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FAST Defense Frequently Asked Questions Q. What
can someone who attends a
FAST course expect? A. One can
expect miracles! The teaching methodology used in FAST allows students
to
literally control and focus the powerful adrenal rush that occurs in
any sort
of attack, be it verbal or physical. Just as a person can be
conditioned to be
a victim for their entire life by a single assault where they failed to
react,
we can train people very quickly to be successful and use the adrenal
fear rush
as their ally. FAST uses state of the art training methods to take the
students
through a simple but very potent step by step process where they learn
to
control the adrenal rush that gets so many people into trouble in even
low
level altercations. Fear will never again be the enemy after taking
even a
single FAST class. Q. What should
someone
who buys The Missing Link
expect to take away with it? A. The Missing Link
encapsulates the
most important self-defense skills of all; How to diffuse or
de-escalate a
situation before it becomes violent by staying cool and looking for
other
creative nonviolent solutions. In this day and age, physical defense
should be
the absolute last resort, only when all else has failed. Yet
historically,
physical defense is all that is taught in most self-defense courses.
The
Missing Link provides the means to handle the vast majority of assaults
effectively and safely using techniques that can be learned from a
video. Not
only can the Missing Link video literally save your life, it provides
skills
that make life’s daily confrontations much easier to deal with.
Students
invariably walk away with greater confidence and ability to handle
altercations
at work, home, and play! Q. How does The
Missing Link Video differ
from one of your courses, or does it follow a similar format? A. The video covers 2 of
the three
crucial modules that must be included in any comprehensive self-defense
course.
These modules are addressed in a similar fashion as
an actual FAST course and
encompass Awareness and Verbal skills to avoid, de-escalate, or deter
most
incidents before they become physical. The final
module, combat skills are
beyond the scope of this initial video and will be addressed in future
projects. Of course the skills included in this
video will be greatly enhanced
by also attending a live FAST course at one of our many training
centers where
you can experience the combat phase firsthand! Q. Have
you experienced any resistance to the adrenal response concept from
traditional
martial artists or schools with the attitude that their physical skills
are
sufficient to handle confrontations? A. The
Martial Arts world has changed a lot over the years with the new push
for
reality-based training. Although there still exists pods of resistance
among
martial artists, most are now seeing that this technology really is the
missing
link to traditional MA training and not a threat to it. This is because
we are
working off a much different training paradigm that focuses on the
concepts of
avoidance and verbal measures, and the use of adrenaline with very
simple
martial arts techniques for the combat phases. The martial arts are
technique-based paradigms and filled with a rich variety of techniques
to cover
the myriad of different situations that might arise. The schools that
are
combining both paradigms are producing Black Belts that can perform
equally
well in the dojo and in the street. Although some Martial Artists still
choose
to criticize the FAST teaching methodology, I have yet to see even one
person
not be totally sold on the concept after experiencing it! Q. What traditional
art(s), if
any, have a tangible presence in the courses you teach? A. The
physical techniques in FAST are extremely simple and can be found in
just about
any martial art. The real trick is in how we teach these techniques. I
have found
the fluidity and rhythm of the Filipino Arts to be powerful teaching
tools.
Also, since people tend to move too fast, too short, and too choppy
under
duress, tai chi style practice is used in the initial phases of
training to
help people find maximum power when the adrenal rush hits. This can be
confusing to those who haven’t experienced the training because
certainly one
doesn’t actually fight in slow motion like Tai chi. But having fought
literally
thousands of martial artists in my Bulletman suit, the #1 problem they
(we)
have is slowing down enough to use the hips and body for maximum power.
With
just a short amount of training using our step-by-step process with
rhythm and
fluidity, students learn to hit incredibly hard with amazing timing in
the heat
of battle. Q. Beyond the adrenal
rush conditioning, how would
you best describe the specific self-defense techniques you teach your
students? A. I explain
our techniques as “Martial Arts 101” When the adrenal rush hits and we
switch
from high brain (cognitive) to low brain (survival), research has shown
that
humans can process a maximum of 5 bits of information. In self-defense
this
translates to a maximum of only 5 techniques can be employed under
duress. Due
to loss of fine motor control, these techniques should be kept to
simple, gross
motor skills. FAST Defense is self-defense for the masses. We are not
training
UFC fighters who train for years to master complex combat technique.
The
techniques we use are designed for a smaller person to apply against
vulnerable
areas on a potentially larger and stronger attacker. The best technique
of all
is the will to survive, and spirit that says: “Im not going to fight
unless I
really have to, and if I must, I’m going to fight until 5 minutes after
I’m
dead!” The physical techniques are merely an expression of that spirit,
and
with this mindset, chances are you’ll prevail against even a very
determined
assailant. Q.
How does FAST
differ
from
Model Mugging?
A.
Model Mugging was designed as
self-defense for women taught in intensive 25-30 hour formats. FAST
uses a
similar pedagogical method with some powerful new innovations to teach
self-defense in a much shorter time that is as or more effective than
the
original format. The main difference I would say is that Model Mugging
focused
more on the emotional dynamics of assault, and FAST focuses more on the
adrenal
stress components. FAST Defense also teaches courses for men, teens and
children, where the original Model Mugging was only taught to women. Q. How does FAST differ
from
RMCAT? A. RMCAT
started as a reality based course taught by Peyton Quinn and a mix of
padded
assailant trainers including myself. Although the techniques were
proven, the
teaching methodology needed polishing. Over the years as various
instructors
joined the instructor team, it improved dramatically. When Peyton
created his
new RMCAT training facility in the Colorado Mountains, he asked me to
design
and teach the new RMCAT Basics and weapons defense courses using the
same
teaching methods that have made FAST Defense so effective. In a
nutshell, the
two use very much the same concepts and techniques. RMCAT does so in an
intensive immersion into the process and FAST Defense in shorter more
refined
modules. If RMCAT is considered the “Cadillac” of adrenal stress
conditioning,
then FAST Defense could be considered the “Porsche” of self-defens Q. How are weapons
addressed in a
FAST course? A. Weapons
are addressed in the level 3 course, after the Level 1 Basics and Level
2
groundfighting courses. The FAST stand on weapons defense is to: 1 – Comply and give up
your
possessions if it’s a robbery. You can always replace material objects,
but you
cannot replace you! 2 – In the case of a
physical attack with a weapon,
keep the techniques very simple. The tactic used in FAST is to feign
compliance, get control of the weapon, and fight like hell with
everything else
you have. Expect to get injured but keep on fighting until you can
escape. I do
not recommend attempting disarms until the attacker is greatly
disabled. With
proper training, it is very possible to defend against an armed
attacker. Q.
Share a story or two with us about students who’ve taken
your
training and have gone on to use it to de-escalate and avoid
potentially
violent confrontations? A. I have
literally hundreds of stories where FAST Defense students have thwarted
attacks
with good verbal defense skills alone. Just recently a female black
belt
graduate of FAST stopped a potential attack where she and 2 other
males, both
multiple Black Belt martial artists, got into it with a hostile drunk
in San
Francisco. Both of the males got hooked by the verbal taunts of the
drunk and
literally froze, so she stepped right between them to de-escalate the
drunk.
When the drunk continued his taunting, she assertively commanded him to
“Back
Off Now!” He stood shocked for a moment and then turned around and left
them
alone without another word. In another, a woman who
had been
abused for years by a battering husband backed him right out of the
house when he
began his well-versed tirade. This occurred just a day after she
attended a
single FAST Defense course. One guy who got verbally abused by another
guy that
thought he took his parking space, (just like the scenario in this
video)
de-escalated the situation and the abusive guy ended up apologizing.
This is
how most altercations go with our graduates, who usually require no
physical
defense at all after employing good awareness and verbal defense skills. Q. Have
you
heard from students who have been unable to avoid a violent
confrontation but
were able to utilize the FAST training to defend themselves against an
inevitable attack? A. The FAST
awareness and verbal techniques work like magic to avoid violence
altogether.
Still, there are times when violence is unavoidable. Dozens of FAST
Defense
graduates have reported successfully using their physical defense
skills. One
such woman was a 68-year-old grandmother who jabbed an attacker in the
eyes and
dropped him with a knee to his groin, allowing her to escape virtually
unharmed. Another was a teenage boy who was being badly bullied by
small gang
at school. Two weeks after attending FAST he was accosted and broke the
nose of
the gang leader with a palm heel strike to his face. Because the
administration
had been made aware of the situation beforehand, he was exonerated
without a
hitch. We have also had 3 abduction attempts successfully thwarted by
graduates
of our Children’s program. Q.
Are the FAST courses co-ed, or are they specifically for men
or
women? A. Unless a
group requests a private gender specific class, FAST courses are co-ed.
Obviously there are distinct differences between attacks on men versus
women.
But the process of adrenal stress conditioning is the same regardless
of sex
and we can easily customize each scenario accordingly to meet each
persons
needs. Typically the male students appreciate having women as
classmates and
vice versa. Q.
Do you teach the same exact techniques to women and men? How
about
children? A. Many of
the techniques work for people of all ages and gender. But we do teach
variations that have proven to work better for each specific group. We
also
customize the scenarios to accommodate for any differences. The most
important
thing that we do teach across the board is indomitable will and spirit.
When it
comes right down to it, the person who can transform their adrenaline,
fear,
and emotion into full “go for it” power will usually prevail. Any
student of
this training will definitely be a force to be reckoned with if ever
put to the
test! Q. How
can people get more involved with FAST Defense? A. To experience a FAST class, contact the training location nearest you for upcoming courses. To become a certified instructor, contact me directly at Billkipp@aol.com for details. FAST Defense is the wave of the future and is growing everyday! |
