Self-Defense Advice with Adam Williss

Debunking Self-Defense Misconceptions

2009-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Most martial arts are simply not as effective as you may think when it comes to training for real-world combat situations. We debunk some common misconceptions here.

Misconception #1
The purpose of martial arts should be to build discipline and a great physical fitness enhancing individual strength, flexibility, balance, and cardio-respiratory fitness. Building personal courage, self confidence.

We disagree. Although these benefits may come as a by-product of training, the primary objective of a martial art should be to improve the combat-effectiveness of the individual, specifically, to teach the individual to become comfortable with the level of conflict required in a real-life self-preservation situation.

Misconception #2
Safety must be emphasized at all costs to the point of stressing no striking or only simulated strikes to vital points such as the head, neck and groin area. If you strike at all, you should stop short (pull your punches) to these vital areas so that you maintain safety above all else. Only "light blows" should be made to other areas.

Wrong. The primary focus of a true martial arts program should not be to prevent the
maximum number of injuries during training but to prevent the maximum number of
individual injuries during a real world situation. Bumps and bruises do come with
the territory when applying reality-based training. Unless you want individuals to experience
false confidence, the only confidence worth obtaining in a true martial arts program is achieved through successfully employing combat-effective movements.

Misconception #3
Most fights end up on the ground so ground-fighting should be where you place most of your emphasis.

No. This way of thinking is extremely flawed. The ground is the last place you want to be in a real-life situation. We aren't training for the UFC or a grappling tournament, we train for real-world success. Too many variables can happen to you on the ground on the street. For self-defense, preventing the maximum number of individual injuries is the goal. Therefore, knowing how to stay on your feet should be a much greater concern.

Misconception #4
Locks and holds are the best way of incapacitating an attacker.

False. Striking is entirely more effective in a realistic environment than holding or putting someone in a lock. Your goal in a realistic situation must be to incapacitate the attacker in the quickest way possible. Striking is much quicker, a lot simpler and has the potential to be much more devastating to an attacker.

Misconception #5
Training in kickboxing and/or wrestling will make me ready for the street.

No way. Approaching a self-preservation situation with a sport mentality gives the individual a false sense of confidence. Training for realistic self-defense is much different than training for a rules-based combat sport.

Survival - Knowledge is Key

2009-01-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

10% of us act correctly in time of a survival situation
80% of us helplessly freeze
10 of us act incorrrectly

If you have to stop and think, its too late. Your brain doesn't function in the same way that it does when you are not under duress. Our brain searches for memories of how to act in a survival situation. If nothing is found, it constantly searches, over and over again.

This is where knowledge is key. Where what you've gone through in the past is so crucial. Where survival and self-defense training matters unequivically.

YOU are the only person that can save YOU.

Martial Arts - The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

2008-07-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

If you want to learn about what works and what doesn't on the street, then you must understand the truth and nothing but the truth. The truth about martial arts isn't how things appear to be on TV/Movies. It isn't what people generally accept to be true either. It also isn't what you learn from watching Ultimate Fighting Champions or other sports competitions. The truth is exactly how it is. Either you accept the truth or your misconceptions will naturally work against your when your life depends on it.

What is being written in this online publication is the real truth about practical self-defense. I'm going to explain to you in a very simple, common-sense way, how most martial arts do NOT teach you how to defend yourself when it matters most.

Please check back as more controversial truths are added. You're life may depend on it!

If you were attacked, would you know what to do?

2008-07-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Our Personal Safety & Self-Defense Concepts seminars and short presentations teach you how to react decisively to put yourself in a position of stregnth.

"A Powerful Message & Practical Tools"

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Self-Defense Strategies
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Join the thousands that have benefited from our personalized, positive, solution-oriented training seminars. Schedule your seminar today and see immediate personal safety and security lifestyle changes within your staff or group.

Our safety & self-defense educators instruct men, women and teens in strategies that actually work, to help protect you and yours from becoming victims.

"Education is the most powerful weaponwhich you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

Our Advisory Board

2008-07-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Jesse Moon

Advanced Level Instructor

Centerline Academy of Martial Arts & North Florida Wing Chun

Jesse has been training advanced fighting concepts for over 13 years. A personal friend of Adam Williss, Jesse is responsible for introducing Adam to martial arts. Adam regards Jesse as one of the most advanced level instructors in the martial arts today.

Specializing in a highly-effective system of Wing Chun, his approach relies on concepts founded in the laws of physics. These specific scientific concepts are the reasoning behind each of his techniques, methods, and strategies. Most other methods rely on muscular strength, speed, and purely physical technique. Instead, the concepts he utilizes involve sensitivity, structure, footwork, and position to deal with aggressors.

Jesse currently teaches privately in the North Florida area as well as at the Centerline Academy of Martial Arts.

Effortless Self-Defense

2008-05-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Self-defense isn't supposed to be hard. It shouldn't take a lot effort when a real life situation arises. And you don't have to be strong to defend against someone twice your size.

Its much easier than you think. The technology you will learn with THE WILLISS METHOD shows you how the most simplified movements make real-life situations easy.

What's more, THE WILLISS METHOD is for everyone - from the everyday beginner to the most experienced martial artist. You don't need to be in good or even great shape. You don't need to be able to do a split, kick someone in the head or be able to last 3 minutes in a cage.

You don't have to have spent half of your life studying a martial art. But if you have, we can help simplify your movements and make them easier to apply, quicker, more accurate, timely and efficient.

In a real-life situation, its not a matter of how many things you know. Its not a matter of how much you add or how many arts you've studied. A real-life confrontation doesn't go longer than a few seconds. Its a matter of how good you are at the few most important movements. Because thats all you need in a real-life situation - just a few techniques.

Founded in science, THE WILLISS METHOD uses the simple laws of physics to teach you how to overcome any confrontation and use your natural weapons more efficiently. This program shows you how simple self-defense can be.

Currently THE WILLISS METHOD is only available in a seminar and a direct personal training format.

Please contact us at for more information.

Authenticity in the Martial Arts

2008-05-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Some days I think about to what end people will go to further themselves. Its absurd to see how far away from themselves they go in order to make others percieve them as something they totally are not. Yet we all do it to some degree. We all sacrifice our authenticity in order to "fit in". People don't like people that are too different than them.

Where does your level of authenticity lie? How far away from yourself are you willing to go in order to paint a beautiful picture for others?

These questions go further than most of us are williing to ask ourselves. But in the martial arts, its these very questions that lie between wasting your time and investing your time.

Too many people worry about how close a school is, or if its a little more money than we think we should spend, or if the facility looks cool, or "they do it on TV so I want to do it too."

Lets face it. Its not the money. Martial arts don't really cost that much in comparison to how finding the right one can change your life.

Whether its a half hour away or a minute away, it shouldn't matter. Think about what really matters. If you find something that changes your life... go for it! Some people are lucky to have something great that's close to them and others aren't. Either way it shouldn't be about what's close. It may be difficult at first to get past this, but in the end, you won't be sorry.

In the whole scheme of things, its the authenticity to our own worth that we should seek. The integrity we keep to ourselves and how highly we regard our time invested that ultimately determines how much we get out an art.

We just have to ask ourselves,"what will mean the most to us in the long run?" And "how true am I being to myself with the choice I'm making?"

Sounds easy right? But the reality is that its not. The idea is more than often too simple for our minds to remain focused upon. Perception of what's infront of us at the time distorts reality.

Unfortunately, people make more choices for the wrong reasons than they do for the right reasons. But its also why mistakes are often the best stepping stones of true learning. So enjoy the ride. Enjoy the mistakes and learn from them. They'll take you closer to your own truths.

But also realize that even asking yourselves the right questions won't solve everything. There's just too many martial arts instructors that aren't true to themselves or their students. there's jsut too many looking to make a buck than to truly help people learn to defend themselves. What's more, these same instructors couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

The truth about martial arts is that you never really know whats right for you until you're already involved with it. So try a few to see what's right. Enjoy the journey finding your own truths. A little luck never hurt either.

Good luck!

So You Want To Learn Self-Defense

2008-05-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

By Armando Sainz

In most martial arts schools today you can take regular lessons and add some self-defense classes. But there is still the problem of the effectiveness of the martial art and the so called self-defense moves being taught. It has been my experience that many of the martial art methods being taught in the United States are not completely functional in today's world. You have Tae Kwon Do schools, Karate schools, Jiu-Jitsu schools and Kung Fu.

For the most part these systems are sport oriented in to some degree. There are few like Wing Chun who claim to be strictly "real world self-defense". So what happens if you have a martial art that still incorporates RULES in their system? You end up with a less effective fighting method. What happens if you learn one of these sport oriented systems and also learn some self-defense? Well, your chances increase if you've learned to make the self-defense seamless with the martial art but that is almost impossible with 95% of what's being taught out there.

However, if you have a martial art that is concept based, real world minded, no sport orientation, deadly in nature and guided by true scientific biomechanics, then you can have a seamless self-defense system. This way you can become "a motion martial artist'. In other words no matter what the opponent does he has to move to attack you. That becomes his downfall because you are an expert at detecting motion through sight first and then touch. With this you can move effortlessly using the attacker's energy against them creating a COMPLETE self-defense system. I know of only one martial art in the world that functions at high levels in this manner. This system is called Wing Chun Kung Fu. The only thing I can add to this complete martial art is weapons in hand. But even those become one with the body of the practitioner as if the weapon was an extension of the body. Even firearms feel like an extension of the body.

If you are serious about learning then consider the fact that policemen are no one's personal bodyguards. Their jobs are to find and arrest people who have committed crimes, not to prevent crimes from happening in the first place. Clearly, the responsibility for victim-prevention lies with you. The idea is to not become a victim.

Wing Chun and Krav Maga are two martial arts designed for real street self-defense. Let me just say that I like Krav Maga but only Wing Chun closely adheres to its concepts and the scientific use of the human body. Furthermore it produces a unique seamless and fluid characteristic. It is a real world martial art and not sport oriented at all. Its focus is on hand to hand self-defense, whether standing or on the ground, with or without weapons.

The skilled practitioner is able to defend himself or herself and inflict great damage to any attacker quickly with high level control and relaxation. With dedication and consistency these skills are within anyone's grasp regardless of sex, body type or muscle development. This proficiency is developed through our unique method of training and has been refined to be one of the most advanced and effective self-defense systems in the world.

I highly recommend if you are looking for a complete fighting / self-defense, real world system, that you give Wing Chun a try. But remember; not all Wing Chun is good Wing Chun so do the research.

Advanced Fighting Concepts

2008-05-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Advanced Fighting Concepts is a unique, ever-evolving method of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat founded by Adam Williss. It emphasizes maximum threat neutralization in a real life, practical context.

Advanced Fighting Concepts was specifically designed for everyone - from beginners to the most advanced martial artists. Everyone can benefit from these modern training methods and no-nonsense concepts.

Advanced Fighting Concepts is not a sport, and there are no specific uniforms, attire or competitions. All movements focus on maximum efficiency in realistic conditions. It generally assumes that an attacker will give no quarter. Therefore, responses are intended for use in potentially life threatening situations. Devastating attacks to vulnerable body parts, bareknuckle strikes, headbutts, elbows, and other efficient and potentially brutal attacks are emphasized.

Advanced Fighting Concepts emphasizes simplicity, practicality and efficiency of movement. It teaches individuals how to overcome fight paralysis and trains the body to take the proper course of action. This totally changes a person's mindset and readjusts it for reality.

Advanced Fighting Concepts teaches that reality isn't the way you think things to be or the way you want things to be. Reality is exactly how things actually are. The closer you get to the reality of self-defense, the more you can own it. And when you own reality you can use it to your advantage. If you don't accept reality, things will naturally work against you.

Advanced Fighting Concepts empowers individuals to take responsibility for their own well-being. It teaches individuals how to make the attacker the victim. Be the aggressor. Advance immediately. Strike first. Continuously move. Simultaneously attack and defend. Surprise an attacker by putting the pressure on them and move the situation into devastingly close-quarters range. Continue moving forward at every opportunity and staying with the opponent. If you are unable to strike and disable your opponent, make contact with some part of their body (arms, legs or torso) and stick to it with constant forward pressure. Once there is opportunity, you give up constant contact in order to go in with your attack.

Advanced Fighting Concepts' training is often quite different from other martial arts training. It stresses fighting under worst-case conditions or from disadvantaged positions. For example: against faster or stronger opponents, against several opponents, when protecting someone else, with one arm unusable or when blind-folded. Advanced Fighting Concepts emphasizes quick learning and the continuous motion, with the number one goal of effectiveness.

Advanced Fighting Concepts' training emphasizes that there are no rules in a fight and that the best defense is an attack. Training is an intense mixed aerobic and anaerobic workout, relying heavily on the use of free-flowing partner drills, heavy bag work, pads and hardwood training dummies. in order to experience both delivery and defense of strikes at full force. This is important because it allows the student to practice the technique at full strength. Students will also wear head guards, mouth pieces, groin protectors, during practice of attack/defense techniques, so that a realistic level of violence may be used without injury. Most importantly, we emphasize full-contact sparring with headgear intended to familiarize the student with the stresses of a violent situation.

Training may also be on a variety of surfaces and have restrictive situations like wearing a blindfold before being attacked. The emphasis is on attempting to simulate real fight/attack situations as realistically as possible within the safety limitations of training.

Training will usually also cover situational awareness, to develop an understanding of one's surroundings and potentially threatening circumstances before an attack is launched. It may also cover "Self Protection": ways to deal with situations which could end in fights, and physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible.

A typical session is about an hour long and starts with Chinese Qigong exercises and then goes on to partner drills. The instructor may then a teach specific self-defense movement for the day and then the session most always ends in sparring.

Relaxation Training
One needs to be relaxed in order to move dynamically and to react quickly to the actions of an opponent. When you are tense, your "own force" acts as a parking brake -- you must disengage it first before you can move quickly. Training consists of teaching the student to relax in the most stressful of situations.

Use Your Opponent's Force against him.
Take advantage of the force your opponent gives you. If an opponent pulls you toward him, use that energy as part of your attack. Or if an opponent pushes one side of your body, you can act as a pully and use that force in an attack with your other arm.

Simple. Fluid. Instinctive. Aggressive. Reactive. Scientific. Functional. Focused. Opportunistic. Adaptable. Decisive. Targeted. Continuous. Centered. Progressive.

Our Workshops and seminars

2008-05-11T14:27:00.001-07:00

California Workshops with Adam Williss
SoCal Area: Los Angeles, Orange County & San Diego

Specializing in debunking the misconceptions of martial arts, I teach what works and what doesn't. The reality of martial arts isn't what you find in most martial arts schools. Martial arts truth is much more simple and efficient. My goal is to empower people with the truth so that their misconceptions won't work against them when their life depends on it.

With crime on the rise, more adults are taking an interest in our workshops. I keep it simple. Contact me, give us a guest list with a minimum of eight people, we send email invites. The workshop lasts about an hour and the hostess gets a discount. 949.939-4117

Adam Williss
CEO, Advanced Fighting Concepts

Personal Training with Adam Williss
Los Angeles / Orange County / San Diego area

When I can devote my time specifically to you in a private one-on-one setting, the results are nothing short of amazing. I've seen my clients take their training to new levels in a matter of hours. You'll learn nothing less than the brutal reality of self-defense. I guarantee to hold nothing back when I show you how to make yourself into a lethal weapon. When you book your personal training and give me just a few hours of your time, I am confident that you will never be the same.

For more information or to schedule your personal training, call (949) 939-4117.

Our Privacy Policy

2008-05-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

As with our products and services, we treat your privacy just as we would want our information and privacy protected.

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We collect personal information from site visitors who wish to order our products or access other Advanced Fighting Concepts services. Some of the features of our site require registration before you can use them. If you register, you choose to provide us with certain personal information, such as your name, address, phone number, credit card information and e-mail address. Personal information is collected only if and when you voluntarily provide it. We also gather information through the use of cookies. This allows us to:
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Your personal information is not sold to third parties. We may, however, share information with third party entities, who assist us in servicing our members as part of normal business operations (such as to assist in fulfilling orders, distributing our publications, etc) and for regulatory, legal or government purposes.

Legal Disclaimer

2008-05-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Educational information is published with the understanding that neither the publisher or author – Adam Williss or Advanced Fighting Concepts -- is rendering legal, self defense or other professional services. If legal, seld defense or other professional advice is required, the services of a certified professional should be sought. As each individual’s situation is unique, questions relevant to personal defense and specific to the individual should be addressed to an appropriate professional.

Do I need to learn a martial art in order to defend myself?

2008-05-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Question: Do I need to learn a martial art in order to defend myself?
Jeffrey, Boston, MA

Answer: No. Not necessarily. The last thing you want to do is spend years training in a martial art just to find out that when confronted with a real-life situation that all your time was wasted! I can't tell you how many black belts I've met that don't know the first thing about how to defend themselves if it came down to it. Many of these martial arts spend hours of time practicing things that won't help you in a self-defense situation. If someone says that what they teach is good for discipline, fitness, self-defense, achievement, sports competition and a whole array of things, ask them which of these are their specialty. If they say self-defense, ask how dedicated they are to sticking to this purpose and not letting the other things get in the way of this specialization. Schools or instructors that try to be everything to everyone just aren't. Generally the more different things a martial art attempts to offer, the less they specialize in realistic self-defense. You should also know that there is a lot to learn from the martial arts that go beyond just fighting. Be wary of belts, masters, karate robes, too much tradition or too much concentration on sports-competition. Combat sports like MMA train in a way set around rules for these sports competitions. They aren't focused on self-defense and they won't help you when it matters most. If your goal is to learn self-defense, find someone that specializes in it.

About Adam Williss

2008-05-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Adam Williss has made it his mission to empower individuals and help them get access to the same simple and effective self-defense concepts used by world-reknowned experts. He delivers on his mission as the author behind “Self-Defense Advice” as the program director of The Dragon Institute - an martial arts educational and research facility located in Dana Point, California, USA.

Adam's methods have been called "a highly intelligent approach to self-defense." He and his work has been featured in several publications both online and in print. He has educated, empowered and entertained individuals through his classes, seminars, articles, publications and speaking engagements. A consultant to groups large and small, Adam has trained numerous professionals, athletes and corporate executives.

A strong voice for functional simplicity in the martial arts, Adam was the editor-in-chief of Wing Chun Magazine from 2004 - 2007. Adam serves in top positions of several associations such as President of the California Wing Chun Association and as a Director and State Representative of California for the World Ving Tsun Athletic Association. He was inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame, is an Associate Member of the International Kung Fu Federation, the International Combat Martial Arts Unions Association, the United States Kuo Shu Federation, Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association and National Qigong Association.

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Fight, Flight or Freeze

2008-05-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

Fight or flight. Heard that before? Chances are you have. It's quick, catchy and easy to remember. You've probably locked the phrase deep into your “these truths we hold to be self-evident,” inner sanctorum. The special place things go that never get questioned. The doctors we quote here later call it, “ingrained assumptions.”

Since the early wars with stones, clubs, spears and swords, the militaries of the world have grappled with issues of bravery and fear on the battlefield, but the whole "fight or flight," phrase really seemed to begin as a psychological category in the very early 20th century. The issue was rubber-stamped into posterity in 1929 by one Dr. Walter Canon with his original formulation of human threat response - the fight or flight.” I repeat 1929. Canon stated that when frightened, we flee or fight.

Fright - defined as fear excited by sudden danger, from something strange, sudden or shocking. Sudden ambush. Some the greatest armies of the world were defeated by ambush, as well as some of the best solo fighters. The University of Washington uses a popular “angry bear” example to explain this, an example dating back to the 1930s and copied by so many "downliners" to describe the shock/surprise event.

It is a nice, sunny day. You are taking a nice walk in the park. Suddenly, an angry bear appears in your path. Do you stay and fight OR do you turn and run away?

Simple enough as one, two. But, somewhere lurking free in our understanding is yet another, vital, “F-word,” freeze. From the cave-men confronted by the saber-tooth tiger on the prehistoric veldt, to the soldier in Afghanistan, they, and we gathered here, all see and understand the...big freeze. We all intuitively know that the full equation must really be,must include “Fight, Freeze or Flight,” in the first milliseconds of an ambush of any type. These three Fs are utterly and intrinsically connected. Okay, so what does the latest research show? Wait, there is more! Modern experts can now define and refine that not all freezing comes from fear or fright! You can also freeze when shocked for several biological reasons that have nothing to do with bravery, courage or lack thereof.

I began reading about these other two Fs - Fright and Freeze in the 1990s. I grew impatient with the constant repetition of Canon's lonely two Flight or Fight. Without recognizing freeze and fright, the topic, the preparation training and post-treatment will be stunted and incomplete. A real recipe for wrong.

In an issue of Psychosomatics of the American Journal of Psychiatry, five doctors specializing in psychiatry petitioned the peers to change the flight or flight mantra. In an article entitled, “ Does Flight or Fight Need Updating ” they begin a challenging, yet common sense dissertation on the subject:

“Walter Cannon's original formulation of the term for the human response to threat, "fight or flight," was coined exactly 75 years ago, in 1929.1 It is an easily remembered catch-phrase that seems to capture the essence of the phenomena it describes. It accurately evokes two key behaviors that we see occurring in response to threat. This phrase has led to certain ingrained assumptions about what to expect in our patients and, because of its broad usage, what they expect of themselves. It is a testament to the foundational significance of Cannon's work that the term he used continues to shape clinical understanding and to influence popular culture's understanding of stress as well. But the phrase has not been updated to incorporate important advances in the understanding of the acute response to extreme stress. Specifically, the term ignores major advances in stress research made since it was coined. Both human and animal research on the pan-mammalian response to stress has advanced considerably since 1929, and it may be time to formulate a new form of this catch-phrase that presents a more complete and nuanced picture of how we respond to danger."

They go on:
“The phrase "fight or flight" has influenced the understanding and expectations of both clinicians and patients; however, both the order and the completeness of Cannon's famous phrase are suspect. "Fight or flight" mis-characterizes the ordered sequence of responses that mammals exhibit as a threat escalates or approaches. In recent years, ethnologists working with nonhuman primates have clearly established four distinct fear responses that proceed sequentially in response to increasing threat. The order of these responses may have important implications for understanding and treating acute stress in humans."

The article reminds their peers that people freeze in place for reasons other than fear/fright. One might freeze form a hyper-vigilance, and/or by just being overwhelmed by surrounding stimuli, Not fear. Therefore, the act of freezing can be clinically different that fright. You can freeze from fright and you can freeze from being overwhelmed in a sensory overload -which has nothing to do with fear. Many specialists such as Dr. Jeffrey Allen Gray state we all freeze FIRST to some degree! Then react.

So the experts summarize:
“We propose the adoption of the expanded and reordered phrase "freeze, flight, fight, or fright" as a more complete and nuanced alternative to "fight or flight." While we cannot hope to compete with the legacy of Cannon's phrase in the culture at large, adoption of this alternative term within the clinical community may help keep clinicians aware of the relevant advances in understanding of the human stress response made since the original term "fight or flight" was coined three-quarters of a century ago.”

Medical professionals do use the full, four Fs now, in so many fields from speech therapy for stuttering to post traumatic stress treatment for combat vets. But that common “culture at large” the doctors mentioned, remains ignorant and still does love to sing the simple song of Flight or Fight. They sing on and on about the two Fs and the sympathetic nervous system and two F-shooting and Two F-fighting and two-F thinking and two-F training on and on. And, like so many blindly accepted principles spouted in martial, police and the military training dogma, ideas like the disproved Hicks Law, and the mis-quoted Startle Reflex, the “fight or flight” catch phrase has not been updated for most of us in 8 decades of steadily, advancing research.

In your humble correspondent's opinion here, a martial training doctrine might well function with just the three Fs of "Fight, Flight or Freeze. After all, a freeze is a freeze whether it be from a sudden fright or a sudden sensory overload. Just please explain it to your folks. The "Fourth F of Fright" may only be mandatory in the psychiatric world, in their post-event treatment world, where they grapple with traumatic stress syndromes.

There are also many small hairs to be split in this subject. Is just backing up just a few steps, officially called a "flight?" What is hypervigilance? Is the natural "stop-look-listen" considered a freeze? What is Tonic Immobility? Is there a natural progression to the Fs when you are confronted and does freeze come first? All things we review here in the blogs through time.

1) Train sudden fight responses form ambush and surpise.

2) Train responding from freezes and if needed..maintaining a freeze to remain undetected.

3) Train orderly retreats.

4) Work on Fear Management concepts.

Three Fs or four Fs, there is certainly more than just the two Fs. A training doctrine cannot function without the Freeze category in this equation.

Thanks to W. Hock Hochheim for this article. The original article in its unabridged entirety can be found at http://www.hockscqc.com/articles/fightflightfreeze/index.htm. Thanks to the doctors sited in this article: H. Stefan Bracha, M.D., Tyler C. Ralston, M.A., Jennifer M. Matsukawa, M.A., National Center for PTSD, Department of Veterans Affairs, Pacific Islands Health Care System, Spark M. Matsunaga Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, Andrew E. Williams, M.A., Depart. of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, Adam S. Bracha, B.A., Biomedical-Research Consultant, Honolulu, Hawaii. To read their full article at http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/45/5/448