Q &A With Tony Blauer
 
 
Regarding Texas Chainsaw Massacre
  
Gentlemen,
 
I'm not sure how to ask this but for those of you who saw the movie, it was a haunting experience. #1 reason was because it was real. The situation in which I'm in a room with a 250 lb individual who wishes me harm armed with a chainsaw is the day I'll die and die horribly. Granted, I would not be dumb enough to do half the things those teenagers did but for some God know reason I'm there I would have to move out of sheer terror/desperation.
 
As you say Tony, Clear the body is the idea behind dealing with a weapon. Bouncing off the walls would be the literal way to avoid a chainsaw I think. Unlike any other blade, there is no pressure required to dice someone with a moving blade. It goes back to what kind of training would be needed to help the situation if there is any.
 
Marty USAF
 
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From: Tony Blauer 
 
The unfortunate reality of watching a movie like that is that it graphically spells out what can go wrong fast. We are all human, we bleed, we get scared, we sometimes put ourselves in stoooooopid places...perhaps that's the most important thing to learn about films (or stories) like that...step back in time and start with the intuitive alarms and ask ourselves why we would move towards and scenario that looks like trouble? And research and statistics supports this contention. Random acts of violence do occur, but typically there's circumstantial stupidity present or simply being around dangerous elements (bars, gangs, haunted houses etc)
 
Take any violence to the cartoon-y level and one could also state that the 'Road Runner' would also kick our butts given all the things he's pulled off against that really dumb 'Coyote' :-)
 
At the end of the day, give yourself permission to win. Then go for it. Big guy, small guy, butter knife, chain saw...its all the same at the core: good vs. evil. (Not that fighting a psycho with a chainsaw would be a walk in the park), but you cant start out a fight doubting yourself.
 
Tony
 
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From: menapace 
 
FYI, 90% of the TCM is fiction. The chainsaw, Leatherface, and the family are all Hollywood. It's based on Ed Gein, who was a weird (understatement) little guy in Wisconsin who liked to dig up bodies and wear their skin. He also took particular pleasure in wearing women's skin (sexual organs and all), and often consumed some of them. He did not kill as many people as the myth would believe, and the serial killer stereotype held true for this guy: "He was such a quiet, friendly guy. Always kept to himself. Didn't think he would hurt a fly."
 
Just thought you guys would like to know. Oh, and the original "Chainsaw" is my all-time favorite film. I thought the remake (if you can call it that) was horrible.
 
Sorry for rambling off subject Tony ;)
 
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From: Tony Blauer 
 
No worries...my reply was philosophical...not technical.... regarding kicking serial killers butts, I teach in Wisconsin pretty often and that state is also home to J. Dahmer; I've had officers who knew the officers involved in that case in my classes and discussed the actual fight that ensured when one of the officers interviewing Dahmer opened the refrigerator to discover not a head of lettuce but a head :-) startle/flinch and the fight was on.
 
Interesting research dialog.
 
Anyhow, irrespective of facts & fantasy, reread my post about the DETECT phase and especially the last paragraph.
 
Stay safe,
 
Tony
 
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From: trisrus 
  
Weird, When I read this post the first thing that crossed my mind was...hey, a chainsaw is pretty heavy...maybe the guy has to use 2 hands to control it, probably has to keep it close to his body to manipulate it...if he swings it its going to have a momentum...chainsaws are notorious for problems even when used for their design function...I think I can do this guy...I would hate to put my theory to the test but I think I would start with the idea that he has made a mistake.
 
Fear management skills or am I a nutbag?
 
Gene
 
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From: Tony Blauer 
 
Gene, I don't know you well enough to call you a nutbag :-) but in terms of dissecting the chainsaw attack (sorry for the pun), what you visualize is a good start: permission, threat assessment faith, and keep refining the plan.
 
Don't forget that what you are visualizing is the sport model/ i.e. active combat, two threats facing one another...remember to factor the Three D's, remember that its hard to sneak up on someone with a chainsaw (unless its one of those ultra quiet ones)...etc etc.
 
Once combat has started....
 
Run: how long until he runs out of gas.
 
Evade: What kinetic energy is required to wield the chainsaw, what are the pre-contact cues.
 
Closing the gap: when it misses what is the arc created and when is my insertion point?
 
Target the delivery system: While the chainsaw represents the CWCT problem, if the freak's hands were broken then the chainsaw would be on the floor and not much of an issue (unless you started grappling with it), in other words, the nut is the real delivery system and if you stop him you stop the chainsaw, break this down logically (attack the hands: fragile and closer than hi s head or legs).
 
Hope this helps.
 
Tony
 

Q &A with TONY Blauer Tactical Systems
 
I am a bouncer at a more intense club. I am at the door as that is where a guy who is like me second Dad (who was a green beret, trained the SWAT team and taught at the security school in Aspen Colorado) wants me to be. I have trained MMA in the past but due to college and work am unable to get anymore training and have been out of training for about 3 years. I am an effective communicator which I believe is the best weapon while I'm on the job, I'm not unsure of myself in one on one situations as I am 6'4 and 250lbs and am a gym nut, but we get a lot of gangs of all kinds in the club and am unsure of my skill in a 2 or 3 or more on 1 situation. I have worked for about a year now and have seen my fair share of stuff, I've had to talk down many a situation with biker gangs and guys with weapons, but I'm interested in your psychological tactics in remaining calm when confronted by many people and dangerous people. Also have you given any thought to running classes for bouncers, as usually we are out numbered, don't have weapons, and it takes a special person to work under circumstances where they could possibly be put into a situation at anytime where their personal safety is threatened. Any help or advice would be great Mr. Blauer.
 
Thanks, J Miller
 
 
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From:Tony Blauer 
 
Hi, thanks for the email. Yes, we have done seminars for security and bouncers exclusively, but typically that's promoted by a club owner or security service.
 
For now, meditate on this: 'remaining calm' is a relative thing in our system, the term 'relative calm' results when you've done you're homework (scenario specific evaluation, probable attacks within that context, pre-contact cues and subsequent interception approaches from verbal to physical and post-incident reactions, including first aid, law enforcement and even attempted retribution), in other words 'fear of the unknown' is what eats us up, do the homework and you get 'fear of the known', you train within that paradigm and you get to understand that 'chaos' and with it comes clarity, but its all relative (hence the term), remaining calm in the face of danger requires instantaneous intuition or specialized training...if you wait for it, you better be lucky, if you train for it you can at least impose your will and wisdom on any scenario. And as the expression goes: 'I'd rather be lucky than good"...but the better you get, its seems the luckier you get too.
 
As for personal fear management tips and strategies, we have 3 audios (CD & cassette) that cover a ton of this foundational information; I'd invest in that as a start. The rest of the research falls under personal & professional threat assessment, its pretty simple, you just need to be realistic about it. If you have some keen doormen who recognize the same issues you do, you have a perfect vehicle to start scenario specific training. We have a package on scenario- based training, including the formula to dissect it and create what we refer to as Ballistic Micro fights, so you can replicate the Murphy moment in your fights over & over thus creating tactical stamina, endurance and insight...the culmination of this sort of training is of course, 'presence' and that's the first thing your opponent will pick up on.
 
Best of luck,
 
Tony