The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

“Stay ‘unreasonable.’  If you
don’t like the solutions [available to you], come up with your
own.” 
Dan Webre

The Martialist does not
constitute legal advice.  It is for ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY.

Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.

Split Second Survival with Larry Wick

A Product Review of First Strike, First Cut, First
Shot, by Phil Elmore

If I noticed advertisements for
Split Second
Survival (SSS) at all before a reader brought it to my attention, I
likely dismissed the program as another over-hyped “fear no man” magazine
snake oil package designed to dupe the inexperienced into buying an
unrealistic self-defense program.  When a reader brought the First
Strike, First Cut, and First Shot DVDs to my attention,
I figured I had nothing to lose by contacting the company.  I was
pleasantly surprised, then, to get a phone call from Larry Wick (who
devised the SSS program and is himslf a ranked Tang Soo Do instructor). 
Larry was only too happy to send The Martialist copies of the
videos for examination.  I was even more pleasantly surprised,
however, to find that I really liked the the program.

Split Second Survival’s First Strike,
First Cut, and First Shot
are no-nonsense, practical self-defense DVDs.

The SSS program, Larry insists, is not a martial art –
though even when he is panning what he sees as deficiencies in the martial
arts, Larry is very respectful of them.  Over his years of training,
he explains, he has devised this program of practical self-defense to be
used for realistic street survival.  Such a system must be applied
extremely quickly, Larry explains, and it must have as its premises the
threat of weapons and of multiple attackers.  This concept is driven
home time and time again throughout the videos.  All of Larry’s
movements are performed in this context.  You must assume
there is more than one attacker and act accordingly, Larry emphasizes –
and you must assume any of your attackers could have a knife or a gun.

The First Strike DVD comprises defense against
unarmed attackers, using your bare hands or an improvised weapon like a
comb or a pen.  (Larry includes free licensed SSS gifts with each
First Strike DVD, in fact – appropriately enough, a plastic comb and a
ballpoint pen.)  First Cut is devoted to unarmed defenses
against knife attacks.  First Shot is concerned with unarmed
defenses against firearms.  In all cases in this first tier of the
SSS series (Larry explained to me that he plans to offer more advanced DVDs
as he progresses through Second Strike, Second Cut, and so
on) the defenses assumed an unskilled attacker.  
First Strike involves a lot of grabs, basic moving attacks (punches
and so on), and some groundfighting (including when you’re mounted and
when you’re on top).  The other DVDs are devoted primarily to
situations in which you’re being threatened by someone who is using a
knife or a gun to get something from you.

Among the very basic items that can be employed
for self-defense is
the ordinary pocket comb, which Larry demonstrates in the DVD.

These are professionally produced DVDs – among the best
I’ve seen in terms of production values.  There are plenty of changes
in camera angles, special effects, blends, graphic overlays, music, and
anything else a viewer could want, all while maintaining good visibility
and audibility.  At no time did I have any trouble seeing the action
(Larry’s SSS cap shields his eyes now and again, but this is a minor
quibble) and I could hear everything without difficulty (though there are
the inevitable moments when a training partner muffles Larry’s voice by
covering his microphone during a grapple). I am not overly fond of the
camouflage netting used for a background (it is a little to dark), but on
balance I can count on my hands the number of videos I’ve seen that were
this slickly composed.

Given that this is a three DVD set I had originally
planned a rather lengthy review of each component of each video. 
What I realized, however, was that the SSS program is essentially very
simple – a principle-based series whose instructional design is very good
and whose concepts are easily absorbed.  All three DVDs follow the
same basic pattern.  Larry introduces the series, repeats his
warnings about multiple attackers and weapons, debunks some common martial
arts defenses he claims will not work, and then presents the SSS approach
to dealing with being attacked or threatened.  He emphasizes legal
repercussions and argues for restraint in the use of force (which will
displease those viewers who believe in applying maximum aggression
preemptively).

The principles on which Split Second Survival is based
are entirely compatible with the martial arts and combative programs I
have already studied, which is why my impression of this program is so
favorable.  Larry asserts that you must keep your
hands up (and know how to use both hands
simultaneously), stay relaxed, move forward constantly (what combatives
exponents would call forward drive), and move
quickly to take the initiative.  Larry argues against kicking,
saying it is too difficult to manage on variable terrain, and performs
only a few simple empty-hand blows
(targeting the vulnerable neck area most often).  He understands that
you cannot fight force with force and he
urges you not to lock up.  He flows smoothly and quickly as he moves,
keeping his body relaxed to avoid jerking (which he says will alert the
attacker to your intentions).  He is comfortable on camera, ad-libs
without difficulty as he walks you through the program, and performs his
techniques with speed.  I don’t know as I’d call Larry’s voice a
“radio voice” by any means, but he’s not a bad narrator at all.

The basic SSS readiness program involves simply
remaining aware of your surroundings, coming forward to attack the neck
and throat when you are attacked, and gaining just enough advantage to
flee.  “This series has nothing to do with fighting,” Larry says. 
He wants you to get away – but to do so, you attack your
attacker.  Time and time again he emphasizes that you cannot afford
to attempt elaborate, complicated moves in a self-defense scenario.

Perhaps it is a guilty pleasure, but I found the
segments of the DVDS in which Larry criticizes other martial arts
techniques to be the most interesting.  His own mechanics are fairly
straightforward and in keeping with what I already advocate (for the most
part), so it was fascinating to see him pick apart the things other arts
teach that he doesn’t believe will work.

First Strike includes (as mentioned) the use of
the comb and pen as improvised weapons, defenses against attackers who are
moving in on you, and some groundfighting.  First Cut follows
the same basic pattern, but with topics specific to the blade.  Larry
advocates using a light, two-finger touch when redirecting knives (he
urges you not to grab the weapon limb) and will probably annoy some
viewers with his exhortation to comply with a would-be mugger if this will
prevent a robbery at knife-point from becoming violent.  Larry urges
the viewer (both in First Cut and First Shot) not to focus
on the weapon, but on the man wielding it, when defending against an
attack.  He also urges the viewer to stay in contact with the
attacker (Chinese martial art practitioners will chuckle at this as they
recall the number of times they’ve been told to “stay sticky”)

First Cut covers “basic moving knife” (the lunge,
for example) and basic rear attacks before closing with demonstrations of
various drills you can do to work on your skills.  First shot does
the same, covering basic front attacks, rear attacks, and long guns after
Larry runs through his usually debunking of some popular defenses. (Larry
even criticizes a firearms defense or two that I explain
here).  I very much liked the
unarmed and armed methods of First Strike, but I was a little more
wary of the techniques in First Cut and First Shot. 
Weapons defenses are extremely risky as it is, and as Larry demonstrates
defending against multiple knives held to his body (or against multiple
firearms pointing at him in true Reservoir Dogs fashion) I have to
admit I’m not sure I could pull this off without ending up a perforated
mess.  Viewers will have to take what they can from what is
demonstrated, which affords much opportunity to absorb useful material.

My only criticism of the instructional presentation of
this video lies in the way the techniques are demonstrated.  Each
technique (or each expression of the same basic principles) takes place
fairly quickly.  While the many repetitions and demonstrates help
reinforce to the viewer what is taking place, some slow motion sequences
breaking down the action might help beginners get up to speed.  The
drills Larry suggests seem to me very necessary to internalize the
program, particularly for beginners who might not “get” what they’re
seeing.  Those who have performed similar movements in other styles
and systems will grasp immediately the concepts presented.

Despite these criticisms, I make no secret of my
positive opinion of Split Second Survival.  I came to the series with
very low expectations and instead was thrilled to see Larry Wick espouse,
for the most part, the very self-defense principles in which I believe. 
No DVD can be all things to all people, and no amount of video instruction
can take the place of hands-on training, but I was extremely pleased to
see just how much Mr. Wick and his associates got right in building
this program.

It is with pleasure that The
Martialist endorses Split Second Survival.