Thirty days. From nothing to able to protect yourself.

Three days with me in person, then twenty-seven days of daily drills that I review on video. You arrive never having been taught to stand, move, or hold your ground. You leave knowing how to keep your balance when someone grabs you, how to break a grip, how to get off the ground, how to control a person who is trying to control you, and how to hit. The same footwork and balance underneath wrestling, judo, and boxing, taught once and applied to all of them.

Three years as a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center. Ranked sixth in the country in judo. Wrestler at the Air Force Academy.