One of the key principles I’ve adopted in my approach to training comes from Tuhon Tim Waid: the concept of validating your skill. This principle is essential not only for combative readiness but also for the integrity of your personal development. Your training should not be about ego, exhaustion, or performance for its own sake. It should be intelligently designed to build you up, refine your technique, educate your decision-making, and make you more prepared to navigate high-consequence environments. It should not break your body.
Tuhon Tim Waid is a leading authority in Filipino martial arts, particularly known for his Pekiti-Tirsia Kali (PTK) expertise. He holds the distinction of being the only instructor certified by Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje in the original systems of Doce Methodos, Contradas, and Contra-Tirsia. As the Master Instructor of the Pekiti-Tirsia Kali Global Organization (PTKGO), Tuhon Waid has been instrumental in developing and conducting military-edged and impact weapons programs, notably for the Philippine Marine Corps.
This idea reflects the difference between Physical Culture and modern sports culture. The old-school Physical Culture movement emphasized longevity, resilience, and holistic strength. By contrast, many modern sports and “hardcore” training environments result in high rates of debilitating injuries. Practitioners often wear their damage like a badge of honor, but intelligent training should never destroy the body it is meant to empower. If your training repeatedly injures you, the design has a flaw.
Long before modern fitness trends and the rise of sport-specific training, there was a movement known as Physical Culture. This foundational philosophy focused on developing the body in harmony with the mind and spirit. Emerging in the late 1800s and gaining momentum through the early 20th century, Physical Culture was not about vanity or isolated performance. It was about crafting a resilient, balanced, and capable human being. Someone prepared for life, not just the gym or athletic competition. This mindset is also my experience in my years of training in multiple martial arts. The Arts, if they are trained properly, will build you up on multiple levels.
Physical Culture emphasizes a holistic approach to physical development. Practitioners trained for functional strength using full-body movements with barbells, kettlebells, Indian clubs, and bodyweight exercises. Strength was seen as something to be applied in real-world scenarios. Mobility and flexibility were equally important, with gymnastics and rhythmic movement drills helping to develop joint health and supple strength. Endurance was cultivated through sustained physical efforts like hiking, swimming, and manual labor, training both the cardiovascular system and muscular stamina.
Equally vital were posture and symmetry, which were viewed as reflections of discipline and internal order. Proper alignment supported efficient movement and physical presence. Agility and coordination were refined through dynamic activities like fencing, wrestling, and club swinging, building a body that could respond quickly and effectively under pressure. Breath control was also central to the practice, and it was used to enhance performance and regulate mental state. Above all, the Physical Culture movement aimed to foster vitality and resilience, creating individuals who could withstand illness, recover from setbacks, and live with clarity, strength, and confidence.
This philosophy still applies powerfully today, especially in the realms of combative arts and self-leadership. Physical Culture was about developing the complete human machine. It wasn’t just about how much you could lift or how fast you could move. It was about how well you moved, how long you could last, and how prepared you were for whatever life demanded. Many of the principles and concepts from this mindset are the foundation of what I teach in the Warrior’s Path program and what I explored in depth through my books.
Today, there is an overuse and misunderstanding of what people call pressure-testing or stress-testing. In my opinion, this trend has been distorted and misrepresented. I see an overwhelming emphasis on the mindset that “harder and faster means better” in today’s defensive tactics industry. These approaches are often promoted as valid training methods, but they are not. They are tools to measure someone’s grit, not to develop skill.
I believe one of the main reasons we see this issue in the industry is due to a lack of true instructor development. Many individuals have never taken the time to actually study how to educate others effectively. Too often, people adopt the title of “instructor” simply because they’ve spent a certain amount of time in the industry or achieved a particular rank in a system. However, time served or rank earned does not automatically make someone a qualified instructor.
Being a skilled practitioner is not the same as being an effective teacher. The ability to perform does not guarantee the ability to communicate, break down, and transfer that knowledge to others. Teaching is a separate discipline, an art in itself, and it requires intentional study and refinement. Unfortunately, this aspect is frequently overlooked in today’s training culture.
Tuhon Waid points out that In military contexts, what many refer to as stress testing is officially labeled the Stress Phase. This is the initial evaluation used to determine whether someone is mentally and physically prepared to begin actual skill development. It is a selection process. It is not part of the actual training process. This is a critical distinction. Selection measures what is already built. Training is what builds it.
Proper skill validation is a process. It is woven into practical training, not bolted on as a survival challenge. It means applying your techniques in realistic and unpredictable environments, often against equal or more skilled opponents. This training concept is where actual functionality is revealed. I refer to this kind of work as environmental training. It prepares you to adapt under pressure, with limited space, shifting positions, and unexpected obstacles.
I often refer to these validation environments as environmental training. This concept goes beyond theory and technique. It’s about placing yourself in live, dynamic scenarios where you must apply your skills under controlled and adjustable pressure. For example, live rolling in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a form of environmental training that tests your ability to control, escape, and submit against a resisting partner. Sparring in Muay Thai challenges your timing, distance management, and striking accuracy in real-time conditions. Hand fighting and pummeling drills in submission wrestling test your ability to fight for inside control and positional dominance against an actively resisting threat.
Environmental training is essential because it reveals what actually works when things aren’t going your way. When you’re tired, outmatched, or caught off guard, your performance reflects your true level of preparation. But this type of validation should exist across all the pillars of the Combat Blueprint: firearms handling and manipulation, edged and blunt weapon deployment, striking under duress, close-quarters hand fighting and pummeling, and ground fighting. When you train these areas in realistic environments, safely and honestly, you develop not just technique but trust in your ability to act under stress.
True combative development demands this type of work. Without it, your skills remain theoretical. Environmental training makes your training real. It helps you recognize gaps, refine your tactics, and cultivate the ability to respond under real-world conditions. Whether on your feet, on the ground, in tight quarters, or with tools in hand, it separates martial arts from true martial capability.
When you engage in environmental training to validate your skillset, it’s crucial to be clear about what you are actuallyvalidating. What are the skills or attributes you’re putting to the test? Are you reinforcing high-performance techniques that only work under ideal physical conditions, or are you refining core tools that will serve you reliably across time, under stress, and as you age?
This brings us to an important distinction between limited attributes and what I call timeless tools. Limited attributes are performance-based qualities like speed, power, and explosiveness. These are valuable and should absolutely be trained, especially in your prime. But we must acknowledge that they are bound by the reality of time. As we age, these attributes diminish, no matter how disciplined we are. They can be optimized but not preserved forever.
Timeless tools, on the other hand, are the elements of skill that often deepen and sharpen with time and experience. Timing, spatial awareness, sensitivity, distance management, economy of motion, and the ability to remain calm under pressure are the tools that will still be with you in your later years. These are the weapons of the seasoned warrior. When cultivated properly, these skills can become sharper with age, not duller. They rely less on athleticism and more on understanding, perception, and refined execution.
This understanding should shape your training. While limited attributes need to be developed when you have the window for it, timeless tools should receive consistent, prioritized attention throughout your journey. Environmental training that is designed with this in mind ensures that you are building a truly functional and sustainable skillset. You’re not just preparing for a fight this year. You’re forging abilities that will serve you for a lifetime.
Pressure testing will often trigger the fight-or-flight response in the body, initiating a flood of stress chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol. When this chemical cocktail hits, the practitioner is forced to operate under elevated heart rate, tunnel vision, and emotional reactivity. While this may resemble the conditions of a real-world confrontation, it’s not always the optimal state for learning or ingraining refined skill sets. Neurologically, the body prioritizes survival over precision in these moments. So if your goal is to build technical proficiency or install intelligent motor patterns into the nervous system, relying solely on high-stress pressure testing is a flawed approach.
This is why it’s essential to have stages of training, especially early in the development process, that do not induce this kind of chemical overload. You need repetition, context, and thoughtful drills that allow the body and nervous system to absorb techniques cleanly, without panic, flinching, or compensation. This doesn’t mean you avoid resistance or intensity altogether. It means you build a foundation first, validate your skillset, and then escalate the intensity once that foundation is functional. There is absolutely a place for stress-based drills in training, but they are not where skill development begins.
As Tuhon Tim Waid has emphasized, the key is validation, not simply stress exposure. Validation means applying your skill sets against an equal or superior opponent under realistic but managed conditions. It’s how you test whether your tools hold up under pressure, not how you build them in the first place. Understanding this difference is crucial. If you confuse stress testing with skill development, you may find yourself with a hard shell but no real substance. You might develop grit but lack precision or adaptability. Be intentional, train smart, and know where you are in the process.
Do not copy the dogma of others. Question everything. Too often, people accept training methods simply because they are traditional or widely used, without ever examining whether they truly serve their goals. You must understand why you train and design your sessions with clear purpose and intention. Your training should be more than just repetition. It should be a strategic and evolving process aimed at preparing you for the reality of violence, not just the appearance of it.
The objective is not merely to survive a confrontation but to move through it with confidence, clarity, and control. Thismeans building a well-prepared body, a calm and responsive mind, and the ability to act effectively in high-stress situations. Martial arts are incredible repositories of combat knowledge, but they were not created with today’s legal system or modern social norms in mind. If you follow a system blindly, you risk training your body and nervous system to react in ways that may not serve you in a real-world event or, worse, in a courtroom afterward.
Don’t allow yourself to become “systemized.” Instead, use martial systems as tools to inform your development, not as cages that confine it. You must take ownership of your training. Think deeply about what you are ingraining into your body. Are your reactions legally defensible? Are they socially appropriate? Are they adaptable to your environment and context? Train with awareness. Train with wisdom. And always remember that your training should reflect the realities of your life, not just someone else’s traditions.
Shift Your Perspective, Take Action, And Create Change
~ Sifu Alan ┃ www.sifualan.com ┃ www.civtaccoach.com┃www.prtinstructor.com
Sifu Alan Baker is a nationally respected authority in Defensive Tactics Program Development, High-Performance Coaching, and martial arts, with over 45 years of training experience across multiple systems. As a lifelong martial artist and tactical instructor, Alan has dedicated his career to creating practical, adaptable, and effective training systems for real-world application. He has worked extensively with law enforcement agencies, military units, and private security professionals, designing programs that emphasize scenario-based training, everyday carry (EDC) integration, and combative efficiency under pressure.
Alan’s client list includes elite organizations such as the Executive Protection Institute, Vehicle Dynamics Institute, The Warrior Poet Society, ALIVE Active Shooter Training, Tactical 21, and Retired Navy SEAL Jason Redman, among many others. He is the creator of both the C-Tac® (Civilian Tactical Training Association) and Protection Response Tactics (PRT) programs—two widely respected systems that provide realistic, principle-based training for civilians and professionals operating in high-risk environments.
In addition to his tactical and martial arts work, Alan is the founder of the Warrior’s Path Physical Culture Program, a holistic approach to strength, mobility, and long-term health rooted in traditional martial arts and the historic principles of physical culture. This program integrates breathwork, structural alignment, joint expansion, strength training, and mental discipline, offering a complete framework for building a resilient body and a powerful mindset. Drawing from his training in Chinese Kung Fu, Filipino Martial Arts, Indonesian Silat, Burmese systems, and more, Alan combines decades of experience into a method that is both modern and deeply rooted in timeless warrior traditions.
Alan is also the architect of multiple online video academies, giving students worldwide access to in-depth training in his systems, including Living Mechanics Jiu-Jitsu, C-Tac® Combatives, breathwork, functional mobility, and weapons integration. These platforms allow for structured, self-paced learning while connecting students to a growing global community of practitioners.
Beyond physical training, Alan is a sought-after Self-Leadership Coach, working with high performers, professionals, and individuals on personal growth journeys. His coaching emphasizes clarity, discipline, focus, and accountability, helping people break through mental limitations and align their daily actions with long-term goals. His work is built on the belief that true mastery begins with the ability to lead oneself first, and through that, to lead others more effectively.
Alan is also the author of three books that encapsulate his philosophy and approach: The Warrior’s Path, which outlines the mindset and habits necessary for self-leadership and personal mastery; The Universal Principles of Change, a practical guide for creating lasting transformation; and Morning Mastery, a structured approach to building a powerful daily routine grounded in physical culture and discipline.
To explore Alan’s books, digital academies, live training opportunities, or to inquire about seminars and speaking events, visit his official website and take the next step on your path toward strength, resilience, and mastery.