Review: How To Survive The Most Critical 5 Seconds Of Your Life

Another awesome opportunity brought to us by one of the dedicated authors here at civiliansheepdog.com - a book review regarding the 'mindset' behind self defence.

How To Survive The Most Critical 5 Seconds Of Your Life

By Tim Larkin and Chris Ranck-Buhr.

Book Review: By Forest Sight

          I came across this material through Front sight firearms training institutes newsletter which I receive everyday. I respect what Front Sight is teaching so I thought I’d check Tim Larkin out. I went to his website and signed up for his newsletter. The practices that the authors were relaying here was the complete retooling of self defense and the utter destruction of all I came to think in the regards to martial arts and applied violence skills. The system they had developed was called Target Focus Training. (T. F.T.)

          As I milled through the T.F.T. info I started to get a little frustrated that their was very little video evidence of their moves or skill sets, The authors were advertised as being the leading fighting trainers for the Navy Seals and law enforcement around the world. I was hoping to cheat off their paper and come away with some quick and effective self defense moves. I was wrong, DEAD WRONG! The philosophy TFT was presenting was not about flying spin kicks or Fung-Fu arm locks; it was more terrifying then what I could ever imagine.

          INJURY! The total destruction of all major targets in the human body, Period! %@#!?*%# Yuck!

          I was brought aback with the calm, academic demeanor the authors used to lead me into the waters of VIOLENCE as a TOOL.

So now my curiosity was peeked with what’s going on in this world of INJURY? Sure enough a few days later TFT sent me a link to the first 50 pages of “How to survive the most Critical 5 seconds of your Life” (HTSTMC5SOYL). I was stunned at the information and the dismantling of everything I thought I knew about self-defense. Here are some notes from the first 50 pages I got for free.

 There are 2 types of violence, Antisocial and Asocial.

Antisocial is the type of violence that would be found in a bar fight. Two men posturing until fists are thrown but no one is trying to kill the other guy, there might be a trip to the hospital or and accident during the fight to cause severe injury but usually one could run from the fight or talk themselves out of it. The social, half humane behavior in most people. “ I’m not going to kill the other guy, just teach him a lesson”

Asocial Voilence. Getting stabbed out of nowhere and a criminal grabbing for your wallet or purse. Bang! You’re in it now, No talking your way out of it, no chance to run away. You are in the middle of the storm. Violence is happening to you NOW. Martial arts will train you slowly and thoroughly through the belt system but what do you do tonight? You can’t tell the criminal to come back after you have your black belt . It’s on NOW. This is one of the facts TFT is preaching.

Let’s look at a metaphor that came to me with the help of the authors.

Hockey! We Canadians love it. We thrill in the fast paced action and sometimes the pure brutality of the game. Sure it’s violent but it’s seldom life threatening. We all cheer when two enforcers drop the gloves and start swinging at each other and that usually lasts a minute if we’re lucky. Let’s look at it in a more Asocial sphere. What if the fighters were exchanging blows and a spectator in the thrill of the moment jumped into the rink to give each player a shotgun to settle the score? The fighters would be disgusted and the fan would be labeled insane! There it is! Antisocial verses Asocial. That’s the differences that TFT is explaining. So naturally I ordered the book. I received it in the mail hoping to find all sorts of diagrams, workouts and sage thoughts on self-defense. I was wrong. I flipped through the pages hoping to see the first illustration of ass kicking; there wasn’t any, not one.

          Instead I had received a book that eloquently lead me down the path of Violence as a Tool. What’s that mean? The authors deliver the factual and physiological truths to Asocial/ Criminal violence in our world today. There is no need to be fit or skilled at martial arts to cause injury. Injury is you…Right now, No kidding. Tim Larkin has dialed into what makes violence work for the criminal and why we can’t see why that Fact seems to elude us. The criminal does not work out or train for violence, they just know what works to turn you off and get what they want. Most everyone feigns at the ideal of severe injury. They would prefer rules, boundaries, good sportsmanship and the opportunity to quit or tap out. TFT proclaims that all those mindsets do for you is to get you killed. Criminal violence has no rules and that’s why it’s so successful on the streets.

          I had to read this book twice to really embrace the philosophy of the training. We as humans have the ability to inflict injury as we have all throughout are history but this book takes you face to face with what it truly means to defend yourself against violence.

The Will To Cause Injury, again and again.

          As you can tell I got a lot out of this book. In the end I felt that a gun, knife and a pack of hungry wolves (Sorry Sheepdogs) fell out of the book and into my lap to use as a Tool of Injury. It was a well articulated read and had me laughing (nervously) at some points. The end conclusion for me was that intent had to be cultivated if we are to really get any use out of Tool of Violence. I suggest you read up on what TFT is offering and sit with the information for a while. These disturbing facts about what will help you win in a conflict will empower you to feel like the most psychologically prepared person in the room.

(How to Survive…)  (HTSTMC5SOYL) is the tool that develops the will to fight back with 100% of your being. The information in this book is the starting point for the live training seminars and DVD sets that TFT teaches.  In all the book is an amazing training tool but any further education is expensive.

www.targetfocustraining.com