The basic course structure:
- "10 hour" course
o Approximately 5.5 hours spent on lecture
o Approximately 4 hours spent on force on force/ sparring
- Two Instructors, 12 students (cant beat that ratio). A good mix of students showed up both male and female in a variety of ages.
- The lecture
Do not let the long hours fool you, any good instructor/student realizes the importance of lecture time and how much you really can learn during this time. We were provided with a booklet with all the PowerPoint slides printed out, with space to the right to jot down any quick notes. We also were given another small handout that included diagrams of human anatomy, standard folder operation/parts diagram, and some other useful items. Human anatomy, in my opinion is very important knowledge when using any weapon, David chooses to spend a fair amount of time on this subject, impressive.
Mindset, to me is one of the most important topics in training, David uses a 45min mindset lecture that covers the basics. I found this to be a nice intro into the topic, and is worth paying attention to. I wouldn't have mind seeing Coopers States of Awareness thrown in there, but that is just me.
Lots of other topics were covered, all of which are very interesting and even funny at times. My recommendation is to sit back, grab so doughnuts and absorb as much as you can. Do not get too used to this peaceful learning environment, it doesn't last Long. Remember to bring any equipment in that you have. David, like all good instructors, will not recommend a specific piece of gear, but will point you in the right direction when you POS paper weight knife shouldn't be carried for self defense.
- Force on Force/ Sparing
Here you will be walked through the basics, and drilled dozens of time on deploying your weapon from your strong hand/side and your weak hand/side and every combination of the two that you can think of. Drills practicing getting out of various common choke holds from standing, kneeling and prone positions. I found it somewhat up to you to decide how rough you and your partner are willing to get, so it may be a good idea to team up with someone that wont freak out when you really choke them out (if that's what you want to do). Also, do not forget to cycle partners, its good to go against various sizes off opponents (the instructors stress this, but do not really enforce it). Let the big dude in class toss you around by your neck a couple times, it adds for excitement and realism.
There is one drill that demonstrates the cutting power of a folder, I recommend not standing behind or near any window lickers at this point in time. Oh and remember kids, when doing drills with inert/dummy weapons, its NEVER funny to whip your real knife/weapon as a joke. This happened once, not cool. David took care of it in an overly nice manner, in my opinion.
- The instructors:
o David Blinder - great guy, well spoken and makes for a generally easy going learning environment. He has that ticking time bomb type personality, which I appreciate. Its nice having a instructor that you know is willing to act out what he teaches in a real life scenario. For you ladies out there, do not worry, he has morals and you will be perfectly safe
Oh yes, customer support is lighting fast, I probably have sent David close to 1.47 trillion emails this year, he responds to every one of them very promptly.o Eric (helper dude) - He throws in his 2 cents as needed, and is appreciated. Also helped with force on force. Good addition to the course.
The 10 hours you spend doing this course is a lot of fun, and you will soon realize that Davids great instruction combined with an open mind and willingness to learn will result in a surprisingly fast learning curve, making the 150 bucks worth every penny.