The CVPSD Combatives Training Program

In the world of self-defense, there is a significant gap between "sport" martial arts and "street" survival. Traditional disciplines often focus on points, belts, and rituals. The Center for Violence Prevention and Self Defense (CVPSD) fills this gap with its Combatives Program, a reality-based system designed to be functional, accessible, and evidence-based.

Rather than teaching complex techniques that take years to master, CVPSD focuses on a "Layered Safety Skills" approach. This philosophy assumes that physical combat is a last resort, but when it happens, you must be equipped with high-percentage skills that work under extreme stress.

The CVPSD Combatives Training Program

The Architecture of the Program: ConflictIQ™ Meets Combatives

The CVPSD curriculum is split into two reinforcing tracks. While ConflictIQ™ focuses on the "soft skills" of prevention (psychological awareness and de-escalation), the Combatives track provides the physical tools to end a confrontation.

"True self-defense is 90% prevention and 10% physical reaction. Our goal is to make sure you have the 'Conflict Intelligence' to spot danger before it escalates, and the combative skills to handle the remaining 10%."

Key Pillars of CVPSD Combatives

The program is built on the TenThree Combatives System, which focuses on utilizing 10 "weapons" of the body and targeting 3 critical vulnerabilities to neutralize threats effectively.

1. The 10 Weapons

The system prioritizes gross motor skills movements that are easy to execute even when your fine motor skills fail due to an adrenaline dump.

• Natural Impact Weapons: Hands (palm strikes, hammer fists), elbows, knees, and feet.

  
  

• The Ninth Weapon: Opportunity weapons (using everyday items like a pen, keys, or a bag).

  
  

• The Tenth Weapon: Grappling and ground escape.

  
  

2. The Three Targets

Practitioners are taught to focus on the primary vulnerabilities of the human body. By targeting these areas, a defender can disrupt an attacker's ability to continue the assault, creating a window to escape.

3. Reality-Based Scenarios

Unlike sparring in a ring, CVPSD training assumes:

• The attacker is bigger and stronger.

• The attacker likely has "friends" (multiple aggressors).

• The environment is unpredictable (confined spaces, uneven ground).

The "Layered" Difference

CVPSD distinguishes itself through the Swiss Cheese Principle. Each layer of defense awareness, verbal de-escalation, and physical combatives is a "slice" with its own holes (weaknesses). By stacking these layers, the chance of a threat getting through all of them drops dramatically.

The CVPSD Combatives Training Program

Layer	Focus	Goal
Mindset	Resilience & Worth	Decision-making under pressure.
Awareness	Pre-Attack Indicators	Avoiding the "sucker punch" or ambush.
Verbal	Boundary Setting	De-escalating enragers or predators.
Combatives	Striking & Grappling	Ending the fight and escaping safely.

Who is it for?

Because the program emphasizes gross motor skills over athletic complexity, it is designed for:

• Healthcare Workers: Managing aggressive patients in tight clinical spaces.

• Corporate Teams: Enhancing workplace safety and duty-of-care.

  
  

• The General Public: From teenagers heading to college to professionals commuting in urban environments.

Training for Longevity: The Three Round Rule

CVPSD promotes a sustainable training culture. They employ the "Three Round Rule" to ensure students can train consistently without the high injury rates found in "ego-fueled" gyms:

1. Normal Round: Realistic, controlled pace.

   
   

2. Skill Round: Slowed down to sharpen a specific technique (e.g., a wrist escape).

   
   

3. Coaching Round: Teaching a partner to solidify fundamentals.

   
   

The Critical Edge: Knife and Handgun Defense

In high-stakes encounters involving weapons, the margin for error disappears. The CVPSD approach to knife and handgun defense is built on pragmatic survival rather than cinematic disarms. It acknowledges a harsh reality: in a weapon-based confrontation, the goal is to survive and escape, not to engage in a prolonged struggle.

Edged Weapon Defense: Recognizing the Ritual

Most knife attacks are not "duels"; they are sudden, close-quarter ambushes. CVPSD trains students to recognize the pre-attack indicators that a weapon is present before it is ever drawn:

• The Confirmation Touch: A subconscious habit where an attacker feels their waistband or pocket to ensure the weapon is ready.

• The "Four-Finger" Grip: Spotting a hand in a pocket where only four fingers are visible, suggesting the thumb is wrapped around a handle.

• Blading the Body: The aggressor turning their dominant side away to hide the deployment.

The Physical Strategy: If evasion is impossible, CVPSD utilizes a "Check – Disrupt – Seize – Neutralize" framework. The focus is on using gross motor skills to shield vital organs (protecting the "centerline") and securing a 2-on-1 grip on the weapon limb to isolate the threat while delivering overwhelming counter-strikes.

Handgun Defense: The Last Resort

Handgun defense within the CVPSD curriculum is treated with extreme gravity, categorized strictly as a "Last Resort" when compliance or escape is no longer an option. The training focuses on positional dominance and the physics of the firearm.

• Clearing the Line of Fire: The first movement is always to shift the body out of the weapon’s direct path while simultaneously parrying the barrel.

• Weapon Retention & Control: Using the TenThree principles, students learn to seize the firearm's slide or frame to prevent it from cycling (in the case of semi-automatics) and to gain leverage over the attacker’s wrist.

• Stabilize First, Then Resolve: The program teaches that you cannot "disarm" a focused, resisting attacker until you have disrupted their OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) through physical strikes or environmental distraction.

Note on Legal Awareness: CVPSD emphasizes that the moment a weapon is secured, the legal dynamic shifts. Training includes "Post-Conflict Intelligence," teaching students how to safely disengage, seek cover, and interact with law enforcement to ensure they are identified as the victim, not the aggressor.

The CVPSD Combatives program isn't about winning a trophy; it’s about "going home." By integrating psychological intelligence with brutal physical efficiency, it empowers individuals to navigate a complex world with genuine confidence.