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Student of the Month: Tim S.

Posted on October 13, 2021 by admin

Hello Sealed Mindset Fans and Friends! Candice here with another terrific story on one of our members!

OVERVIEW

At Sealed Mindset, we are sometimes seen as a “shooting range” or are perceived to be focused only on firearms training. The following Sealed Mindset member story illustrates that our mission is not only to condition the body and mind to respond with tools, but also to boost physical capacity in general…all while giving a bit of a self-esteem lift in the process! Please read on for a truly inspiring account of what our training can do for the foundation of your personal protection training.

Unlike most of our other facility members, Mr. Tim S. came to us not through an interest in firearms training, but because of his association with the construction of our facility. His contributions earned him a free membership from Anne and Larry, and since he had already decided to begin working on his health by improving his diet, he was encouraged to try our Defensive Fitness classes. After just a few short months of weekly participation in these classes, Tim S. has not only shed pounds, but has increased his flexibility to the extent that he can now perform weighted squats; remarkable only because when he started, he could barely accomplish an un-weighted, partial squat! We are always proud when our members display an increase in knowledge and refinement of skills, but Mr. S. has gone above and beyond in terms of our expectations, and his own!!

1) What initially drew you to Sealed Mindset? Was it the firearms training or the fitness classes?

I met Anne and Larry last October when they had signed a lease with Hillcrest Development to expand their business. I was involved in the design and construction of the facility.

Because of that involvement, at the finish of the space, Anne and Larry were very kind to give me a membership to Sealed Mindset as a thank you for all of our work together. Plus during last winter, I had decided to get in better health through diet. I thought it was best to first use the defensive crossfit classes to help with my goal of trying to get into that better health. Could have easily gone to any gym, but because of Anne, Larry and Beau’s encouragement and support, stayed.  During the summer, the experiences that both Larry and Jason have given me have been invaluable. I now know that I wouldn’t have received near the attention that was given in any other place. This personalized attention keeps me coming back.

2) You’ve experienced greater progress than any of our other clients, and in a very short period of time. Aside from your own obvious tenacity, is there anything else to which you attribute this success?

My starting point was so low that any advancement would be quite an improvement!

[What Tim isn’t saying is that he estimated his loss at 40 pounds and gained an incredible level of flexibility. His wife was kind enough to share this information with us during a recent visit to Sealed Mindset for a Defensive Flashlight class.]

3) What about Defensive Crossfit classes do you enjoy most?  

I believe the words ‘enjoy’ and ‘Jason’s classes’ do not go together. Anyone who has been in the class with me feels this too. It is work and one must be motivated to continue with that type of workout.

4) What are the most obvious physical changes that you have seen since you began working with Sealed Mindset?

Beyond the weight loss, I have gained so much more in endurance, coordination, muscle, flexibility and balance.

5) Have you ever been a part of a group fitness or personal training class before?

No, this is my first one.

6) What are your plans in terms of continuing your workouts here with Sealed Mindset?

Learning more about what is offered has opened my eyes to the variety available here. I plan on taking the Kali class (stick and knife defense) in October. I’m hoping that this class will help with coordination and give a bit of a work out between the cross fit classes.

I’ve also had all of my daughters and my wife take the Defensive Flashlight classes - all have come back with great reviews of what they have learned.

7) Finally, would you recommend Sealed Mindset’s training to anyone you know?

I have spoken to many about Sealed Mindset…in fact, I talk about Sealed Mindset to almost anyone who will listen.

If so, what type of person do you believe would benefit most?

I would like to think that anyone with any interest in any of the available classes would benefit.  The level of expertise and commitment to increase a persons experience and abilities is very high at Sealed Mindset.

Thanks Mr. S for sharing your story with us! Do you know of someone who might enjoy trying out one of our Defensive Fitness classes for free? If so, set that person up with a free sample class by emailing: candice@sealedmindset.com. Until we meet again…

 

Posted in family safety and prevention, self defense training | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Emerson Class: The Switch - The Edge of Life Itself (a Woman’s Perspective of the Emerson Course)

Posted on September 28, 2021 by admin

Hi Everyone! I’ve had some questions from other women out there about our upcoming Ernest Emerson class on October 13th and 14th that addresses how to use a Defensive Edged Weapon or in my terms, a knife! Here is a short blog I wrote to give you an idea of my experience last year. It forever changed the way I see my capabilities and I think it is something every woman should experience. Enjoy!

When I was a little girl, I loved swimming in any type of pool. Pools were clean, clear and easy to move around in.  I felt comfortable in pools because I could see everything around me.

I distinctly remember the first time I went into a lake, which looked very different than a pool – cloudy, brown tinged, and lumpy on the bottom. My toes felt like they were sinking and with every small movement, I hoped I wouldn’t be pulled down under the sand, to be forgotten forever.

I remember curling my toes into the sand, once…twice…waiting to see if I would sink down, but everything held. Just as I reached my arms out over the water, about to leap into the lake, my father’s deep voice rang out:

“Remember, if you swim out too far, the fishies will eat your toes.”

Startled, I reigned myself in and slammed my arms down to my thighs to quickly stare straight down in the murky brown water, considering what fish that might be swimming there.

Never before would I have considered rabid fish wanting to cause me harm, nor would I have let them change my plan for the morning, but there, standing at the edge, I was suddenly unsure.

“How far out is too far?” I heard over and over in my head.

That same feeling came over me recently at a class we held at Sealed Mindset, Defensive Knife Fighting Skills with Ernest Emerson. This was to be our most intense and most extreme class we have held up to this point, and I was one of three women who would be attending.

As much as I wish I were a blond ninja, I’m a normal woman who just happens to be married to a Navy SEAL. The “married to a Navy SEAL” part tends to throw people because they assume I’m either insanely protected at all times, or that I have secret stores of invincibility taught to me by Larry that I use whenever Larry is not with me.

Neither is true.

What is true is that I’m a normal woman who has learned a heck of a lot along the way of our relationship and our business. I’m a woman who has the same normal concerns that every other woman has had: what do I do if my husband is out of town and someone tries to break into our home? My one advantage over other women is that I have a very open mind to learn from the Navy SEAL I have at my fingertips, and I practice what I learn every day.

Back to that unsure and uncomfortable feeling…

I felt that weight of discomfort the second I stepped into the Ernest Emerson Defensive Knife Fighting class we held that weekend. I argued with Larry about attending before I ever showed up, claiming I had learned enough about personal safety, awareness and fighting for the time being. He would calmly listen to me discuss my concerns and then he would say in a very loving voice, “I know, but you’re still coming.”

So, I arrived in my lululemon yoga outfit determined to not let this class get the better of me. I was cautious and nervous, but I was determined not to show it. At least if I looked great, then I could feel great, right?

The first thing I learned was my startle response and how to work with it so that I had an advantage rather than giving my attacker an advantage over me. Awesome. I felt prepared, I felt comfortable, good piece of information.

The second thing I learned was that you must be a fighter in mind and body. If Mr. Emerson were to hand you a knife and teach you how to use a knife, you would then be a person with a knife. But, if I were a fighter first and foremost, then when he gave me a knife and taught me how to use it, I would be a fighter with a knife. If I did not have any tool at my disposal, the fact that I would still have the soul of a fighter would be there would be no time where I would ever be unarmed. Again, AWESOME, I got it. This was comfortable. I had taken some boxing classes before, so my form was good. I felt powerful.

The third and most important thing I learned was 3 minutes is a long time.  Oh no. Now I’m told that I have to punch a boxing bag in front of the entire class for a minute as fast as I could without stopping before being given 10 seconds to punch with whatever I had left. I looked quickly around the room, for the first time feeling a wee bit unsure.

What if I messed up?

What if I couldn’t keep going that long?

What if I looked ridiculous, e.g. what if I frothed at the mouth like some of the guys? (Not that frothing is bad, I’ve just only ever seen Fluffy do it!)

I watched man after man get up to punch that bag. Each man ended his last 10 seconds with a foamy mouth, with wild swings and intense, angry eyes and everyone cheered. The excitement was electric, but all I could think about was the fact that I couldn’t remember the last time I foamed at the mouth or was so sweaty without doing anything…maybe during an overly intense tooth brushing session? ARGH. I can’t get out of this.

So what did I do? I SMILED.

I took my spot at the punching bag with a big smile on my face (the face of an unsure champion), and began to punch. Punch punch. Punch punch. Punch punch. Punch punch. Punch punch…is it almost over?!?!…don’t think about the clock, keep going, keep punching…my arms were starting to feel like lead…punch punch. Punch punch.

“KEEP GOING!” yells Mr. Emerson.

“LIKE A HAMMER!” calls out Larry.

But I don’t hear anything. I just keep punching and punching and punching. Breathe. Breathe. Punch. Punch. ARGH. Keep punching, keep punching, move your feet, move your hips, keep moving…don’t stop…everyone is watching…punch, punch, punch punch.

Finally, eons later, I hear the bell for the last 10 seconds and I decide the safest bet to control how I look in this moment (because I was still going for professional and coordinated) was to hook punch on each side of the bag. So, in a rather dignified and ladylike manner, with a smile still on my face, I hook punched my way to the end of the bell. I had made it!

I came off the bag shaky, but my breathing returned quickly and the smile I had plastered on my face was still there for all to see. I turned to another guy and said, “Well, that was better than I thought it would be.”

He replied, “Obviously, you’re still smiling.”

The fourth thing I learned in this class was that I don’t like random guys lying on top of me while I struggle to get my only defensive weapon, a knife, out of my absurdly small lululemon Capri pant pocket. Those pockets are NOT made for knives. WHO KNEW?!

Mr. Emerson started to pair us up, always with a purpose, to test our ability to get our knives out of our pockets during a real altercation that ended on the ground. When he first mentioned this, I turned to Larry with pleading eyes, “Can I PLEASE be paired with you? I don’t want to go with anyone else!”

Larry gave me a hug to reassure me that everything would be okay, and then suddenly Mr. Emerson was calling out my name and another law enforcement officer’s name, an officer who has spend a lot of time on the street dealing with criminals. GREAT. Just my luck. Here comes that tooth eating grin again. I can’t help myself. It is like my blankie.

He called us to the mat. I tucked my drill knife into my capri pocket and with that same smile plastered on, jokingly said, “So, do I get to start on the top?”

No smiles here. “No, you start on the bottom. Make sure you really lean all of your weight on her, Officer.”

Good lord. I can feel his entire weight as he lays across me with his upper body completely flattening my body beneath him. He stares down at me with intensity and I quickly avert my eyes. Oh God. It’s not like we’re in battle. We’re in a damn training class, lighten up, I think. At least my long legs are free, but his large arm is holding them too.

Geez, he weighs much more than I do, I thought angrily. How is this fair??! Then suddenly, “how the heck am I supposed to move let alone get the knife out?”

Before I knew it, the timer was on and I was shoving and pushing, getting shoved and pushed, elbows in my face and arms everywhere. I pulled into a fetal position as quickly as I could to divert the hands reaching, pulling, grabbing. Suddenly, FREEDOM and I was screaming, “I got it!!!! I got it!!!” All the while with that smirk still plastered to my face.

Thank goodness that part of the course was over, I thought as I shakily get to my feet and finally heard the applause coming from the group around me. One fight down, more to go. And I think I still look all right. Haven’t embarrassed myself yet.

The fifth thing I learn is that you NEVER want the time you first experience something bad to happen in real life. You want to practice it happening in a safe situation before it ever happens to you in the real world. Why? Because if you’ve never experienced it, you probably don’t know how to react and those seconds you waiver or wait can cost you your life. I know those seconds will cost you because I never knew if I could move faster, hit harder, and I spent the first few moments of this section of the class trying to figure out how hard I should be hitting…how hard was “as hard as you can hit.” If I had never experienced this in the class, I would still be wondering…still waiting…still asking.

The sixth thing I learned is if I can fight all out for 3 minutes, 30 seconds will seem like nothing. I waited my turn, hoping that the longer I waited the more likely it would be that they would forget that I had not yet taken my turn. I tried to employ the techniques Larry had taught me about avoiding eye contact, shrinking my frame, becoming one with the wall but I was thwarted…tends to happen when one is wearing a bright pink tank top at a mostly male gathering.

Mr. Emerson called my name. I snapped the protective eye shields over my eyes, sweat sliding them slowly down my nose as I waited. I cleared my throat and methodically brushed my hair behind my ears as I watched Mr. Emerson hand the plastic practice knife to one of the other instructors. He read out the rules, the instructions.

I looked down at my empty hands, looked back at the knife held tightly by the instructor who was to be my adversary. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is pushing through the fear. Damn it, Anne PUSH.

5…4…3….2….1. BEGIN.

I pushed the glasses back up my shiny nose and immediately felt multiple thrusts sharply whip against my waist, my upper arm, my kidney. Snap, snap, snap, thud - I threw up arms up at the last second with a perfect outside 45 degree angle and deflected the blow. Hmmm. Mabye I can do this!

Deflect. Block. Again. Deflect. Block. Both Arms. One Arm. Block. Block. Deflect. Block. How much longer is this going to go on? Block. One Arm. Both Arms. Both Arms. Deflect, Move, Move, Block.

TIME – Mr. Emerson starts my second full minute, but this time hands me my own plastic knife so that it is now knife against knife. My life becomes a minute of short, snappy strokes with my plastic blade. I imagine pushing through my opponent, blocking as I throw a few perfect Achilles strokes and inner thigh cuts. I imagine fluidity. I imagine power. I become one of those robot maids, back up, move in, back up, move in, try not to hit the wall. I feel the blade snapping, stinging, striking, but I still move.

TIME – Mr. Emerson starts my third full minute and hands me a blue gun for weapon strikes against an opponent with a pad. My legs are shaking, pulled down by gravity and the lactic acid lead that courses through my veins. I cannot breathe, I cannot control my breath, I feel saliva slip unconsciously out of the side of my mouth and I leave it there. I want to put my head between my knees and breathe, but there is no time for that.

So, instead of running, I look up and meet his covered eyes.

I look into the murky water; feel the sand sliding between my toes and suddenly the water is clear… I do not care if I cannot see, if my father is worried, if there are indeed fish ready to bite off my toes.

For the first time in a long time, I feel peace.

And then… I leap.

The smile disappears replaced with a thundering battle cry:

“Come and get it mother fucker!”

The blond ninja has climbed her mountain, and she will be forever changed by it.

The switch had finally been flipped.

Thank you, Mr. Emerson.

If you liked this blog post and would like more like it, please email Anne Yatch: anne@sealedmindset.com. She’s working on the next one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in awareness training, Edged Weapons Course, Emerson Knives, family protection, Knife Fighting, Larry Yatch, sealed mindset, self defense, self defense training | Comments Off

Featured Student - Mark K.

Posted on August 1, 2021 by admin

Hello again everyone from me, Candice! It’s been a very eventful month here at Sealed Mindset. From the popularity of our Navy SEAL Adventure, to our fully booked Defense and Fitness classes, to an overflowing Defensive Flashlight class, we have certainly had our plates full! With all of the events going on in the facility, we have one person whom we’ve chosen as a stand-out amongst the others as our “Star Student” for the month of August.

Mr. Mark K. was introduced to Sealed Mindset at the Waconia Firearms Show last year, and after learning more about other Permit to Carry classes in Minnesota, Mark chose to participate in the most comprehensive course available in the state - Sealed Mindset’s Advanced Permit to Carry. Since this introduction, Mark not only became a facility member, but also has attended our Spy Date with his wonderful wife Melissa and has been highly committed to his development through our Daily Defensive classes and Scenario practice. In order to achieve his goal of “Level 6 Student,” Mark plans to continue this commitment so as to take advantage of the unique opportunities we offer in our range: shooting from a holster, shooting in low light, and multiple target shooting. Not to mention the availability to fire live rounds “in close to 360 degrees, around barricades, off positions etc.” in our live fire bay.

Although Mark has had some level of firearms experience since childhood, his education with Sealed Mindset has revealed to him that familiarity with a weapon is not always enough. The ability to apply what he has learned through our classes (and subsequent application in the Scenario class) has shown Mark that his anticipated reaction in a defensive encounter “is not what occurs in reality…unless you have training.” It never ceases to amaze me how we overestimate our own abilities until we are faced with a real-life scenario in which utilization of learned skills is expected. Mr. K is certainly not the only one to report surprise at his own response to such a situation, but his dedication to training and personal development though our array of classes certainly puts him far above the pack should he ever be called to defend himself or his family! Read on below to learn Mark’s direct perspective of what Sealed Mindset has to offer you!

1) What brought you to Sealed Mindset?

“I met Larry and Anne at the Waconia firearms show in 2011.  When I decided to get my conceal and carry permit later that year I looked at several classes and I chose Sealed Mindset’s class because it looked to be the most comprehensive course.”

2) What is the most important or useful aspect of the training you have received with us?

“The most important aspect of the training that I have received is the training in awareness and how to maintain a defensive mindset; combined with the firearms training and techniques, and how to apply these techniques in the real world, if necessary.”

3) Did you possess any prior firearms experience before coming to Sealed Mindset?

“I was given a BB gun for my 8th birthday, and many pop cans met their demise at the end of my mighty Daisy.  This was followed by shooting .22 rifles in Boy Scouts, and then I have been small game and deer hunting since I was 12 years old.  I started plinking with handguns in college, and started pheasant hunting a couple years ago, but aside from basic firearms safety training I had no firearms training prior to joining Sealed Mindset.”

4) I see you have taken advantage of nearly all of our class types (aside from private instruction), which of these do you enjoy most?

“I enjoy the Movement and Live Scenario classes quite a bit.  I like these classes because they allow us to use the techniques that we learn in the Daily Defense Shooting classes in simulated situations while moving.”

5) Has the instruction provided in our Daily Defensive Shooting Series taught you anything that you found surprising or unexpected?

“I was surprised how I reacted the first time I did a scenario class! It was eye opening how real it felt and how my body and mind reacted the first time I participated in the scenarios.”

6) If you have ever used other local ranges, what makes Sealed Mindset stand out in your mind?

“I have visited several gun ranges in two different States, and what I find unique about Sealed Mindset’s range is several things. One, there is never a wait to use the range. Second, Sealed Mindset is the only gun range I have found that allows you to practice drawing and shooting from a holster, shooting from alternate firing positions or shooting at multiple targets.  Last, Sealed Mindset is the only facility that I know about that is open to the public AND has a room where you can shoot simulated rounds and a live fire range where you can practice shooting in close to 360 degrees, around barricades, etc.”

7) We were pleased to have you as an inaugural member of our Navy SEAL Adventure platoon. What would you tell your friends about this experience? Do you anticipate joining in on any of our future events? (Date Night, Spy Date, Wild West Night.)

“I told all of my friends/family that the Navy SEAL adventure was an extremely fun, very unique, adrenaline rush that everyone should experience.  I posted all about the adventure on my Facebook page, and I think that I drove my wife nuts when I got home that night afterwards because I couldn’t stop talking about the adventure!  My wife and I have completed the Spy Date together (also very fun), and I am looking forward to the Wild West Adventure.”

8) How would you describe your experience with the Scenario and Movement classes?

“The scenario classes have been the most eye-opening of all of the classes. We all think we know how we will react to various situations, but until you actually experience them you don’t really know how you will react.  What I like about the scenarios is that nowhere else I know of will allow you to actually practice having to deal with a dangerous situation in a safe environment where you can really learn from the experience.”

9) What are your future plans for personal development with us? Would you like to go all the way through level six, for example, or are you happy with level 2 or 3 in the Daily Defensive Shooting series?

“I plan to continue with the Daily Defensive Series training. I see myself going all the way to Level 6, as well as attending various adventures with my wife, using the dry fire and the live fire ranges, and continuing to attend the Scenario classes.”

10) Finally, would you recommend Sealed Mindset to your friends and family? If so, what would you say about us?

“I strongly recommend Sealed Mindset to all of my friends/family, and even people I just met.  I feel Sealed Mindset offers the most comprehensive and complete training available to the general public.  I feel that Sealed Mindset offers training and experiences to the general public that no other training facility has available.”

Stay tuned for more featured students next month! Thanks again for all the wonderful support - if you haven’t had a chance to visit us in New Hope, give us a call anytime: 877.723.7573.

 

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Mass Shooting in Aurora Colorado: An Instructor’s Perspective - A Blog Post by Beau

Posted on July 24, 2021 by admin

Hi, my name is Beau. I am a father of two young boys and a husband. I am also an instructor at Sealed Mindset’s Firearms Studio who was asked to comment from my perspective on the recent mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Here are my thoughts, for what they are worth to other fathers who want to defend their families.

This morning you woke up to the news of a mass shooting in Aurora Colorado. A man in a black coat, bullet resistant vest, and a gas mask, stormed a theater during a midnight showing of ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ He threw a smoke or chemical grenade into the crowd, fired a shot into the ceiling with a rifle and then turned the rifle on the crowd. Thirteen are now dead, dozens more were injured, and Americans are once again watching the media pour over this story.

We at Sealed Mindset woke to a phone call from a partner whose daughter was at a screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’… in Minnesota. What that means to us is that this could happen anywhere, to any one, and at any time.

Example: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=8083465

Soon, if not by the time you read this, the blame game will begin. It’s the Tea Party! It’s the guns! It’s Hollywood! It’s the NRA! I’ll let the political pundits argue about the origin of this event, because there are bigger points for those of us who are preparing to defend our families and ourselves.

The first point is what Larry has been saying to classes for years, violent crime is not rational, logical, nor ethical. It doesn’t matter that in this case the perpetrator used a rifle. In just the last couple of years sociopaths have killed dozens of people with cars (running them into crowds), or if you’re on the border, sledge hammers or machetes. Sociopaths will kill regardless of the laws that are in place to prevent them. One would think that would go with out saying, but bear in mind, they’re sociopaths. Instead, it needs to be on us to be ready to protect ourselves.

The second point is that the national average police response time is 11 minutes, if you’ve ever done a scenario at Sealed Mindset you know that 1-2 minutes is forever in a real life scenario! Most scenarios don’t go past 10-30 seconds and even in that short period of time the amount of damage that can be done by a dedicated bad guy can be impressive. We don’t yet know how long this perpetrator was shooting into the crowd, but we can be sure that he was doing so for an extended period of time. This means that there was potentially time to engage this threat, force him to retreat or even disable him had there been someone there with the ability and the training to do so.

Finally, after listening to several of the eyewitness accounts, the situational awareness and response of several of these victims was the definition of the Sympathetic Nervous System (S.N.S.) response. An S.N.S. response is when the reaction portion of the brain takes over. We’d like to think that when things go bad we’d be able to think of what to do, but under an S.N.S. response, the cognitive portion of the brain is almost entirely eliminated from the process. For example: one woman said she watched this man come in, dressed in black, and a rifle in his hands. He threw a smoke grenade into the crowd and fired a shot into the ceiling. Even up to this point she said that she thought it was part of the show! It wasn’t until the man lowered the rifle to the crowd that she realized this was a lethal threat to her safety!

Today arm-chair quarterbacks across the country will be telling each other how they would have conducted a single hand draw while doing a ninja roll and hitting the perpetrator in the brain stem in their fantasy web chat rooms, but let’s be honest and say that most of us who even consider ourselves prepared, aren’t. The real question is, now that we’ve seen this yet again and we’ve made the decision to prepare ourselves, what are we going to do to be able to survive and protect others around us?

The answer is that it takes three things: knowledge, skills, and experiences. At Sealed Mindset, we want you to have all of the knowledge it takes to survive, to inculcate the mindset of survival into the core of your being. We want you to have all of the skills, the tools if you will, to use in any situation. And finally, as we learned from Ernest Emerson, we want you to never see something for the first time in a defensive situation.

Confidence is earned and it is earned through experience. We don’t just say what to do in a scenario, we go into the scenario room and show you how it works firsthand. For a carjacking, we put you in the car, have an instructor in safety equipment and we put a simulation pistol in your holster. When things go bad, if things go bad, could you deter this threat? Could you escape? If you have to physically defend yourself, did the skills we taught and programmed in the classroom work? And now that you’ve seen it, are you more ready for the next time it happens in the scenario room? It’s not doing this one time that makes you some kind of an expert, it’s just like the old saying, the amateur does it until he gets it right, the professional does it until he can’t get it wrong.

So be ready, be safe, and remember: it’s the mindset that sets you apart.

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The Efficiency of a Tactical Pen Part 1 by Guest Blogger and Instructor of Improvised Weapons, Jack Pettengill

Posted on July 9, 2021 by admin

Since its introduction, self-defense practitioners have flocked to the tactical pen as an excellent combination of pen meets puncturing/impact object.  For those of you who do not know, a tactical pen is a pen also constructed to be used as a stabbing or blunt impact weapon, if necessary.  They are made of strong material, are easy to grip, have several features (one brand boasts a DNA extractor!) and, oh yes, also function as a writing tool.  However,  I think that purchasing a tactical pen to carry for defensive purposes is a mistake for anyone outside of military or law enforcement, and possibly, even then.

Don’t get me wrong.  An actual tactical pen designed for defensive purposes can be superior to most standard pens in strength and durability, which is why they were created in the first place, but this can also be the problem for an average citizen.  Understand that this is a world of web, surveillance, and security cameras, making footage of encounters readily available.  If you end up having to defend your encounter in court, the opposing attorney is going to try to convince the jury that your specially designed pen is an offensive weapon, not a defensive object.  Any video footage of you making contact, etc. with this “weapon” may be used to manipulate or otherwise suggest that you were carrying a weapon made to look like a pen (not a pen that doubles as a weapon) and that you were looking for and/or expecting trouble.  If he/she is successful there, it may not take much more to make you look like the aggressor in the eyes of the jury; or at the very least that you used way too much force on his client – your attacker (who will be trying to look as innocent as possible).

As a general rule anything commercially designed to function as a weapon, whether that function is primary or secondary, can still be classified as a weapon in the eyes of the law – meaning it may be subject to stringent regulation.  For instance, carrying a pen that doubles as a pocket knife must follow the laws regarding knives in that state.  It is much more difficult for someone to convince a jury that you were the aggressor if you were forced to use a standard object (pen) with no special construction or specifically designed defensive features.  It helps to establish yourself as the true victim (that you were) if you were forced to use an everyday object to save your life.  The down side is that a disposable, plastic pen may break at the critical moment or otherwise not be as effective in defending yourself.  Therefore, you cannot expect just any standard pen to come through for you; try to make it fit the following criteria:

Look for a pen that is made of steel, titanium, tungsten, or other high quality material (certain polymers may be effective as well).  Secondly, it should have some girth - at least ½” wide all the way down with a flat top to avoid injury to the pad of your thumb if stabbing with an “ice pick” type grip.  Usually the twist activated pens make better improvised weapons than the “click top” because the button that activates a click top pen tends to be narrower and more fragile, which causes greater risk to the pad of your thumb upon impact.

Pens that have a removable cap are fine, if the cap fits tightly and is of metallic construction.  A pen with a thin, plastic cap will likely collapse or split causing the pen point to drive into your thumb or hand.  If possible, try to get a pen with a shaft that is all one piece.  The fewer seams it has, the stronger it will be.  Do NOT modify it in any way by wrapping it with tape for a better grip or filing down an end to make the tip sharper or give any part of it an edge.  These actions support the argument that you were looking for (or, at least, expecting) trouble and that you are fully aware that you are carrying a weapon – not an improvised object that you were ultimately forced to use as a weapon.

Stay tuned for Part II next week!

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Featured Student - Bob H.

Posted on July 9, 2021 by admin

About Bob: Bob is a former Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. He has also attended numerous classes at some of the nation’s top shooting schools and with leading instructors-Gunsite with Jeff Cooper, Thunder Ranch (directly under Clint Smith) and Masaad Ayoob’s Lethal Force Institute.

“One of the things I most appreciate about Sealed Mindset’s approach to training is the detailed attention given to shooting fundamentals.

Regardless of one’s experience level, this stuff is absolutely key. For instance, using the trigger staging function on a SIRT pistol: Larry showed me how my muzzle wasn’t coming straight up when executing presentations from the holster. The muzzle was wandering slightly. We were able to correct this, and while it is perhaps a minor tweak to something I’ve been doing for years, it has made a huge difference in the efficiency of my draw.

What Bob Likes:

“I’m particularly impressed by several unique features of Sealed Mindset’s approach to training. First is the on-going, progressive nature of the training program. As I mentioned, I’ve been lucky enough to attend some of the best firearms training in the country. All of these schools, however, structure their training around set three to five day courses. Once a student completes the course, that’s it (until the student returns for another course). If a student does not continue training, much of the skill developed in a particular course will fade with time. Sealed Mindset allows students at all levels to train and improve on a continuing week by week basis-building upon what has been learned the week before. I’m not aware of any other firearms training structured this way. It’s an absolutely inspired approach to firearms and self-defense training!

Second, the breadth of Sealed Mindset’s training opportunities are the most extensive I’ve seen-everything from solid shooting fundamentals, to force-on-force, movement classes, martial arts courses, crossfit, etc. Each of these supports the other.

The Firearms Studio's Shooting Range

Low Light Movement Training

 

For someone with my sensibilities, it’s like Christmas with guns!”

How Bob trains:

“I try to do at least a little dry-fire daily-even if it consists of just a few presentations and reloads. I recently ordered a SIRT training pistol from Sealed Mindset, and am looking forward to incorporating that into my home dry-fire practice. I’m currently doing live fire once a week.”

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Featured Student - DiAnna

Posted on July 9, 2021 by admin

Hello Everyone!

I’m Candice, the Firearms’ Studio’s facility operator and blog poster! I’m a mom of three who is just starting to learn more about self defense, defensive fitness, and defensive handguns…and I’m loving it! Our featured student column is our weekly post to introduce you to some of our fantastic clients and friends who decide that adding defensive skills to their daily lifestyle is exciting, adventurous, and practical. Those who join the facility as members, and those who take classes as students are normal, every day career women, business men, moms, daughters, sisters, fathers and sons who know we live in an increasingly dangerous world, but want to be better prepared for it.

Now, on to DiAnna!

About DiAnna:

Always compelled to set challenging goals for herself, DiAnna (along with her husband, Derrick) chose Sealed Mindset’s training to supplement her many life achievements and to assist in her personal growth.

Prior to her arrival as a student in the United States, DiAnna had an arduous road ahead in terms of building confidence and resiliency. Due to her tremendous motivation, however, she successfully earned her way through college while maintaining her place on the Dean’s List – experiences she credits for beginning the development of these traits.

Despite her lack of experience with guns or shooting ranges before becoming a member of SM, she has expanded her firearms education via our Daily Defensive Shooting classes and can now say she is no longer afraid of guns! Bear in mind, this is a woman who already had her Permit to Carry, yet she was still hesitant to use her firearm! She looks forward to attending several of our various tactical defense classes as well; adding to her repertoire of SM experiences which began with “Date Night” and “Defensive Flashlight.” Happily married to Derrick, DiAnna continues to evolve personally and professionally, and is “very grateful” for Sealed Mindset’s influence in developing the confidence she needs to perfect the necessary art of personal defense!”

 

Our Interview Together:

1)    First of all, what made you decide to become a member of Sealed Mindset and how did you hear about us? Do you have a background with firearms or personal defense techniques of any kind?

I had no idea how to even hold a gun when I set foot on the doorstep of Sealed Mindset (keep in mind that I already had my permit to carry). My husband Derrick gets credit for introducing me to the facility; he had heard about it from friends. The journey started with the Date Night, then continued with the Defensive Flashlight Class (which I highly recommend!) and the rest is history.

2)    What, in your opinion, is the most impressive facet or enjoyable experience at our facility?

The most impressive facet is the instructor level of commitment to training, their determination to ensure that each student gets the level of instruction they need, and instructors customize that training when necessary.  When I come to class, I never feel like a number, and I know that my instructors CARE about my learning progress and my safety. 

The enjoyable experience is the friendliness and the feeling of welcome from every staff member I’ve met, starting with Larry and Anne (and don’t forget Fluffy!)  J  It truly feels like a big family. 

3) I see that you have enjoyed our Level 1 Daily Defensive Shooting sessions. Do you plan to branch out a bit to our other classes, such as the Scenario or Movement classes?

Yes, I would really like to.  My husband has taken many classes at Sealed Mindset, he loves them, and his feeling of excitement is contagious!   I am particularly interested in the classes that teach defensive tactics – I feel it’s a skill that every person should have.

4)     How do you feel SM training has prepared you, or affected you, since you’ve begun to train with us? Do you find you have more confidence/have you become more aware of your surroundings?

In the short period of time I have been with Sealed Mindset, my level of confidence has soared.  I am aware of my surroundings, I can identify situations that might require high alert, potential action or avoidance.  This applies not only to dangerous encounters, but also to real-life situations.  I wouldn’t have known any of it if it hadn’t been for training at Sealed Mindset.  Also - I am no longer afraid of guns and I now I want to come to classes to keep training. 

5)    How prepared do you feel you would be should you be faced with a defensive encounter? How does this compare to your mindset before training with us?

I can say with confidence that I feel a lot more prepared (and not as afraid) to deal with a potential defensive encounter.  I feel much more empowered to handle confrontational situations, whereas before I was absolutely clueless on what to do.  It is amazing how much I have learned in just several months of training.  

6)    Do you feel we offer a female-friendly environment?

Absolutely.  You have good female presence at the front desk, many female members attending classes, and instruction in class is easy to understand and is non-intimidating.  I have always felt comfortable and welcomed as a female.   

7)    Have you experienced other shooting ranges before? If so, how do we compare to them?

Hardly at all, so can’t tell you much.

8)    How far do you wish to progress with your training?

I would like to get a well-rounded training experience with not only using firearms, but also with learning defensive tactics and movement. 

9)    If you were to say just one thing about us to your friends and acquaintances, what would that be?

Once you take classes at Sealed Mindset, you’ll be asking yourself “why haven’t I done it sooner?”

For those of you who would like to meet DiAnna, come out on to Sealed Mindset’s Firearms Studio and join one of the Daily Defensive Shooting Classes!

I’ll look forward to seeing you all next month with another exciting featured student profile…until then stay safe and have fun on the range!

 

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Know Your Attacker: The Attributes of the Sociopathic Predator

Posted on September 22, 2021 by admin

Dear Sealed Mindset Students,

In continuing honor of our upcoming Emerson Defensive Knife Skills class on 10/22 and 10/23, we have another excellent guest blog by none other than Mr. Emerson himself! Enjoy, and if you want to join the ranks of those who can see and avoid the predators out there, email us to take the class. We only have two spots left! anne@sealedmindset.com.

The Attributes of the Sociopathic Predator

“Wherever you are, death will find you, even if you are in towers strong and high! So what is wrong with these people, that they fail to understand these simple words?” – Mohammed (Qur’an: 4:78)

How do you prepare yourself for an attack by your enemy? Lets’ first take a short look back in history.

Prior to World War II the French Military built a line of defenses, a wall in effect, called the Maginot Line as a bulwark defense against an attack by the German Military. The Germans simply went around using a different route, and over the line via the Luftwaffe. My point? The French strategic planners and military advisors failed to anticipate technological advances made by the German military. They failed to realistically evaluate all the possible strategies that an enemy could employ to subvert the defense and they also ignored the fact that the way wars would be fought had evolved and changed. In short, they did not know their enemy and as a result could not prepare an effective defense. Their efforts were futile and useless.

The simple lesson here is; Unless you “know” your potential enemy you cannot prepare effectively for his assault.

The principle here as it applies to self defense and hand-to-hand combat is the same. You need to “know” your attacker so you are ready and properly prepared should that attack ever come.

Who is Your Enemy?

“I didn’t feel nothin”, said Tommy Lynn Sells - when asked what he felt as he cut the throats of two ten year old girls.

With all of our training, our technology and our knowledge, why do the bad guys win? Let’s take a look at answering that question.

Do you know what a sociopath is? In simple terms, I would define it as someone who has no empathy, no feelings for others –no conscience. We’ve been aware of, and perhaps have had contact with sociopaths our entire lives, ranging from the grade school bully all the way to the serial killer with all degrees of sociopathic behavior in between. In fact, (Many bullies actually grow up to be adult sociopaths).

We on the other hand are the good guys. We have a conscience. We care about what happens to others, we do not want to cause pain or suffering, let alone death to anyone. In this contrast lies the bad guys biggest advantage. My question earlier to you was, “Why do bad guys win?” Let us see if I can answer that. There is a phenomenon called “hesitation shooting”, an all too real scenario in which a police officer has his gun drawn and pointed directly at the bad guy. The bad guy also has a gun pointed at the officer. The bad guy pulls the trigger. The officer dies. How does this happen? Forget about your training. Forget about department policies about justification of force. Forget about rules of engagement. Putting yourself in the officer’s shoes, it happens because you’re not a sociopath, even at the expense of your own life. But the even bigger reason is this; The bad guy is a sociopath and he’s done this before. You have not. A sociopath will stove you’re head, in grab your sandwich and wonder what flavor the cheese is. His behavior started with pulling the wings off flies, kicking dogs or beating kids on the schoolyard, he’s done this before, a thousand times before. The only difference was that this time he had a gun. Tomorrow he might beat the hell out of an 85 year old grandma just to get her eight dollars and change.

In simple terms they are a product of their environment and we are a product of ours. You might say, Good Vs Evil.

This is your enemy. Understand, I’m not talking here about a bar fight over a girls honor. I’m talking about a stone cold killer who will climb through a window into your house, crush your head with a hammer and rape your wife next to your dead body.

“This is the enemy you must prepare for. If you are prepared, truly prepared, mentally prepared, to face an opponent like this, then all lesser opponents will pale in comparison.

“Let him who desires peace, prepare for war.” – Publius Flavius Vegetius

How do you prepare for the sociopath, perhaps a gang member who will kill you just so he can tattoo a tear drop under his eye for status in the gang?

Unfortunately to beat this opponent you have to become a sociopath. This is the point where most (a majority) of people fall short in the totality of their preparation. Will you gouge someone’s eye out? Will you tear their throat open with your teeth? Will you smell his stale breath as his eyes glaze over from your arm around his throat? If you’re not willing to answer yes, hell yes, to these questions then the day you meet one of these guys is the day you are going to die.

Are you a Sociopath?

I am a sociopath. Well, let me soften that a bit, by saying a, “justified sociopath.” What I mean by that description is; My decision, my mind set, my foregone conclusion is simply this. If you threaten my life or the safety or the lives of my family, I will do anything and everything to prevent you from doing so. No restrictions – no conditions. Period. You also, better be able to be that “justified sociopath”, when the time comes.

It is with this singular clarity of purpose that you must approach the reality of true life or death combat. The SAS often describe it as the switch. You’ve got to be able to turn on the ruthlessness when you need it and turn it off when it is not needed. That is what separates “us” from “them”. I’m going to talk in much more detail about the “switch” and also the psychological / physiological response to such extreme violence in upcoming articles. But for now I want you to consider how you stand when it comes to a “what will I do to survive?” moment. Otherwise if there is any part of you or your conscience holding you back when a bad guy is bent on your destruction you better be able to turn that switch off and the other switch on. If you don’t, you may personally find the answer to the question I asked early on; “Why do the bad guys win?”

Copyright 2010 Ernest Emerson

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The Warrior Mentality: Developing the Warrior Spirit by Guest Blogger, Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives

Posted on September 16, 2021 by admin
Ernest Emerson

Image via Wikipedia

Hello SM Students!

Again, we are honored to have Ernest Emerson as our guest blogger this week to bring more exciting insight to the warrior mentality and the warrior spirit. Also, if you click on his name, you can visit his page to see the NEW Memorial Knife he designed for those who were killed in the recent helicopter crash.

For those of you who will be attending our Emerson Defensive Knife Skills class on 10/22 and 10/23, this is REQUIRED reading!

“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” – Vince Lombardi

Since time immemorial warriors have always held a revered honored and respected place in society. In spite of all political meanderings and the ebb and flow of societal values, this has never changed and it never will.

In terms of exposure to a spontaneous dangerous threat, it has been my observation that in general, society breaks down into two groups. Those who run to danger and those who run from it. This is not a matter of courage or cowardess and I place no judgment upon it. I believe in the idea so eloquently explained by my friend and colleague Lt. Col David Grossman that, “there is the flock and there are the protectors of the flock, the Sheepdogs,” as he puts it.

Now, if you are reading this article because it is of interest to you then chances are you are a protector, a warrior. Otherwise this would be of no interest to you.

Mind you, a warrior is not necessarily the 220 lb football quarterback or the professional wrestler. In fact the physical aspect of strength or size, or sex has little if anything to do with the bearing of a warrior. Many times in hostage situations it has been the petite middle age woman who has stepped forward, into the fray.

Do you know who is the toughest son-of-a-bitch to walk the face of this earth? Any guesses? Well, I’ll tell you who it is. It is a 120 lb Marine just out of Boot Camp. How can this be? Does he think he is tough? No, he does not. He knows he is tough. He knows he is the toughest son-of-a-bitch to ever walk the face of the earth. There is not one shred of doubt in his mind. He has the resolve of invincibility. If any of you who are reading this are former marines then you know what I am talking about.

Every time I teach a hand-to-hand combat class the ever anxious students expect to grab weapons and start training in knife fighting tactics right out of the gate. They expect that to happen but, that never happens. Why not? Because after 2 or 3 days of training what I’ve got is 30-40 weak fighters with knives in their hands.

My god, my methodology, is that that I must train them to be fighters first, before we ever put any weapon into their hands. Once I have turned them into fighters – hard-core, fight to the death warriors, then I can put any weapon I want into their hands be it a rock, club or knife, and they will prevail. Because now, even without weapons, they are Warriors, not just athletes. Now, at the end of a training evolution I’ve got 30-40 warriors willing to fight to the death if necessary, to stop the bad guy. And it doesn’t matter whether they have a weapon or not. They’re going to win.

Once upon a time I was working with members of the British SAS. In the middle of an edged weapons training block we were practicing how to punch as hard as humanly possible. I asked one of the instructors why we were training in punching when we were dealing with edged weapons. In a thick Scottish Brogue he answered bluntly, “If I can hit you so hard, that I’ll knock you into next Sunday then, if I have a knife in my hand, I’ll drive it through your chest and right out of your back. The only reason I’m in this fight is because the bad guy’s try in’ to kill me. I’m not about to let that happen.” What is the key point in his reply? The one you should lock onto?… “I’m not about to let that happen. That is the Warrior speaking. Not the punching. Not the drills. Not the SAS. It is the man who is a warrior. In simple terms it embodies everything I’m trying to describe. It is the attitude. The resolve. The Mentality of the Warrior.

“Get Tough or Get Beat” – SAS Maxim

In 1876 the citizens of Northfield Minnesota rallied together to route a daring bank robbery by the James Younger Gang. Cole Younger was shot 13 times. While recovering in the hospital a newspaper reporter asked him how he could survive being shot 13 times. His answer was simple and direct. “We’re tough men used to tough ways.”

The warrior’s spirit is conceived by need, driven by a cause and fueled by inspiration. It is learned and earned and is not something anyone is born with. As it is with a leader, the Warrior is not born into the role. It is made by hard effort, determination, resolve, selflessness and a dedication to a moral and ethical ideal, a sense of justice and a willingness to defend your convictions.

A warrior is one who takes a stand and will give 100% of himself, even unto death to protect those who depend on his shepherding.

“Until the end of time, as the last sun sets upon this earth, in that blackest night, somewhere a warrior still stands his lonely watch.” – Ernest R. Emerson

For inspiration I submit to you the following, taken from The Order of the Black Shamrock;

“The Medieval Knight and the Royal Orders represented the ultimate warrior class of western civilization mirrored only in the East by the Samurai of Feudal Japan. The Knight represented the ultimate culmination of skills and the epitome of human development. Fearless in battle, heedless of death, driven by a cause and held to a strict set of moral standards. To the common man, they represented the ultimate in human achievement. And they represented the protector, their bulwark against evil.

These knights also represented the idea that someone possessed of such deadly skills and destructive force could at the same time be held accountable by an adherence to a code of strict moral, ethical, and honorable standards. Standards held higher for them than any others. Such was the definition of chivalry.

And this definition stands true today. We are warriors. We are warriors in the fight for justice, for truth, for freedom. We are warriors against tyranny, against oppression, against evil in all its forms. We are warriors for what is right and good. We are warriors who protect those helpless, from harm. We are warriors who fight to protect our way of life. We are warriors who carry on the legacy of those who have gone before us, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and the safety of our families. We carry on the legacy of the warrior class, those who have always stepped to the frontline to place themselves as the last wall of defense between the evil that would destroy it and the precious things that we hold so dear.

This legacy has been borne true since the time of the noble knights and it is now held forth by those who heed to its calling to this day. Those who stand watch over our neighborhoods and city streets. From the dirt swept planes of Afghanistan to the front doors of our very homes where our families sleep at night, a warrior stands at the ready. Whether you are a Soldier, Police Officer, Fireman, or a guardian, we are the brotherhood of warriors, the protectors, those who will not run from danger, but run to it, to seek its source and with shield and sword, strike it dead to stop its terrible spread. We are the noble knights who will, without hesitation, and against fear, enjoin the battle to protect and guard the safety of those who lay their trust in us.

Not every man is a warrior, but for those that are, know that you are the steel that runs through the foundation of society and civilization and that without you there would be no liberty, no freedom and no justice for all.

The warrior is held to a higher standard. The highest standard. The greatest heroes in the history of the world have been warriors. You are counted among those heroes, those times, those events that have shaped human history, that have built the greatest civilizations on this planet. Count yourself among the ranks of those brothers and know that you stand shoulder to shoulder with those who have shaped the destiny of the world with steel, blood, fists, and glory.

You know who you are. Carry the pride and bearing that befits the status that you have earned and that you hold. Be proud that you have chosen to walk the path taken by few and revered by many.

And know also, that as warriors, we will never perish from the face of the Earth.”

The responsibility of a warrior does not merely necessitate the taking up of arms against an enemy. It is more, much more and it is such that you become an example, a role model of ethical and moral behavior to all others who may look to you for guidance or protection. If this is the path in life that you have chosen to walk then know that it is a path well worn by the footsteps of those who have walked here before you. Others, who have willingly said; I will endure the hardship, the pain, the sacrifice and the risk of death so that those who sleep soundly in their beds can do so in the warm embrace of safety and peace.

If this is your choice then know that your road will be fraught with adversity and you will be assailed by many, but in those times, remember that you are in the company of the noble souls who have also faced such adversity and prevailed. And know also that your legacy shall be that until the end of time, as the last sun sets upon this earth, in that blackest night, somewhere a warrior still stands his lonely watch.

Coming next week… Know Your Attacker - The Attributes, Strategies and Tactics of a Sociopathic Predator

1,701 Words - Copyright 2010 Ernest R. Emerson

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Surviving the Deadly Attack: The 12 Strategies That Will Save Your Life by Ernest Emerson (part 1 of 3)

Posted on September 9, 2021 by admin

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Dear Sealed Mindset Students,

It is our great honor to introduce you to Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives as our guest blogger this week! Larry and I were humbled to meet him a few years ago, and now he is coming all the way out to Minnesota to offer the best defensive knife skill training to you! Larry has carried his Emerson Commander knife since his days at the U.S. Naval Academy, across the Middle East, through South East Asia and even in our own backyard. Larry is never without it. This very fact intrigued me the first day I met him, and now you will be able to learn, just as I did, about the meaning of the Emerson blade.

To give you better insight into why Larry always carries his Emerson Commander knife, Mr. Emerson has put together a series of blogs that we will be posting for the next few weeks. This is a terrific opportunity for you to learn what you may be in store for at the upcoming defensive knife skills class, should you accept the challenge to attend, on October 22nd and 23rd at Sealed Mindset. Enjoy!

“One who stands with his convictions never stands alone”

Surviving the Deadly Attack: The Twelve Principles and Strategies That Will Save Your Life by Ernest Emerson

Over the next few weeks I will be discussing 12 basic principles applied to the most intimate and deadly of all human interactions, Hand-to-Hand combat. These principles are distilled from decades of experience and thousands of analysis of deadly attacks. Out of all of this study, I began to see patterns and commonalities that manifest in both outcomes of these scenarios, those where the victim of the attack survived and those in which the attacker prevailed and severely injured or killed the victim.

This is the first installment in a series of articles, a course, on the strategies and tactics, the principles and concepts that you must know, that you must use, that you must embody, in order to insure your survival when you are against the odds.

These are the same subjects that I teach in seminars and courses to civilians, law enforcement and elite military units all over the world.

“There is great moral satisfaction when, in a decisive moment in time one is able to mete out clear justice without hesitation or debate” – Ernest Emerson

The Bottom Line

The true bottom line of this series of discourses is to teach you how to survive a violent, deadly attack. It is a survival fighting course; it is not for sport or tournament fighting. It is not designed to beat or defeat your opponent (although that is most often the outcome). It is designed to give you the tools to survive. This does not mean that you will not get hit, cut, broken or even severely injured. What it does mean is that everything you will learn is geared to enabling you to survive a violent attack. You must enter into the study of this course from the point of view that the end result of any attack could be your death. It is only with this clarity of purpose that you can, without hesitation employ the techniques and embody the concepts so that they give you the best use of the tools to survive. A photo cannot convey the intensity and violence with what they must be delivered to be most effective. If you think you can hit hard you must hit 10 times harder. If you think you are fast, you must be 10 times faster.

Forget the dojo, forget sparring, and forget the tournament or ring. Forget the teacher, the rules or referee. Imagine that it is 1:30 am on a Saturday and your car has broken down in the worst part of the worst city in the world. As you step out of your car, you see the three predators that are going to rape your wife and daughter and then kill all of you. They’ve done this before and totally without conscience they are about to do it to you. At this time, there is nothing else in your life that matters. There are no safeguards. It doesn’t matter if you are the most powerful CEO in the world or a gas station attendant. The only thing that exists in your world now, is you and them. The only tools that you have now are your physical skills, your wits and your most powerful natural weapon; the will to survive. In most cases, it is the only advantage you posses. Out manned and out gunned, your resolve may be the only deciding factor. You may even need to sacrifice your life to save your wife and daughter. This is the mentality that you must draw upon and develop during the study of these discussions.

And, this is the violence that, God forbid, you may have to confront some day and if you do, you must be prepared for this level of pure evil, both physically and mentally, in order to survive it when, and if, it ever enters your world.

Saving Yourself: You’re the Only One You Can Count On

In a time of real crisis, when your life is truly on the line or if you are ever involved in a life or death struggle with an armed attacker, a fight to the death, you will immediately come to the realization that it is just you alone against the attacker, nothing more and nothing less.

Even if you are protecting loved ones, teammates or innocent bystanders, where others may be involved, it will still boil down to just you and the bad guy. And if you are attacked in a parking lot or outside of some dive bar, you will really be alone, very alone.

Human beings are in general, by nature, social creatures. We congregate; we surround ourselves with friends, family and even strangers because it is comforting. In nature it is the stragglers who are singled out as potential prey.

Our society further supports this comfort zone with safeguards such as Police Departments and Fire Departments who will come to our aid in a time of need. They form our safety nets. As a whole we as a society have off-loaded our personal responsibility for safety to someone or something else. And as a result, psychologically, we have let down our guard and exposed our soft underbelly. We have come to rely on all of these factors for security and we know they will come to our rescue when we are in trouble.

Or so it would seem. In reality, it is highly unlikely that a serial killer, rapist or mugger is going to attack you in a crowd. In reality, a serious attack or fight is started and finished in less than 8 seconds. How long is 8 seconds? Just ask any Bull Rider and he’ll tell you just how long 8 seconds can be. Actually, most of the time a fight is over in less than 4 seconds, but most people won’t believe that. They’ve just seen too many movies. In reality, there is not going to be a police officer standing across the street. In reality, if you are attacked no matter what the circumstance, you are going to be on your own. Consider this scenario. You’re walking down the street with your buddies and out of the blue you pass some guy, he starts wailing on you. How many punches, could he throw in the 3-4 seconds it would take for your buddies to pull him off of you? How many knife strikes could he have thrown?

Does any of this change in a combat environment? Hell no. In fact it is worse. Not every mugger has the preliminary intent to kill you. But, if you have to go hands on with any enemy soldier in a combat environment, you better know he is trying to kill you.

I hope that you are coming to the realization that your survival in a deadly attack scenario ultimately rest squarely on your shoulders alone. You are solely responsible for your own survival. Safety nets, buddies, teammates or police responders will not be there to help you. If you are currently of the mindset that someone or something will be there to save you in your time of need, to come to your rescue, then you’re going to get hammered.

But, if it is true that you are responsible for your own survival, and that you believe it so, then you can start to do things to change the circumstances in your favor. You can start to manipulate the environment of a conflict. You can change the dynamics of a violent encounter and you can affect the sequence of events to sway them in your favor.

As you may have surmised by now, I am describing a mentality, or a mindset more than anything else and it is the first step in a progression of steps you must take in a readying yourself to react correctly when faced with the imminent threat of extreme physical violence.

I will be discussing, and you will be learning, that there are certain ways you can think, certain ways you can conduct yourself and certain things that you can do which will give you the tools to survive if and when you ever come face to face with the most terrifying of all experiences, mortal combat with another human being.

If you are now decided that yes, you are solely responsible for your ability to survive, which is the essential first step, then the next question is; What is the next step? What are all of the steps? What are you going to do about it? Take heart, for there really are certain things you can do…

Stay tuned for the next installment:

The Warrior Mentality – Developing the Warrior Spirit
To register for the Emerson Class on 10/22 and 10/23, please call Sealed Mindset: 1.877.723.7573.

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