The Study Group does not include any live fire or live blades. Various training weapons, impact tools; red/blue guns; knives, are used to complement the open hand, grappling based fighting and weapons retention techniques.

The Study Group is comprised of students/practitioners with varying levels of experience and backgrounds. There is not a formal curriculum, rather the Group is a laboratory to practice techniques, ask questions of the group, experiment, and pressure test techniques in a safe environment.  

Some of the areas that we explore and work, in a weapons based environment:

• Priorities of work, as taught by Deeds of Arms, LLC

• Standing and ground based grappling

• Striking

• Clinch & Pummeling

• Take downs

• Standing from a grounded position

• In Fight Weapons Access, a Shivworks Collective concept, as taught by Deeds of Arms, LLC

• Defense against an opponent with a weapon 

• Protecting your weapon from an opponent that is trying to take it

• Small impact weapons (saps and black jacks)

• The concepts and principles of Managing Unknown Contacts, as taught by the Shivworks Collective

• The concept of using a Fence, as developed and taught be Geoff Thompson

• Knife Control Concepts, as taught be Aaron Jannetti of Knife Control Concepts, LLC

Everyone in the Group brings their own experiences and previous training to the Group, which in turn gets better with the sharing of these experiences and the techniques brought in from these other events. Members of the Group come from all walks of life, there are current or former law enforcement; current or former military; former professional fighters; teachers; Doctors; Mothers and Father; but they are all Citizens concerned with the safety and protection of themselves and their loved ones.