural Hill County, in a nondescript tan mobile home, Hosam "Sam" Smadi made his final plans to bring down a Dallas skyscraper, authorities say.
Federal officials learned about the well-hidden mobile home after arresting the 19-year-old Jordanian on Sept. 24. Smadi gave the FBI written consent to search the residence, where he moved Sept. 22.
Inside, officials found a Beretta handgun; two loaded magazines; one box of Winchester 9 mm ammunition; a laptop; a digital camera; and numerous documents, including Smadi’s passport, tax returns, a visa and a birth certificate, according to a receipt filed by the FBI that lists the seized property.
Smadi is being held in a federal detention center in Seagoville on a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. On Sept. 24, federal officials said, he tried to detonate what he believed was a car bomb under Fountain Place, a 60-story tower in Dallas.
The device was a fake provided by FBI employees posing as al Qaeda operatives.
After his arrest, Smadi told federal officials that he had moved out of his dome-shaped apartment in the town of Italy two days earlier and into a mobile home off Hill County Road 4311 near Milford. According to a search warrant affidavit, Smadi gave authorities directions to the residence, which is tucked behind a tin-roofed mobile home.
Members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force located what they believed to be Smadi’s home and brought him a photo of it. After Smadi confirmed that it was his new residence, he gave them written consent to search it, according to a search warrant affidavit. Officials also secured a search warrant for the property.
On Tuesday, because of recent rains, the home could be reached only by four-wheel-drive vehicles. The property was vacant, except for a dog. No one answered the door at the mobile home where Smadi stayed or at the tin-roofed home in front.
The property owner’s daughter, reached by telephone, said a group of Hispanic men rents the tin-roofed home. She said she was unaware that the teen accused in the terrorist plot had recently rented the tan home.
Federal officials have said Smadi lived and acted alone.
September 28, 2009- Albuquerque, NM- Matt Knaub has won another professional MMA fight by TKO @ 3 minutes in the first round. Matt Knaub is the Director of Summit Self Defense's Albuquerque school and he is a full-time teacher. Matt is also a professional MMA fighter and he trains out of FIT NHB (Fighters in Training No holds barred) in Albuquerque under Tom and Arlene Vaughn.
Matt improved his professional record to (9-7) and he is on a good winning streak due to his fitness and cardio. Matt is a Jujitsu Black Belt and he has a good up and down game. Matt trains harder than anyone I know and he is on his way up in the fight game. His next fight is scheduled for next month in the Mid-West. I hope his opponent is training really had and is running at 8000'..
Matt Knaub offers a unique opportunity to train under a gifted fighter and athlete. He is a great instructor and you better believe that I train with him anytime I can. If you live in Albuquerque- get to class or schedule a seminar for your group, organization or company. Summit Self-Defense offers options for todays dangers. Call Matt on his cellular phone to schedule training: 505-306-1759.
Summit self-defense operates self defense schools in Albuquerque, Austin and San Francisco. We have just opened a tactical school in Taos New Mexico for high-intensity combatitives and gun training. We specialize in ground survival, Israeli self-defense, combatitives, reality based self defense, up-fighting, conditioning, handgun deployment, concealed handgun licensing (CHL, CCW), knife deployment and tactical knife training. Summit's instructors train individuals, law enforcement agencies and military units. We specialize in women's self defense seminars and currently conduct many seminars across the United States on a monthly basis. Training is given locally, nationally and internationally.
October 1, 2009- Austin, TX- Summit Self Defense specializes in Women's self defense training, lessons, classes and seminars. Robb Hamic provides training to women privately, in large or small groups across the United States. "Corporate training and self-defense motivational speaking is becoming more popular with many of my clients," says Robb Hamic, Founder of Summit Self Defense.
We
understand that women's self defense training must fit into your busy schedule
in order to be realistic. Women lead busy lives and if you are going to
take time to learn self defense it must be simple, effective and realistic. There
are a lot of misconceptions about self defense for women. Training should
not hurt. The best self-defense techniques are simple and easily
accessible for your use if you need them to defend yourself or your family in
an attack. You don't have to be in 'good shape' to learn self defense.
Robb
Hamic commonly provides women's self defense seminars across the United States
and speaks to large groups of women regarding safety, risk mitigation and use
of force issues. He has success as a motivational speaker at corporate
events and has provided a new alternative for speaking engagements for
employers who want their employees to take away something valuable. Mr.
Hamic is a professional instructor, author and he has many life experiences
that relate surviving violent, scary attacks.
Summit
Self Defense specializes teaching women self defense. We teach all available courses and subject matter to our women students and we also
realize that all women have different risks, objectives, fears and motivations
for training. We listed some of our training opportunities below:
- Private
women's self defense lessons
- Women's
self defense classes
- Women's
self defense seminar
- Women's
corporate self defense training in large or small groups.
- Women's
event seminars such as organizations, groups or community outreach
- Women's
Taser training, sales and deployment
- Women's
OC Spray training, sales and deployment
- Women's
handgun training, sales and deployment
- Women's
concealed handgun licensing (CHL, CCW)
- Women's
personal Defense Readiness (PDR)
- Local,
statewide, national or international women's self defense seminars
with reservation
- Verbal deescalation techniques
- Self
defense awareness and conflict avoidance
- Explanation of
use of force, immanent jeopardy and legal ramifications for
using self defense
- Fear
management
- Options
The US
Department of Justice has released its 2008 statistical data on crime
in the United States. The study revealed that only forty seven (47%)
percent of crime was reported. This figure is much higher for rapes
and other sexual assaults upon women.
In 2008, an estimated 4.9 million violent crimes (rapes or
sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated assaults and simple assaults) occurred,
as well as an estimated 16.3 million property crimes (burglaries, motor vehicle
thefts and household thefts) and 137,000 personal thefts (picked pockets and
snatched purses).
Women were more likely than men to be victimized by
someone they knew. Seventy percent of all violent crimes against women were
committed by a known offender (an intimate, family member or
friend/acquaintance), compared to 49 percent of violence against men.
Twenty-three percent of the non-fatal violence against women was committed by
an intimate (current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend), compared to
three percent of the violence against men.
"Women can contact me personally for a risk assessment or self defense consultation on my cellular phone- 512-284-0087," says Robb Hamic.
