Originally released June 26, 2023
In the late 1980’s I received a fancy letter inviting me to a conference to be presented with an award for my contributions to self-defense.
It would be my last award ceremony.
I sat and watched 100 people receive their awards prior to my being called up.
There were literally awards for every category, everything you could think of... I think there was even one for Best New Instructor Without a Dojo... 😬
What I realized shortly after arriving was this was an award association where everyone rewarded each other with awards.
I later learned you could actually pay to receive an award in a specific category and the $250 fee I had to pay to attend the conference was what everyone paid for their award. WTF?
I believed I was being honored for my contributions to self-defense.
By this time I had already been teaching for a full decade. I had created the Panic Attack Scenario System, the Cerebral Self-Defense: Mental Edge program, filmed the Panic Attack 5-video series for Panther Productions, and was getting calls for seminars abroad.
I was maybe 30 years old, young, and I got excited when I received the invitation stating I was being recognized for my work in researching violence but I did ZERO research on the group that invited me! 🤦♂️
In short, I realized halfway through the day that I was getting an award from a group that was in the business of selling awards.
And literally, everyone there got an award.
How did I get myself into this?
I am always truthful and that's the point of this letter.
My ego wanted to be there.
Yes, I wanted the award to be real, I wanted to be recognized by my peers for the thousands of hours I had put into the research.
I also realized that this was my insecurity and that I shouldn't need a pat on the back for doing the right thing.
And even though I did the work, this wasn't a real award, most of these people had no idea who I was or what I did.
No one voted. This was an admiration society.
I felt nauseous. I wanted to run out of the place.
My name was coming up soon and I sat there nervously.
I felt disingenuous.
The acceptance speech I envisioned giving was a joke.
I wanted to say something but it wasn't "Thank you for the award I just bought."
There were about 100 people there and every one of them ran a martial art school of some sort.
“And the award for blah blah blah contributions to self-defense goes to Tony Blauer.”
I stood up. My heart was racing. My mind too. What was I going to say?
Then I remembered what I read in the local newspaper. A 7-year-old boy had been murdered in a nearby town.
I stood and stared out over the group.
“Thank you, I think. I sat here watching almost everyone get an award. Every one of you was having fun, high-fiving their buddies, celebrating… and all I can think of is the kid that was kidnapped and killed in an adjacent city, not too far from here. It was in the news yesterday, did any of you see that? When I read stuff like that I get so angry. I abhor violence which is why I study it. And that is what I live for. Every day and every week I think of better ways to improve the delivery of meaningful self-defense. What would've saved that kid? A new belt test? Learning a musical Kata? How about the Flying sidekick? You know what might've saved that kid? A conscientious self-defense coach who taught more about situational awareness, fear management, and how to spot and avoid danger."
I paused and looked at everyone. They were all staring at me not sure what to make of me.
No one was smiling now.
I looked over the audience - long pause.
“I’m asking every one of you to please think deeply, think about what you put out regarding credible self-defense. I know you all advertise it. Every one of you claims to teach SELF-DEFENSE. But do you? So please, when you are designing your programs consider the real world. Make sure the information you're sharing will help everyone so we don't read stories like the one I just shared.”
I muttered thank you and walked off to a partial applause which was more Pavlovian than heartfelt. I couldn't wait to get to the airport.
Why did I tell you this story?
Because I wanted you to know where I stand.
I wanted you to know that violence bothers me so much that all I do is think of ways to make you safer.
And if you're training with me and you're not moving well, I will tell you why and explain what you need to work on.
You will not get a high five, or a participation trophy.
TEACHING TRUE SELF-DEFENSE BEARS A MORAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE WHAT WE TEACH WILL INFLUENCE HOW PEOPLE THINK AND MOVE ON THE MOST DANGEROUS DAY OF THEIR LIVES!
That cannot be taken lightly.
The ability to protect yourself or a loved one is inarguably the single most important skill you could possess.
What else could be more important than possessing that skill?
What could it cost us if we didn't fight back?
We have re-imagined how self-defense can be taught. By basing all movement on physiology, kinesiology, and psychology, we can make anyone safer sooner. The SPEAR System® truly is the science of self-defense.
If you are interested in our training and have the same ethical and moral POV as I do, you might be interested in two exclusive training opportunities:
August 18-20 is an exclusive training experience with me at my home. This is limited to only 10 people in the group. If you're interested in more information click here.
The other option is our annual training camp taking place October 21-22 - this is open to anyone, any level, and is a great event - full info can be found here.
I only want to connect with people who care about the truth, self-awareness, personal accountability, and personal growth and genuinely want to be mentally, physically, and tactically fit.
Let me know!
To your safety,
Coach B
https://blauerspear.com/bio
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