Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection

Looking Behind and Forward
Jim Wagner

2010 was an exciting year for Reality-Based Personal Protection. Probably the biggest change that took place was me ending my High Risk column in Black Belt magazine and joining the world's largest online martial arts website publication World Wide Dojo by teaming up with publisher Dana Stamos. I now write a weekly column called JIM WAGNER WEEKLY for the Reality-Based section (including for the international sites), and a TAC TIPS for the restricted site (for law enforcement, corrections, and the military).

However, that does not mean that Black Belt and I are no longer working together, quite the opposite. This month, December, we just finished my newest book together titled Protecting Others; a thick, full-color, stuffed with photos, informative book. The layouts and corrections have been made and it is now being printed. It will be coming out by February.

In 2010 I was made an honorary police officer of the Amsterdam Police Department in Holland. That was way cool! Nick Serna became my new Director for Canada. I had a chance to go through the U.S. Army's Combat Life Saver course. I had some fantastic overseas trips and was privileged to teach a lot of great courses; not to mention having the satisfaction of having very dedicated students in several countries hungry to learn the Reality-Based system.

A tremendous opportunity presented itself a few months back when I hooked up with Delta Bravo Group based out of Southern California. The CEO of the company, Dennis Barberic, approached me and asked me if I'd teach some tactical courses for them. Although my plate was already pretty full I jumped on it knowing what a hard charger Dennis is. He's one of these guys who is passionate about good training, and wants the best.

The first course we decided to do together is a Special Operations Assault Rifle & Pistol course in Los Angeles, which is restricted to law enforcement and the United States military. This course takes place January 11th, and is the first course that I am teaching in 2011. On February 15th I'm teaching a Sniper/Countersniper course. For both events Dennis will be the Range Safety Officer, and he definitely has the qualifications to do so; he was the SWAT Commander for the Hawthorne Police Department for 15 years. If you know anything about Los Angeles County, the city of Hawthorne that is near the Los Angeles International Airport, has its fair share of trouble, and Dennis has his fair share of "war stories."

Delta Bravo Group and Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection will be running other tactical courses, to be announced, along with some good high-speed courses for civilians as well.

On Wednesday, December 15, my good friend and Reality-Based Personal Protection Director of Belgium, Nicolas Marucci, was in Las Vegas for the World Arm Wrestling Championship 2010 with the Belgium team. One of his martial arts students competed and he was there for moral support, and also to meet with me. I had the opportunity to meet Willy Deneumostier who is the General Secretary of the World Arm Wrestling Federation. 

The marketing director for Boker, the company I am teamed up with and where my school is in Germany, just sent me her plans for 2011, and they look very aggressive, which is good. Director Tobias Leckebush and I also arranged it where a person can go through all three levels of the Reality-Based Personal Protection system in one calendar year and even get their Professional Instructor certificate if they are qualified. We also have a few specialty courses sprinkled throughout the year in Solingen, Germany.

For the first time ever I will be teaching a Wilderness Survival course in Italy. I will be teaching this two-day course near the beautiful city of Ravenna.

Gary Dell, the RBPP Director of the United Kingdom, just started to advertise our Devon, England Level 1 seminar starting July 25th, and reports that it is already half full. The UK is a huge market, and Reality-Based is the answer for a society that is experience an ever increase in crime.  

Black Belt magazine has asked me to work on a DVD project with them, which will compliment my new book Protecting Others. The format of this DVD is going to be a little bit different than my previous training DVDs, but should have a great impact on viewers. The producer has already been selected, and dates are now being locked down.

There are also a couple of great projects that I will keep "under the wraps" for now. If all goes as planned it should rock the self-defense community.

For all of you Reality-Based practitioners I want to thank you for your unwavering support of me and the system. I salute those who are spreading the RBPP system like Black Belt magazine, Budo International, Boker, my directors, and most of all my students. To all of you I pray that you have a safe, healthy, happy New Year 2011. And, as always, Be A Hard Target.