SPEAR Blog

Coach Jeff Engelbrecht taught a BTS Defensive and Arrest Tactics (D.A.A.T.) Instructor Course at NWTC in Green Bay. D.A.A.T. is the standard defensive tactics course for the state of Wisconsin.  Attendees were given a brief introduction to the S.P.E.A.R. System and conducted some of the drills, learned about HIGH GEAR™ and more.  Already, the NWTC has about 40 HIGH GEAR suits used as the primary protective gear for instructor candidates training.  Additionally, numerous PDs in Wisconsin have implemented the S.P.E.A.R. System into their policy.  Thereby recognizing S.P.E.A.R. as a vital component in many standard DT systems that fail to adequately address the ambush moment and the fight with the 3%er, where most officer injury and deaths occur.

Joining Coach Jeff Engelbrecht was Coach Joe Framke, who has assisted in teaching one-day regional S.P.E.A.R. System courses at NWTC, allowing officers to attend with very few concerns from their administrations about travel and lodging expenses. In the future there may be a one-day ground combatives course, as well. According to Coach Engelbrecht, each course is designed to ensure officers receive information and skills that could help them survive physically and psychologically.

Already, in a recent Wisconsin Applications for the Gunfight course, officers requested more BTS courses in the area.

BTS Coach Zeb Glover went to assist a TV-shoot for a U.K.-based program called “The Gadget Show.” The show’s theme focused on professional vs. amateurs in specific fields and allowed professionals to be challenged by amateurs in a couple of scenarios. Check out what happened with an Olympic medalist and HIGH GEAR!

Like every good story, there’s a twist. In this case, the amateur Ortis Deley,  could use a gadget to give him a better chance at winning as he sparred against Tony “Jaffa” Jefferies, a bronze medalist in last year’s Olympics. Deley’s competitive edge was that he could wear the BTS HIGH GEAR™ Suit.

The challenge was for Deley to hit Jefferies three times within a one-minute round. Although Deley is a black belt in Karate, it’s another deal entirely to step into the ring with a skilled pro boxer.

With Coach Glover close at the helm, Deley prepared himself by warming up on two electronic punch bag gadgets (“Slam Man” & “Counter-Punch”) which measured speed, power output and more. Coach G, a P.D.R. & S.P.E.A.R. System Coach in the U.K., helped Deley suit up in complete HIGH GEAR, and practiced a “Threshold Drill” with him and Tony to demonstrate the impact reduction qualities of the suit.

Once practice was over, Deley got in a few good hits but Jefferies won the challenge. Interestingly enough, Deley was actually able to get in the ring with such a formidable opponent, thanks to the HIGH GEAR suit.

Click here to check out more photos of the action.

The show was filmed at Ricky Hatton’s old gym in Manchester, now run by trainer Joe Gallagher.   The show will air May 18, 2009 on Channel Five in the U.K.   Click here to learn more.

In preparation for the S.P.E.A.R. System™ & PDR Summer Training Camp, August 14-16, 2009 in Virginia Beach, VA, BTS reached out to CrossFit One World’s Freddy Camacho for training advice everyone can use. Coach Camacho will be a special guest at the camp and offered some great tips.

Register now to train with Coach Blauer on S.P.E.A.R. System™ Fundamentals, gun and knife defense and much more. Special discount for law enforcement, military and Crossfit Affiliates.

Training Tips From Freddy Camacho, CrossFit One World

1.  Set goals. No matter what your routine, figure out what you want.  Are you looking to lose weight?  Looking for better fight conditioning? Want to perform better on the job? Trying to turn back the hands of time? (It sucks getting old!) Training to not suck at life? Figure out what you want to get out of your training.

2.  Once you’ve got your goals in mind, figure out what training routine will work best for you. I’m a CrossFit guy because I love the constant variety and achieving maximum results.  It may not be the ideal workout routine for you, but give some variety a shot. Routine is the enemy!  I can assure you from experience that you will not achieve elite fitness by lifting weights five to six times a week and 15 minutes on the eliptical trainer after you’re done lifting.  Lift heavy…lift light.  Run short and fast, but occasionally, run long, too.  Short and intense workouts fit everyone’s busy lifestyle and if you keep variety in mind, it is endless what you can come up with for workout routines.

3.  Hydration, Sleep and Nutrition. You need all three dialed in to reach peak performance.  Hydration is essential to avoid cramping and helps in cutting back on soreness.  Sleep not only rests the body, it heals the mind.  You can really attack a workout after a good night’s sleep. Reaching a plateau in the performance of your workout routines?  Dial in your nutrition to make the next step to elite athlete.  Food is the fuel that drives the body.  If you put bad gas in an engine, it will run like crap.  Start simple with your diet.  Eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and avoid sugar.  After you get good at the quality of what you eat, start playing around with the quantity.  Read up on the Zone Diet for a quality-style diet.
4.  Rest!!!! I’m not talking sleep here.  I am talking about taking a day off from training.  I follow the “three-on, one-off” training protocol.  By the third day, I’ve put out about the most intensity as I can in my workouts.  If I try a fourth day, the intensity is just not there.  Taking the day off allows me to come back and attack my workouts again for another three day cycle.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t practice something on your rest day, just don’t throw yourself into a workout that is going to leave you lying on the floor in a pool of sweat.  Recovery is a huge component for achieving elite fitness.
5.  Listen to your body! Are you exhausted or is your performance dropping?  You are probably overtraining.  More is not necessarily always better.  Also, injuries happen, especially in combative sports training.  You will get injured far more often training than you ever will in an actual fight.  If you have a body part that is not just sore, it actually hurts, take care of it.  Let your body heal properly!  Trying to gut through an injury or ignoring the signals that your body is sending you, can lead to you not being able to train at all.

Check out Coach Camacho at CrossFit One World.