Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Special Edition

TACTICAL SELF-DEFENSE
Less Can Be More! Part 2
By Tom Patire
In all fairness when fear factors and adrenaline kick in it changes the rationale of a
clear decision process.
That is where scenario-based training comes in within your
academy. Creating certain hostile atmospheres and aggressive situations
help the brain to see, understand and decide. When I teach
my seminars, I like to always stress the aspect that you must be the
calm as well as the storm and know when to apply each.
Each defense situation dictates a different response
and most of the time, I say most, that response
has a decision process. That process allows for
choice and that choice is all up to you.
With martial arts, self-defense and personal
protection academies starting to reopen all
over and the country being in turbulent and
unpredictable waters, we as instructors need
to become the beacon of awareness for our
trainees. Documented attacks show that the majority
of attacks are low level, what I trademarked
as a ‘Bad Guest®’ not a Bad Guy! This is
someone that gets aggressive,
verbally demeaning,
a bit handsy, grabbing,
poking, pushing, etc. This
is where we as instructors
must realize what
our main responsibility
to our students is. And
that is to teach the
entire spectrum of
defense – proactive
and reactive! This
gives our students
options while protecting
our liability
as business owners.
Law Enforcement
has a use of force continuum, we as martial artist instructors
should include in our curriculum ‘Personal Defense Initiatives’.
Training that encompasses everything from confrontational avoidance,
situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, self-escape,
control tactics, personal protection, and third-party defense. Life is
and has always been about choices. Choices come from options
and options are what we as true experts in total defense give to
our students. After that it is on them on how and what they choose
to do in that type of situation.
I say this to all my brothers and sisters in the arts: ‘Less Can Be
More!’ If you can avoid, then do not confront! If you can escape,
then do not engage! If you must defend, then understand your
capabilities and engage them accordingly! I have seen too many
‘good’ people including some of my friends get arrested and /or
sued for taking their defense to unnecessary levels. Remember
what you do today will affect you as well as your loved ones tomorrow.
Be Safe Always!
GRANDMASTER TOM PATIRE, is known as “America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert” and has appeared
on Good Morning America, The CBS Morning Show, The Colbert Report, Montel, plus in mainstream publications such as
Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He has written several books and has personal
safety programs that can be incorporated into your martial arts school, available at TomPatire.com.
76 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | SPECIAL EDITION
Photograph by g-stockstudio (top right)