{"id":56199,"date":"2016-05-06T18:54:34","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T23:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=56199"},"modified":"2026-01-08T14:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:15:18","slug":"podcast-198-turning-yourself-into-a-human-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/skills\/tactical\/podcast-198-turning-yourself-into-a-human-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast #198: Turning Yourself Into a Human Weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/e419d016-da2b-4c91-b376-17016c1a9ced?dark=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><br \/>\nMost of us living in modern, western democracies live relatively safe lives. We&#8217;re not having to constantly protect ourselves from marauding, blood thirsty tribes or&nbsp;fend off criminals at every corner.<\/p>\n<p>But&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s always the possibility that our life could be threatened by another human being. What should we do in those situations given the ethical, moral, and legal implications of defending ourselves?<\/p>\n<p>Well, my guest today has spent the past 40 years studying and teaching about this topic. His name is <a href=\"https:\/\/blauerspear.com\/\">Tony Blauer<\/a> and he&#8217;s the founder of the <a href=\"https:\/\/blauerspear.com\/\">SPEAR self-defense system<\/a>. Today on the podcast, Tony and I discuss how to&nbsp;get better at detecting and defusing threats and what you need to do to become a human weapon.<\/p>\n<h3>Show Highlights<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>How Tony&#8217;s fear as a child led him to martial arts<\/li>\n<li>The mindset of overcoming fear to optimize your performance<\/li>\n<li>The difference between choking and freezing<\/li>\n<li>How a client&#8217;s failed fight with a bully&nbsp;led to Tony&#8217;s epiphany that self-defense was being taught wrong<\/li>\n<li>Why martial arts and combat sports aren&#8217;t self-defense<\/li>\n<li>Tony&#8217;s definition of self-defense<\/li>\n<li>How to detect a violent threat<\/li>\n<li>How you&#8217;re designed to be a human weapon<\/li>\n<li>How to learn to trust your intuition<\/li>\n<li>The three things bad guys want<\/li>\n<li>How to defuse a violent threat<\/li>\n<li>The gross motor movements you need to know to defend yourself<\/li>\n<li>The role of weapons in self-defense<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Resources\/Studies\/People Mentioned in Podcast<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blauerspear.com\/\">SPEAR System<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Choke-Secrets-Brain-Reveal-Getting\/dp\/1416596186\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1462568792&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=choke&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=artofmanliness03-20&amp;linkId=fccf7ad7146d5672326ee91f630fe1cd\"><em>Choke<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/how-men-are-evolved-for-fighting-according-to-science\/\">Why men are evolved for fighting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/how-to-develop-the-situational-awareness-of-jason-bourne\/\">Developing your situational awareness<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Left-Bang-Marine-Combat-Program\/dp\/1936891301\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1462568896&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=left+of+bang&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=artofmanliness03-20&amp;linkId=13ee983372ed66876a348ea4915fed11\"><em>Left of Bang<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/what-to-do-in-an-active-shooter-situation\/\">What to do in an active shooter situation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/\/2016\/05\/tony.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-56307\" src=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/\/2016\/05\/tony.jpg\" alt=\"Man choking another guy.\" width=\"550\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony.jpg 780w, https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-768x394.jpg 768w, https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-320x164.jpg 320w, https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-640x328.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tony&#8217;s has produced several programs and books on the topic of <a href=\"https:\/\/speargear.myshopify.com\/\">self-defense<\/a>. If you&#8217;re not interested in self-defense, be sure to check out his&nbsp;Performance Enhancement Psychology&nbsp;program that&#8217;s applicable to all areas of life.<\/p>\n<h3>Listen to the Podcast! (And don\u2019t forget to leave us a review!)<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-art-of-manliness\/id332516054?mt=2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49206 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/07\/available-on-itunes.png\" alt=\"Available on itunes.\" width=\"250\" height=\"92\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49207 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/07\/available-on-stitcher.png\" alt=\"Available on stitcher.\" width=\"250\" height=\"92\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/artofmanliness\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49208 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/07\/soundcloud-logo.png\" alt=\"Soundcloud logo.\" width=\"250\" height=\"127\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pcasts.in:443\/NwCI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49655\" src=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/\/2015\/08\/pocketcasts.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"Pocketcasts.\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/the-art-of-manliness\/episodes\/2d11459f-6b09-4674-a1b4-08bb75a7ba38\">Listen to the episode on a separate page.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rss.art19.com\/episodes\/2d11459f-6b09-4674-a1b4-08bb75a7ba38.mp3\">Download this episode.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"hs-rss-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.omnycontent.com\/d\/playlist\/aaea4e69-af51-495e-afc9-a9760146922b\/6081eee7-c459-4e12-a1ab-aadc000fc4a7\/413a6904-4d72-4be8-9421-aadc000fc4ba\/podcast.rss\">Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Podcast Sponsors<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freshbooks.com\/pages\/podcast?ref=11808&amp;utm_source=art-of-manliness&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;ref=11808&amp;utm_source=art-of-manliness&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=2016\">FreshBooks.<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;FreshBooks is offering a month of unrestricted use to all of our listeners totally free right now.&nbsp;To claim your free month, go to <span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freshbooks.com\/pages\/podcast?ref=11808&amp;utm_source=art-of-manliness&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;ref=11808&amp;utm_source=art-of-manliness&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=2016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FreshBooks.com<\/a><\/span>&nbsp;and enter \u201cArt of&nbsp;Manliness\u201d in the \u201cHow Did You Hear About Us?\u201d section.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bouqs.com\/\">Bouqs.<\/a><\/strong> For Mother\u2019s Day, get mom some fresh flowers she\u2019ll love without breaking the bank. Save 20% off the bouquet of your choice by going <span class=\"skimlinks-unlinked\">Bouqs.com<\/span> and enter promo code <strong>MANLINESS.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indochino.com\/something-doesnt-fit?url=Lz8=&amp;uuid=839e9fb0-e51b-11ea-9657-9bdcf0941839&amp;vid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indochino<\/a><\/strong> offers custom, made-to-measure suits at an affordable price. They\u2019re offering<strong>any premium<\/strong> suit for just $399. That\u2019s up to 50% off. To claim your discount go to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indochino.com\/something-doesnt-fit?url=Lz8=&amp;uuid=839e9fb0-e51b-11ea-9657-9bdcf0941839&amp;vid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indochino.com<\/a> and enter discount code <strong>MANLINESS<\/strong> at checkout. Plus, shipping is FREE.<\/p>\n<h3>Read the Transcript<\/h3>\n<p>Coming soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff Most of us living in modern, western democracies live relatively safe lives. We&#8217;re not having to constantly protect ourselves from marauding, blood thirsty tribes or&nbsp;fend off criminals at every corner. But&#8230; There&#8217;s always the possibility that our life could be threatened by another human being. What should we do in those situations given the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":56307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[156,42259,42380],"tags":[42240],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-56199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","category-skills","category-tactical","tag-self-defense"],"featured_image_urls":{"medium_large":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-768x394.jpg","large":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-538x280.jpg","reactor-320":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-320x164.jpg","reactor-640":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-640x328.jpg","rpwe-thumbnail":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2016\/05\/tony-45x45.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56199"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192215,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56199\/revisions\/192215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56199"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=56199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}