Have You Ever Been on Queer Street?

Some of you saw this articles headline and may have thought, not me, I’ve never been to Queer Street! Some others may have thought well, yeah, I’ve been there, but it’s nobody’s business! Others yet, may have thought, sure, and I’m proud of it! But enough of joking around, that’s … Continue Reading Continue reading

Confidence, Self-Defense and Your Survival

Bernadette tried the moves she learned in a self-defense class against the drunken man who tried to rape her in an apartment stairwell. But her punches to his face and fingers to the eyes did absolutely nothing to stop the brute. Thank goodness that a security guard heard her pleas. … Continue Reading Continue reading

Business, Self-Defense and My Goodness What a Big Family You’ve Got There

The music was loud as were the laughs and conversation while we celebrated a black belt test promotion at a neighborhood lounge. Unbeknownst to us, it was karaoke night at the spot we chose to celebrate 20 year-old Sarah’s black belt test. The test had just ended after two hours … Continue Reading Continue reading

Homicide and Help in America

In the last year or so I’ve listened to governmental officials including President Obama and some criminologists saying that violent crime is substantially down in America and those Americans who think we are less safe than we were a decade or so ago are dimwits, uninformed or have been bamboozled … Continue Reading Continue reading

Keep it Simple Stupid

The average street fight lasts from seven to ten seconds. If it goes to the ground, about one-minute. A street fight is any physical confrontation between two people. It could be a bar fight, a parking lot fight, you name it, any fight where two people simply duke it out. … Continue Reading Continue reading

Mike Krueger, a Fight, Reflections and Hope

When I was about 13 in the middle of my miss-spent youth I hung out at a pool hall. I was in junior high at the time when The Eastgate Coliseum was in its full glory. The huge entertainment complex housed a large bowling alley, a fantastic game room and … Continue Reading Continue reading

Reality Never Lies—Get Up Off Of That Thing and Get Real

When I was a teenager I was a big fan of the singer and entertainer known as “The Godfather of Soul”, James Brown. He told it and sang it like it was. He wasn’t a pushover and sang about what he believed in and entertained with gusto and pride. He … Continue Reading Continue reading

The Serial Rapist in the Woods and Family Justice

Fear can grip a community, any community. About 25 years ago, fear gripped the quiet of Geauga County Ohio, an enclave Forbes magazine once rated as the fourth best place in America to raise a family. The way to describe Geauga 25 years ago is that of a beautiful rural … Continue Reading Continue reading

Defending Against a Knife Attack-Devastation, Occurrence and Reality

Firearms are dangerous, we all know it and most everyone only seems to be worried about being accosted by someone with a firearm. After all, firearms are the biggest and baddest tool to disable or kill humans but don’t be lulled into the falsehood that they’re the only weapon you … Continue Reading Continue reading

  • Recent Articles Posted

    • The Teacher from the Past—A True Story 
      My business partner texted me one afternoon while he was doing some paperwork at our business, The Mayfield Academy of Self-Defense. Dan wrote, “A little old lady stopped in at the school and said she knew you.” I texted back asking if she had left her name. “Mrs. Gronick.”  “Mrs. Gronick, ...
    • How To Survive and Safely Enjoy Hiking in the Woods
      Every year people disappear in the woods without much of a trace. Most get lost or sustain an immobilizing injury. Many of these people are either not found in time to survive their injuries or in some cases, they’re simply never found, even after extensive searches.  Of course, in certain areas, ...
    • Winter in America—Thin Blue Line and Do Something
      Winter in America is sometimes unbearable but fortunately, most of us will hunker down in the warmth, comfort, and safety of our homes. But not everyone. Especially not the people experiencing the nightmares I’ll mention here. In the United States, about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys ...
    • The Simple Best Thing You Can Do To Not Become A Victim
      The mother of a murdered girl said, “It’s easy for people to say she should have slept with pepper spray under her pillows or taken other security precautions, but people don’t do those things unless they’ve been victims.”    It's a fact that people don’t take regular security precautions unless they’re reminded ...
    • The Streets are filled with Vipers
      In Bob Dylan’s song, ‘Don’t Fall Apart on me Tonight’ he sings a line that explains a major reason why crime is rampant in the U.S. “The streets are filled with vipers who’ve lost all ray of hope.” Bingo! The genius got it right . . .  almost. He wrote that verse ...
    • Women Taking Charge: A Guide to Violent Attack Survival—Part 2—Weapons
      I just talked to a personal security expert who I respect more than just about any other expert including the loads of experts who have sprouted up on-line. I’ve known this expert for decades and he talks reality. He’s traveled the globe doing security and bodyguard work and has done ...
    • Bones Heal, Pain is Temporary and Chicks Dig Scars—Dealing with Fear
      Years after famous motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel retired he had a business disagreement with someone in Geauga County, Ohio. Geauga County is home to several small police departments and my friend worked for one of them. One afternoon he told me that he had to make an official phone call ...
    • Feet Don’t Fail Me Now and How Not To Get Shot
      Even though violent crime and specifically, shootings are on the rise the odds are good that you’ll never be shot at. But if you could learn simple methods to handle shootings, just in case, in about five minutes, wouldn’t you take the time? Continue reading for that five-minute training that ...
    • What’s In a Name? (5 to Survive) Your Survival, That’s What
      For years, I’ve written articles and done countless seminars on how not to become victims of crime. Throughout those years, I’ve also listened to many others talking on the same topic and one thing that always bothered me was the two words that they almost always said but hardly ever ...
    • Are You a Coward?
      A famous Danish theologian, philosopher, poet and religious author, Soren Kierkegaard once wrote, “Once you label me, you negate me.” Negate means to nullify or make ineffective. In his quote, he’s saying that once you or I are labeled as anything—stupid, brute, irresponsible, brave or a coward, that’s what people ...