Welcome to the Instructors' Corner, where the Fortress Staff posts their thoughts, quips, and observations for general consumption. Enjoy!
July 25, 2010
Screen first appears as a menu for your fuel purchase. However, once the
pump begins to run, advertisements are broadcast.
The Distractions Around Us
Decades ago, Lt. Col. John "Jeff" Cooper adapted the Marine Corps' 'Color Code System'
to use as an indication of any given human's mental state. White, yellow, orange
and red are the original colors to which he introduced us, and they are still taught
today, albeit applied in a different manner than was the Col's intent. His original
thoughts on the matter make for a great read, and I would encourage all of us to
do some investigating on it. However, for the purposes of this article we will be
going with the now-
The world we ourselves in is rife with distraction. On the audio side, traffic, aircraft,
neighborhood dogs barking, wind, children playing, construction, office phones, and
the activities of other people, all serve to create a kind of noise which we learn
to tune out. Ignoring such noise is perfectly normal and necessary just to be able
to think, and -
Visually, we notice things that seem out of place, or movement where we're not expecting to see it. We see red lights on our dashboards, and words on pages that are spelled incorrectly. We notice when others shave off a moustache and we see the vacant space in the garage where our lawn mower used to be. And all of us are taught to look for people, from every direction, who may approach us to perpetrate crime.
I think we will agree that it's impossible to be in Condition Yellow every waking
minute of the day. Again, ask any mom who is trying to load two non-
Some distractions are simply unavoidable; such is life. However, there are things we can do to minimize the impact of these distractions, and there are other things we can and should avoid all together. This article will focus on some things we should all avoid.
The iPod factor
As much as I understand our desire to block out the world and have some peace to ourselves, I think the public use of any device that requires headphones to be an assault/accident waiting to happen. Walking, jogging, biking, even riding a city bus with your hearing out of service is just a bad tactical choice, and something I'm not willing to do. Not only are you opening yourself up for attack, you're also opening yourself up to accidents. You can't hear traffic approaching, and you're asking for trouble.
If you need to use such things, lock yourself in your home, lock your office door, buy a treadmill, do what you need to do. Just don't allow one of your five senses to be voluntarily surrendered so your life can have a soundtrack. If you do, the soundtrack might be playing to the closing credits.
The Backberry/Droid/texting factor
The advent of wireless internet access combined with handheld receiving devices is
quickly turning most Americans into grasseaters. And when I say grasseaters, I mean
people wandering around with their heads turned down as if they are looking for grass.
Everywhere imaginable, people's eyes are locked on to tiny screens while they furiously
type with their thumbs. To refer to them as engrossed in what they are doing would
be a huge understatement! Short of falling asleep on at park bench at 1 am, texting
and internet surfing in public is probably the best way to allow miscreants to get
the drop on you If you must deploy such devices, do so in private. Or at least
have the good sense to get your back against a wall somewhere. Walking and texting,
or worse yet, driving and texting, is the act of a loser...for many, the final act.
Pull over in an empty parking lot if you need to text. If you are in public with
a partner, and must look up directions, etc., have one of you stand watch while the
other types. And a side note with is tactic: Do the same with any visit to the ATM
-
The Random TV Screen Factor
A recent societal phenomenon is the appearance of television screens that are in some really stupid places. Two of the worst locations I've observed them at are the bank and the gas pump. A close third is in the men's room.
A local bank near the Fortress home office has a huge flat screen mounted to the
lobby wall right behind the tellers. Images oscillate between business news and advertisements
for the bank proper, and would appear to be for customers to gaze at while strangers
do who-
One might think the answer to this is to avoid the lobby all together and use the
drive through. Not so at this institution -
An even more dangerous placement of such screens is directly at the gas pump. As most of us know, the vast majority of attacks happen in parking lots and driveways. The gas station parking lot is an extremely dangerous place to be caught unaware; we have a constant flow of vehicles coming and going, and by nature of gas station design, strangers getting very close to us and our vehicles. We are forced to stand in one place while we fill up, and chances are most of us will at some point be handling our wallets. In my opinion, this sounds like the absolute last place any of us need to be watching TV!
So, what's the answer to this? Simple: Teach yourself to ignore it! Look at everything around you but those screens! Heads up, eyes open! We have to make a conscious effort, but it can be done with just a little bit of effort.
Lastly, the men's room TV's make for an interesting challenge. Many of the more upscale restaurants actually have TV positioned at face level for those using the urinals, as if having your back to the room and your pants unzipped didn't leave a guy vulnerable enough!
On some I've learned to refocus my eyes on the glass/plastic surface of the screen and not the picture; I use it as a mirror. It's not the best solution, but it can work. However, the best option is to simply use a stall, which we should all do anyway in order to to create a barrier against blind approach.
This screen shows commercials, weather and news at all times.
Summary
As technology advances into the future we will see more and more audio/visual devices
designed to grab our attention, especially in advertising. It's up to us to begin
conditioning ourselves to ignore anything that is distracting us from life in real
time. The talking holograms of 'Minority Report' are not far off, but the 3-
Stay alert in reality; don't die in cyberspace!
Frank
April 7, 2010
The Fortress Philosophy
The question on most potential clients' minds is, Why should I spend my time and money with Fortress Defense as opposed to other training schools?
The answer is multifaceted.
We're not about gimmicks, tricks or flash over substance. We're not repackaging a
technique from 500AD and calling it "The Fortress Defense Tactical Training Method,"
nor are we claiming to have created some sort of "10-
We deal in reality.
Our goal is to provide the most practical and useful training available to every
student. What applies to the situations in which a Military operator may engage will
not necessarily match the training a 60-
Fortress instructors cater directly to the individual needs of each student and student group. Our classes are altered to fit client needs, and all staff members are prepared to do so as necessary!
We also respect student anonymity and privacy, understanding that training is often sought out by those who have found a sudden threat of violence in their life. We maintain strict confidentiality with all student information, and respect requests to avoid photography and filming during instruction.
Lastly, we know that nothing replaces hard work. In order to learn, effort and repetition is required. We're not interested in who looks the most "tactical", and we're certainly not interested in impressing any of our students with bravado or talk. We're here to teach. We're here to impart knowledge in the Art of Self Defense. We're here for you, and we'll be with you every step of the way, but it will require real work on your part. It will require an open mind and the willingness to allow yourself to fail, as true learning only happens through failure.
If you're looking for a school that helps you look good in front of your friends, Fortress isn't it. But we ask you this: Who would you rather impress, your friends or your enemies? If it’s your enemies, then contact us today.
Frank