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#26380
John Cannon
Participant

I just turned 39 and grew up in the ’80’s. I have no military history, police training nor a history of anyone being violent toward me. I just want to be able to protect my new wife and future children.

I wrestled in Jr. High. The wresting coach’s brother taught Tae Kwon Do and I wrestled and practiced Tae Kwon Do for two years. In Jr. High, I began reading the Tao of Jeet Kune Do. The only thing that stuck with me from that book was the necessity of finding a fighting system that fit reality. Tae Kwon Do became too traditional for me and I went looking for a more realistic fighting system where I lived.

There was no fighting system that satisfied me in Western North Carolina and I ended up taking Karakido for two years in High School. I came to believe that Karakido was highly convoluted and a worse fighting system than Tae Kwon Do.

I swore off Martial Arts and would not learn any other fighting style until I found something that would empower a short 5’4″ man like myself to win against real world violence against bigger men than I.

Twenty years later, I discovered Target Focus Training and The Self-Defense Company and I wanted to decide between the two and devote my learning to only one of them.

I chose The Self-Defense Company because I believe Damian is better, hands down.

I appreciate Damian recommending Judo on his blog along with this combative system. In the coming years, I am going to learn both. At the moment, I’m exercising and whipping myself into shape after 20 years of no exercise.

I never worried about my safety when I was single. Now, that I’m married (two years, now), being able to protect my family against possible violence has become my top priority… simply because I believe it is my job as a man. I am old-fashioned and proud of it.

Thank you for this simple, brutal system. I needed both of those qualities.