Auburn Krav Maga Blog

Peace! Krav Maga gave me peace. As violent and brutal as the techniques are and as weird as it seems to say, Krav gave me peace. Not the hold hands and sing kumbaya type of peace, but inner peace.

Nervous, anxious, uncomfortable,in all honesty - scared. That was me! I watched the news and saw all of the craziness going on in the world. Shootings, stabbings, robberies, home invasions, gang violence, beheadings, and violent political mobs are always front and center. In the last decade, our society transitioned from being able to agree to disagree while still being able to love each other to burning down businesses, threatening people’s families, and taking a person’s life just because they had a different political opinion or didn’t look how we thought they should.

I never went anywhere without a gun, often more than one. I used to go to church with a 9mm on my ankle and a .357 in my waistband. I constantly looked over my shoulder and always avoided crowds. Sound familiar?

When I began Krav Maga, I had no idea of the changes that I would soon experience. Yes, Krav Maga helped me get in shape, lose weight, blah blah blah. But, that was all icing on the cake. What I really got from Krav Maga, I didn’t even now I was looking for.

I don’t remember the last time I carried a firearm in public - I don’t need to, I can take yours. The freedom that comes with being comfortable enough to go out in public without a gun is liberating.

The stress I deal with now is from worrying about whether or not I’m going to reach my goal for daily water intake. There is no more looking over my shoulder, preemptively deciding who the potential threats are in a restaurant, having to sit with my back against a wall, in the furthest corner of a building, and facing the exit. I haven’t been nervous about being attacked in a long time.

Don’t twist my words. I am still situationally aware. Now, I just don’t worry about the possibilities or avoid situations altogether. If it happens, I will deal with it then. That is a inner peace and serenity that no gun or weapon can provide.

Change is waiting for you too.

Until next time,

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease

David “LD” Thomas

97% of all women are sexually assaulted, raped, or violently attacked at some point in their life.

96% of all men are violently attacked or threatened with a gun at some point in their life.

So, not if, but when,will you be the victim of a violent attack?

Can you defend yourself?

If you are not training real life, modern, self-defense, you are essentially hoping you won’t get attacked.

I “hope” you had a great week. I “hope” you enjoy your weekend. I “hope” my children realize one day how much I love them. I “hope” the price of gas goes down.

And yes, “I ‘hope’ I don’t get attacked.” But… I am not risking my life on that hope.If I do get attacked, I have the skills to end that threat and attack. I want you to have those skills too!

Maybe you grew up having to fight (literally) for everything you had. Of all the untrained possibilities, this is the one most likely to allow you to defend yourself, because you have a fighter’s mentality. However, experience, or even success, in those school yard fights, back yard tussles, bar room brawls, etc… won’t do you a bit of good if you get attacked by someone with a weapon or someone with evil intent.

Maybe you did martial arts as a kid. I’m sorry, but there is a little too much rust on those 20+ year old skills to realistically have a chance of successfully neutralizing a violent attacker. In addition, Mr. Miyagi’s crane kick isn’t going to work in a real-life violent attack. That stuff is for a dojo, not street fights and violent attacks. Furthermore, despite Hollywood portrayals, tremendous marketing budgets, and what martial art instructors claim, padded suits, trying to score points, rolling around on the ground, etc… aren’t real self-defense skills. Those are sports and kid’s activities that attempt to use those skills for self-defense. Will they work? Maybe– if you get lucky and find yourself in the perfect situation.BUT…. You are being attacked. The situation is already not perfect! So, all you have left is luck. You are essentially playing the lottery with your life.

Maybe you are a jacked power lifter with a mean streak. Strength and power are great attributes IF you have the training, technique, and skills to go with them. However, without those skills, you are just going to be a big and strong victim of violence. That thick, yoked neck actually makes you easier to choke. Those huge, but tight muscles, make your joints easier to break. I’d much rather have to fight a strong and muscular untrained individual than I would a scrawny pipsqueak with training.

Maybe you carry a concealed firearm everywhere you go and train with it daily. So do police officers and they get killed every day. Your concealed firearm will get you killed for the same reasons police officers get killed. The first reason is you simply aren’t fast enough – sorry to hurt your ego. Police officers are on high alert all the time. In every situation, they are anticipating the individual they are dealing with trying to attack and kill them. They stand and act like they do when you interact with them for a reason. However, expecting you to attack them, being trained to observe and watching for the slightest indication of violence, they still get killed every day. The simple truth is, you will not be able to observe a situation, orient yourself to it, determine that it is dangerous or violent, decide how to act, and then perform that act in enough time. ie…. You can’t get attacked, realize it, decide to pull your gun, draw, aim, and fire before it’s too late (and that’s with the advantage of assuming you don’t have to chamber a round or click off safe). In law enforcement there is something called a “21 ft rule” that has been tested and scientifically proven repeatedly. The gist of that rule is, if you have a holstered firearm, an attacker is within 21 ft of you with a knife, and that attacker charges and tries to stab you, it is impossible to observe the threat, orient to it, make the decision to draw your firearm, and draw, aim, and discharge that firearm before the attacker stabs you. Skilled shooters usually don’t believe it, but expert marksmen, SWAT operatives, and military operators have proven this time and time again.

Just so we are clear about what I’m referring to…. It’s not the drunk, obnoxious guy in the bar. Nor is it the rude and annoying people that live in the apartment beside you. I’m also not referring to workplace bullying. Instead, I’m referring to a violent, possibly psychotic, criminal that intends to either kill or seriously injure you.

When that violent attack happens jiu jitsu isn’t going to save you. The karate you haven’t practiced in at least two decades isn’t going to save you. All the fights you were in in high school aren’t going to save you. Your muscles and bench press record aren’t going to save you. Even the firearm you carry every day isn’t going to save you. I’m sorry, but the ugly reality is, you are just hoping you don’t get attacked.

My hope is that you never get put in a situation where you have to fight for your life, because one more victim is one to many. Furthermore, you are probably not prepared to deal with the consequences that flow from defending yourself (More on this in a different post).

If you want to change “hope” into confidence and self-defense ability so that you can defend yourself or your family, I would be honored to give you that skill set. Reach out any time to schedule a time to meet with me so that I can help you discover the peace and freedom that comes with being able to defend yourself from real world violence.

Until next time,

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease,

David “LD” Thomas

Let’s create a picture. Pick a realistic scenario that you could find yourself in where some “bad guy” has pulled a gun on you. I don’t know what you have pictured, but whatever it is imagine yourself doing the gun strip that you would use in that particular situation. Good job, you got the gun and now you are barking orders to this village idiot that just threatened your life. A nearby police officer hears the commotion and comes to investigate. Now what happens?

I’m going to tell you exactly what is going to happen and how to diffuse and survive the situation. But first, let me explain why I make the following assertions as absolutes.  Prior to opening my Krav Maga school, I was a State Trooper, K9 Handler, and SWAT Medic with one of the elite law enforcement agencies in the United States. I’ve been in fire fights and know the difference between the sound of a bullet going by your head towards the bad guy and one that goes by your head from the bad guy. I know the emotions of having another human being on the receiving end of a barrel. What follows is not an assumption or opinion and it behooves you to listen.

Back to our situation…

The law enforcement officer has no idea how this altercation started. They do not have the benefit of knowing the evolution of the moment they are currently in. All they know is an incident occurred and that you have a gun. If you don’t want your head to resemble a doughnut, pay attention.

First, you need to realize, accept, and be prepared for the fact that you are going to have a large caliber handgun pointed in one of two places: center mass or the center of your head. No law enforcement officer is trained to “shoot to wound,” despite what some political groups would like to see. Instead, if a law enforcement officer has drawn down on you, they are prepared to do one thing- kill you. The ones that have extra skill, are going to be three quarters of the way through there trigger pull. If you do not know what that means, there is a small distance that a trigger moves once it is pulled until the gun goes off – the “trigger pull.” A skilled shooter is going to have already pulled the trigger ¾ of that distance so that the slightest movement releases the firing pin and causes the gun to fire. The reality of that is, if the officer has that extra skill, when they have their firearm pointed at you, they have already pulled the trigger ¾ of the way. Now there is a small number of officers that couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn and an even smaller number that if it really came down to it, would not be able to take the life of another human being (more on this in another article). However, the majority have the ability and are willing to take your life if it comes to that.

Second, you have to control your emotions. The more amped up you are, the more amped up the officer is going to be. They are actually trained exceed your level of intensity. Let the officer have control of the situation. He or she is going to take control whether you want them to or not, so when they get there go ahead and let them have it. Don’t try to explain what transpired – there is a time and place for that, neither of which is then and there. Slow your breathing, bring down your heart rate, keep your mouth shut, and ears open.

Third, do not make any quick or sudden movements. You have a gun. The officer does not have to wait on you to pull the trigger before they are authorized to use deadly force. If a reasonable officer in their situation would have thought their life was in danger, they can kill you and the courts will see it that way too.

Finally, do whatever the officer tells you to do. If that’s put “drop the gun” do it. If that’s “get down on the ground” do it. If they tell you to do the Macarena, then start dancing. This is not the time to argue. You have the gun. At the moment, you are the threat and they are prepared to take you out.

That’s it. Easy peasy - four things you must do once law enforcement arrives. Let’s recap. Maintain your composure and know that you – the good guy – are going to have yet another gun pointed at you, remain calm and in control of your emotions, don’t make quick movements, and follow instructions. Simple huh?

You will have your opportunity to explain what happened later, while an officer has you at gunpoint is not the time to try.

Until next time,

Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease

David “LD” Thomas

Below are six myths about home invasions. The first sentence is the myth followed by the truth. See how many you have heard. See how many you believed.

How did you do? Had you heard any of these myths before? Did you believe any of them yourself? Interested in learning more?

Giving you the knowledge and skills to live safely is what we do!

Want to learn to defend yourself, even if the attacker is bigger, faster, stronger, or even armed? Want to have fun and get in the best shape of your life?

Krav Maga is the most effective and popular form of self-defense in the world. It was created for the Israeli military and is now the Gold Standard for civilian self-defense.

Here is what you will learn:

• How to incapacitate an attacker so that you can escape.
• How to disarm a knife-wielding attacker or lunatic with a gun.
• How to defend against multiple attackers.
• How to fight on the ground.
• How to strike efficiently, powerfully, and in the most vulnerable areas.
• How to defend grabs, pins, and chokes on your feet.
• Situational awareness and how to identify threats before they happen.
• Survival techniques to escape an abduction and survive with no resources.
• Plus, much more, and you will get in the best shape of your life in the process.

Until next time,

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease

David “LD” Thomas

Fortune 500 companies, franchises, local businesses, church groups, real estate associations, schools and universities, and private security teams have all hired Krav Maga experts to come in and conduct private seminars.

These businesses and organizations are investing heavily in their employees’ safety and well-being. They understand that their employees are their greatest assets, and as such, they are offering enhanced benefits such as wellness programs and additional training and education. By offering personal defense skills to their employees, companies are sending the message that their employees matter!

Self-defense training is an essential skill that can help employees feel more confident and secure in their daily lives. Having the right skills to critically assess a situation, think on their feet, and respond appropriately is something that everyone can use. At the end of the day, your teams will be more confident in their capabilities, which ultimately translates into a win-win situation for everyone.

Incorporating self-defense training into an organization’s wellness program has numerous benefits. For one, it can help reduce stress and anxiety levels among members and employees. Studies have shown that harmful stress is directly linked to the amount of control or options someone has in a situation. As a result, having the skills to protect themselves can help individuals feel more secure, in control, and, as a result, less stressed!

• A Higher Degree of Safety
• Tremendous Team Building Events
• Builds Critical Thinking Skills
• Teaches Stress Management
• Develops Assertiveness
• Verbal De-escalation Skills
• Builds Systematic & Tactical Thinking
• Increases Problem Solving Skills
• Develops Situational Awareness Skills

This training empowers your employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to make informed decisions when faced with a potentially violent situation. Our comprehensive training program equips your team with the tools they need to prevent workplace violence before it even occurs (and as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!).

By investing in self-defense training, you are not only protecting your employees but also safeguarding your business from catastrophic losses in the future. Our program is designed to be efficient and effective, ensuring that your team can quickly and confidently respond to any situation.

If a self-defense seminar, lunch and learn, or workshop is something you want to invest in for your employees, then give me a call. They (and you) will find it fun, impactful, empowering, and priceless. We only need a few basic pieces of information to send you a customized quote for your organization’s or business’s self-defense seminar.

Not a local business? That’s not a problem. We can bring a seminar to you, regardless of your location.

Don't wait until it's too late. Contact us today and learn more about our Preventing Workplace Violence Program and how we can help you create a safer work environment for everyone.

Until next time,

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease

David “LD” Thomas

Are you interested in Krav Maga? Have you already begun your journey in Israeli martial arts? Maybe you are advanced or even an expert in the skills needed to protect your life or that of someone you love. Whatever your situation is, ask yourself, “What is my training mindset? How do I approach training? What thoughts do I have when training? Could I really take the life of another human being? ” 
Fill in the blank: “Practice makes __________.”

Every single one of you said “perfect.” You and I have been told a lie our whole lives…

Those three words, that simple and common phrase, “practice makes perfect” is a good way to get yourself killed. I would go as far as saying that a, “practice makes perfect” mentality is worse than not practicing at all. Instead, perfect practice makes perfect!!!

Unfortunately, Krav Maga has experienced fractures and divisions. The reasoning and causation are debatable but irrelevant. Few, if any, groups agree on the authenticity of techniques, the credibility of leaders, or the lineage to the origin. Despite all of the bickering, I think all would agree that a guiding principle is peace and love. Yes, Krav Maga techniques are violent, ruthless, intense, and even deadly. But why do people learn Krav Maga? The reason is out of love or to live in peace. I began Krav Maga because I love my family and wanted the skills to protect and defend them. I began Krav Maga because I wanted the skills and confidence to walk through life peacefully and know that when (not if) I was confronted with a violent situation, I could defend myself. I began teaching Krav Maga and opened a school because I wanted to share the peace and love that I received from Krav Maga with others.

Any legitimate Krav Maga school or instructor, I believe, would agree with that. I don’t care what organization they are affiliated with. If you can show me an instructor or school that disagrees, I will show you an instructor or school that shouldn’t be teaching Krav Maga.

Great, Krav Maga is about peace and love; what does that have to do with your mindset? Well, quite a lot, actually. What are you willing to do for that peace and love? If the answer isn’t "anything," including killing another human being, I would caution you from deploying any Krav Maga techniques.

As humans, there is something deep down inside of us that knows killing another person is wrong. We are created to give life, not take it away. The products of our intimate relationships are children. We spend trillions every year on medical research to cure and prevent deadly diseases. Some spend most of their lives training and practicing medicine. Taking a human life is just something we are not naturally programmed to do (and that’s a good thing).

I personally know several badass dudes—the rough and tough type that no one would want to mess with-that couldn’t pull the trigger. Each of them was in a situation where they could have lawfully taken the life of another person. They clicked off safety, and three-quarters of the way through their trigger pull, when it came time to send lead, they froze and couldn’t take the shot. These are the types of guys that would say, "If you ______________, I will kill you." However, they failed to do so.

I hope none of you are ever faced with this reality, but if you are in a real-life situation where you are about to use a Krav Maga technique, hopefully you are in a situation where your life, or that of someone you love, is in danger. Hopefully, you are in a situation where a threat exists that, without action, will cause life-altering, debilitating injuries.

Try to imagine this… It’s late at night, and you are walking down the sidewalk. The streets are empty and quiet. Maybe you are on your way back to your house or apartment after meeting a friend for a drink. As you turn a corner, some strung-out, drug-addicted thug stands waiting for a victim. He is about to rob you at gunpoint so that he can score his next high. Before you can run or find cover, he sticks a gun to your forehead and says, "Give me your money!" Well, give him your money. But, for the point I am trying to make, you don’t have any money. You don’t carry a wallet or purse, and the cash that you normally carry in your pocket, you just spent at the bar on a couple drinks. What next?

Unless you have a really quick and powerful straight (much quicker and more powerful than a professional boxer), that you hide very well, and throw with a short arm motion, it is time for one of those techniques you have been practicing. Now what?

Hopefully, you have never had a real, loaded gun stuck to your head by someone with no conscience, care, or remorse. I have. It’s a feeling I don’t have the words to describe and one you cannot replicate in training. I don’t remember any scary feelings. The closest thing I can describe is some sort of intense, hyper-focused, rage, with an eerie serenity.

You are under stress. Your body is immediately flooded with a release of epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and dopamine. Pupils dilate, and you lose peripheral vision. Blood flow is diverted to your muscles from other organs in the body. Your pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rate all increase to meet the blood and oxygen needs of those muscles. Clotting functions increase to reduce potential blood loss. All of this and more happens in the blink of an eye, leaving you with a loss of fine motor function and the need to perform a technique you have been practicing for months or years, maybe even decades, in a safe and controlled environment with little to no realistic stress.

Are we really going to keep our fingers crossed and hope the skills translate? I hope not! I’m not.

So, how are you training? Are you laser-focused on developing muscle memory with the finer details the instructor taught you? Is what you are going to make for dinner, your need to pick the kids up from some activity, the hot guy or gal you met today, or the meeting at work tomorrow in the back of your mind? Are you wondering how you look in whatever it is you wore to training? Are you slowly increasing the speed, effort, and intensity of your techniques?

All of these questions influence the mindset with which you approach your training and are getting in the way if you are thinking about them at all.

Many of you, probably most, are not members of an elite military unit. Many of you are not training members of an elite military unit. I get that. But, for the one hour tomorrow that you are going to be training, could you have the mindset of such a person? Absolutely, you can. Will you?

Operators from the Navy Seals, Delta, Shayetet 13, Sayeret Metkal, British SAS and SBS weren’t born with an elite superhuman mentality; it was learned and trained.

Check your ego at the door. Leave all of the drama and baggage of your day and life outside; I promise it will be there waiting for you when you get done. If you have one ear and two mouths, I have wasted your time. For the rest of us, God gave us two ears and one mouth. That means He intended for you to listen twice as much as you talk. So, for one hour, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Don’t leave effort in the tank for the rest of the class.

Hear me out on this. Don’t put 100% of your effort into a technique. Put 100% into each element of that technique. There is an enormous distinction. If you put 100% of your effort into a simple gun disarm, that’s 100% that gets spread out over your hands coming up, a simultaneous strike and trap of the weapon, headbutts, knees, elbows or whatever you choose to do, stripping the weapon, creating space, giving commands, etc. Instead, put 100% into raising your hands. Then put 100% into the initial strike, 100% into trapping the weapon, etc. Approach this hour of training as if your life depends on it – IT DOES!!! 

Until next time,

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease

David “LD” Thomas

As an expert in self-defense, Krav Maga, defensive tactics, close quarters battle, hand-to-hand combat, our legal system, and tactical emergency medicine, I speak often about situational awareness. Unfortunately, situational awareness is something that normal, non-military, or non-law enforcement people don’t know much about.
 
This article is a quick look into situational awareness, its importance in self-defense, and successfully defending your life from evil and violent encounters. Situational awareness is such a critical skill that it exponentially heightens your safety and gives you the upper hand in any dangerous situation.
 
Yes! It is that powerful.
 
Situational awareness is about perceiving and being mindful of the events, things, people, environment, and situations around you, as well as the relationship of all of that to you and how you fit into it. This skill allows you to recognize a dangerous situation before it happens, escape to safety when it does, or end it if it already has. At Auburn Krav Maga, we believe situational awareness is one of the most critical self-defense skills you can possibly develop.
 
Let’s say that you are a world-class sprinter. Speed is a great defense quality, but if you’re not situationally aware, you might unknowingly run into a dangerous situation instead of away from one. Sure, that is a simplified example, but it is illustrative none-the-less. Therefore, situational awareness is a skillset that allows you to recognize and avoid a threat before it happens or to utilize your skills more effectively if violence is already occurring. Simply put, situational awareness skills give you the best chance of achieving a favorable outcome in any violent encounter.
 
Any school, dojo, or instructor that teaches self-defense or claims to teach self-defense should prioritize situational awareness. At Auburn Krav Maga, we train our members to have an increased sense of the world around them and integrate awareness into every training session. That skillset enables them to know a dangerous situation is about to occur and either avoid it or have enough time to make decisions when that potential situation escalates rapidly into reality.
 
So, now that you know what situational awareness is, why it is important, and how it can save your life, how can you train and develop your situational awareness skills?
 
Practice! Consistent practice.
 
There are simple exercises you can incorporate into your daily life. For example, anytime you go into a structure, set an alarm or timer on your phone to go off at a random time while you are there. Next, when you enter and are in the structure, make note of the locations of every exit you can see. Then, try to enjoy yourself doing whatever it was you were doing there. Finally, when your alarm or timer goes off, don’t cheat—don't even look to turn it off—immediately close your eyes and drop your head as if you were looking at the ground. With your eyes still closed, orient yourself in the direction of one of those exits (as if you were looking at it had your eyes been open). Now, lift your head, open your eyes, and see how close you are. Ideally, you are looking directly at the exit. If not, keep working at it, and it will improve. Once that is easy, then start making it harder. There are lots of fun ways to do that.
 
Another exercise you can do is, as you drive, pay attention to the front of cars that pass you in the opposite direction. Which cars have a front license plate, or if you are in a state that uses a front tag, which cars don’t have a front tag? Make mental notes about the types of cars, color, age, make, model, and any other patterns or trends that emerge. Believe it or not, as you pick up on the trends, you will be able to look at the car and know whether it has or does not have a front tag. You won’t even have to look for the tag anymore.
 
But how can doing that improve your self-defense skills?
 
Both of these simple exercises will help you become more mindful and aware of your surroundings and the situation you are in, and they will train your mind to notice details that you might have previously overlooked or even been oblivious to. Now, extrapolate the concept into a dangerous situation. If, through situational awareness training, you can look at a crowd and know who is carrying a concealed weapon, isn’t that a threat that would be beneficial for you to be aware of?Another exercise you can do that will feel more like a game is to watch divided attention videos. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of videos you can watch for free on YouTube. As human beings with busy lives, we have trained our brains to focus on the task at hand. Divided attention videos will train your brain to notice the bigger picture and details outside of your task at hand while you are still successfully completing the original task.
 
Just don’t expect situational awareness to be developed immediately. It takes time. Developing situational awareness skills is a gradual process that requires consistent practice. However, by training yourself to be more aware of your environment, you’ll be better prepared to identify and respond appropriately and effectively to potential threats. Remember, situational awareness is the foundation of self-defense; it increases your safety in violent situations, and despite how great your physical skills are, they may be the thing that gets you out of danger successfully.
 
You should be asking yourself questions by now. Those questions are, “What else am I missing, what dangers have I unknowingly walked into, and what details am I missing in everyday life?”
That, my friends, is why we train differently at Auburn Krav Maga. Everything we do is designed to give you the highest chances of, and the skillset to, defend yourself from any attacker—any size, any strength, or any weapon. Points, rules, etiquette, and sportsmanship are useless in a violent attack. There is no referee to ensure no one cheats or gets injured. That’s the difference between Krav Maga and martial arts like Karate, BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Judo, etc. Hold on. I am not saying that martial arts are bad. They aren’t. They are amazing! Krav Maga even incorporates the best of all of those arts, but with modifications to make them effective in a self-defense environment, and then adds military combatives and weapon disarms.
 
If your current self-defense program doesn’t prioritize situational awareness, it may be worth reconsidering your options. Awareness should be an integral part of any self-defense training. We are here to help! Give us a call if you need to: (334) 707-2678.
 
Stay tuned for more information, articles, and resources about self-defense techniques and personal safety.

Until next time,

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease

David “LD” Thomas