Hard Target Self Defence

 

 

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” Sun Tzu

 

 

Regular "Reality Based" Self Defence Classes - Dublin & Nationwide.

Hello and welcome to Hard Target Self Defence Systems. As you are now on our home page, I assume like the majority of our population you are concerned about your personal safety. Through research we know that from the large number of people who search for self defence training in Dublin and Ireland, only a small number take the next step, and actually book a course.

The main reason for this is FEAR.

• Fear of the unknown
• Fear of change
• Fear of failure
• Fear of not being fit enough
• Fear of being to young or old
• Fear of Fear

Here at Hard Target, I and my fellow instructors are completely aware of how the new student feels when entering our classes. We have all experienced that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach. Even the thought of just clicking on the link to book the course can cause adrenaline release.

Well you will be glad to know that everyone feels the same- this is a fact. This is what we call pre-booking nerves.

PRE BOOKING NERVES???

Don’t worry, here at Hard Target, we fully understand that nervousness is part and parcel of life. It has a huge bearing on the decision you may make as to whether to book a course with us. After all you feel anxious about getting involved in something new, but hear this, everyone does! I’m going to say that again, everybody suffers from pre booking & pre course nerves - It is entirely natural !

As hard as it is to believe…as human beings we will often find, or look for excuses NOT to do something we really DO want to do! We have all been guilty of that and we know it! Every single one of us suffer from apprehension, we fear we won’t be up to the task. We tell ourselves we won’t be good enough. We may look at the task ahead, and put it off to another day, then another and another. We will look for reasons not to do the things we want to do!

‘Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin’!

How do we know all this? Because people who have attended our courses all admit to experiencing such emotions before they booked and before they come along. Looking for reasons not to follow through is a common human trait…but remember not one person has ever started anything new without experiencing the 'butterflies'

It is a natural human condition. Every person reading this experiences the same doubts and anxiety about following through with a booking as you do now, so don't for a second think it’s only you! Once again, you must realise, such feelings are entirely natural.

We regularly sabotage our own potential for growth in all facets of our life by giving in to these unwarranted fears. We need to learn to use those feelings as an incentive to act rather than as a reason not to act. This is often referred to as conquering your fears. (This too, is covered in our courses)

So when you’re thinking of booking and you feel that flutter in the stomach, don’t see it as nerves but rather see it as excitement, a call to action. Don’t imagine it as ‘butterflies’, instead envision it as a black panther stirring inside you, waiting to be unleashed!! And hey, if that doesn’t work you can always drop us an email or give us a call to discuss any concerns you may have.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!

 

Many of our citizens now believe they are more likely than at anytime in the history of our state to experience an unprovoked violent attack!

A recent TV show ‘Lawless Ireland‘ caused concern for many people. Since the programme was aired we have had many enquiries from all over the country from concerned citizens wishing to learn skills to defend themselves or their loved should the need arise. The majority of the calls we received have been from women. Here at Hard Target we also offer women only self defence classes as well as mixed classes.

Sadly there has never been a greater need to learn to defend yourself against the most COMMON ATTACKS on the streets of Lawless Ireland.
These are listed in order of frequency.

• A swinging punch to the head.
• A front clothing grab, one handed, followed by punch to the head.
• A front grab, two hands, followed by a head butt.
• A front grab, two hands, followed by a knee to the groin.
• A bottle or glass to the head.
• A kick to groin/lower legs.
• A broken bottle/glass jabbed to face.
• A slash with knife.
• A head lock.

Such incidents are likely to involve alcohol or drugs, and are most likely take place in bars, late night shops, take aways, at taxi ranks, bus stops or ATMs.

As a HARD TARGET student you will learn more than just fighting techniques, you will learn the all important awareness skills that will help you to avoid these attacks. You will learn to see and understand the Pre Incident Indicators of a potential attacker. You will learn pre-emptive moves to counteract a potential attacker.

The HARD TARGET system has been designed to be easily taught, to be easily retained and consists only of techniques that can be employed to work under pressure for you regardless of your current fitness or ability. Can we make you a black belt in a weekend? No. Of course not. But we can we give you the skills and the mind-set that will make you a harder target on the streets of ‘Lawless Ireland’

 

 

 

Our Affiliations

Articles & Media

Irish Fighter Article December 2008 by Aidan Carroll

t was a warm humid day in June when I landed in Birmingham airport for the first day of my master class instructor course with Geoff Thompson. Myself and two of my assistant instructors( Paul Byrne & Sharon Hutchinson) in the Hard Target Self Defence systems had traveled from Dublin to be very kindly collected by my old mate Steve Maycock form Krav Maga Birmingham. Steve has been teaching martial arts and self defence for over 25 years-many refer to Steve as the encyclopedia of martial arts, and anyone who met Steve will vouch for this.......Read More of the Irish Fighter Article

 

Christmas - Some Thoughts by Tony Somers

Christmas is nearly upon us once again, where does the time go? I don't know the answer to that question but its enough to know that time is rapidly passing and what are we doing with this precious commodity?......Read More From Tony Somers

 

Make Yourself a Hard Target by Aidan Carroll

It’s a cold January morning at 8am and I have just arrived at gym to set up the equipment for my latest 6 week self defence course. The class starts at 10am, but I like to get in early to get the training area ready to go for the 10 o’clock start. It also gives me some time to have a cup of tea and a chat with some of the new students.......Read More About Becoming a Hard Target

 

My Journey Into Fear by Jonny Figgis - Hard Target Self Defence Instructor

Fear gets to all of us at different stages and for different reasons. Sometimes it immobilizes us in the workplace, in the home, on the street and can raise its ugly head in situations ranging from making speeches to vicious encounters........Read More About My Journey Into Fear

 

The OODA Loop

The OODA loop is probably best described as an information processing system. The term itself is an acronym for OBSERVE ORIENT DECIDE ACT........Read More About the OODA Loop