Vancouver Defendo???

**steve_990** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 4:39pm

I've found numerous posts in the past regarding Defendo as a style in general. Looked like most people were not impressed with it, but a few people defended it...

So I have a couple of questions:

1) How is the style in general (effectiveness, fitness, etc...)

2) Does anyone know if the Vancouver school is better or worse that the average Defendo school?

Reason I ask is that a friend of mine was invited to the Van School by someone she knows. I'm curious if she is just wasting her time - I really haven't heard much about Defendo as a style, just sounds like it has a lame name to me :)

Feedback?

**Neildo** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 4:55pm

Got a link!

edit: http://www.defendo.com/wolfes/

Originally Posted by Defendo website

What is Modern Defendo?
Modern Defendo is a cutting edge scientifically based system of self defence, first developed by William Fairbairn for the Allied Special Forces of WWII.

604-904-9653 (904-WOLF)
info@wolfesselfdefence.com
101 Bowser Ave., North Vancouver. (Entrance on West 1st Street.)

Maybe I'll hafta go have a look-see.

**TKD Black Belt** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 6:42pm

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Fairbairn snag most of his ideas from Cold Steel?

TKD

**Askari** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 7:11pm

Fairbairn was a Judo player and was engaged by the allies to train the special forces, what you see in his books looks a lot like modern Jiu-Jitsu. One of the places that Fairbairn taught was Camp X.

Some might be familiar with the commando knife that Fairbairn co-designed with Sykes:

Cold Steel was the American knife fighting method, very simple and direct - but for a larger knife then the Sykes-Fairbairn model.

**black mariah** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 7:28pm

Hrm...
Adapted army combatives? Check.
Sold as "working" self defense? Check.
Mandatory fitness plug? Check.
Pictures of guys in excruciating pain that no 105 pound woman should be able to put them in with one hand (SACK TAPS EXCLUDED)? Check.
Claims that their method is better than martial arts? Check.

What's that smell? Could it be... BULLSHIT?

To top it all off, the "International Defendo Federation" is run by... you guessed it! BILL WOLFE! Self-accreditization? CHECK!

**steve_990** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 7:39pm

Originally Posted by black mariah

Hrm...
Adapted army combatives? Check.
Sold as "working" self defense? Check.
Mandatory fitness plug? Check.
Pictures of guys in excruciating pain that no 105 pound woman should be able to put them in with one hand (SACK TAPS EXCLUDED)? Check.
Claims that their method is better than martial arts? Check.

What's that smell? Could it be... BULLSHIT?

To top it all off, the "International Defendo Federation" is run by... you guessed it! BILL WOLFE! Self-accreditization? CHECK!

So it's mostly crap then according to Black Mariah... anyone else tend to agree?

**black mariah** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 7:47pm

Originally Posted by steve_990

So it's mostly crap then according to Black Mariah... anyone else tend to agree?

I should qualify this... their website makes them sound like crap. It's entirely possible the training is good and their advertising is total ass.

**steve_990** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 7:57pm

Originally Posted by black mariah

I should qualify this... their website makes them sound like crap. It's entirely possible the training is good and their advertising is total ass.

Ahhh - yeah, that's why I was asking here in the first place.

- The site looked 'too good to be true'.
- The name sound ridiculous.
- I've never heard ANYTHING about it until recently (not that I'm the guru or anything, but if it's something you've never heard of before it makes you think)
- The guy that was trying to sell my friend on it seemed aloof and only wanted to practice... in his words "Realistic Combat styles, not sports styles". (I mentioned I was doing Jiu-Jitsu and was starting to learn stand up for MMA)

**JKDChick** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 8:08pm

The school itself is okay -- I mean the training is -- but there's a weird energy there. Very "men are all that matter here, we just train the women in their cute little lululemon outfits for the money". I didn't like ANY of the people, but yeah, I thought the training was fine.

**black mariah** · Posted On: 10/03/2006 8:11pm

The bullshit about "realistic combat styles" is that most of those are simply a collection of disparate moves taken from, you guessed it, "sports styles".

There are only so many effective ways to beat ass, no matter what "OMGREALDEFENSENOTSPORT" fairies want you to believe.