SPEAR Blog

Multiple-attacker scenarios are very survivable — additional opponents provide you with additional targets to hit!

By Tony Torres and Blauer Tactical Systems Staff

One of the most dangerous scenarios faced by police officers is when they are clearly outnumbered. Officers typically patrol by themselves or with a partner, yet routinely find themselves interviewing, patting down, and detaining groups of four or more subjects. These scenarios usually play out peacefully, and for that reason, become an easy way to develop the potentially bad habits known as Presumed Compliance and Complacency.

Read full article on Police 1

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“All truth passes through three Stages:
First it is ridiculed,
Second it is violently opposed
Third it is accepted as being self-evident.”
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1830)

Blauer Tactical Systems has unquestionably redefined the whole issue of close quarter combatives. By applying sustained innovative pressure to the S.P.E.A.R. System it remains in a continual state of flux. In Tony Blauer’s ‘Thesis Statement’ he puts forward the following proposition to challenge our way of thinking by asking:

“What does the body/mind system want to do prior to any training? Does this response have a combative application and if so, why aren’t we integrating it?”

The statement is both meaningful and significant because it forces us to confront and re-evaluate the issues raised via a process of contemplation and reflection.

It provides us with an opportunity to question our predisposition about what we teach and perhaps more importantly why we teach it by offering insight and direction in relation to the design of future training.

To ensure that we don’t miss the future Blauer Tactical Systems (BTS) has engendered what can only be described as a ‘Global Community of Practice’ in which to transform it.

Learning Communities – How does this link into S.P.E.A.R. & continued professional development?

Broadly speaking, a community of practice is a group engaging in a shared practice. In this particular case it’s S.P.E.A.R.

Shared practice is fundamental to its inception for it is what holds the community together. Our mutual engagement in it therefore has to be meaningful with a shared repertoire and identity.

Learners engaged in the practice are seen as developing expertise and substance through participation in legitimate and acknowledged activities, which contribute to, but are not central to the practice.

Gradually these contributions become more complex and important. Through this they develop not just their capability in the practice itself but their knowledge and understanding of the culture that surrounds it.

Participation in this type of enterprise requires individuals to reconcile themselves with the dilemma of whether to help oneself or to help others.

By considering the notion of mutual benefit they are then able to place stronger emphasis on sharing and dependency on others. It prevents participants working in isolation and promotes a coordinated, joined up approach that is far more advantageous to everyone’s needs.

It can be argued that communities of practice can be thought of as ‘shared histories of learning’. Learning can be thought of as a process of being engaged in the development of ongoing practice. The important point to note here is that there is no point at which the practice is fully learned because it is dynamic and constantly being fine-tuned by its members.

It is during this interplay that learning takes place.  As a result, social learning systems allow S.P.E.A.R. practitioners to tap into a diverse knowledge base increasing their Dynamic Capabilities.

Dynamic Capabilities:

One of the characteristics of ‘Dynamic Capability’ is having a unique ability that others cannot imitate or match.  By founding and developing the S.P.E.A.R. System over the past 25 years BTS has developed a unique capability that others cannot match and struggle to replicate.

Blauer Tactical Systems’ ability to integrate, build and reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments are key components that are fundamental to their continued growth and success.

This is due to the fact that ‘Dynamic Capability’ is a learned and stable pattern of collective activity through which BTS systematically generates and modifies its operating routines and competence in pursuit of improved effectiveness.

These functions are further enhanced and to some extent driven by the experience of S.P.E.A.R. practitioners (within the training & operationally arena) who have developed ‘Communities of Practice’ that have been instrumental in driving growth and change and wish to share in that success.

By creating a Global Community of Practice around S.P.E.A.R., participants have the opportunity to integrate and promote a behaviourally-based system into their respective organisations that is credible, realistic and based on what the body wants to do prior to any training.

Written by Dave Peebles – S.P.E.A.R. Practitioner, December 2009. Reach Mr. Peebles at davepeebles@btinternet.com. 
 

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By Tony Blauer

“The mind navigates the body. If the mind hesitates, so does the body.”
- Blauer Tactical System’s Maxim

A. GOLDEN RULES:

Acceptance
Apathy and denial will seal your fate. The victim mindset is often one born of apathy and then imprisoned in denial. The key to action (the remedy for hesitation and emotional inertia) is to simply accept the situation and move on. This is the first step towards tapping into the ‘victim’ to ‘victor’s’ shift.

Get Challenged
The moment you sense danger Get Challenged. The opposite of challenged is threatened. Irrespective of the situation, you always want to be challenged. It doesn’t matter the potential danger. Remember that you are there. Accept it. Now, start figuring out your strategies and tactics.

The way you communicate to yourself will reveal whether you are prone to use “victim” dialogue (I can’t) or “victor” dialogue (I can). In every challenge you want your inner coach to support your efforts.

Don’t Stop Thinking
Never fixate on one idea in combat. Your mind must be free to improvise. Plans must be flexible for you to experience spontaneity. Many people freeze in situations simply because they stopped thinking about options.

B. CREATE A DIRECTIVE:
A directive is your ‘mission statement’. It is a simple mental tool that will help you sharpen your focus in the situation and realign your intention, thus, helping you to more quickly get focused and create strategies. Think of your directive as a default program that ‘kicks in’ as soon as you sense danger. Most people don’t have a true directive. Create one. It will quicken your response time because it gives your plan purpose. Your ‘purpose’, or objective, creates an internal command that sets your psychological arsenal in gear. This is fundamental for any sound strategy.

This is my personal directive and it governs my mind set during most confrontations:

“When faced with the threat of attack,
I will do what I can to avoid the confrontation
With as little violence occurring to both myself and my attacker.”

My directive helps me focus on my objective as I carefully select the right strategy to protect myself. I know I want to avoid violence. I now have permission to run or fight. Directives can be slightly different for each person (depending on situation, environment and occupation). But, as a rule, your directive should embody our Tactical TEN COMMANDMENTS.

C. NEVER TELEGRAPH PREPAREDNESS:
Anything you do that forewarns your opponent only serves to make for a more dangerous opponent. You don’t need him more prepared. So don’t offer him a greater adrenaline dump. Let him be overconfident.

Therefore, never tell your opponent that you train. Never adopt a stance until the “physical” stage of combat has already commenced.

D. IDENTIFY YOUR NATURAL STANCES:
Musashi said, “Make your fighting stance your everyday stance and make your everyday stance your fighting stance.” There is much to learn from this idea. However, on a literal level (and in conjunction with rule “C”), it means, simply, fight from where you are. Every position you are in is a fighting stance. Learn the blocks and strikes from all “natural stances”. This exponentially increases your element of surprise.

E. IDENTIFY FORCE CONTINUUM (if possible):
The amount of force you use should parallel the danger you are in. This will serve you morally, as well as, legally, should the altercation go to court. As martial artists we are exposed to so many different ways of striking and rarely are the methods identified in relation to the legal concept of the Force Option Continuum. In my system we practice with “emotional motion” drills (using the same techniques while trying to feel fear or panic, or total confidence, etc.) and we give directives when practicing scenarios, i.e. stun & run, subdue, defend with extreme prejudice and so on. Using directives and practicing while in various emotional states allows participants to fully understand how emotions impact their skill and it permits them to evaluate in training the appropriate choices they should make during a confrontation.

F. SEE YOUR STRATEGY WITH A SUCCESSFUL RESOLUTION:
When you create a strategy, visualize the goal. Don’t just start a strategy, which is what most people do. Your strategy is like a map, which only serves you when you have a destination. Your goal is your destination and you want to arrive alive. So create a strategy with the successful resolution of the conflict.

G. NO FEAR:
Remind yourself that psychological F.E.A.R (False Evidence Appearing Real or False Expectations Appearing Real) is your real enemy, more so than your opponent is. Succumbing to psychological fear induces inertia (a body’s inability to move) and will create the opposite of “F” (above).

H. STAY DETATCHED:
A strategy is only useful if it works right? You must simultaneously monitor the situation while you are engaged and determine if your choices are appropriate and be willing to confidently change your strategy should the circumstances change.

I. CWCT:
Identify ‘Closest Weapon/Closest Target’. This strategy in conjunction with your natural stance awareness is an unbeatable combination and is the foundation of our SCIENCE OF THE SUCKER PUNCH seminar. Study this well, as it gets you focused on “first strike” advantage, thus, increasing your perception speed that ultimately reduces the chance of you getting sucker punched.

J. NEGOTIATE:
In the immortal words of the late Patrick Swayze’s portrayal of Dalton in ROADHOUSE, “Be nice, until it’s time to not be nice.” Don’t be cute, either. Violence is not funny and you should really make the effort to avoid the situation. Try to verbally defuse the confrontation using “choice speech” skills.

For more on this subject, check out our PERSONAL DEFENSE READINESS manual, available online.

© Copyright Tony Blauer/Blauer Tactical Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this column may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher or author.

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You already know what to do.

by: Phil Hughes

Not sure if you’ve read the news lately but the world we live in doesn’t seem to be getting any safer. Moving at the speed of life can lead you to a very sudden, very permanent stop these days. But how can we possibly learn everything we need to know to defend ourselves? I mean the possibilities are endless…aren’t they? And I just don’t have the time to learn.

Self Defense visionary Tony Blauer sees things a little differently. “People think that there are hundreds, or thousands of ways they can be attacked, but the only thing outnumbering them is the math. There are lots of scenarios we can be in where we could be attacked; elevators, underground parking, busy club, but the attacks are usually pretty common: a grab, a shove, a haymaker, a tackle or some kind of weapon. That’s about 90% of everything you’re going to see.” Okay, so the number is a little more manageable than first imagined but even then, how do know what to train, or even find the time?

Blauer had this to say, “When you’re talking about time you need to think about the cost. What will it cost you to train to protect yourself? Fifteen minutes a day maybe? What might it cost you if you don’t? How about your LIFE”

Hmm… 15min a day to train vs. 24 hours a day dead, got it. So now, I’ve got a few things figured out to work on and I’m making the time… where do I start.

According to Blauer the answer is, “Start with what you’ve got. You’re not going to wake up tomorrow as Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you don’t need to be. The truth is you’re already wired to protect yourself. Start by writing down something you’re willing to fight to the last breath for, and use our three P’s: Keep it Personal, in the Present and be Passionate about it. There are stories of out of shape stay at home Mom’s who kicked serial killers asses to protect their kids. If you want to fight bad enough you’ll figure it out.”

Blauer continued by showing the basics of the SPEAR System™ which is based on what the untrained body does when it’s in danger…the flinch. When I was a kid we used to play games to make the other guy flinch to show how tough we were, it seems I was going about it the wrong way.

“The body’s prime directive is to protect the command center.” Blauer continues, “ When you flinch, your hands get in between the threat and your head at incredible speeds. When you think about it, that’s exactly where you want them. If you can weather that initial ‘ambush’ you can fight back. Now what you do after that is where training comes in but, you have to admit, being conscious gives you a lot more options.” Agreed…

“From there we have a program called Personal Defense Readiness, with instructors all over the world.” Says Blauer, “The tactics we teach are based on the same principles and built around movements we make every day. A horizontal elbow is the same as putting on a seatbelt.” Cool, I’ve been a driver and a passenger so I’ve done tons of reps on both sides. “Exactly.” Blauer says, “You’re already a professional, you just don’t know it. That’s the job of a PDR coach, to help you unlock the warrior you already are. Remember that Mom who defended her kids? When she was interviewed she didn’t believe she could defend herself. But she sure as hell could defend her kids. The coach’s job is to help her protect her kids, even when she’s alone.”

So about 15min a day and start with what I already know how to do. Sounds like a good investment in today’s violent economy. Especially when doing nothing could cost the rest of your life. Well, I know what I’m going to do…what about you?

Related links…
     S.P.E.A.R. System™ & Personal Defense Readiness (PDR) Training
     S.P.E.A.R. System™ & Personal Defense DVDs

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