Most of us living in modern, western democracies live relatively safe lives. We’re not having to constantly protect ourselves from marauding, blood thirsty tribes or fend off criminals at every corner.
But…
There’s always the possibility that our life could be threatened by another human being. What should we do in those situations given the ethical, moral, and legal implications of defending ourselves?
Well, my guest today has spent the past 40 years studying and teaching about this topic. His name is Tony Blauer and he’s the founder of the SPEAR self-defense system. Today on the podcast, Tony and I discuss how to get better at detecting and defusing threats and what you need to do to become a human weapon.
Show Highlights
- How Tony’s fear as a child led him to martial arts
- The mindset of overcoming fear to optimize your performance
- The difference between choking and freezing
- How a client’s failed fight with a bully led to Tony’s epiphany that self-defense was being taught wrong
- Why martial arts and combat sports aren’t self-defense
- Tony’s definition of self-defense
- How to detect a violent threat
- How you’re designed to be a human weapon
- How to learn to trust your intuition
- The three things bad guys want
- How to defuse a violent threat
- The gross motor movements you need to know to defend yourself
- The role of weapons in self-defense
Resources/Studies/People Mentioned in Podcast
- SPEAR System
- Choke
- Why men are evolved for fighting
- Developing your situational awareness
- Left of Bang
- What to do in an active shooter situation
Tony’s has produced several programs and books on the topic of self-defense. If you’re not interested in self-defense, be sure to check out his Performance Enhancement Psychology program that’s applicable to all areas of life.
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