Sifu Alan Baker teaching Keysi Fighting Method close-quarter self-protection.
Keysi Fighting Method training for close-quarter grab defense.
Sifu Alan Baker and Jennifer working through a close-range self-defense question.
Keysi shielding and ram attack training for close-quarter self-protection.
Fresh back from another outstanding week at the Executive Protection Institute, I had the opportunity to teach Protection Response Tactics®, work with an exceptional group of future protection professionals, and spend several days on the range during EPI’s Personal Pistol Course. This trip was especially productive as I introduced new material into the PRT curriculum, captured valuable video content for future YouTube projects, and was honored to be invited to join the EPI instructional staff as a firearms instructor. It was a week filled with learning, teaching, professional development, and exciting opportunities for the future.
If you spend any time in the defensive tactics, martial arts, or combatives world, you have seen the same scene play out. People suit up in large, padded outfits, full-face helmets, thick gloves, groin protectors, shin guards, and sometimes chest and back armor. The instructor announces that they are going “full force” and that now the training is “real.” From the outside, it looks intense and impressive. From the inside, everyone feels the adrenaline spike. They breathe hard, struggle, shout, and come away with the sense that they did something truly serious and realistic.
You should have answers and tools for every part of a combative encounter. If the only option you trust is your firearm, stress will pull you toward that single solution. When you build more trained options across the force ladder, you can solve problems at lower levels and reserve higher force for the moments when you have no other choice.
Done right, standard grappling makes you harder to kill. It builds alignment. It teaches joint control. It gives you deep insight into leverage, weight distribution, and how to stay calm when you’re under pressure.
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Over my 45-plus years of involvement in the martial arts and defensive tactics industry, I’ve witnessed significant shifts in how these arts are practiced and taught, particularly in the United …
In the defensive tactics and self-protection industry, a significant issue has emerged, the weekend certification course. It has become far too common for individuals to attend a two-day seminar, receive a certificate, …
