Tuesday, June 28, 2011

End of an Era

It is official, I handed in my resignation at the MD Police and Correctional Training Commission (MPCTC), and effective July 27, 2011 I will no longer be the Lead DT/PT Instructor for the commission.

It has been a good ride.  Over the past three years I taught 4 recruit classes, countless officers during in-service training, and 7 instructor courses, certifying close to 100 Defensive Tactics Instructors in Israeli Combat System.

There have been ups and downs, like there would be anywhere else, but at the end of the day I am proud to have had the opportunity to share skills and lessons to enhance officer safety in Maryland, from correctional officers to patrol police and specialized teams.

It has been a long and hard process to take mindsets that have been so ingrained in tradition and try and affect those by introducing new, sometimes extreme ideas.  Not always were my ideas accepted.  More than once I have been put on notice by the administration for being too hard, but ultimately everyone understood that my actions were always done in good faith and with the goal of keeping officers safe, and as such I was allowed some leeway in the way I taught, the skills I shared, and the drills I executed.

Over the past three years I have also been fortunate to see Masada Tactical grow from a small facility in Pikesville to four times its size.  Masada Tactical started with a few weekly classes to now having classes every single day, not to mention our classes offered in other states such as Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and more.

The journey has not been without sacrifices, obstacles and hardship.  But like any growth, the goal is always to overcome those and come out the other end better and stronger.  We always aimed to excel at what we do, and I believe we made tremendous strides in making Masada Tactical and Israeli Combat System a household name and the provider of choice for any individual or organization who wants the best self protection and tactical training.

So as I say goodbye at the MD Police and Correctional Training Commission I do so with pride for the lessons I shared, and the lessons I learned, and with the joy and anticipation of taking Masada Tactical to even greater things.

I would like to thank the people at the commission who stood by me when things got somewhat rough, and my friends at Masada Tactical who never gave up hope and encouraged me over the past few years.

We are on the virtue of a brand new future, brighter than ever, and it is all thanks to you.

I would like to leave this somewhat of a personal blog post with a statement that has been hanging in my office at the commission for the past three years.  It has motivated me, helped me, and guided me on numerous times (origin unknown):

What do I fear?
I fear stagnation and lack of progress.
I fear never reaching my potential and being average.
I fear being forgotten...the past...yesterday's news.
I fear giving up and being passed by, going softly into that good night.
I fear letting those I love down, letting myself down.
I fear settling, giving in to the "that's just the way it is" mindset.
I fear dying without leaving my mark.
I fear not feeling these fears anymore and just floating along.
These fears feed me, they nourish my drive.
I love my fear.

Stay safe, stay strong, and keep on working on those things that matter.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
www.MasadaTactical.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Israeli Point-Shoot

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to have access to the Jessup Correctional facility's range (Thank you Lt. Allander and Sgt. Johnson!).

I decided to take my staff and a few business associates to learn the Israeli way of handgun shooting: Israeli-Point-Shoot.

The point-shoot is a class we teach various LE agencies and will begin offering to our civilian members.  It was important to me that our staff is familiar with the concepts so they can explain it better to our members and assist in teaching these classes.

For those who are not familiar with the concept, the basic idea is that if I can point at an object and know that my finger is pointing right at it, I should be able to do the same with the handgun as an extension of that finger.  Under stress, as in a handgun fight, fine motor skills will be lost and the time required for the "proper" sight, breath, squeeze, follow through will be gone.  Being able to hit a target under stress is therefore an essential survival skill.

The class began with a short explanation of what the philosophy is, and why we (Israelis) shoot the way we do.  There many systems that teach "indexing" as a method of shooting, but Israelis do things a tad differently, and it was important to explain that as it set the tone for the rest of the training.



In the following three hours I condensed weeks of training into a few hours.  The goal again was to familiarize the participants with a concept and not to make them experts.

The class began with dry draw and aiming drill.



Then we added single shots, followed by double shots.



Eventually we added multiple targets. The handgun segment of the day ended with a drill done once without a gas mask, and the the gas mask was introduced.  Why gas mask?  well, aside of the obvious tactical element of operating in a contaminated area (OC, CS, or other), the gas mask is a great training tool as it simulates the physiological effects of stress, such as hyperventilation and tunnel vision.



Once everybody completed the drills we pulled out a couple of AR's and had everybody try the AB-Arms foreguards I discussed in a previous post.



Overall, it was a great day of educational fun.  How does the saying go? "A bad day at the range beats a good day at work", well, when you have a good day at the range and it is your work day, it is that much sweeter.

See you all in our next Israeli-Point-Shoot seminar.

Stay safe!

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Get out of your bubble

Some of you live in Baltimore City, so you know what it's like to hear gunshots, police sirens, and hopefully you have a slightly greater appreciation to everyday safety awareness.

However, most of our members live in Baltimore County, in Pikesville, Owings Mills, and alike.  Places not typically high risk or beset with criminal activity.  Most of you walk around day in and day out in complete ignorance to what is happening around you.  Lulled by comfort and a sense of safety that could not be further from the truth.

I do not mean to alarm you, but reality is over the past month there were various homicides, some no more than two blocks from our training facility.  Home invasions are on the rise.  Assaults on teens, women, and the elderly are also increasing.



So what do you do about it?  Well, the obvious answer is: you train. You prepare.  You burst that bubble you are living in and begin paying closer attention to your surroundings.

How many of you walk alone at night?  How many of you park in dark areas?  How many of you walk to your cars (alone and in a dark area) staring at your cellphone too busy sending a text message to notice the would-be purse snatcher?


Here are a few simple tools you can use:

  • Make sure you are always acutely aware of your surroundings.  If the hairs on the back of your neck are rising, listen to what your senses are telling you.  Stop and evaluate.  Maybe you should change your course.
  • If you have a cellphone, dial 911, but don't press "send".  In case of an emergency all you have to do it hit one button.  You don't even need to talk, police will find you.
  • Fight or Flight?  Fighting may not always be the best option.  Sometimes putting as much distance between you and your attacker is a better option...just as long as they are not faster than you.
  • Remember the difference between a primary crime scene and a secondary crime scene.  never let someone move you or take you to another location.  Even from your back yard into your house.
  • Make yourself less of an attractive target.  Don't wear expensive jewelry, or show your large wad of cash.  Have a potential attacker thing that the person on the other side of the street is a more worthwhile target than you.
  • If you must fight remember that the best thing to strike at is not what you believe would make a better attack for you, but rather what would make a more devastating hit to your opponent.
  • Use weapons of opportunity, like keys, belts, your handbag.

  • Be a good witness.  If you were a victim of a violent crime try to memorize as many details as you can about the event and your assailant.
Stay safe!  Be aware!  Come train!

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC
www.MasadaTactical.com

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The difference between Grappling and Ground Fighting

Last week I was approached by a member following one of our Ground Fighting classes and I was asked what is Grappling.  After all, I continuously make the distinction between grappling and ground fighting for self-defense applications.  I must give this member due props for coming and asking.  Often times, as instructors, we forget that some people are not as experienced and what we take for granted as terminology may not be so clear to our students.

Coincidentally enough, yesterday another student of mine told me about a challenge he got from a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner to whom he was trying to explain our methodology of ground fighting.

So let me answer these questions.  But before I start, I just want to make one thing clear, by no means do I intend to put down any grappling art.  I think they are all beautiful and serve a purpose.  I myself used to train in BJJ with John Rallo, and loved every minute of it.  If any of what I say sounds as though I am suggesting otherwise please re-read it.



As a BJJ practitioner I learned various skills that helped me overcome an opponent and achieve the submission I was looking for.  But there is where the issue lays.  Submissions are great in a controlled sport fighting environment, but what happens on the street?  What happens once the opponent "taps out"?

Also, in a grappling match (of any style, from wrestling, to BJJ, Sambo, or other), the fight is between two individuals, in a ring (cage) or on a mat, and rules must be aided by.  All of these grappling arts benefit their practitioners greatly in terms of skills, awareness of their bodies, flexibility, and so much more. But do they really address the true circumstances of a fight?

The mindset is its main drawback.  It is unfortunate that when on the street, fighting for survival, a submission is not what we should be looking for.  An armbar will elicit a "tap-out" which will not necessarily end the fight.  Possibly worse, it may cause the defender to let go because of practice (muscle memory), and the fight is back on!  Add to that the fact that a true fight may include multiple attackers, weapons, and a very unforgiving ground/terrain, and one can see why traditional grappling arts fall a tad short.

What ICS teaches stems from the understanding that we are not fighting in a ring.  That rules do not apply, and we understand that most of our skills and tools will disqualify us in a sanctioned fight.  But again, survival is not sanctioned, and one must do what it takes to protect himself!

When we decided to create a ground fighting curriculum we established a few "ground rules" (no pun intended):
  1. Striking should always be a viable tool.
  2. Getting back to our feet is our main goal.
  3. Skills should be simple, gross motor skill oriented.
  4. Skills should provide solutions for common grappling attacks, so we can defend against grapplers who try to take the fight to the ground.
  5. Skills should be practiced on pavement.
  6. Play dirty!
When we developed the curriculum, now in its second rotation and still being modified, I sat down with Steve Almendarez and we went over skill after skill of his BJJ career (Steve is an advance BJJ fighter and has tremendous experience in grappling arts and matches).  We tried them in uniform, on hard surface, and fatigued to see if they still work outside of a sports environment.  What we came up with was a compress ground fighting curriculum that is in-line with ICS mentality of street survival and personal protection.



Our ground fighting curriculum will not help you win an MMA fight.  But if you are ever ambushed and taken to the ground, you will not only survive, but you will inflict so much damage that your opponent will be left in awe!

Our ground fighting classes are full contact.  we strike, we kick, we work from positions of disadvantage.  We fight as if our lives depended on it, because it may.

So next time you hear me say, this is not a grappling match, this is why.  If I can teach my students anything it is to fight outside the realm of traditional rules, and use whatever means necessary to win the fight.  And if a grappler ever places my students in an armbar, I completely expect my student to break that person's face!

Ground Fighting classes are every Wednesday at 6pm. Open to all levels.  Taught by Steve A. and BK!

Stay safe,

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC
http://www.masadatactical.com/