Tony Blauer : The S.P.E.A.R. system?

**Matt Bernius** · Posted On: 8/22/2006 5:10pm

Originally Posted by Spezza

Tony's stuff IS great for self-defense.

The problem with Tony's stuff is Tony; he is a HUGE egomanic.

The same thing could be argued of Thorton or any of the other successful innovators within the martial arts.

Blauer's material is top flight. And while Blauer is known for a strong sense of self importance, he hasn't let that get in the way of innovation and testing his material.

It's the S.P.E.A.R. system, btw -- Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response. At the core (or to my best ability to boil it down) the physical side of SPEAR is based on converting the natural flinch reaction into a forward moving defense that bridges the gap between an attack and the loss of fine motor skills and the slow regaining of motor skills as you attempt to get a point of domination.

What I appreciated about SPEAR, again as I understand it, is it is not designed to replace your existing combatives training. Rather it's a functional set of tools to help manage a confrontation and bridge to you training under duress. Thing supliment rather than replacement.

My experience with Blauer is primarily with his civilian program Personal Defense Readiness (PDR). His coaches are top notch and getting the chance to train with him is even better. I have the highest regard for both Blauer and his instructors.

Happy to answer any questions that you have.

- Matt

**Spezza** · Posted On: 8/22/2006 6:02pm

I did a seminar with Richard Dimitri (who studied with Blaur for years) and he had NO EGO.

I actually liked some of his stuff MORE than Tony's. Some of the Blauer Material is unnecessarily complicated in the terminology and at times is TOO analiytical.

It's a fight, not a science experiment.

I trained with Ray Floro (of Floro Fighting Systems). VERY innovative, good stuff. Absolutely ego free.

I've done seminars with all sorts of Self-defense / Combatives / Escrima/ Kali / BJJ / etc teachers who were "innovative" and not complete egomanics.

Of course I've encountered plenty of ego trips (like Blauer) as well.

Again I am not knocking his material, just the man.

**GIJoe6186** · Posted On: 8/22/2006 6:25pm

Just spar you fags. Theres always some guy coming up with some great new system thats doing nothing new.

Turn your flinch into reactions to close the distance? How about just block, evade and clinch when someone starts brawling. Im sure the suits can be useful at times but I hate the analytical crap. Too much talkiing and not enough fighting.

**Doctor X** · Posted On: 8/22/2006 6:50pm

Originally Posted by Samuel Browning

Its Tony Bluer(sp) googling "panic attack" might turn up a related website. Tony is regarded as being a competent instructor with the ability to produce good martial arts body armor while being a bit weak on the grapple. If your friend can post his impressions of the class here it would be appreciated.

For what it is worth, I have met Tony a number of times. I will simply say he is very open minded. So if you were to ask him about grappling he would be happy to discuss it rather than "pooh pooh" it or tell it "won't happen on t3h str33tz" and the like. He is interested in simplicity. One thing I enjoyed was his emphasis on practical avoidance. What I mean by that is getting the meatheads to realize when they should get the hell out of a situation. Classic example: guy in bar gets into argument. Other guy storms off. So first guy stays in the bar to boast to whomever will listen.

Of course, other guy comes back with shotgun/baseball bat/flame thrower/Teddy Brusci/Attack Squid.

He is also willing to discuss the legal aspects of self-defense which are often missing in "Self-Defense" training.

As to whether or not his system is "good" or "better" than this or that I will only say that he is willing to adapt and work with people.

--J.D.

**Doctor X** · Posted On: 8/22/2006 6:56pm

Great . . . teach me not to realize there was a second page.

Regarding his ego? You know, you have to have a bit of an ego to run a system and put it out. That does not apologize it, but understand that Blauer deals with a lot of "traditionalists" and the like who say "you don't need to know that I got the kata" just as BJJ'rs have had to deal with people claiming you can always avoid a take-down. It tends to make one a bit salty.

However, he has worked extensively with traditionalists willing to work with him and vice a versa. You do not see the ego.

Milage may vary.

--J.D.

**andrewa** · Posted On: 8/22/2006 8:28pm

Back in the bad old days before the UFC/BJJ martials arts was infested with poseurs who were more interested in choreographed katas and flashy kicks than any real fighting. (Trust me it was far worse then today.) I remember renting some of Tony Blauer's 'Panic Attack' videos from Panther Productions. Granted the production quality was like an 8mm porn reel but that was the first time I saw true 'aliveness training'. He always stressed some degree of contact in his drills and encouraged boxing, wrestling etc. The panic attack as it was then done was basically setting up a fight senario (e.g. waiting for a bus and getting mugged) and then slugging it out. The two guys would wear hockey helmets and light gloves. He showed in his videos how in a real fight most fancy techniques go out the window; a fact unknown to those who don't practice in an alive fashion.

Granted I'm not saying he was the first to discover aliveness training but he was maybe the first to make it a major aspect of his martial arts school and to use it in his advertising.

**John T. Goodman** · Posted On: 8/23/2006 1:49pm

To address things as they have occurred on this less than wonderful thread. First off, like Matt said in his post, it is not s.p.e.a.r.s., it's S.P.E.A.R. which is an acronym for Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelarated Response. It is a combative/self protection System built on 20+ years of research; research of physiology, neurobiology, kinesiology, psychology and a few more "-ologys" that would no doubt be wasted mentioning here. Simple thesis statement of the System: What does the body want to do prior to any training? Does that have any combative applications? If so, why aren't you integrating it into your personal protection? The SPEAR System does just that. It recognizes that IN CLOSE QUARTERS (which is where MOST fights occur, BTW), when you are ambushed, i.e. suprise attacked, your hard wired survival system (which means you were born with it, and BTW has been handed down though human existence since......well you get it) will flinch (a startle flinch) to protect your command center (your brain); hands come up fingers splayed, forearms protecting, body lowering, etc. You can't stop it, because it bypasses, what people who slander others on forums don't have, the cognitive brain (thinking brain).

So, g.i.joe, we don't spar, it's not about that. It's about self protection. It's about building a bridge (which is what the SPEAR System is, Matt mentioned that) to whatever your personal system is......if you don't have one, it buys you time to figure something out (i.e. running, pissing yourself, fetal position on ground sucking thumb, etc.) or simply delay your ass whooping.

I can't in good faith lie here, I've traveled with, taught with and spent hundreds of hours as a student of Tony Blauer. I'm a cop in NC, with 18 years of experience as a SWAT operator, Street Narcotics Officer, Lieutenant and am the Departments Head DT instructor, I've done marital arts since 1984 (1st year of college) and love them. But I also love and recognize the "TRUTH" in the material. The SPEAR System is just that.

As far as "ego" goes, let me ask you something. Do you think inventors/originators/ PIONEERS of Systems are supposed to be ego-less, i.e. not human? Last I checked, we all have them, to varying degrees. One would think you might have to have a "STRONG" ego to put up with people STEALING your material and claiming it as their own (which was mentioned in this forum), or having pot shots taken at you continuously by the "internet warriors" of the world. There is a great maxim from BTS (Blauer Tactical Systems) that sums this all up, "The wonderful thing about bluntness is.......it intimidates the weak, and gauges the strong."

Having said that, "Spezza" (i'll assume that's not your REAL name).....spend YOUR life developing something that is being used by law enforcement across the world, being used by special forces soldiers fighting terrorist world wide, getting a mother home from being attacked by a piece of **** rapist, or better yet, helping keep my 11 year old daughter safe while she goes to her 1st day at the junior high (yes, she knows the SPEAR System too!)..........and then having people spend their lazy time slandering the System or the person who created it, close to 20 years ago...............How would YOU act?

Thanks for your time, sorry about being a bit longwinded,

John (JT) Goodman, NC

**Grandnat** · Posted On: 8/23/2006 2:43pm

Yeah but will it work in the ring? :D

(ducks and uses SPEAR to protect myself!!!!)

**Chili Pepper** · Posted On: 8/23/2006 3:13pm

Originally Posted by andrewa

Granted I'm not saying he was the first to discover aliveness training but he was maybe the first to make it a major aspect of his martial arts school and to use it in his advertising.

Yeah, same experience with me. I had one of his Panic Attack tapes, and it was the only instructional tape in my collection with guys actually fighting, and in some cases, not doing well in the fight - in a 2-on-1 for instance. Meanwhile, I had all sorts of TMA tapes, where Our Virtuous Hero was able to defeat Any Outrageous Number of Attackers.

Maybe now it ain't so revolutionary, but at the time, he was the only guy putting out tapes like that.

**GoldenJonas** · Posted On: 8/23/2006 3:26pm

Originally Posted by John T. Goodman

To address things as they have occurred on this less than wonderful thread. First off, like Matt said in his post, it is not s.p.e.a.r.s., it's S.P.E.A.R. which is an acronym for Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelarated Response. It is a combative/self protection System built on 20+ years of research; research of physiology, neurobiology, kinesiology, psychology and a few more "-ologys" that would no doubt be wasted mentioning here. Simple thesis statement of the System: What does the body want to do prior to any training? Does that have any combative applications? If so, why aren't you integrating it into your personal protection? The SPEAR System does just that. It recognizes that IN CLOSE QUARTERS (which is where MOST fights occur, BTW), when you are ambushed, i.e. suprise attacked, your hard wired survival system (which means you were born with it, and BTW has been handed down though human existence since......well you get it) will flinch (a startle flinch) to protect your command center (your brain); hands come up fingers splayed, forearms protecting, body lowering, etc. You can't stop it, because it bypasses, what people who slander others on forums don't have, the cognitive brain (thinking brain).

So, g.i.joe, we don't spar, it's not about that. It's about self protection. It's about building a bridge (which is what the SPEAR System is, Matt mentioned that) to whatever your personal system is......if you don't have one, it buys you time to figure something out (i.e. running, pissing yourself, fetal position on ground sucking thumb, etc.) or simply delay your ass whooping.

I can't in good faith lie here, I've traveled with, taught with and spent hundreds of hours as a student of Tony Blauer. I'm a cop in NC, with 18 years of experience as a SWAT operator, Street Narcotics Officer, Lieutenant and am the Departments Head DT instructor, I've done marital arts since 1984 (1st year of college) and love them. But I also love and recognize the "TRUTH" in the material. The SPEAR System is just that.

As far as "ego" goes, let me ask you something. Do you think inventors/originators/ PIONEERS of Systems are supposed to be ego-less, i.e. not human? Last I checked, we all have them, to varying degrees. One would think you might have to have a "STRONG" ego to put up with people STEALING your material and claiming it as their own (which was mentioned in this forum), or having pot shots taken at you continuously by the "internet warriors" of the world. There is a great maxim from BTS (Blauer Tactical Systems) that sums this all up, "The wonderful thing about bluntness is.......it intimidates the weak, and gauges the strong."

Having said that, "Spezza" (i'll assume that's not your REAL name).....spend YOUR life developing something that is being used by law enforcement across the world, being used by special forces soldiers fighting terrorist world wide, getting a mother home from being attacked by a piece of **** rapist, or better yet, helping keep my 11 year old daughter safe while she goes to her 1st day at the junior high (yes, she knows the SPEAR System too!)..........and then having people spend their lazy time slandering the System or the person who created it, close to 20 years ago...............How would YOU act?

Thanks for your time, sorry about being a bit longwinded,

John (JT) Goodman, NC

John, thanks for the post. It is always beneficial to hear from someone who has direct experience with a particular style or person so that the hearsay can be trashed. However, I really didn't see anyone on here putting down the SPEAR system. Actually, it looks like people who have actually had some direct contact with it feel it is a great system.

If you stick around you'll learn that the majority of core posters here either 1) sweat and bleed on the mat or in the ring regularly, 2) are accomplished instructors of systems with fully resistant training, or 3) are professional or amateur fighters. The overriding goal of this site is to find what works in an alive environment and leave the street wushu to Jet Li.

I have never seen any of Bluer's stuff, but you, and the others who have posted have peeked my interest to check it out.