The Level 1 course was held at the University of Paris X Nanterre, Paris from August 18 to 22. The people I trained are now officially certified Level 1 Apprentice Instructors until their testing with Jim Wagner in 2009. I am very proud that Jim has enough confidence in me to teach instructors. For me it’s a step further in my personal evolution with the system going back to when I first I trained under Jim in February 2005 in London, England.
Before I met Jim Wagner I taught from time to time a hybrid of self-defense systems based on my own training and experience in martial arts: judo, ju-jitsu, aikido, French boxing (Savate), and Thai kickboxing. I had attended a few seminars with well known instructors like Salem Assli, Rick Tucci, Bob Breen, and even with Dan Inosanto when he came in France to teach Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali. Over the years before Reality-Based I also taught judo classes for three years to children.
My first encounter with Jim and his system really opened my eyes and my mind about “reality-based” martial arts. I learned more about personal protection with Jim in five days than with all my traditional-based martial arts and sport-based instructors combined, and that is a period of fifteens years. Although all of my instructors were competent in their own disciplines none had the knowledge to prepare me for modern conflict situations. Jim has the training, the experience, and the ability to teach others.
After my first contact with Jim Wagner I decided a few months later to go to New-York City and attend his Level 2 instructor seminar. When I got there I told Jim, “Nobody in France is doing what you are doing.” I then offered to organise the first Level 1 seminar in my home country of France. Then our first seminar teaching together was in November of 2005. Ever since this first seminar, which was a huge success, Jim has travelled France a few times, and each time he did I assisted him with the courses. I have personally followed Level 1 five times.
Since becoming certified in 2005 I have also taught the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system on my own while Jim was in other parts of the world teaching. I have taught many group courses and private lessons. Originally I was teaching these courses in the east of France, but wanting to make the system grow even more I moved to Paris, the capitol of France.
Wanting to go all the way with Jim’s revolutionary system I also flew to Los Angeles to get my Level 3 certification from Jim and then I made yet a second trip there to work on his latest book, Defensive Tactics for Special Operations, and to tape a few DVDs. On this particular trip Peter Falk, the Reality-Based Director of Scandinavia, also assisted Jim and me in the book and DVD projects.
In 2007 I taught several Women’s Survival courses. I taught more than 100 women how to effectively deal with the dangers they where most likely to encounter in their environment.
I am not only a martial artist, but I have also been in the fitness industry for more than ten years. I teach fitness instructors how to correctly train their clients. In other words, I train the trainers, and I do it throughout the French speaking world. I have also taught in Lebanon and Israel. When Jim Wagner suggested that I teach Level 1 courses as part of the Global Training Team, I accepted the responsibility, and I teach exactly the way Jim teaches. I am a “purist” when it comes to the Reality-Based Personal Protection system, and Jim has developed the most complete system in the world that includes pre-conflict, conflict, and post-conflict training.
Going back to the August seminar, it was great. I had the pleasure of certifying seven Apprentice Instructors: Ludovic Frebou, Franck Laurent, Claude Lina, David Niedt, Gaetan Royer, Geoffrey Spiers, and the only female of the group Jennifer Pasquali. All of them came from different martial arts systems: boxing, aikido, krav maga, tai-jitsu. Upon completion of all five courses (Defensive Tactics, Ground Survival, Knife Survival, Crime Survival, and Terrorism Survival) they were all unanimous in their opinion of our system, it’s the most simple and the most realistic training they had ever done.
During this same week Olivier Rawlings, a Level 2 instructor from England, and Julien Nodier, Instructor Level 1, assisted me. Nicolas Marucci, a Level 2 instructor from Belgium, came to assist in the Crime Survival course. He was fantastic in helping set up our scenarios. He’s the perfect actor for this kind of training, and Jim has used him several times in France, Holland, and Italy. The students all commented on how realistic the scenarios felt.
Our new Apprentice Instructors are now authorized to teach the Level 1 courses for one year, and I was thrilled to be in this new pilot program. The next Apprentice Instructor course will be taught by Pete Lee in Devon, England in October.
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