I Want To Thank You, I Mean This Sincerely
A WEEK BEFORE THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN I BEAT THIS GUY UP.
You read that right. His name was Tracy. We got into a fight the week before.
He was drunk (I might’ve been too 😉).
He ended up becoming my very first student.
Sometimes when you fight you find some respect for each other and this was the case here. So my opponent and I became friends.
A week later, we were walking back from the school pub and he had words with another student. And he got dropped right in front of me. It was amazing.
After the fight, I offered to show him a few things.
It wasn’t formal. It was simple.
I knew more about fighting than he did, he wanted to learn, and voila a student-teacher relationship was born.
So I guess my first official class was in 1978ish, not at a martial art school, not for a fee, and it took place in the Rec-room at York University.
A year later, I dropped out of school and moved in with my Dad in the country north of Montreal.
There wasn’t anyone to work out with. I loved martial arts, I loved training and you can only do so much in the air and on a bag... so I created a partner by recruiting a neighbor.
Rob lived a couple of miles away and was a strong athlete. He was very physical so he picked stuff up fast.
Then later that year, while working in the shipping department, one of my father's clients saw me punching boxes like ‘Rocky hit meat’ and asked me if I’d teach his son Mitch. I said sure.
About a month later, I had about 30 private students that I taught 6-7 days a week. This went on from 1980 to 1985 when I finally opened my first school.
For 13 years I taught 6-7 days a week. Sparred 20-35x a week (for each private class).
In 1993 I closed my school to begin focusing on training law enforcement and the military.
So many things have happened because of my love for martial arts.
But none of it would've happened without the students, from the very first to the largest of groups.
There's no way I would've been able to do the research, and create the programs without students.
Their need for realistic and relevant training is what has kept me motivated.
Know Fear®, SPEAR®, High Gear would not exist if it weren't for my students.
'The class' only exists because the students are there.
That truth has never been lost on me and in every course, I teach, the very first thing I do is thank the students for their trust and attention, for without them I wouldn't have this opportunity.
Many of you reading this newsletter haven't been to a course (yet) and so we have never met, but in the same way, I wouldn't be writing this without you, and so this message is to thank you all who have inspired me to continue this journey.
Coach Blauer
If you're ready to experience the power of your mind, body, and spirit through a scientific approach that blends physiology, kinesiology, and psychology, get signed up for a SPEAR System course near you, click here.
Train with me and my team this summer in Vegas:
Combatives Camp, July 16 - 17 - Click Here
Instructor Development, July 14 - 15 - Click Here
