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Combat Tested & Battle Proven!
The forerunner of Tactical Edge was born back in the late 1980's. Mark Davies was teaching a class emphasising 'Reality Based Self Defence well before many of the so called 'big names' had even thought about it. Mark originally started looking at putting together the most effective Martial Arts methods he had learned as a method of combat for Special Forces soldiers.
Mark Davies with Special Forces
Mark Davies originally started training in Martial Arts back in 1980, starting his training (as almost everyone did then) in Judo & Karate. In 1983 he was introduced to ITF TaeKwon-Do & started training under Master Gordon Wallace (then a 3rd Degree), a former World TaeKwon-Do Champion; this was well before TaeKwon-Do became commercialised, & training was brutally hard with the majority of students being adult males- Mark was the only person under 21 training there for many years!
Mark Davies teaching applied Self Defence at a national TaeKwon-Do seminar
Although his instructors were hugely enthusiastic about competition, Mark was never interested in that side of the martial arts, & having an interest in survivalism he was drawn towards the 'martial' side of the 'martial arts'. Mark could see that there were some 'holes' in the art he was studying, & started cross training & exploring other arts in an effort to bridge the gaps. After gaining his 1st Degree Blackbelt in 1987 Mark left TaeKwon-Do for around a decade to explore some of the worlds more arcane & lesser known fighting arts.
Mark Davies teaching edged weapons combatives to an FBI Agent in the USA
Mark is now one of the UK's most experienced & widely qualified Instructors. He is a personal student of his friend & teacher Master at Arms James A Keating, who is widely regarded as the worlds leading authority on practical edged weapons training. Mark is the only person in Europe certified as a ComTech Instructor by Master at Arms Keating, & is his European Affiliate Instructor. Mark holds a 5th Degree Blackbelt in ITF TaeKwon-Do, & also holds Blackbelt/Instructors credentials in several other South East Asian, Korean, Japanese & Native American fighting arts.
Mark Davies training with his friend & teacher James Keating at his home in the USA
The thing that sets Mark apart from many of the other instructors out there is his combat experience. Mark has 'field tested' his methods in literally thousands of violent encounters where he has faced unarmed & armed attacks. Mark started working as a 'door supervisor' before he was actually old enough to get into a nightclub. He has worked in some of the most violent areas of the UK. He is an expert on the mindset & behaviour of societies criminal underbelly. For several years he worked in the capacity of a 'problem solver' for nightclub owners, & experienced the darker side of society & violence.
Mark Davies teaching impact weapons defence on a seminar in Edinburgh
Mark has instructed Special Forces & Government Agencies from around the world, & is a Close Combat Instructor with an element of UK Special Forces- who have used Tactical Edge as their method of Close Combat for the past several years. He is certified in Close Protection & Specialised Security, & has advanced Tactical Firearms training.
Mark Davies, CQB pistol training with Special Forces
So what is Tactical Edge?
Many of the 'Reality Based Self Defence' systems available today are extremely unsophisticated. They have a very small syllabus that they try to flesh out, but like trying to spead a bit of butter across a piece of toast the size of a football stadium, it gets pretty thin pretty quickly. If you have a very short period of time to train, & you're simply looking for some VERY basic self defence skills & you're not looking to continue training for any length of time, then these systems might be ok for you. But if you're looking to train as a pastime, & devote your time to training as a long term endevour, then these systems will lose your interest after a short time. Lets face it, how long can you practice '360 defence...knee,knee,knee...elbow,elbow' for before you get bored out of your skull? If you have decided to devote your time to training as a long term thing, then there are more sophisticated (note- not complicated, sophisticated...there is a difference) methods available to you that are FAR superior. They take more training & time to develop, but they give you a far larger force ladder, more flexible responses, & a larger chance of surviving the encounter.
So what do we mean by using more sophisticated methods? Well, one example could be that one very well known system uses '360 peripheral defence' & direct blocking against knife attacks. From the perspective of an edged weapons practitioner this is a gift from god! One thing that Mark tells participants on his seminars is that in some of the places he worked knife carrying was endemic. Everyone was 'tooled up', & you were more likely to have a weapon pulled on you than not! Some of these people were very experienced, & although they had never had a days formal training in their fife, they understood concepts like 'enganyo' simply through a Darwinian process of evolution. They had found out that they could throw a cut or thrust & make someone bring their arm up to block, & simply draw back & slice the limb wide open! They may take a smack in the face, but your peripheral defence is now open to the bone, you're seeing 'sparklies' & feeling feint as you go into shock.........
In Tactical Edge we use methods that have been specifically adapted from the methods used by edged weapons arts. For instance, we treat any striking attack as if there is a weapon involved, so we're never surprised by one; & we use a matrix of limb destructions to de-animate the limb, cause cross-extensive reflex action in the other limb, re-set the OODA loop by causing pain & injury on the first beat, & if there is a weapon in the hand either cause an explosive disarm or weaken the limb to make a strip or 'returning blade'.
Tactical Edge is NOT just about learning 'Reality Based Self Defence' though. It is a fascinating exploration of some of the worlds most effective combative methods. It is about developing your physical & mental attributes & thus improving your life.
In our Tactical Edge classes the emphasis is on combatives training. Our physical conditioning is tailored specifically towards defensive combat. We're not practising a sport, so our students aren't training to fight 3 minute rounds. Our practitioners need to be able to explode into aggressive action for a short period of time; but during that time they need to be able fight effectively under adrenal stress. We use the Russian Kettlebells as our standard method of fitness & conditioning because they develop explosive strength at the same time as working cardiovascular fitness in a very time effective manner. They provide a very intense workout that also challenges the practitioner, & makes them work through their own preconceived notions of where their limits lie.
Despite the serious sounding nature of what we're dealing with, training in Tactical Edge is very enjoyable, & is actually great fun. We're a non traditional western system, so there isn't the same rigid oriental stylised behaviour found in traditional martial arts classes. Our students learn that the most important discipline is self discipline, & that training should be hard but enjoyable.
Page changed on: 05/03/2010
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