Q:  How long does it take to get proficient so I can protect myself and my family? A:  It depends on the student.  Combatives is a life style and a commitment.  It’s about how often and how hard you train as well as your diet, how often you exercise and your mindset.  You are not going to learn to be proficient in one or two weeks like many instructors will tell you.  Heck, some even tell you that it only takes a day if you train with them because they will teach you ‘Secret Ninja Techniques’ that the government doesn’t want you to know..  SORRY, THEY ARE LYING TO YOU and making money off your ignorance.   Combatives is a way of life.  I’ve been shooting and training since 1982 and I AM STILL LEARNING.   Most of our students have been here for over a year with some being here for over 3 years.  How fast you learn depends on YOU.   You also have to ask yourself  ‘How much do you want to learn and how committed are you at learning?’  Do you want to learn to simply push away and run or do you want to learn what to do should you thrown onto a parking lot in the dark on a storming night with a broken arm and are being attacked by two bad guys with knives? Some students learn faster than others and some never do.  Some students change their personal schedules around so they can train as often as they can, while others only train once or twice a month. Learning a skill is a reflection of the students will and spirit.  If the student really wants to learn then they will find ways to train, and when they are not training, they are thinking about training.                          It is easy to understand the principles of a technique, but being able to applying those techniques under the pressures and the chaotic excitement of an attack takes years, not days. The more you train, the more proficient, and confident you become.