I started in my garage…
I taught in garages for five years, then moved to a small school in 1985. It was about 1,500 square feet.
Five years later, I moved into a place about 6,000 square feet. I was excited… and scared. Now I was on the hook for rent. I had to have students. I had to build something that worked. And I did. I grew that into a successful school in Montreal.
In 2007, the U.S. Army tested scenario gear from companies all over the world—and they chose High Gear®, the suit I designed, to support their Combatives Program. That order changed my life. I moved to the USA—a goal I’d had since I was 13—and opened what was, at the time, my dream facility: an 18,000 square foot combatives and CrossFit center. Full fight house. Full shoot house. Classrooms. The works. (See pics below!)
In 2010, I shut it down.
A new government had been elected. It wasn’t pro-military. Military spending was frozen. My contracts stopped. My orders for High Gear® stopped. Everything stopped.
And around the same time, my family went through a personal crisis—a horrible event I won’t detail here, but it was enough to make anyone quit. And for a moment, we considered it. Everyone assumed I’d pack it in and head back to Canada.
Instead, I leaned into a dream I've had since I was a kid…
I moved to California.
I was 50 years old. Starting over.
And from there, I rebuilt.
Here we are, 15 years later—busier than ever—with the most amazing cadre of coaches helping me share the SPEAR System® around the world: to martial artists, self-defense instructors, law enforcement, military units, and first responders.
We have a new division called SPEAR CARE® that serves care & service, hospitals and other communities.
We've updated our SPEAR Level 1 program so that ANYONE can get certified to bring our system to their school, club or organization.
What’s wild is this…
As you well know, about five years ago, the world experienced an experiment that created a great divide. Remember that wonderful time, the ‘defund the police’ era? When that happened, all of my law enforcement and military contracts—for both training and gear—stopped.
With all contracts frozen, I almost lost everything.
In a moment of inspiration/desperation, I started something called the Garage Gym. And hundreds of people from all over the world signed up to train with me. It saved Blauer Tactical Systems.
I was very emotional the day we kicked off our first class, and I said to the group—with my hands together in gratitude, as if praying—“Thank you all. I started this company in my garage… and I’m saving it in my garage.”
That was a true full-circle moment.
And we never stopped.
The Garage Gym evolved into something much bigger than weekly self-defense sessions. It became the organic, digital SPEAR System® book—a living history and collection of my best lessons from the 80s to today.
Half a decade later, with 800+ classes recorded, we’re still going strong. People from all over the world are still logging in, and it’s pretty amazing.
I don't remember when, but several years ago I started referring to our system as “holistic self-defense.” Because real self-defense isn’t just about protecting yourself from a physical adversary. Sometimes, the adversary is life itself: circumstances, self-doubt, betrayal, intellectual property theft, or unexpected crisis.
What I’ve learned over the last four decades is simple: The ability to protect yourself extends far beyond physical safety.
It’s about resilience. It’s about grit. And we need to manage fear to do all that.
That’s what’s carried me through many battles—inside the arena and outside it. And that’s what I teach. Not just punches and tactics, but the mindset to keep going when everything tells you to stop.
Hoping that these stories inspire you to keep going whenever you face self-doubt and obstacles in your life.
Coach B
If You Want to Train With Me,
Here Are Six Decisions You Could Make This Week:
1️⃣ Jump into my BTS90 curated coaching
All about the SPEAR System® and KNOW FEAR®. Private app. Private messaging. Weekly calls. This is the most direct way to get access to me. Just $5 a day.
You have until Friday AM to join this session—then you’ll need to wait 3 months.
2️⃣ Tactical Garage Gym
Two live sessions a week. 60 to 90-minute tactical lessons. Includes video breakdowns and real violence analysis. Open to anyone—but perfect for advanced practitioners and instructors looking to grow their business.
Classes work out to about $12 each—pretty reasonable to train with a world leader in holistic self-defense. 👊
[Hit this link to learn more.]
3️⃣ Access my Tactical Library
For those motivated to train self-guided. Gain access to 800+ recorded classes for around $1 per class.
Think of it as the Netflix of Self-Defense.
4️⃣ Like my talks on fear and mindset?
Book me to speak at your business or conference.
[Click here.]
5️⃣ Get certified to teach the SPEAR System®
Bring our system to your school. Our method integrates seamlessly with your style.
3 courses coming up in 3 different time zones.
6️⃣ For defensive tactics and combatives trainers
Managing sudden violence inside the reactionary gap and more—the SPEAR System® can reduce head trauma by 41% and reduce use-of-force complaints by 25%. Bring that data to your Chief!
To receive the research that explains these numbers, you must contact training@blauertactical.com from your government email to qualify.
Last thing:
We’re moving and upgrading our platform so all of our websites are in one place.
If you’d like me to better serve you, please fill out this link and update your contact form.
