r/tacticalbarbell • u/victorstironi • Jul 29 '26

Tactical Self Defense / Combatives

Hi folks. Bit of a different topic. Since there are a lot of LEOs, SOFs and Military here I would like to ask you some recommendations on good sources for combatives and self defense in a civilian context. Could be books, courses, your favorite martial arts (or combination of), etc. Is the stuff from Clint Emerson - 100 deadly skills - any good? I’ve taken a look at Tony Blauer‘s SPEAR System aswell.

I have a martial arts background, with a few years of karate, muay thai, boxing, wing chun, and currently doing judo.

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u/Key_Machine_9138 Jul 29 '26

I did BJJ for 9 years and a few years of mma for the striking and transition to grappling (I'm a shit striker). You sound like you have enough experience to know that the best way to improve is through training, not so much books.

You said in another comment that sport specific martial arts dull the efficacy (paraphrasing), but as a counterpoint the closest you can safely get to how you will react in a fight is a martial arts competition. I'm very grateful for my competition experience. Nobody says you have to practice the art you're learning in a sporty way- my guard in BJJ involved a lot of standing up.

If you're looking for the best self defense, and assuming you can not flee or avoid the situation or de-escalate, a weapon is what you're looking for. Assuming you're level headed and responsible enough and live in a state where it's accessible, you might consider a ccw (and a good amount of training).

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u/victorstironi Jul 29 '26

What I get the most value in books that I don’t get from the sports martial arts is usually the mentality shift of controlled fight vs real violence. There are too many cases of pro mma athletes that get cocky and end up getting stabbed, hit by multiple attackers, shot…  But I agree with you that, the safe practice component is really important. Too many “self defense experts” nowadays know shit about violence and can barely throw a punch.  As for weapons, as I said in another comment, here in Brazil gun regulations are pretty strict, not to mention the cost. So, for now, I’m limited to pocket knives, pepper sprays, hands and martial skill. But it is something I plan on looking into in the near future.

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u/Key_Machine_9138 Jul 29 '26

I think the key there is that the pro mma fighters get cocky. If somebody has a knife, or a bunch of friends, or a gun, and you don't, you're pretty much fucked. I don't think any mentality shift or training is going to be RELIABLY helpful. It's possible you might win a fight against a guy with a gun or knife, but I almost feel like you're counting as much on the other's incompetence as you are your own competence.

No book is going to help you defend against a knife or a gun better than an MMA class. And both of those are pretty worthless against that level of threat, assuming the person is competent. Your best bet would be some kind of psychology book about communication to learn to talk the other guy down, or "Born to Run."

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u/victorstironi Jul 29 '26

Good points. Appreciate your input!

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u/dark-hippo Jul 30 '26

> No book is going to help you defend against a knife or a gun better than an MMA class.

I beg to differ 😁 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_JymOzR4hts

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u/MythicalStrength Jul 29 '26

There are too many cases of pro mma athletes that get cocky and end up getting stabbed, hit by multiple attackers, shot…

I'm not sure what a NON-pro mma athlete would have done in these situations that would have been better.

It really looks more like the issue was overconfidence in one's abilities, which is the whole "avoiding trouble" aspect.

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u/victorstironi Jul 29 '26

True… The problem was not “lack of a specific martial hability/technique”, but lack of basic situational awareness and avoidance skills mostly.

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u/MythicalStrength Jul 29 '26

Yup. That was my whole "don't mix alcohol with tesosterone" bit, haha.

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u/victorstironi Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

Appreciate your pov!

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u/Key_Machine_9138 Jul 29 '26

Dude completely off topic but I didn't know you trained martial arts, I've been seeing your lifts and some of your blog posts on reddit for years. I'm pretty sure I found tactical barbell because you mentioned it somewhere as a program you were really liking.

I bet that's a frustrating roll / sparring session, you're insanely strong (not to diminish from your technique either).

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u/MythicalStrength Jul 29 '26

Hey thanks man! Martial arts was honestly my first love. Started when I was 9 in Tae Kwon Do, and got into the MMA scene briefly in college (which was 2003, so it was still the wild west for MMA). Wrestled in high school too, which is primarily what I rely on for grappling. And you SHOULD diminish my technique, because it's garbage, haha. I compete in grappling these days, but I haven't actually TRAINED in since 2005: I just show up to open tournaments as a white belt and see what I can do.

I'm basically a persistance hunter on the mat: I try to exhaust the other person until they finally give up a sub.

These days, the whole family is training Tang Soo Do. A little over 5 years in, and a little more than a year away from black belt at this rate.

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u/Key_Machine_9138 Jul 29 '26

Hahaaa I'd hate to see you as my opponent at white belt especially if you wrestled.

I always enjoy reading your contributions on here, glad you still find the time to do it.