Using A Phone To Look Into The Hot Zone
When police officers want to look around a corner into a Hot Zone, where an armed suspect can be laying in wait for an ambush, they use a small tactical mirror to look around the corner rather than sticking their head around the corner and possibly getting shot. Of course, if time permits, the first peek is taken by the police officer in a kneeling position so that the mirror is low close to the floor. Hopefully the bad guy won't see the low positioned mirror because most people scan for targets, even when looking at a corner, about chest ...
Fists and Punches
A few years ago, when I was visiting Mikhail Ryabko in Moscow, he demonstrated a slow fist pushup against the wall. I still clearly remember how standing next to him, it felt like a huge beast filled the room, the wall was droning and buzzing under his fists. Pushups in Systema are not just exercises for shoulders and chest, they are a comprehensive method to prepare for fighting and strikes. The way Mikhail did it, he had full sensitivity of the surface his fists were on, and he was not just moving his body up and down, he used the points ...
The Danger of Repetition
You’ve heard it said, “Practice makes perfect.” A more accurate proverb that martial artists should live by is, “Perfect practice makes perfect.” The problem with most martial arts training is that the training is not always perfect. When it comes to reality-based self-defense, repetition, as practiced by most martial arts schools, could cost you your life. Let me tell you a true story that was told to me while I was training the defensive tactics instructors of the Poliisikulu (the National Police Academy of Finland) in Tampere in 2002. A Finnish police constable (a “constable” is equivalent to a police officer ...
Tussey Para
The gun was a train wreck.I was rooting around my safe and came across the Para Ordnance P-14*45 I used at the range just prior to retiring from the PD. I wanted something sub-stantial — one way of saying .45 ACP— in a 1911-style pistol, but I also wanted capacity. Para-Ordnance was the logical choice. My personal preference was a single action and not the LDA light double Para offers. I just can’t get used to the trigger pull and sear reset.I didn’t realize I’d been that hard on the gun. I’d worn it daily for about a year and ...
11 Crucial Safety Tips That Could Save Your Life
1. The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do! 2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet/purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION! 3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but ...
Your Phone Is Your Best Weapon
Across the street, from a safe distance, Peter and Stephan could see and hear the gunman threatening his victim, “Give me the money now!” The petrified victim was too slow and got pistol whipped on the right side of his face and crumpled before the feet of the robber. I got behind my two students and yelled, “What are you two doing?” Both of them looked at me puzzled and Stephan asked, “What can we do? He’ll shoot us if he help.” Stephan was right. Interfering with the crime in progress would only get them hurt or killed. Yet, because it was ...
Your Best Defense is a Strong Offense
When you hear the words “defensive tactics” what do they mean to you? Many can easily assume it’s how you protect yourself against an attack. Striking or maneuvering only after someone has made the first move towards you. While this may be true conversationally I never want to see any of my brothers or sisters on the front line wait for some idiot to start attacking them and then go through the process of gaining mental and physical recovery to then go to work on the guy. To me that’s ridiculous! Not to mention with all the layoffs happening these ...
Jim Wagner Weekly
Using A Phone To Look Into The Hot Zone
When police officers want to look around a corner into a Hot Zone, where an armed...
The Hunger Games: Violence Without Responsibility
I went to the newly released movie HUNGER GAMES over the weekend. The blockbuster...
Going Postal
Lethal bullets penetrate the body. Less lethal munitions hit the surface. Likewise,...
This Guy is Full of Crap!
EXCREMENT, SHIT, SOMETHING OF NO VALUE. That’s the meaning of the word “crap”...
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Monthly Columns
Encounter with Systema – An Interview with Vladimir Vasiliev
Question-When did you encounter Systema for the first time? Vladimir Vasiliev (VV):...
Fists and Punches
A few years ago, when I was visiting Mikhail Ryabko in Moscow, he demonstrated a...
Is it Fast or is it Jerky?
Human eye actively responds to jerky movements, to flashing and kaleidoscopic change...
Training Tips from Instructional Materials
Work against multiple opponents is challenging both psychologically and physically. In...
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Articles By Topic
Tussey Para
The gun was a train wreck.I was rooting around my safe and came across the Para Ordnance P-14*45 I used at the range just prior to retiring from the PD. I wanted something sub-stantial — one way of saying .45 ACP— in a 1911-style pistol, but I also wanted capacity. Para-Ordnance was the logical choice. My personal preference was a single action... Read more of this article
Women’s Self Defense with Cynthia Rothrock
Martial Artist and actress Cynthia Rothrock invited Jim Wagner to appear in her 2005 training video titled Women’s Self Defense with the Best Experts Worldwide produced by Budo International. This video is the entire section in which Jim Wagner appears in the DVD. Cynthia Rothrock introduces Jim Wagner. Read More →
The Gun Is Civilization
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that’s it. In a truly... Read more of this article
Arguments About Concealed Carry on Campus
Open Letter to UTK Faculty, Staff and Students, The Tennessee state legislature is considering legislation that would decriminalize the carrying of concealed weapons on state university campuses by individuals who have Handgun Carry Permits. The UTK faculty senate, administration, campus police, and student government association have gone on record... Read more of this article
There is a Caveman Lurking inside You – Part 1
Our intuitive senses and instinctive reactions have been dulled by modern conveniences and “fingertip” technology. Society is also more “civilized”, governed by laws and enforced by penalties if you break them. The combination of the above structure means our awareness and our responsiveness do not have to be as keen as life once demanded. This... Read more of this article
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