On February 4-5, 2011 we will have conducting a two day course on principles pertaining to disarms and retention of both firearms and edged weapons. The cost is $150 for both days. There are no prerequisites, and no martial arts background is required.

These principles and techniques have application to taking or retaining possession of any weapon, but are illustrated on day one using hand guns, and on day two using edged weapons. Obviously, the specific techniques are modified depending upon what one is trying to keep or take.

At the end of the week-end, participants should understand how these things work, and they will have done it more than a few times. This course will not, by itself, prepare anyone to do disarms or retain a weapon against a determined attack. No two-day course will. Preparation to carry out these techniques with confidence takes a substantial amount of practice - initially at least several hours of practice a week. For this reason I recommend people attend with a friend or relative with whom they can work after the course.

For those who are concerned with styles and labels, I will be running day one, and will concentrate on hand retention and disarms. My approach derives from judo, ergo ju-jitsu. The edged weapons portion of the course will be run by Brian Agostino, who is Samdan in Tang Soo Do, and has 13 years of training in the Filipino martial arts of Kali and Giron Escrima/Arnis. He also trained in Maphilindo Silat. (Not surprisingly, when the two of us get together, there is a great deal of similarity in how we approach these problems.) The curriculum, as distinct from style or technique, is based on the Operational Skills Group program originally taught to us both by Steve Tarani.

Watch the FIRE Institute web site or PGH-training@yahoogroups.com in the next week for course descriptions and enrollment details.