Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection

Three times is a charm

Jim Wagner 

I had the opportunity to teach Reality-Based Personal Protection courses for the third time in the Czech Republic for Martin Hradecký and Mario Tachecí, who are the owners and chief instructors of the Akademie AEGIS (a tactical training organization for military, police, and security) and the Arnis & Balaraw Fighting Club (a self-defense school), both located in Prague. 

When I was in the Köln-Bonn airport to catch a flight to Amsterdam, and then to Prague, I went into a shop to look at books and magazines. I picked up the July issue of Messer (Knife in German) magazine and what did I find on pages 46 and 47? It was an article about two of my Reality Based Blades, along with a photo of me in a conflict stance with the original Jim Wagner RBB manufactured by Böker. Of course, I am honored that 10 years later this is one of Böker’s best selling knives worldwide. 

I spent three 8-hour days, from May 25 to 27) teaching these two martial arts legends, and their top instructors, how to implement Level 1 courses into their own curriculum. These courses were not my usual seminar format with open enrolment that I usually teach throughout Europe, but I was hired specifically by these professionals to teach privately for these two organizations. 

German Knife Camp & Level 1

Jim Wagner 

I taught a very energetic, hard charging, group in my three-day Knife Camp that was held from May 30 to June 1. The first course was Knife Survival; the same course that I had taught to German counterterrorist team GSG9, the Israeli police and military, Brazilian GATE, Argentinean GOE, and all kinds of elite units around the world. At the end of this first training day, after everyone stored their safety equipment for the evening and had left the building, my good friend Jörg Kuschel (chief instructor of the Kenju-ryu self-defense school that also teaches the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system in the ancient Roman city of Neuss) picked me up at my hotel in Cologne at 17:00 hours sharp, along with RBPP instructor Tim Malchow, and drove me to the wedding of Ajeeth Sivanayagam and his beautiful bride Abitami. Ajeeth had invited me to his wedding several months ago, and the timing worked out perfectly. Ajeeth is from Sri Lanka, although he is a German citizen, and the wedding and the wedding reception was done in Sri Lankan traditional fashion. There were many dancers throughout the evening performing in traditional colorful costumes, a play, and a feast of savory foods. By the time midnight rolled around, and the party was just getting started, I had to cut out early in order to teach in the morning at 08:00 hours. I thanked Ajeeth and Abi for inviting me to their lovely wedding, and Ajeeth said to me, “Jim, it was an honor having you here.” 

Several months ago Ajeeth was attacked by a young man with a knife, who was planning on stabbing him in the back, but using the techniques that I had taught him in Knife Camp a couple of years ago Ajeeth turned, blocked the incoming knife, and disarmed the attacker. Ajeeth received a minor cut to his hand. Just after this incident happened Ajeeth sent me an email describing the entire event. Obviously it was God’s hand that protected Ajeeth, and I am glad to know that I had a little part in helping Ajeeth survive a knife attack so that he and his bride would have the privilege of getting married and sharing a life together. Had it not been for Ajeeth’s fast reaction, coupled with the correct mindset and techniques, Ajeeth may not have survived the knife attack.  So, for me, this was an honor also being invited to his wedding.   

In the continuing courses of Knife Camp (Knife Expert, Tactical Knife, and Knife Instructor) I had the usual mix of German military personnel, police officers, and martial arts instructors from all kinds of traditional systems, and always many Krav Maga instructors. Krav instructors come to my courses to fill in the missing gaps in their system knowing that I had been an official instructor for the Israeli police and military. There’s a reason the Israeli government wanted to learn my system, and I know what my students want and need. I also had my first Estonian student, Staff Sergeant Vladimir Sillaste, who is a hard core Estonian soldier (a country which was a former republic of the Soviet Union, and an enemy of mine when I was serving in the United States Army during the Cold War, but is now in NATO) who had just recently returned from deployment in the African country of Mali and patrolling with the French Navy off of the coast of Somalia protecting the commercial shipping lanes from Somali pirates. Vladimir’s idea of “vacation” was attending my three-day Knife Camp, plus having one day off as a tourist in Cologne, and then going through my five days of Level 1 (Defensive Tactics, Ground Survival, Knife Survival again, Crime Survival, and Terrorism Survival). Obviously, it was great having a combat soldier in all of my courses, and I even learned a few new techniques from this professional as well.  We also had several in-depth talks about our own militaries, politics, and Combatives. On the morning of his graduation Vladimir presented me with an Estonian Defense Force (Eesti Kaitsevägi)) T-shirt and a 500 milliliter bottle of genuine Estonian cream liqueur (Vana Tallinn Cream). In his thick Russian accent, for that is his mother tongue, he said to me, “This is the mild one. The next time I see you I will give you the strong stuff,” and of course, I am looking forward to the next time training him. 

During Knife Camp Tobias, RBPP Director of German speaking countries, assisted me in instructing the students and future instructors. Also assisting us was Sevil Dilbas and Bernt Israng.

Leif Grass, one of my Knife Survival instructors who I certified in the past, came back to take a refresher course. He is the instructor for PROteaction TACtics (PROTAC) teaching the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system. He shared with me his new flyers, and his new business cards. Of course, I am always honored when of my students want to be under the RBPP umbrella, and desires to teach under my name even though it is not required. The RBPP logo is proudly displayed on all of Leif’s publicity.

Thorsten Schmick, a RBPP Level 1 and Knife instructor, assisted me for two days teaching. Thorsten is the owner and chief instructor of Reality-Based Tactics and Defense located in the city of Siegen. He was a really big help to me especially in the Crime Survival course where he played the role of an Active Shooter and then as a bank robber.  

On my scheduled one day off, between Knife Camp and Level 1 on June 2, 2015 I took a stroll along the Rhine River to enjoy the clear fresh morning air, and at the 10 a.m. opening of the Wallraf das Museum I went in to examine the medieval art, mostly to study the paintings of weapons carry systems of ancient European warriors. Even the religious paintings had a wealth of information on this subject. Right after that I offered up my prayers to God in the Dom, which I have designated as my “official” cathedral when I am in Cologne.

A few days into my Level 1 courses, on June 5 to be exact, knife designer Dietmar Pohl, of the world renowned Pohl Force company, picked me up at my hotel and took me out to dinner at the Mongo’s restaurant a stone’s throw from the Rhine River in Deutz. This popular, always crowded, posh restaurant serves many exotic meats, and I tried for the first time camel meat. I had it barbecued, and it was tasty.  After dinner, just as the sun was setting we, along with Pohl Force photographer Sebastian, took some publicity photos with the Cologne skyline in the background. This is for our new book that we wrote together, which I will announce in July, the same month it will be released on Amazon. Dietmar wrote all of the technical aspects of combat knives (carry systems, types of metals, tip and blade differences, and so forth) and I wrote all about defense and combat with knives. The photography in the book is very high-end quality, and both of us are very proud of this new book. It is a must read for anyone serious about knives. Next month in the news I’ll have more inside information about the book. 

Dietmar Pohl is the man responsible for bringing Reality-Based Personal Protection to Germany, and it was his idea for me to design “the ultimate tactical folder.” The entire history of this “history making” is detailed in my book The Greatest Martial Arts Story Ever Told (Book 2 of 3) on sale on Amazon as a hard copy and also in Kindle version.

Since leaving Böker, after working there 13 years as a designer, Dietmar Pohl has made quite a name for himself in the knife community. I have followed his career with interest, and he has followed mine. I told him, “You are very good at marketing, and you have done very well for yourself. I’m impressed.” He admitted that he had learned a great deal at Böker, which helped him to get where he is today, but he had to follow his dream and strike out on his own. He said, “It wasn’t easy, because I was leaving a secure job” and he continued, “but it has finally paid off.” I’m not an employee of Böker, but I am an independent designer for them, and they manufacture and sell the Jim Wagner Reality Based Blade series, which has been a huge success for the company since 2005, and we have new products coming out soon to add to the series. Also, it was Dietmar’s idea that I start teaching my Knife Survival course in Germany and to design "the ultimate tactical folder." Shortly after that the president of Böker, Carsten Felix, had be teach all of my Reality-Based Personal Protection courses in Germany and made it the company’s official self-defense system. 

When Dietmar and Sebastian dropped me off at my hotel in the evening he surprised me in the hotel lobby with some very nice, and expensive, gifts: the new Pohl Force ALPHA FIVE tactical folder, and the 6-4Ti nonmagnetic tactical titanium diving knife and the Kydex sheath (and since I am a military and police trained diver I’m looking forward to taking this into the water with me), along with some Pohl Force patches and his newest catalog. In return I gave him the RBPP challenge coin and a box of California’s best chocolate – See’s Candies. 

On my last day of teaching Terrorism Survival, on June 7, 2015, the G7 Summit 2015 was held in Bavaria, Germany, and while I was having my breakfast I watched the German news, live, of President Barak Obama landing in Munich and taking Marine One (the presidential helicopter) from the military base to the G7 Summit location. Sitting with a few of my students, who were staying at the same hotel, I told them how just several months ago I was on a military mission in Southern California protecting Marine One, and that I had received a challenge coin from my Marine counterparts assigned to the same mission. However, I did not let the Marines of HMX-1 Squadron leave empty handed, but I gave some of my Jim Wagner Reality Based Blades out. Who knows? Perhaps my knives were present at that very G7 2015 Summit in the cargo pockets or attached to the tactical vests of some of the Devil Dogs protecting the president’s ride. 

On Monday, June 8, 2015, I flew to Amsterdam to catch my airplane home; home to the greatest nation on earth – the “land of the free, and the home of the brave.” However, my stay home in California was short lived. Two days later I was lying on a white sandy beach soaking up the sun in Cancun, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula for a one-week vacation. I stayed at the Royal Solaris Cancun, which was a fabulous hotel that I was very happy with that is located between the Cancún lagoon and the Caribbean Sea (just a few hundred meters across for the entire width of the peninsula). To go into town I’d just walk out to the street in front of the hotel, the Punta Nizuc – Cancún, and for $1 sit in there until telling the driver when I wanted to get off.    

I did do a little work while south of the border. I went to the ancient Maya-Toltec city of Chichén Itzá 200 kilometers deep in the jungle west of Cancún to do a video for my YouTube channel jimwagnerrbpp. The video will be about improvised weapons, and my introduction and parting comments were filmed in front of the Pyramid of Kukulkán. I had to pay $45.00 pesos to the Instituto Nacional de Anthropología e Historia for a permit to videotape. Getting into the park itself on June 12 only slightly more in price at $64 pesos ($4.17 USD). Before and after Chichén Itzá I paid and actor dressed in Mayan warrior garb to hold a traditional Mayan knife I had bought in a fighting stance, and I videotaped other “Mayan warriors” doing various traditional ceremonies. 

Down Under comes to Hollywood

Jim Wagner 

I had found out, before going to my European seminars, that Matt Jones, my former Reality-Based Personal Protection Director of Australia (2007-2008), would be in Los Angeles when I returned from México. We wrote to each other through Facebook and finally got to hook up at a coffee shop in West Hollywood on June 18, 2015. Although I had only set an hour aside to catch up on things, because I had a big family event to go to in Los Angeles, we ended up talking for two hours. It was a nice visit, and I had the opportunity to meet his lovely wife Sarah. 

Through Matt Jones I had the opportunity to teach a Level 1 course in 2007, and then a Level 2 course in 2008. The following year Matt stepped down as the director in order to pursue the MMA craze and teach full time in that. However, when Matt started teaching self-defense again he stuck with Reality-Based Personal Protection and told me, “I tell everyone about your system.” Since Matt had left on honorable terms, unlike some past RBPP directors who “stabbed me in the back” and left dishonorably, Matt and I have stayed good friends. To commemorate our bond I presented him with the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection challenge coin. Matt had never seen a challenge coin before, and so I explained to him the history behind it, and how Böker makes mine. He said, “I love things like this. Thank you very much mate.” 

Spiz-neak iz-nis fiz-nor siz-nale

Jim Wagner 

Just before heading to the Czech Republic and Germany for three different seminars I finished a fun book I was working on called spiz-neak. Not only did I finish it, but it was immediately made available on Amazon in both soft cover and Kindle formats. The full title is spiz-neak: the secret language your parents and teachers won’t understand.

So what does spiz-neak have to do with Reality-Based Personal Protection you may be asking yourself. Well, in the book I go through the history of spiz-neak, and that this secret English-based language is actually something I picked up while I was a patrol police officer for the Costa Mesa Police Department back in the 1990s. Criminals used this language so the police, and others, would not understand them. Over the years the language died out, and on the search engines earlier this year all I could find was a few lines of it. So, I decided to revive this secret language and teach it to my Goddaughters and my twelve-year old nephew and eleven-year-old niece this past winter. They had so much fun with it that I decided to write the book and make the language specifically for children, although anyone could pick up this language easily, and outsiders listening to it won’t understand a word. 

Of course, spiz-neak can be learned and used to communicate in emergency situations, by children and adults alike, where one does not want the bad guys to know what they are saying to a fellow spiz-neak practitioners.