International Personal Self-Defense Blog by Robb Hamic

Get The Newest Street Fighting DVD on the Market!

December 11, 2010- Albuquerque, NM-  Robb Hamic and Shane Knaub have released their first street fighting DVD of the year.  FIGHTING- Fast, Scary and Frustrating ™ 2010.  This DVD is packed with 2 hours of 38 fighting fundamentals and fast devastating techniques that work in real fights.  We are excited that two Professional MMA World Title Belt Champions have endorsed our DVD, at its release.  We have a website and it is available for immediate purchase on Pay Pal.  It ships out right away.  Check it out!

CLICK HERE for our website and be one of the first to get this material.  Shane has won the Grapplers Quest Advanced Division and NAGA Advanced and overall divisions multiple times.  He trains with with pro MMA fighters and he grew up fighting.  All of these techniques have held up in real street fights.  Shane trains in Albuquerque at FIT NHB with Tom Vaughn.  If you know me, you know that Shane is a good friend and we put together great material for you.  I train with Shane to update my skills in the United States.  This is a culmination of a lot of hard work.  In HDTV.  Excellent quality.  Ships internationally too.

Self-Defense and Holiday Travel

Dec 2, 2010, Albuquerque, NM.  Self-defense and awareness are just as critical during the holidays while many of us are traveling to visit relatives and on vacation. It is important to remain vigilant and be aware of your surroundings always prepared to defend yourself and your family. Many licensed concealed carry holders think that it is too difficult to travel with a firearm or other self-defense tool and therefore are not as prepared.  Remember that you are on vacation, the bad-guys aren’t. You might be in an un-familiar city while the local, potential thieves, muggers, and rapists may be hard at work looking for an easy target like a clueless tourist.

If you are licensed to carry a concealed firearm there is a great website to stay informed about current laws and reciprocity rules for each state. The site http://www.handgunlaw.us is constantly updated and will give you access to read the laws that apply to each state you are visiting. This site offers links to each state’s statutes as they apply to concealed carry. It is also useful for anyone who may possess a firearm while visiting other states for instance on a hunting trip or moving to a new state.

Flying commercially with firearms is not as difficult as many people think. We do a lot of flying as we travel for various training around the country, usually carrying multiple firearms. I often hear “wow, it sure must be a pain to get through security with all of that stuff”. Actually, it is pretty easy. You can download the rules from the TSA’s website http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm. It involves filling out an extra form at the airline’s counter and packing right, not much to it. 

Ryan Fellows is a nationally accredited law enforcement trainer; NRA Firearm Instructor certified in multiple disciplines, NRA Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, a CHL Instructor and is a federally licensed firearms dealer. He provides group and private training in firearms and close quarter combatives. He is certified by Glock as an armorer, and is an Israeli Combat Shooting Instructor. He is a professional action sports photographer, experienced outdoorsman and backcountry skier. He has spent his lifetime in the mountains and has experience with various types of weapon systems. He has been married for eighteen years with three daughters. Ryan is the owner of several businesses and resides in New Mexico.

 

Home Invasion Don't Let It Happen To You

October 18, 2010 Albuquerque, NM. We have seen several home invasions in the Albuquerque area in the last few weeks. As the economy continues to struggle, the police are reporting an increase in robberies, burglaries, property crimes and now, home invasions seem to be on that list.
 

There are several fairly common ways that these crimes are being perpetrated. One of the ways that is probably the easiest for the public to remedy is leaving your garage door open. This is just asking for trouble. The thugs don't even have to work at this one, they simply help themselves through the open door into your home. Another avenue is by breaking into your car in the driveway and using the garage door opener which is often sitting in plain view on your visor.

It is time to become more proactive in your self-defense. Do not make it easy for these lunatics to do what they do. Criminals are by nature opportunists, and ague-ably lazy too. If they weren't lazy, they would have a job like you and I, and not resort to crime. If your car is in the closed garage, they may continue down the street looking for an easier target.

There are also a couple of other patterns of gaining entry to your home. You need to be hyper-aware of unknown people knocking on your door.  We have all been visited by door to door sales people at one time or other. Once you have opened the door to speak to them, they can rush you and there may be accomplices hiding out of view. Another 'modus operandi' of these criminals is to bang on the door yelling "POLICE". While this is very alarming to experience, it is important to keep a cool head. Look out a window, verify that there is a police car out front. Insist on seeing ID before opening the door. If you cannot see the person, call 911 and ask if there should be an officer at your home. 

There are really only two ways the police are going to visit your home. The first is for; information about an accident or a loved ones status, a welfare check, something mostly benign. In this case, they knock politely and wait for you to come to the door. The second way the police visit is with a warrant and they kick in the door whether you are there or not. As Tony Blauer says, "Don't be fooled by the sophistication of the ruse".

Ryan Fellows is a nationally accredited law enforcement trainer; NRA Firearm Instructor certified in multiple disciplines, NRA Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, a CHL Instructor and is a federally licensed firearms dealer. He provides group and private training in firearms and close quarter combatives. He has attended various firearms schools. He is certified by Glock as an armorer, and is an Israeli Combat Shooting Instructor. 

ryan@summitseldefense. com

Contact Summit Self Defense™ for your self defense, Concealed Carry or other needs.  

Self Defense...... Get Real!

Read the headlines, watch the news, the escalation of violence and theft is apparent. It seem as the economy struggles, people get to be more and more desperate. Some of the most unlikely people are turning to crime as a way to make ends meet. Recently there were several bank robberies and convenience store hold-ups in Albuquerque, NM being perpetrated by elderly criminals. What are the odds of that? As a result of this escalation, the self-defense industry has seen growth.

More and more ordinary citizens are seeking training in different areas of self-defense and martial arts. The firearms industry has also seen a rise in the purchases of new guns and likewise the concealed carry and other training opportunities are growing. Consumers need to be aware of some of the options and avoid some of the pitfalls out there. The most important factor should be the realistic nature of the training. Is the instructor going to teach you anything or simply show you what they know.

There are significant differences in the choices that are available and the investment required in most modern self-defense programs. If the consumer is interested in self-defense (home defense, personal defense) and does not intend to commit to months and possibly years to the art, then most martial arts should not be considered. Typically, martial arts classes are taught an hour or two once or twice a week on an on going basis.

They are great as a part of a fitness regiment and for flexibility and if practiced consistently, can be useful in a self-defense situation. In most cases however, many years are required to advance in skill and level. There are programs available to the public that are based on a military model with the emphasis on teaching to the unskilled person in an accelerated format. These programs are most often considered Close Quarters Combatives. An example of one of these types of programs is SPEAR or Personal Defense Readinessfrom Tony Blauer at Blauer Tactical Systems.

The situation with firearm training is similar in that there are many schools and training opportunities to choose from. If the consumer does a simple search on the internet, there are classes to take offering everything from basic NRA introductory courses to post apocalyptic survival and sniper training out to one mile or more. I think that those classes would be interesting, don't get me wrong. Most of us find it necessary to be choosy about where we spend our training dollars. If you want to carry a small handgun concealed for defense of yourself and your family and have no intention of taking it any further, there are classes for that. Choose the courses that relate to your specific situation, practice diligently and master those skills, then move on if you so choose.

If you are seeking self-defense instruction, you need to do some homework and decide what you are really looking for. Do you want hand to hand fighting, a shotgun behind the door, a small pistol and a concealed carry license, or maybe a combination of all of the above. Once you make that decision, do some more research and find the appropriate instructor/facility. It is very likely that as you continue the process of educating yourself that you will want to attend other seminars and programs. This is a good thing. Self-defense is a very personal thing. lets face it, we are learning how to defend our own life. What could possibly be more personal than that?

 

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Ryan Fellows resides in Albuquerque and Taos Ski Valley, NM with his wife and their three daughters. Ryan is the co-president of Summit Self Defense and is a nationally accredited Certified Law Enforcement Trainer. Ryan holds many instructor certifications from the NRA and NRA LE, he is an Israeli Combat Shooting Instructor and is certified as a Close Quarters Combatives Instructor. Ryan is a FFL and is certified by Glock as an armorer. He regularly provides firearms training and hand to hand tactics to civilians, military and law enforcement. He has also been a professional action sports photographer for over 24 years. Please visit is website for more information.http://www.summitselfdefense.com.

 

Firearm Instruction.......... Stay ahead of the curve

We have all heard the same old arguments about shooting stances and methods for a very long time. Do we teach weaver, isosceles, point shooting versus sight alignment and sight picture.If we consider all of the latest information available regarding the physiology of stress and how it relates to our bodies during a dynamic critical incident, it seems that we must also evaluate how we teach today’s warriors as it relates to stress under fire.  Many studies have shown that when placed under an extreme amount of stress, our bodies will react in a somewhat predictable way to protect itself. Some examples of these reactions are; the startle flinch, tunnel vision (the rise of visual acuity), auditory exclusion, lowering of center of gravity, facing the stimulus (indexing the threat), eyes opening wide (both eyes) to focus on the threat. It has been since the mid seventies and the beginnings of the dash cam videos that we have been able to see actual shootings and the chaotic way that they play out. It is unrealistic that we see anyone involved actually stand in a perfect weaver stance, focus on the front sights, squinting one eye, and squeeze off a controlled pair. It is shown repeatedly, assailants and officers, shooting seemingly uncontrollably with poor grip on their guns while running backwards towards some sort of cover or at least away from their opponent.We know that when confronted with a threat, our body is naturally going to lower its center of gravity, orient towards the threat, hands will move up to protect our head, and eyes will both open wide and focus on the threat (the startle flinch). Why then would we train students to blade off thirty degrees from the target and close one eye to focus on the sights. We as Professional Firearm Instructors have a duty to be the most informed people on the training range. We carry such an important load of responsibility when it comes to training people to win an encounter involving firearms. 

 

About.com- Entrepreneurs did a nice article on Summit Self Defense's PR efforts

February 1, 2010- Austin, TX- About.com- Entrepreneurs did a nice article on Summit Self Defense's PR efforts.

Summit Self Defense is a holistic self defense training company based out of 

Austin Texas. Robb Hamic  is its founder and Chief Instructor. Mr. Hamic

and his staff deliver training locally, nationally and internationally to 

men, women, law enforcement and military units.

The press release can be read HERE.

Summit SD Director Matt Knaub wins another professional MMA fight by TKO

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.