Welcome to our new blog series, Most Common Self-Defense Myths, where we challenge some of the most widely accepted but deeply flawed assumptions about personal protection. These myths don’t just misinform people—they shape how we train, who we trust, and what we prepare for. Our goal? To get real a...

A Modern Guide to Understanding Real-World Personal Protection

Let’s get right to it—what is self-defense?

At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But spend five minutes in a martial arts forum or scroll through a few viral self-defense videos, and you’ll quickly see that the answer is...

Self-Defense for When You Choose to Step Into Risk

Self-defense is usually about staying away from danger—avoiding it, buying time, de-escalating, or getting out clean. But every once in a while, an issue comes along that’s too big to ignore. Sometimes the safest thing isn’t staying home—it’s stand...

What Happens After You Survive

In this case study, we’re going to look back at a story that’s not new, but continues to echo loudly in how we understand the long-term aftermath of violence, especially the parts we still don’t talk about enough: cultural backlash and social punishment for speaking o...

Was this the holy grail story self-defense instructors needed—or a cautionary tale we misunderstood?

It’s been a few years since UFC fighter Anthony Smith made headlines after a violent home invasion shook his household. And while every “reality-based” self-defense coach rushed to use this story as...

Should you punch in a real fight? This question comes up in every martial arts gym, dojo, or self-defense seminar, and the answers are usually rooted in tradition, stylistic bias, or instructor preference. But let’s take a step back and look at the science, injury risk, and real-world application—es...

You don’t rise to the occasion—you default to the highest level of training you’ve actually maintained.

Let’s get this straight: this post is mostly for my reality-based self-defense crowd. If you’re a sport fighter working inside a ring or a cage, this doesn’t apply the same way. In sport, moving ...

If I can give one piece of advice to any self-defense instructor—or honestly, anyone trying to make sense of this chaotic world—it’s this: don’t fall into the statistics trap. In the age of disinformation, where everyone has a platform and every post comes with a fact-check badge or a viral headline...

If you’ve ever dealt with an abusive person—whether in a relationship, at work, or in a bar fight—you know the playbook. It’s not about what’s right or fair. It’s about control. It’s about making you question yourself, shifting blame, and keeping you on the back foot.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth...

What’s up, Internet? Randy here with another dose of reality from the training floor. I’m lucky enough to teach all over the world—martial arts clubs, universities, even boardrooms at Fortune 500 companies. (Yeah, I know, #humblebrag.) But no matter where I go, there’s one common fear that shows up ...

If you’ve spent more than a minute in the self-defense world, you already know knife defense is a hot topic—and a highly emotional one. Every system claims to have the answer, every coach insists their method is best, and every demo ends with the defender walking away untouched, like they just won a...

Let’s cut straight to it: the biggest mistake I see coaches make when teaching self-defense is this—teaching “moment-in-time” solutions instead of the whole damn picture.

You know the ones I’m talking about. Those “If he grabs you like this, do this” demos that are basically TikTok choreography for...