FAST Defense - UK & EU

20/11/2022

This is what we teach in FAST...to become a sheepdog to protect our friends and loved ones.

A Sheepdog Never Retires.

At some point in time, the young sheepdog becomes the old sheepdog. He can't run as fast anymore, if at all. His claws have been worn smooth, his few teeth are no longer sharp. His joints ache, he is no longer slender and muscular, his hearing and eye sight are both no longer acute or keen. He has passed on his watch over the flock to the younger pups who he has taught and raised. Occasionally, he passes some of his pups while he wanders amongst the flock, those pups who remember him present themselves with courtesy and respect. The really young pups just ignore him, not knowing who he is or recognize the scars from battle he has earned from fighting the wolf.

But, when the wolf arrives, the one thing that has not left the old sheepdog is his spirit; he still yearns for the fight with the wolf. The younger sheepdogs rush to protect the flock and despite the wear of time and age, the older sheepdog rushes in alongside with them.

There are times, when the old sheepdog confronts the wolf by himself, alone. The wolf appears and the younger sheepdogs, for whatever reason are not around - they can't be everywhere at once. The wolf circles and snarls, he isnt afraid of the old dog. Yet, it is still within him, for the Sheepdog to rise up, take a stance, bare his teeth and growl. He will still take on that wolf, for he still protects the flock and will as he always has, to the very end of his life if necessary.

He does this because it is who he is, what he is, a Sheepdog.

Author- Sean O’Brien
Inspired by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

05/07/2022

This year we have organized another camp for kids here in Czech Republic. Almost 70 kids in the age of 7-17 years are attending it.
And FAST is major part of what kids learn + how to fight with sticks, how to escape from handcuffs (zip ties, duct tape...), how to choke with t-shirt or hoodie, etc. :-)
Lot of stuff related to self defense + they learn parkour tricks and how to become a solid waterman. ;-)
Within FAST we are speaking about bully (with youngest) and inter-personal conflicts (with oldest) and Predator suit is perfect tool to try whether they are able to apply technique under the stress. Lot of fun but AHA moments as well :-)
Life is good :-)

26/08/2020

Definitely recomended book if you would like to know more about situational awareness and intuition.
This is a first phase of conflict prevention as taught in FAST.

Living in the Deep Brain: Connecting with Your Intuition

22/07/2020

COMBAT BREATHING

Combat breathing is an essential survival skill used to neutralize the negative effects of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation during extreme stress.

There are variations of the technique, but here are the basics:

-Inhale through your nose for a four count

-Hold your breath for a four count

-Exhale through your mouth for a four count

-Wait for a four count before starting the process over

Repeat for four to six cycles.

The breaths have to be deep, abdominal breaths where you expand your stomach like a balloon.

My internal verbiage when I practice combat breathing is:

-In, two, three, four

-Hold, two, three, four

-Out, two, three, four

-Wait, two, three, four

Practice combat breathing on a daily basis. It is a skill very much worth having when confronted by extreme violence.

21/07/2020

FAST is teaching you about triggers and golden moments. Nothing is more important in conflict prevention. :-)

07/10/2019

Last Friday we had an amazing FAST seminar with teachers and school psychologists of Elementary school in my hometown - Roztoky (CZ). It was a great experience and it is part of long term strategy to show the benefits of FAST so we can continue teaching FAST to kids on a regular (at least yearly) basis. Ladies on the picture were so excited with FAST they want us for "round two" :-D
This is going to be a...legendary year for FAST CZ ;-)

13/09/2019

And another one on similar topic, different source

When faced with a predator or sudden danger, the heart rate goes up, breathing becomes more rapid, and fuel in the form of glucose is pumped throughout the body to prepare an animal to fight or flee.

13/09/2019

An interesting reading...

A protein released from bone is involved in triggering the body’s reaction to stress

07/12/2016

Interesting article:

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered for the first time that the rhythm of breathing creates electrical activity in the human brain that enhances emotional judgments and memory recall.

24/10/2016

Hi guys, do you know more about this project? It could be a nice synergy with our FAST system, I believe... http://heroicimagination.org/