Rule #4 Never Contest for Space...

Kettlebells can cause injury if you do not follow the rules. If the lift is going badly, develop quick feet and exit the area. (After it hits the house floor, run from the wife, personal experience.)

The great thing about kettlebells is that you can train alone without the danger of being stuck under a weight, unlike barbells.

This is a little better. I have some real issues with form, but at least the kettlebell does not hit anyone.

"My training gave me the courage..."

This is an example of what training does for you. It gives you the courage to act. As I always tell people nothing ever goes the way you want it to on the street as it does in training. The techniques are not as pretty, the bad guy never reacts like your partner, but due to good training you can step forward and be the Sheep Dog that guards against the wolves.

In your training realize that you are there for a reason, to learn those skills you need for your turn in the breach. Your training can give you the confidence and courage to do what is necessary to do the right thing.

Good training is not only skill in your techniques, it is the mind set that you must have to win the physical as well as mental confrontations that you face. Find a good trainer, there are a lot out there, and work at all of your skills.

Merry Christmas

Tis but a flesh wound

I use this clip as a reference in every Combatives Seminar that I teach, be it Women's Self Defense or law Enforcement. It is not for the fighting skills but the philosophy of the Black Knight. The never quit mentality that is evident in his makeup.

How do you get that type of mental strength? You have to figure out what you are fighting for and what you do not want to lose before a confrontation. What is worth fighting for that will sustain you through the pain and fear of a real world confrontation? I can't tell you what your trigger for survival is, mine is an 8 year old little girl. It has to be personal and specific for you.

Once you have something worth fighting for everything is just a "flesh wound," felt only after you are through. When you have something worth fighting for, your chances for survival increase. If you have something to fight for, you will actually fight, not live in an apathetic state . That is the liberal state of "It can't happen to me." The very thought of having something to fight for frees you from that state. It is not paranoia, it is taking care of your tools for when they are needed.

Somewhat meandering, but important info. It is also something I know a little about.

Paul

Kettlebell Seminar January 19th

Kettlebell Basics Workshop
January 19th, 2008
1pm-5pm

Hosted by
Apollo Fitness
1400 E. IH 30
Rockwall, Texas
Paul Britt RKC will teach basic kettlebell exercises and program design.

Swings
Clean/Press
Snatch
Squat
Turkish Get-Ups

Class is $75 before January 5th after that the price increases to $100.
Register online @ www.gohomealive.com
Or Mail registration to Paul Britt c/o Apollo Fitness
For more info 214-535-8856 email pdbritt@gohomealive.com

Slosh Pipe

I think this is a great tool for training. It works and best of all it is cheap to build. By the time you have read this, I should have one built and have already trained with it.

I built it and played around with it for a little while this afternoon. It was pretty fun and really hard to handle. I was walking around like a drunk person as I attempted to balance it.

I used: 10 ft PVC, 2 end caps, PVC Primer and Cement. No leaks in mine after I used the primer and cement to seal the caps on. The pipe is 3/4 full of water.

Happy Holidays

Converse

If you work with kettlebells, you know that the shoe of choice is the old school "Chucks." I pretty much wear Chucks all of the time. I even have them on for an article I wrote in the July 06 SWAT magazine. I found that you can build and personalize your own Chuck Taylors here. I played around with a few designs that I am going to buy. You can even have them embroidered with your name or other words. Woo-Hoo, I will be getting some new shoes for Christmas.

Neat Body Weight Work

This is a good example of real strength. I really like the opening pullups.

Great Story and Greater Voice

This has been around for a while, but it still brings chills to me. You do not have to like opera to appreciate this clip and this particular singer. Paul Potts was working in a cell phone store and took a chance at greatness. The thing is he reached his goal and has had incredible success, all from taking a chance. For me, this story goes back to the post below about standing up and believing in yourself. Look what happens when you are willing to fall. I bought his debut CD, One Chance, and it is incredible.

What does this have to do with Kettlebells, Combat and the like? Never give up and take a chance on your dreams, you never know what will happen. If you are scared of failing, you never get anywhere.

Can't wait to get my tire

Who says girls can't fight?

Having two daughters, I hope they can take care of themselves against a boy.

It takes one person to make a stand

It only takes one person to make a stand and make a difference. Here is a child that is standing up to a dictorial authority without fear. What a great example of living without fear of failure. From what I know this occurred in Myanmar, a country that is beat down by an oppressive government. How great is it that this child stands up against wrongs to others? I worry that we are losing the desire to do the right thing in this country. It seems that we often take the path of, "what is in it for me?" We do not look at how our actions help or hurt others. The Politically Correct way of life has taken over in this country. I am concerned that we expect others to suffer, while we dine. It almost sounds like the last days of the Roman Empire.

I am only advocating that we stand up for what we believe in, right and wrong. Take a stand for something or you die for nothing. That does not mean that you have to fight tyranny in far off lands or stand up to someone that has slighted you. I am saying stand up for those around you. Live your life in a way that others are helped by your actions and lead by your example. Help people that are suffering and in need even if it is inconvenient to do so.

I try to live by example and will fight for the rights of others. I try to treat people better than I hope to be treated. Make a stand, live life for others. It will come back to you ten fold. It might keep a child from having to stand up to tyranny.

Paul

Beast

The seminar went pretty well this weekend. It did not rain on us and the weather was cool. Hard to believe that it is December and it is in the 70's. I brought my Beast to the seminar and tried to press it a few times without success. I can snatch it, but pressing is a little way off. Pressing and snatching has been on my Goal list at Dragondoor for at least a year and a half. I have decided that it is time to hit it.

The problem with just having a goal with an undetermined deadline is that you never get there. i have decided that I will be pressing the Beast(106) has to be accomplished by January 15th. I think that it is attainable as I can press the 88's pretty easily.

My next goal will be to perform a pistol with the 106. I am thinking June 29th might be a good date. It will force me to work hard. Besides that is the RKC II and I need to work on Pistols for that anyway.

Paul

Impressive

I am an RKC and follow Pavel and Hard Style over other systems. This is impressive to anyone and an amazing feat.

Paul

One day till Workshop

Well, tomorrow is my first Kettlebell Seminar. I have already figured out that there is a lot to learn in scheduling, marketing and planning. I have ended up with way to many free slots. Oh well, I have always looked at teaching the best class I can no matter how many people show up. If I have one person, they will have an incredible day. If I have 10 people, it will be the same quality.

I will be teaching some of the ideas that I will be covering in my E-Book that should be out by January, just in time for your New Year's resolutions. The book is tentatively titled 15 Minute Fitness. i will be discussing time management, exercises and program design. The goal is to have a 30 day program set to for you start. Look for it soon, January 5th is my goal.

I am hoping my Gymboss holds out for one last week. For some reason the battery will not stay in place and it shuts off. I have already ordered a new one, but a lot of good that does me for tomorrow. I still think that it is one of the best timers out there.

Oh yeah, looks like rain. It will be a great seminar. There are still spots available.

One week till Workshop

There are still spots in our workshop!! Earlybird sign up is extended till tomorrow at Midnight. Every Participant will get Two(2) months of On-line Consultation.

Kettlebell Basics Workshop
December 1st, 2007
9am-2pm

Hosted by
Apollo Fitness
1400 E. IH 30
Rockwall, Texas
Paul Britt RKC will teach basic kettlebell exercises and program design.

Swings
Clean/Press
Snatch
Squat
Turkish Get-Ups

Class is $75 before November 26th at Midnight after that the price increases to $100.
Register online @ www.gohomealive.com
Or Mail registration to Paul Britt c/o Apollo Fitness
For more info 214-535-8856 email pdbritt@gohomealive.com

Nice Workout Journal

I was playing around the other day and came across a website that allows you to record your workouts. The site has all kinds of neat items on it such as workout templates, discussions and even exercise calculators. It is kind of like MySpace for exercise. www.strengthandbody.com
There is a second site that I have come across called Fitday That is really nice also. Fitday also has a Diet Journal on their site.

One of the best things you can do, other than starting to exercise, is to keep track of your sets, reps and exercises and also of what you eat. You will be able to see what exercise regimen worked for you. It is also really nice to see how much improvement you have made over the years. I ran across some of my old notebooks a while ago and it was pretty interesting. I had hit 745 for 3 in the squat about 5 years ago at a body weight of 190. Today I use double 88 kettlebells for squats, quite a difference.But, I am in better functional shape now, able to use greater end strength. It is similar to Horsepower ratings of the engine versus what is measurable at the rear wheels.

Kid might have a Career in Pro Wrestling

It took some presence of mine to perform this escape.
Back Flip Wrestling Move - Watch more free videos

Judo Gene having fun!

Here is a clip of Gene Lebell doing that which he does best, choking people out. He is someone that I hope to meet and train with one day. I think that he is one of the greatest martial artists out there and a true pioneer, fighting a boxer decades before the UFC was created.

Tabata Protocol

I am currently following the Tabata Protocols for my workouts. Several studies have shown that this is a very effective way to increase fitness. This clip is from a Crossfit workout, but is standard in how it is completed. The Tabata Protocol calls for 20 seconds of rapid work followed by a 10 second rest period. This clip shows it coupled with an alternating exercise, but it can be completed with only one exercise. The entire process begins with at least a 5 minute warm up and a 5-10 minute less intense cool down.

I have been warming up with Joint Mobility coupled with Halos and Wall Squats. I am performing double swings or single snatches over the last week or so. In the near I plan on adding some alternating work like the above clip.

Give it a try and see what you think.

We still have spots for our December 1st Kettlebell Basics Workshop. For more info go to www.gohomealive.com and look on the Events page. There is less than a week to take advantage of the special pricing.

Karambit

I really like Karambit knives. I picked one up to play with it a few years ago and it felt very natural in my hand. I find that it works really well with Shen Chuan. I have found that it just fits with my personality. I really love Emerson Knives karambit's with the Wave feature. I love the it open as it is pulled feature that makes it faster than an automatic. It is definitely better than carrying an automatic. The problem I have with automatics is the possible question you will get if you ever have to use it to defend yourself. I have this concern for Law Enforcement also. Let a Defense Attorney get a hold of a Cop using a "switchblade" and it will be a write the check for it moment.

Back to Karambits, I received an Emerson Super Karambit today. What an awesome tool. It is about an inch longer in the blade and has a meatier handle. It is a big knife, but is well balanced. I am thrilled with it. I bought it here. Some big name people, Hock Hochheim for one, that do not like them. Hock has a lot of disdain for them. I think that is because it does not fit in with his program as well. Hock has a great program for edged weapons. I have studied with him as recently as two years ago. I think that there are different flavors for everyone, this blade is mine.

More real world self defense

The nice thing about a blog is that it does not have to be serious all the time. I loved Newsradio and this was a classic.

Self Defense

Here it is on Saturday and I was looking around for interesting stuff and came across this clip. I like having wrist control!

Kettlebell Seminar on December 1st. Register It will be a great seminar!!!

Paul

Kettlebell Seminar

We will be teaching a 5 hr Kettlebell Basics Seminar on December 1st, 2007 from 9:00 am til 2:00pm at Apollo Fitness, 1400 E. IH 30 in Rockwall, Texas. It is time to burn off the Thanksgiving Feast and be at fighting weight for your Christmas Dinner. we will have a 30 minute break for a snack around noon.

The Seminar will cover:

Swings
Getups
Snatch
Clean/Press
Squat

We will also discuss program design.

Sign up now for the early bird price of $75.00, before November 22nd. The Price goes up to $100.00 after November 22nd. This will be a great chance to learn how to use kettlebells. There will be kettlebells available for purchase at the seminar.

Sign up is here.

Hitting 40

I had my 40th Birthday on Friday. It was definitely a time of reflection for me. The years have seemed to just fly by in a blur. I remember playing sports as a young kid and thinking how good we were. I think back to Jr. High in Saudi Arabia and wonder how I ever made it through those times without my parents killing me. I recently went to a High school reunion and it was like there was no time lag as I met up with people that I had not talked to in 21 years. My good friend Sam and I started up our conversation pretty much where it stopped at graduation.

I think the last year has probably been the craziest of all. I gave up my Law Enforcement Career to be a full time business owner. I know teach kids sports through Daycares in an Amazing Athletes Franchise. I get to pretty much train kids all day. It is great to be able to make a positive impact at an early age. My wife has supported me in this endeavor allowing me to reach for a new goal, a new career, heck a new life. I now get to spend more time with the family, something that Law Enforcement made hard. I am home every night, weekend and holiday. I am so happy to have this opportunity.

I also have more time to train in kettlebells, martial arts and other fun things. I think that 40 is a good time and I do not feel old. I feel like I did in my 20's. I feel strong and healthy. I am still out seeking knowledge and trying to improve. I hope 50 is as easy as a transition as 40 was.

November 1, 2007

I found a pretty neat company on the web called True Protein. The company sells a lot of supplements at a really good price. The really neat thing about the company is that you can create a protein supplement that fits you. They allow you to make a custom protein powder with just about anything you want in it. I like the fact that you can choose protein ratios, sweeteners and additional supplements such as creatine. I am ordering some and I am thrilled that I can use stevia as my sweetener. www.trueprotein.com is the website address.

This clip is based on a book by my martial arts instructor, Joe R. Lansdale. He also wrote the story Bubba Hotep, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. Joe is an incredible martial artist as well as an all around great guy. www.joerlansdale.com

Kettlebells and Combatives

I started training with kettlebells a few years ago. Before that I was the standard gym rat trying to look like a body builder. While I always trained with heavy weights, i was still missing something when I had to fight. I always felt very stiff and bound up. The strength that I had was not as user friendly as I wanted it to be. I started researching different avenues online. I came across Clubbells and Kettlebells on the same night. My credit card was smoking from all of the purchases. I bought books and videos on both sets of tools. when they got here I started to see what felt right to me. I liked a lot of the Clubbell work, but found a home with the kettlebells.

I use both tools in my training, as they have a place. I use kettlebells about 95% of the time. I felt that the KB's represented a more complete system of training. With the kettlebells you are able to perform an almost infinite amount of exercises. If you can do it with body weight, barbells, dumbbells, cables or other tools you are able to do it with kettlebells. I think that the Get-up, the swing and the snatch are the three most beneficial exercises that a person can do for them selves. that is not to say that the other exercises are slouches, but those three exercises can hit every major muscle group in the body. They give you the most bang for your buck. I have seen people drop lots of fat and develop more lean muscle with those choices.

Not only did I improve my overall physical well being, I found that missing link in my survival chain. The kettlebells gave me more usable strength than I had from the regular workouts. I was more fluid and relaxed in a fight. I credit that to the relaxed tension of kettlebell swings and snatches, where you are loose and tighten up at the top of the movement. As a Defensive Tactics Instructor as well as the owner of a school, my students told me that they felt a different type of power development from me after starting kettlebells.

I will be writing an article about Kettlebells and Combatives this week. It will discuss how kettlebells improve movement in a combative environment.

stay tuned.

We will be holding a Kettlebell Seminar in November. I will post more this week. Please contact us if you are interested in attending.

Paul

My next Evil tool

I really want one of these. It will fit right in with my kettlebells and I am going to order one in November. My new business has picked up and it will make a nice present to myself.

I am still taking a limited number of KB clients as well as martial arts students. Just email me for details. I hope to have an open mat day for grappling, wrestling, submissions etc, similar to Scientific Wrestling's Toe Hold Club.

Paul

Servant Leadership

What am I doing talking baout Servant Leadership in a fighting, kettlebelling, just plain exploring combatives blog? Servant Leadership did not change the way I acted as a supervisor, it just solidified my path. For the last 12 years, I have been a Police Officer, but I just left the field. While I was working as a Patrol Sgt., I did everything I could to empower the Officers that I worked with. I wanted them to be able to make decisions on thier own that benefited the organization as a whole. I gave my guys a lot of freedom in how they did their jobs. All they had to do was let me know what they wanted out of their career, allowing me to be sure that they were following the path they set for themselves.

I left Law Enforcement for a few reasons, one of the biggest being that I was not in a place that I could follow my own philosophy of helping others grow. I felt that my path had become blocked with no way around that blockage. I felt that I was no longer able to operate as the Servant Leader that I wanted to be. I have come to believe that there are other avenues for me to help the Department and the Officers from outside.

That being said, how does it fit in with martial arts, kettlebells and East Texas "whup ass?" I look at my journey in this world as a path of learning and teaching. I want to be able to pass on knowledge and guidance to others, to empower them to think outside, inside, beside and anywhere around the box they want to. I want my students to become better than the teacher, better than they think they could ever be. It all comes full circle for me. I will still lead as a Servant, but I hope to touch more people and still help those I left behind on this new path I have started down.

Paul

No excuses.

I cam across this link on Dragon Door. Dustin carter is an incredible kid that does not make any excuses or let anything stop him. The clip is long, but please watch the entire thing.

Paul

I bought a couple of Shocknives last year when they hit the market. They are absolutely one of the greatest training devices for edged weapons training. They cause a real stress reaction when they are deployed as there is a consequence for failing to control the weapon. Pain and stress help to cement the training into the system. If used correctly, as Ken Murray teaches, you can stress proof and give real world skills to your students.

I wrote an article that was published in the July 2006 SWAT magazine of how we use the Shocknife. We teach basic caveman principles, grab, secure, attack, survive. We are currently working an an edged weapon video and will have some clips up soon. http://www.shocknife.com/

Catch Wrestling

Jake at Scientific Wrestling has a great event coming up October 20th, the West Coast qualifier for the King of Catch. I love catch. For me it is a better fit than BJJ is. I hope to attend some training at the Toe Hold Club with Jake and the others. I also want a Macebell, another evil training implement that fits in with my training style.

This clip is from Canadian Catch Wrestling, but it still works. LOL

Paul

Mike Mahler

Next to Pavel and Dragon Door, I like Mike Mahler's thought process about kettlebells and workouts. I have decided to follow his Fat Loss and Mental Toughness protocol for a few months. I have been pushing hard over the last few months to hit heavy weights and wanted to try and hit a little more of growth and fat burning program. I will have to be careful to avoid burnout as I am teaching sports to kids most mornings along with martial arts training. I used the 70's tonight, but felt strong and had some left in the tank. I am starting out with the High Frequency Training four days a week.

For more information on Mike Mahler, hit the link on the left side of the page.

JM
A1 Dbl C&P 3 x 6 w/70
A2 Dbl Ballistic row 3 x 6 w/70

B1 Dbl kickstand Lunge 3 x 8 w/70's
B2 Dbl Swings w/70's

C1 Roller 3 x 6
C2 Janda 3 x 6
1 minute rest between part 1 and 2 of each set
Relax Into Stretch

Some silat work from a Sayoc Camp. This is very similar to the knife work from Camp Lansdale. It is from Ken Pannell, Guro Mike Casto's Instructor.

Great Weekend of Training

I just returned from the 11th Annual Camp Lansdale. It was a great weekend of training with a lot of different martial artists. Professor Lansdale is the most open minded Grandmaster that you will find. He believes that everyone has something to teach him and his school.

I have trained with other Grandmasters and they would not lower themselves to be taught by a lower ranked person. I have actually heard one system founder state that it was beneath him to train with anyone of less rank them he was. That implies that you know all and cannot be taught anything else. I personally find that everyone I meet has a lesson or skill to teach me, while i am not a Grandmaster by any means, the day I stop learning from anyone, is the day I am through with life.

Camp Lansdale had Mike Casto, Mike Billings, and Brandon Jones teach from their respective styles. Mike Casto is a great stick and knife man. His Silat is incredible and street ready. I recommend anyone in the Louisville Ky area to seek him out. His kerambit section this weekend was the best application of the tool I have trained in.

Mike Billings has trained in Shen Chuan and been at pretty much every camp in the last five years. he is one of the best Kenpo guys that i have ever worked with. He is following in the footsteps of Grandmaster Chuck Sullivan, the head of Ed Parker Kenpo. He is a great instructor and guy. He is in Austin Texas and is worth looking up.

I met Sifu Brandon Jones for the first time this weekend. He is a practitioner of Seven star Preying Mantis. I was very impressed with his skill. I have met a lot of Kung Fu people in the past, but was wowed by his incredible knowledge and skill. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge of the art and background. He also explained what the katas actually taught, versus the old "we just do it this way." He is a great instructor and all around good guy. I hope to train with him more in the future. I loved the techniques he taught over the weekend. His school is located down the road in Tyler, Texas.

Joe lansdale has influenced a lot of today's martial arts Grandmasters from Grandmaster Pelligrini of Combat Hapkido to Grandmaster Chuck Sullivan of Ed Parker's Kenpo. if you ever get a chance to work with him, jump on it.

That is enough for now.

Paul

Camp Lansdale

I am off to camp Lansdale today. If you like great trainining at a better price thre is no better place to be. Professor Lansdale brings in some of the best martial artists around every year. In this day and age it is easy to be "famous" and well known as all you have to do is buy some video time and an ad in a magazine. Camp Lansdale brings in people that are the real deal and who love the arts. They know their stuff and are willing to share the knowledge. Of course, I get to teach some, so I am biased. Shen Chuan is the official website. No fluff, just real world skills.

I am currently taking on a limited number of clients in Shen Chuan and also in Kettlebells. I am currently able to train kettlebell clients online. Email me for more information.

I will begin posting my daily workouts next week as I always try to walk the walk.

Stay Safe

Paul

This is what hurts martial arts.

I believe in attacking pressure points. I have been knocked out through pressure points by Joe R. Lansdale, one of the best martial artists in the world. I know they work.They are one of the tools that we have at our disposal in a fight. This "Master" takes it past the point of reality and into the comic book world. I think that his touchless works are basically mind jobs. His people believe it will work, so it does on them.

How strong are you?

Russian Woman Folds Frying Pan - Watch more free videos

I know that I can't do this yet.

Challenged or Threatened

In today’s world, it seems that you are not safe from anything anymore. The 6:00pm News shows nothing but bad news. Someone has been killed, someone had a car wreck, and there is a serial murderer loose in your city. If you believe everything you here, why would you even want to leave your house? The world is not as bad as the media wants you to think. They show the most graphic images in hopes of getting more viewers for their advertisers. If the story is not bad enough, the media will do what they can to make it seem like it is the end of the world.

Is the world dangerous at times? Yes. Is it more dangerous then before 2001? Unless you are in the military or going to places that are listed as hostile, you are probably not in as much danger then you were in the past. What seems to be worse is that life is portrayed as more dangerous now than at anytime prior.

The media feeds on the fear of Interpersonal Aggression. The normal human being has more fear over an attack by a person then anything else. It stems from the human psyche wanting to do no harm to others. The normal person does not worry about auto wrecks, cigarette smoking or habits that they can control. Smoking kills more people on a daily basis then other humans do. While people know that smoking is harmful and can kill them, they do not stop smoking. They know that you need to wear their seatbelt, but many adults do not do so as they think nothing will happen to them.

Col. Dave Grossman illustrates this in his lectures and writings. Col. Grossman says that you can throw a bunch of snakes in a group of people, some will react with fear, some with interest and some will not really care. But introduce a serial rapist or murderer in a city of one million people and they all change their actions and live in some way. The Railway Killer from the 1990’s is an example. People across the country lived in fear of this person. As a Police Officer, I was called on to search many buildings that ran along a railroad spur, tracks not even used for regular traffic. People were so scared that they saw the killer everywhere they looked.

Martial Arts and Self Defense Classes thrive on this type of fear in society. The problem is it is not the way the world really is. Do I want to earn your money? Yes, otherwise I would not be running a school and offering a service. I do not think that you need to learn to fight because you are scared to death. I want to teach people that want to live a life without total fear. It is one thing to scare you so badly that you cannot think about anything else but being attacked at all times, it is quite another to realize that you can live with confidence by taking a class that gives you skills to survive an aggressive encounter on the off chance you are one of the small percentage of people to suffer one.

A great teacher and friend, Tony Blauer, introduced me to a powerful tool that changed my life. Tony taught me about “Get Challenged, or Get Threatened.” It was a life changing moment for me. As a Police Officer, I had been in a life or death struggle on the side of the road by myself at 4:00am on one shift. I was successful in surviving my encounter and that subject will spend the rest of his life in prison. After the encounter, I doubted myself and my abilities. I thought that everything I knew and thought was not worth a hill of beans. I was threatened by my perceived lack of ability and skills. I was threatened by my own mortality. I went from being ten foot tall and bulletproof to realizing I was human after all. I was so threatened by what happened that I believed that everyone that questioned me about the encounter was second guessing me. Why? I was threatened by my own feelings.

What is the solution? Get challenged. When you are challenged, you have actually take action. When threatened, you get stuck in a rut where you continue to spiral downwards. Taking action gets you going and gives you a reason to excel and find ways to overcome whatever obstacle that you are facing. Being challenged is empowering, being threatened makes you a victim.

Since becoming challenged, I have used that operating programming to my advantage. I have faced many challenges where it would have been easy to be threatened and have a victim mindset. I went through a divorce, where I could have collapsed and given up. Instead I raised a daughter as a single father for several years. I was challenged by a tumor in my femur. I never asked, Why Me? I looked at it as a way to grow and find what other doors would open.

The point of this whole article is that do not let fear of attack and injury rule your life. Realize that anyone could be attacked and look at it as a challenge that you can rise to. By being challenged you become responsible for your own safety. Do not be threatened, but be challenged and strive to overcome any obstacles that you face. Empower yourself, not the bad guy, through a positive mental program. Be challenged or threatened, it is your choice.

Paul Britt

copyright @ 2007 Britt's Self Defense Systems

Sept. 26, 2007

Rough day physically. I had allergies and performed demo's for 2 hours this morning.

I taught a Shen Chuan class in the garage tonight and had a good night. I always see ways that kettlebells help in techniques and tools that we use. Shen Chuan has a lot of kenpo strikes in it. I love the striking style as it is so fluid as we practice it. The relaxed tension and tightening that the Russian Kettlebell Challenge program teaches fits perfectly with what we do. The rapid, fluid strike with tightening on impact is accentuated through kettlebells. It causes the strike to at least double in power with no loss of speed. Starting with JKD, Dan Inosanto is a KB'er, that relaxation until impact has been talked about and worked on by numerous systems and fighters. I believe that by training lots of swings and snatches, you develop the power without sacrificing any speed.

Just a quick note for tonight.

Sept 25, 2008

This has been the first week that Amazing Athletes has really gotten started. I have demos everyday. I end up basically working out for about three hours non-stop. it affected my kettlebell workout today.

Today's workout was based on the 3 x 3 principles. I figure that I get quite a bit of cardio running with the kids and need a strength focus. I am using the 88's. I perform each group for 3 sets with 1:30 rest between each exercise. Helps rest time. Today I launched the KB on the last set of left side snatches. My grip gave out. took an extra break and hit the 3. I like this type of training as it builds a lot of strength with out lots of bulk.

Maxwell's Joint Mobility

Group A
Clean and push press 3 x 3
Pull up 3 x 3 w/ 88 tied to me

Group B
Snatch 3 x 3
Dbl Squat 3 x 3

Janda 3 x 5
Relax into stretch after using a foam roller

Not a whole lot to add today. I will be teaching a martial arts class tomorrow. We are going to incorporate some Catch style holds. http://www.scientificwrestling.com/ is the place to go for all things cool in grappling.

Be safe

September 23, 2007

First Blog. I hope to one day the equal Physical Strategies by Tom Furman. Go Home Alive is the tag line from Britt's Self Defense Systems, a training company that I created several years ago. My goal then was to teach the needed skills to keep my fellow Police Officers going home at the end of their shift.

While I recently left Law Enforcement, I still love combatives and training. Two of my best friends are still on the job and I still try to train them. I figure the line still works as a reminder.

I want this blog to share the knowledge and information that I come across as I continue to improve my combatives skills as well as my exercise and fitness training. Once I figure out the ins and outs of the blog I will add photos, content and more.