TESTIMONIALS

Tony, just heard a great story from a patrol officer. He and several other officers were trying to talk a violent subject down during a disturbance. When Officer Van Pelt told this guy he was under arrest, he suddenly got very quiet and put his hands on the car. When Van P1lt began searching him, he spun and tried to hit Van Pelt. Van Pelt flinched and drove a protective SPEAR into the guy, bowled him over the car and the other officers helped him handcuff the guy. He included all of this in his use of force report so it will make it to the Assistant Chief of Patrol. From him to me to you, Thanks.

DT Instructor Dana Jackson
Little Rock, AR

Your S.P.E.A.R. System™ Certification class in Las Vegas was great. I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed with the amount of information I need to re-organize and study, not to mention 40 pages of notes. Anyway, you were great to work with I believe in your system. My guys are chomping at the bit to get trained after hearing my reviews.

I also wanted to drop you a line to let you know I have already used the S.P.E.A.R. System™ two times in the last month. The first was on a bad guy we had tracked into the woods following a felony assault. Our K9 and handler went in to make the bite and apprehend him. The dog had a good bite on the suspect, but the suspect ignoring the dog, was turning to punch the handler. I was able to pick up the Pre Contact Cue, and caught him with a full SPEAR across the clavicle and neck. I basically rolled him with one shot. Between the dog and I, we stretched him out and took him into custody. Then, last Sunday, I got onto a vehicle chase with a male who had just assaulted his ex-wife with a hammer. I was able to get him stopped, but he came out at gunpoint and went after me, ignoring my commands, and my gun. He got a taste of his own medicine. After fighting hard, he ended up in the back of my squad. Only because you got me thinking about the flinch and holster, or flinch and draw, did the transition go so smooth. I holstered and jammed him good twice from the protective SPEAR then the tactical conversion. I have taught that concept to my guys. I just wanted you to hear some more success from your program.

Pete Dahl RCSO #1111
Deputy Commander
SCDIU-SWAT

We've been using the HIGH GEAR™ (4 sets) for the last two years in our Force Scenario Training here at the Academy. We've had great results and couldn't do the training and testing we have in place without it.

Officer Joe Engman
Control and Defensive Tactics Instructor

In keeping with the "train to realism" philosophy, the HIGH GEAR™ suit is second to none; using the suit allows the operator real-time speed and agility without bulky equipment to interfere. Every time my students saw me in a HIGH GEAR suit, they knew it was "Game On!" The level of reality just moved up several notches. After CQB runs with the HIGH GEAR Suits, introducing Blauer's No Time to Shoot/No Room to Shoot scenarios, students would thank me for the "Real" training, saying that was the first time they were allowed to "go that far"... Did the suit stop me from feeling all the punches and kicks? I wouldn't want it to, I want to know what punch is working and when a kick didn't hurt. I want to be able to give true feedback to students without getting injured. HIGH GEAR allows me to do that. I know incorporating the HIGH GEAR suits into my training has helped save lives in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts unknown.

FC (Ret) Phil Crowley
CQB/Combative Instructor

The Applications for the Gunfight school in Oak Creek was great. I am looking forward to continued training and becoming an instructor. Thanks for all you do to keep us safe and make us dangerous.

Sergeant Ken Brand
Walworth Co. Sheriffs Dept. Patrol/SWAT

I began my martial arts training in 1967, and have seen a lot of junk get passed off as effective self-defense since that time. On the advice of my first Sensei, Van Canna, I have sought out the best, toughest, and most effective instructors I could find no matter where I lived. Years later, I learned about Tony Blauer. He was the first person I ever heard referred to as a martial scientist, and upon investigating his S.P.E.A.R. System™ I found his research to be very thorough. His knowledge of the psychological side of survival in the streets, coupled with economy of movement and devastating follow-ups sets Tony Blauer in a class by himself. You can learn from him or learn it the hard way, if you live long enough.

Frank DiMeo
CrossFit Gulf Coast

We have been using Tony's research in the training of our fighters at The Armory fight team for a year now. I have been a student of Tony's material for a few years and find it invaluable in developing training sessions and picking apart specifics of the MMA world. Most recently we used some of Tony's system in dissecting elbow striking from the top and bottom with one of our UFC fighters. The material, if properly studied, is very transferrable to the MMA world and should be considered in any persons training program. The HIGH GEAR™ equipment is also a great training tool. All equipment that is strapped on a fighter has some limitations to it. We have found however that the HIGH GEAR allows the highest level of movement, with a minimum level of restriction and just the right amount of protection. We have 6 full suits and a few partial suits at our training academy and they are a great training tool.

Joe Mullings
'The Armory'

I first met Tony Blauer 5 years ago at a special meeting at the GORE-Tex facility in PA. I was impressed with Tony's skill and ability to teach and immediately invited him to Texas for a TTPOA sponsored event in Baytown. His approach to training and his methods were unique. His philosophy was different than conventional training; everything was about converting the Murphy Moment during extreme close quarter situations. The class of SWAT operators ran through basics of Blauer's S.P.E.A.R. System™ that included handgun & long gun transitions, weapon defense & groundfighting. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, not just because Tony is a dedicated teacher, but because his tactics were really simple and practical, and in fact, within a month of the class, this simple introduction to the S.P.E.A.R. System™ helped save the of life of one of our officers who found himself face-to-face with an armed suspect about to fire at him. As the suspect turned to fire, the officer, used an actual drill from Blauer's class and intercepted the gunmen's arm with the, stepped into the assault simultaneously engaging the suspect with his own firearm; the ability for the S.P.E.A.R. System™ to blend with the firearms transition was crucial to this officer's success. We even wrote about the incident in our COMMAND magazine. Because of successes like these and the practicality of Tony's research we've had him back for TTPOA conferences as well as advanced SWAT classes. While Tony's physical tactics are effective and work well under stress, his most important contributions to officer safety & survival training are his research into mind-set, fear management and the psychology of performance.

Sandy Wall
Houston Police Department, SWAT (ret.)

Tony, A belated thanks once again for without a doubt the best personal defence course that we have taken since being in the police.

PC1373 David Smith
Leicestershire Constabulary, United Kingdom

When it comes to reality-based training there are few people that have really pioneered training or forced advancements in the field of combative sciences. Tony Blauer is one of those individuals. His approach to breaking down confrontations and development of the Ballistic Micro-Fight allows trainers and warriors to understand close quarter tactics at the deepest level. His HIGH GEAR suit is also an invaluable addition to the world of scenario-based training. Tony's ideas on what 'protective' suit should do for training is a complete paradigm shift from the conventional model. In the classes I teach I have had the opportunity to work with many types of protective gear. While each of the protective suits available on the market serve various purposes during training, when speed, intensity and realistic movement are required in the scenario, I prefer the HIGH GEAR suit.

Kenneth Murray
Armiger Police Training Institute

Tony Blauer's S.P.E.A.R. System™ is the new paradigm of combatives training. As a law enforcement officer, use of force trainer, and academician, I have studied the efficacy of use of force tactics and techniques for well over a decade and have concluded that theS.P.E.A.R. System™ is the most comprehensive combatives program currently available. The system has also become the genesis and springboard of my professional research and training. The reason is simple: the S.P.E.A.R. System™ is 'totality in training'. I will never again train or live without its principles.

Brian Kinnaird, Ph.D. Forceology Research Group

Tony! I am a BIG fan of your work. I think that your contributions have taken the warrior community into an entirely new evolutionary step. And this new program of yours is a major step forward. In my science fiction series (The Two-Space War), set hundreds of years in the future, they refer to our current era as the "Warrior Renaissance." We have learned more about the psychology and physiology of combat in the last 50 years than in the previous 5,000 years put together. And in the distant future Tony Blauer is referred to as "Saint Blauer." This is an inside joke, half in jest between friends, but it is also half in truth. I believe that hundreds of years from now, when the history of this Warrior Renaissance, this Golden Age of Warriors, is written, that Tony Blauer will be remembered as one of the great pioneers who propelled us forward to the next evolutionary step in warriorhood. And you can quote me on that!

LT. Dave Grossman
U.S. Army (Ret.)
Director, Killology Research Group

Dear Tony, I recently had a good ex-SPEAR-ience. While on patrol, I stopped to see what 8 Polynesian males were doing outside a Bowling Alley. Two approached and said, "What the f**k you looking at punk ". I then asked for some ID, they both began an array of "F**k you, Dickhead". As I was reaching for my radio to call for backup, the one on the left took a swing (Sucker punch) with his right hand. I immediately responded with the SPEAR sending him reeling into the other which bought me enough time to draw my OC and spray both of them and keep the others at bay until backup arrived. I've never attended any of your seminars, only have a couple of your videos, but appreciate the valuable info and research you've done. It could have been a bad situation had I not practiced and made your technique part of my repertoire. Mahalo,

Jason Groff
Pearl Harbor Police

Following my first PDR weekend, I spent hours studying the seminar material. As questions arose, I corresponded with Coach Blauer and other PDR attendees. Soon, Coach Blauer's "uncommon sense" became clearer and clearer to me. The wisdom of his teaching and the genius of his system slowly became my own. Years of memorized martial arts "moves" were replaced with lightening fast instinctual responses. Where fear once existed, a vast psychological arsenal stood in its place. Today, after several PDR weekends, I feel I am a far better "3 Dimensional" fighter. I train and prepare myself for real world violence emotionally and psychologically-not just physically any more. As a result, I am more aware, more prepared and more dangerous to bad guys. I would never trade my decades of traditional martial arts training. I can say without exaggeration, however, that I found as much information, confidence and truth in a weekend with Tony Blauer as I had in a veritable lifetime of studying classical karate technique.

Gary Khoury
Khoury's Karate

As physicians we have years of experience treating injuries that are the result of humans fighting other humans. We are also students of the martial arts and we have studied how humans fight for an equal number of years. After participating in several of Tony's courses, it is our opinion that the S.P.E.A.R. System™ is the most anatomically and physiologically sound system of fighting available to the professional combatant. Tony Blauer's S.P.E.A.R. System™ is usable, effective and reliable because it is based on the intrinsic pathways of human survival physiology. What makes the S.P.E.A.R. System™ fundamentally superior to other combat systems is its utilization of instinctive human response to focus the fight back onto the initial aggressor of that fight. Thus, Blauer's system trains the fastest possible reaction of the "fight or flight response" to become the fight response. Anatomically, SPEAR is sound because it uses areas of the body that are least susceptible to injury to strike areas of the body that are the most susceptible to influence. Compliance of the opponent, therefore, is obtained with the safest use of combative force that is anatomically possible. The SPEAR, when executed properly, is a safe and effective mechanism to defend self, influence opponents, and overcome an aggressor, rapidly with a measured response. The S.P.E.A.R. System™ is the most pragmatically safe way of responding to an attack. It makes sense from the medical standpoint because it intelligently utilizes intrinsic neurological pathways to effectively respond to unexpected attacks in a smoothly rapid way that dominates the opponent from point of first contact. It is used in the real world because it is grounded in fundamental anatomy and physiology of the human weapon system.

The S.P.E.A.R. System™ utilizes instinctive motion to effect a combative change in both participants. Its effectiveness is grounded in basic physiology and as a result although initially apparently simple it is fundamentally as complex as the system it is designed to protect, humans.

Robert C Smith, MD
Medical Director, Direct Action Medical Network

Mr. Blauer, I would like to relay the following incident regarding the S.P.E.A.R. technique. In June 2000, I along with several other Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office SRT members attended one of your S.P.E.A.R. System™ seminars. Upon our return, we continued to practice your system. In April 2001, our SRT was executing a Search Warrant for the Narcotics Division. My assignment was primary entry team member. Upon making entry, the suspect rapidly exited the bedroom less than two feet in front of me, the suspect, with a pistol in his right hand, lunged at me. Using the half S.P.E.A.R. technique off my MP5, I drove him into a wall and then to the floor causing him to drop his weapon in the process. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your instruction in your excellent system and feel that it was primarily responsible for this incident ending without injury to any law enforcement officers or the suspect.

Sgt. Mitch Woodruff
PBSO

Tony, I would like to thank you for the class at Oak Creek PD. Now that I have had an opportunity to see what those who have attended before me saw, all I can say is I wish these tactics were here when I started 28 years ago. It would have meant fewer fights and less ruined uniforms. I wanted to let you know that the National Geographic channel ran a special on unborn children the other night that showed a child in the womb flinching due to a loud and startling noise introduced by researchers. Using cameras that viewed the child inside the mothers womb, loud noise actually caused the child's hands to move up toward the face in the startle flinch response. What was even more amazing was the fact that they had just finished talking about the baby's nervous system just developing, providing even more evidence of the hard wiring present in our system, just as your research has shown. Thought you may want this information as further evidence of how correct you are in speaking about the hard wiring of the flinch. Again thanks for the class, it is truly a gift you possess to teach officers how to stay alive.

Lt. Craig Busche
Greenfield Police Department

Tony Blauer fills in the gaps that other martial artists never think about when teaching self-defense. Leaving no stones unturned, Tony places your mind in the forefront, where it belongs, then gives you the physical skills and tools to get the job done. You will learn a lot from this man. I sure have.

Matt Furey
World Kung Fu Champion National Champion Wrestler

The training was excellent. I am a police officer and everything that was taught has a practical application to my job.

Steve Poulos
Phoenix Police Department

Tony, this is Jeff Okon from Bexar County I'm in Iraq with my army unit. Last week my guys were attacked along with another unit. The end result was 2 dead, 5 trucks destroyed, and seven wounded. It sounds like we lost but we won. The two dead soldiers were from the other unit, My soldiers survived a vicious battle where they were out numbered and out gunned because of the things that you taught me. Things like make a "Mental Blueprint" "Presumed Compliance" "Moving through the enemy and beyond instead of backing up and defending yourself" I know I'm not one of your best students but I learned how to control the enemy instead of trying to control the fight. Thank you for all that you have taught me.

First Sergeant Jeffrey B. Okon
U.S. Army Reserves, Iraq