What HtH course would you say?

Definitely look into the Insights training centre style classes.
http://www.insightstraining.com/default.asp

During holidays in Atlanta, my brother and I took David Blinders http://www.personaldefensetraining.com unarmed self defense class, which is styled after the Insights system (he gives full credit).
Here is a review:
First, David went to great lengths to answer all questions we had, provide
the driving route, etc. Not being a martial artist, I was a bit reluctant to
get into "full contact", whereas my brother, who had practised Wing Tsun for
2 years, wasn't sure, if he would really profit from it. Boy, I am glad we
took the class.

I immediately noticed that my fears were proven wrong- there were no mean
Army Rangers who would like to stomp you into ground, no martial artists,
who like to show off with toughness, just normal civilians, who realize
that there are more and more "no knives&gun" zones and don't want to be
helpless.

This isn't just a physical course, if you have never been exposed to much
mindset/tactics thinking, be assured, after the class, you will have
been exposed to it. Every day tips, like how to avoid street people, what
are typical attack signs, as well as the "survivor mindset". You will get a
handout and tips which books might prove helpful.

As we moved on to the physical stuff the training dummy
http://www.dummiesunlimited.com/sparpro1.htm was VERY helpful for
developing full power palm strikes, etc. The whole concept are a few easy
to learn techniques, a "default response" which will work 90% of the
time. But the real fun begun with David playing the role of the (FIST
suited) attacker. There the previous shown techniques became hardwired
during stress. Yes, even tough its training, full power attacks stress you
out! However, David was very concerned that nobody was hurt- the "defenders"
git to wear FIST euipment (helmet for head protection) too. And if he saw a
weak defense, he let us know by just giving a tap on the helmet. We weren't
quite as nice to him- the participants definitely used a lot of force to
strike back. My brother was amazed, because his in whole martial art past
he never experienced stress!! He never got to deliver real blows!!

So to sum it up- if you are a gun person, take this class, you got to know
some unarmed techniques. Will they work against Bruce Lee? Maybe not.
Will they work against the drunk in the bar, who wants to sho off by putting
you down? Yes, fairly sure. Moreover David never looses his focus on
keeping you safe. He emphasizes the use of pepper spray to avoid physical
contact whenever possible? He also advocates the carrying of guns where
legal! Ever heard such a thing from those martial art guy??

I would rather take Davids unarmed class, as well as the knife class and
have a general knowledge, then spend years in the dojo learning unrealistic
techniques. Let the pepper spray and gun be your first line of defense, but
be aware of the alternatives- it may save your life some time. Of
course, it doesn't hurt to refresh the training when possible.

Stay safe

Cato

I would look at all of the PSPs in the PSP section on http://www.selfdefenseforums.com
http://www.selfdefenseforums.com/fo...stpost&sortorder=desc&daysprune=1000&x=19&y=7

Also, read this thread: http://www.selfdefenseforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6958

After you see that stuff, try to decide how you want to handle your handgun training. At that point, I would take some classes from people who teach a very dynamic use of the handgun. They are few and far between unfortunately. Hopefully forum members will give some good recommendations.

www.scars.com

Click to expand...

Scars? I hope that was a joke.

Except for the SCARS reference, I agree with everything that's been said.

Insights Training Center does a top-notch unarmed self defense class. WWII Combatives is an extremely effective way to round out the Insights curriculum. And SouthNarc's PSPs are top-flite stuff as well.

Your location and/or willingness to travel will probably dictate how to proceed.


Oh, SHAMELESS PLUG, the OPS Hand-To-Hand 101, Defensive Countermeasures and/or Integrated Force Options classes might fit the bill too.

Powderhorn

I can't say enough good things about this place.

Smoke

I would completely disagree with the last post concerning fighting ability. Real fighting ability depends on the individual. For example, I know one gentleman here on campus that has absolutely no formal martial arts training plus he doesn't practice regularly. I could put $1K with complete confidence that he could destroy an Aikido black belt that I trained with on campus. Training certainly helps, but don't let it get your confidence in H2H too high.

Concerning the learning a few moves comment. There are a few striking moves that can be used to devastating effect on an opponent. For reference, see the aforementioned http://www.gutterfighting.org Throw in some grappling experience and an extremely aggressive forward drive, and you have someone who can handle themselves in a confrontation fairly well. In my humble opinion, if it takes you hours and hours to learn how to stand, you're doing something wrong.

But I would completely agree that it takes a considerable amount of practice and contact exercise to learn how to reflexively deal with an attack. On the other hand, many martial arts systems take away the individual's first, and often correct, instincts when dealing with an attack.

BTW- Welcome to THR!

WW2 combatives was designed to rapidly train people to survive a life or death struggle.
If I were you, I would first order Carl Cestari's second tape before buying anything else, since that will give you a good feel for the system.

Insights - I recommend them also.