World-Class Training for the Protection of your life, work, and loved ones.
World-Class Training for the Protection of your life, work, and loved ones.
""The mind, once stretched by a new idea,
never returns to its original dimensions."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hi, I'm Jon Pidhirney!
Hi, I'm Jon Pidhirney!
Welcome to the culmination of a lifetime of passion and drive! Like many growing up, I followed a long path of martial arts and combat sports. But the many years of training did little to prepare me for the realities of real and sudden violence.
"If I was so good, why was I still afraid?"
As a first responder I've come to accept that danger, adrenaline dumps and fear are likely companions to my day. But how could I learn to understand these so I could perform to the best of my abilities, and how could I use this to help good people live life more 'fear-less-ly'? As the old saying goes, when the student is ready the teacher appears, and I was introduced to Tony Blauer's SPEAR System™ from an old Krav Maga instructor in 2008.
Finally the pieces started falling into place.
The Story So Far
The Story So Far
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires."
~ William Arthur Ward
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires."
~ William Arthur Ward
Consider me inspired!
Consider me inspired!
I've been a firefighter since 2007 but my passion to help good people be safer has always been with me. In 2009 my journey training with Tony Blauer and his team of instructors began when I attended my first camp. I met some amazing people and was exhilarated that what I'd learned about coach's life work previously was merely the tip of the iceberg (or spear, as it were). Training under the man himself is not to be missed for anyone wanting to understand 'human movement as it relates to sudden violence, fear and aggression'.
Train for reality
Train for reality
Since attending that first summer camp, I've immersed myself in understanding why Coach Blauer's work looks nothing like all the years of martial arts I walked in with. Opportunities always exist to discuss why dealing with real violence rarely mirrors how we train in dojos and gyms.
Certifications
Certifications
I've attended a number of camps and certifications over the years, enriching and incredibly valuable experiences every time! I focus on teaching the fundamentals of the Personal Defence Readiness (PDR) courses but have also certified with SPEAR 4.0, which is focused and intensified for law enforcement, military and first responders. Our PDR intro courses are for everyone interested in personal safety, and kids to adults benefit greatly from Coach Blauer's life work, as I have.
Active Killer Response
Active Killer Response
Incidents of mass casualty violence are not new, and unfortunately, not rare. But avoidance of the reality of these events is fairly commonplace. I've had the extreme pleasure of working several times with Aaron Jannetti and learning under his open and straight forward methods teaching how to increase your odds of not becoming a victim in these horrible incidents. Aaron asks, 'If we don't acknowledge this truth about the violence present in society today, how can we be prepared to face it?'
TEACHING IS SIMPLE.
COMFORT THE DISTURBED,
AND DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE.