On this bonus throwback episode of Blunt Force Truth, Chuck and Mark invited Tim Larkin to talk about self-defense. Tim Larkin is a self-protection expert, founder of Target Focus Training, where he teaches people how to identify dangerous situations and keep themselves safer against attack. When defending yourself, Larkin teaches that it helps to focus on the similarities of the human body, in the ways all people will be vulnerable. He advocates against changing people’s mindset to justifying using the tool of violence when necessary against a predator.

They discuss people legally carrying guns and the false sense of security it can provide, though many people don’t know enough about how to use them effectively. Larkin teaches that our first weapon is our brain and our tools are our body. To effectively defend yourself, you need to be able to understand how to use those tools when you encounter an asocial situation.

He discusses the way that society now doesn’t encourage awareness for self-defense and physical threat, in the US or in other countries – citing the travel ban that was issued against him in the UK because of his methods of teaching.

For more information, visit  http://timlarkin.com/ and http://www.targetfocustraining.com/.

Pre-order Larkin’s book When Violence Is the Answer here.

Watch Larkin’s TED talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HROsqfsJkx8

Follow Larkin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TFTTimLarkin

Follow him on Twitter: @TFTTimLarkin