Testimonials

Julian Aprile

January 21, 2003

To Whom it May Concern:

This is an unsolicited testimonial for the Safety First program. I participated in the program on January 19, 2003 at the Gig Harbor Karate Academy where I teach Isshinryu karate in a full-time capacity. I hold the rank of Shodan in Isshinryu and have been training for about 15 years.

I found out about the program from Bill Kortenbach one of the founders of Safety First. When I first heard about the program I was skeptical. I thought, “What could a class like this teach me that I don’t already know?”  After all, I have earned a black belt in karate via the traditional training methods.

I was finally convinced I had to participate in the program when Mr. Kortenbach started saying that traditional martial arts were perpetuating fallacies: one, that you must be physically fit to defend oneself; and two, that you have to train for years to be street safe. After hearing this about three times, I had to see where he got the confidence to make these claims to seasoned martial artists.

After I convinced my wife that sacrificing the eight hours of family time would be valuable for my martial arts career, I went through the program. My one day Safety First experience taught me more about self-defense than my entire 15 years of karate training. I was absolutely amazed. Here is what I learned:

  1. Adrenaline rushes can be different than you might expect. Being a karate man and rugby player I had experienced adrenaline before. However, no situation other than a real street fight or the Safety First program can duplicate the type of adrenaline response that would occur in a serious self-defense situation. Under these circumstances my huge repertoire of techniques for every fighting situation melted away into a pulse of unrefined, raw terror and rage.
  2. No traditional training routine can ever truly prepare a human to succeed in street combat. The main reason is that you can never strike with the full force possible in the training environment. No school could practice this way because of the injuries that would result. Once I learned how to be patient and focus my adrenaline power into a self-defense technique I could hit at least 10 times harder than I had ever hit someone in a dojo.
  3. Victory in a life or death situation depends on the human will to win, not on how many techniques a person has “mastered. ” I saw 14-year-old girls and 50-year-old women persevere in situations where many men would have wet themselves. My martial arts training helped minimize my fear and maximize the effectiveness of my techniques, but that alone would probably not save my life in a real situation.

This course is a must for anyone who considers him/herself an advanced martial arts practitioner. The course will remind all of us karateka of the difference between our “art” and the reality of life or death combat. In one day I went from letting adrenaline take over my mind – and flailing around the ring to land a single technique – to feeling like I could knock down the largest thug with 3 blows in less than 10 seconds.

Safety First rounded out my martial arts training. I now know that in a real situation I can combine my muscle memory, from years of repetition and practice, with the controlled adrenaline response technique that I learned from the Safety First program.

Thank you again to the Safety First staff and participants that made my experience possible. I will never forget that I have learned. I am truly in your debt.

Sincerely,

Julian Aprile