Coach's Story

From the Latin 'fossor' meaning digger. One that is primarily adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. The honey badger being a prime example, and a model of our ethos- balance, strength, and a relentless will.  It is known to savagely and courageously counter attack almost any other species when escape is impossible.

We train to remain humble, balanced, and 'gray' or 'underground' in our proficiencies and development, while able to immediately dig into ferocious, indignant counter-action when detection/avoidance and de-escalation has failed. Hone your response-ability.  How aligned is your physical structural balance so as to maximize your mobility, flexibility, stability, and thus response-ability? Are YOU on course to dig in? 

We also dig into our own relationship with fear, in both its psychological and physiological expressions. This is a practice not a terminus...

Ahanu is an Anishinaabe/Algonquin word meaning 'he laughs'. More about Coach Ahanu's roots here.

At The Fossorial Co., we often will use the term Self-Preservation as a catch all, to include self-protection and self-defense.  

Self-Protection, akin to how an advance team in asset or executive protection would build and modify a holistic protection package, would consist of you doing this for yourself. Being your own bodyguard. Data security, location and resource OPSEC, movement and pattern of life diversification and counter surveillance, situational noise, light, smoke, and scent discipline, and TECC/First aid are some aspects of Self-Protection. So is eating clean, EXERCISE, seat belts, etc.

Self-Defense, is the mental, emotional, and physical capacity to detect, avoid, diffuse, and convert the neurochemical fear or stress spike from an immanent or in-progress threatening event or violent ambush to fuel a spontaneous and visualized choice of words, actions, or movements towards immediate safety.

At The Fossorial Co., we align to the definition of 'Exercise' as produced by Ken Hutchins"

"Exercise is a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature, in accordance with muscle and joint function, in a clinically controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimum time."  Exercise vs. Recreation by Ken Hutchins

Studying under Coach Tony Blauer, who has been a trailblazer in fear management regarding violent encounters and the introduction of sudden stimulus for over four decades has helped tremendously. His KNOW FEAR® program, along with the groundbreaking practice of ECT (Emotional Climate Training), his Timeline of Violence roadmap and protocol, including deep, evidence-based analysis of the human startle-flinch response and 'flinch conversion', and defining 'The Fear Loop', to pressure testing and drilling 'Ballistic Micro Fights' have all created a deep well of resources for the modern chaos surfer to adapt scientifically rooted and proven means to better manage fear and to reduce the gap time between a stimulus and response. 

"Those who manage their fear manage to fight."- Coach Tony Blauer

One also needs to develop the 'animal', the 'state', or flip 'the switch'.  Listen to Urban Combatives founder Lee Morrison explain this concept here in this 6 minute audio: 

                                                             Building your BLITZKRIEG Battle Plan Dynamic 

 What are the costs of your not ever coming home again? What are the costs of not having prepared to perpetuate the normalcy you and your loved ones depend on- mobility, food, water, meds, shelter, defensive capabilities, sanitation, communication, community, etc? How long before desperation, lawlessness, and savagery besets the ill or unprepared? 

Why not be on the other side of that continuum, do the best where you are, with what you've got, starting now and improving from there! The more of us we can scale up in capacity, the less of 'them' there will be.

What are the costs of losing mobility and strength? What does the road look like for recapturing a lost capability, and how does that compare to wisely investing in the maintenance and progressive improvement of what you have already poured into?