Has anyone tried this method from Tim Larkin? It’s supposed to be really lethal but looking at the seminar prices it is quite steep. Any feedback from those who have tried it will be much appreciated since I am considering it.
Looked up his shit. Looks like the typical bullshit “Close quarters master killer commando former Navy Seal/Army Ranger/SAS veteran who now teaches the Moroccan Navy how to kill” crap.
Fact is, I’m sure his techniques are nothing new, and when he’s charging nearly a thousand dollars for a two day seminar you’d be a fool to even consider it.
Besides that, Matt Furey endorses him, and he’s the biggest marketing blowjobber on the planet. Even bigger incentive to stay away.
Anytime you’re looking at an “Self defense” guru’s page, watch how many times you have to scroll down before the price of whatever he’s selling comes up. The longer it takes, the more bullshit there is.
Ironically enough, he wrote an article about knifefighting on this very website long ago. You can tell he’s a bullshitter just from the way he writes.
Bottom line, just stay away.
If you want to learn self-defense, then find a good local martial arts school that teaches it.
from my point of view, i’m always curious how these super deadly spec ops things can even be taught? i mean, if everything you learn is incredibly violent and likely to cause injury, or death, then a)how can you train and b)what’s the civil liabilty?
most likely he’s one of the (many) people that scam people with the deadly military fighting arts…
granted, the USMC and Army are doing quite a bit more hand to hand training now, but it’s essentially MMA based. i thought i was pretty good at that sutff in training, but when i rolled with real BJJ guys, i got schooled.
and in reality, all front-line grunts and Spec-Ops types have a limted time to train hand to hand. most of thier training is on shooting, conditioning, tatics, etc…
it doesn’t come up very often in war when you have to judo-chop somebody in the neck.
just my .02
Cyco
btw, i just read through that article…
he says most knife attacks are intiailly slashing-type attacks. in the vast majority of knife injuries i’ve seen, almost all were stabs. and whenever i see someone pick up a knife in an aggressive stance, it’s almost always in the “ice-pick” grip.
but maybe i’m just weird…
[quote]JayJay Lopez wrote:
Has anyone tried this method from Tim Larkin? It’s supposed to be really lethal but looking at the seminar prices it is quite steep. Any feedback from those who have tried it will be much appreciated since I am considering it. [/quote]
While I appreciate the fact that the other people that replied think they know what they’re talking about, clearly they have no fucking idea. If I’m not mistaken you specifically asked for opinions from individuals that had tried TFT.
Now, since I have spent the money and taken the time to attend the seminar; If I may, I would suggest a couple of things.
First, take advantage of the free resources that they offer on the website. They offer a free DVD, a free newsletter, I believe they offer a free e-book on the site. If not, pm me and I’ll email it to you.
Second, feel free to call them. I’ve rarely seen an organization as committed to making sure you’re satisfied. Lonnie does a great job with customer service.
In my opinion when there are individuals that comment on something that they’ve never experienced, it is a sure sign that they’ve become cynical. Cynical is just another word for lazy, because when that person becomes cynical it just allows them an easy way to not think for themselves.
Now having actually been in combat, fighting for my life, I can assure you that there is nothing “sport” about actual combat. And I think that this is where most people make the mistake.
If you want to learn combat… not combat “sports” it is a very, very bad idea to “just go to your local martial arts club”. What the vast majority of them teach is tournament skills.
Tournament skills will get you killed in the real world.
Anybody that is on this forum that has real combat experience will tell you flat out that you get in real life whatever you practice.
Now I would explain what TFT does to bypass this neurological fact, but then that would absolve you from learning for yourself.
What separates TFT from most (not all, but most) other systems is that more than anything else it utilizes your most powerful weapon with exceptional ability.
Oh, by the way, Tim Larkin specifically says in both the live programs and his DVD series that TFT is not “his”. He learned a lot of the principle from another individual and continued to hone and refine the principles both himself as well as with his instructors.
I’ve been involved in martial arts (JKD, TKD, Isshinryu), and learning combat skills for nearly 30 years now. TFT is the most well organized, codified and functional skill set currently in existence that I’ve come across.
And as far as cost is concerned, I can understand that it may seem expensive, but how much is your life worth? Now I know that sounds like hyperbole but it’s real. If that’s too much hype for you how about this. How much is your mindset and self-confidence worth? Notice I didn’t ask how much is it worth knowing that you can kill someone. That’s because as I said TFT is not JUST about skill set. It starts with proper psychology.
The folks at TFT are always running specials. I mean when I went it was half-off. Lately they’ve been allowing a second person to come for only 250 dollars. If cost is really an issue I recommend you get one of the DVD series and learn the best you can from it. Maybe you can find another person that wants to learn it with you and split the cost. Hell is 17 DVD set is only 500 dollars, that’s only 250 per person. Or if you can get more people involved… well hell you get the idea.
And I’m pretty sure you can find pricing information for his seminars on the seminars page on the website. Go figure. God forbid anybody should actually market their products in a successful way. Thank God T-Nation never markets their products to us. Ewww, sales, how disgusting. Jesus, grow the fuck up!
If you would like more information pm me and I’ll answer what I can.
WarriorSage
[quote]Warriorsage wrote:
JayJay Lopez wrote:
Has anyone tried this method from Tim Larkin? It’s supposed to be really lethal but looking at the seminar prices it is quite steep. Any feedback from those who have tried it will be much appreciated since I am considering it.
While I appreciate the fact that the other people that replied think they know what they’re talking about, clearly they have no fucking idea. If I’m not mistaken you specifically asked for opinions from individuals that had tried TFT.
Now, since I have spent the money and taken the time to attend the seminar; If I may, I would suggest a couple of things.
First, take advantage of the free resources that they offer on the website. They offer a free DVD, a free newsletter, I believe they offer a free e-book on the site. If not, pm me and I’ll email it to you.
Second, feel free to call them. I’ve rarely seen an organization as committed to making sure you’re satisfied. Lonnie does a great job with customer service.
In my opinion when there are individuals that comment on something that they’ve never experienced, it is a sure sign that they’ve become cynical. Cynical is just another word for lazy, because when that person becomes cynical it just allows them an easy way to not think for themselves.
Now having actually been in combat, fighting for my life, I can assure you that there is nothing “sport” about actual combat. And I think that this is where most people make the mistake.
If you want to learn combat… not combat “sports” it is a very, very bad idea to “just go to your local martial arts club”. What the vast majority of them teach is tournament skills.
Tournament skills will get you killed in the real world.
Anybody that is on this forum that has real combat experience will tell you flat out that you get in real life whatever you practice.
Now I would explain what TFT does to bypass this neurological fact, but then that would absolve you from learning for yourself.
What separates TFT from most (not all, but most) other systems is that more than anything else it utilizes your most powerful weapon with exceptional ability.
Oh, by the way, Tim Larkin specifically says in both the live programs and his DVD series that TFT is not “his”. He learned a lot of the principle from another individual and continued to hone and refine the principles both himself as well as with his instructors.
I’ve been involved in martial arts (JKD, TKD, Isshinryu), and learning combat skills for nearly 30 years now. TFT is the most well organized, codified and functional skill set currently in existence that I’ve come across.
And as far as cost is concerned, I can understand that it may seem expensive, but how much is your life worth? Now I know that sounds like hyperbole but it’s real. If that’s too much hype for you how about this. How much is your mindset and self-confidence worth? Notice I didn’t ask how much is it worth knowing that you can kill someone. That’s because as I said TFT is not JUST about skill set. It starts with proper psychology.
The folks at TFT are always running specials. I mean when I went it was half-off. Lately they’ve been allowing a second person to come for only 250 dollars. If cost is really an issue I recommend you get one of the DVD series and learn the best you can from it. Maybe you can find another person that wants to learn it with you and split the cost. Hell is 17 DVD set is only 500 dollars, that’s only 250 per person. Or if you can get more people involved… well hell you get the idea.
And I’m pretty sure you can find pricing information for his seminars on the seminars page on the website. Go figure. God forbid anybody should actually market their products in a successful way. Thank God T-Nation never markets their products to us. Ewww, sales, how disgusting. Jesus, grow the fuck up!
If you would like more information pm me and I’ll answer what I can.
WarriorSage
[/quote]
Ahh so you’re definitely on the payroll.
Hell, this might be supersecret killer tim larkin himself for all we know.
Unless, of course, he’s coming up behind us right now…
Say what you want, but any motherfucker that is trying to con $1000 out of someone for a two-day seminar… OP, do you what you like bro, but if you do this shit you will be conned out of a lot of money.
And this cocksucker above will have to find some other way to make his commission.
[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:
from my point of view, i’m always curious how these super deadly spec ops things can even be taught? i mean, if everything you learn is incredibly violent and likely to cause injury, or death, then a)how can you train and b)what’s the civil liabilty?
most likely he’s one of the (many) people that scam people with the deadly military fighting arts…
granted, the USMC and Army are doing quite a bit more hand to hand training now, but it’s essentially MMA based. i thought i was pretty good at that sutff in training, but when i rolled with real BJJ guys, i got schooled.
and in reality, all front-line grunts and Spec-Ops types have a limted time to train hand to hand. most of thier training is on shooting, conditioning, tatics, etc…
it doesn’t come up very often in war when you have to judo-chop somebody in the neck.
just my .02
Cyco[/quote]
Agreed.
Jay-jay,
I’ve never had the chance to train with Larkin, nor do I own any of his DVD’s. But 1,000 dollars for a two day seminar is obscene.
Just to give you some frame of reference my instructor is holding his annual conference this May in Massachussetts. The cost is around $320 for 3 full days of training. If you sign up early you can get it for only $197.
Instructors include:
Joe Lewis- former multiple time world champion kickboxer/karate champ as well as one of the best striking coaches in the world
Walt Lysak Jr.- life long martial artist, one of the leading authorities on real world self defense, combative trainer to the Green Berets/swat/LEO’s/military personnel, coach to numerous grappling and MMA fighers (including Maurice Smith when he beat Mark Coleman for the UFC heavyweight title)
Rich Ryan- One of the head instructors at Gunsite, trainer of numerous law enforcement/swat/military personnel, one of the leading (if not the best) edged weapons trainers on the planet, real world self defense authority
Michael DePasquale Jr.- Son of the Jiu-Jitsu pioneer and one of the founding fathers of JJ in America. One of the true greats when it comes to JJ.
Rodney Smith- Olympic bronze medalist in Greco Roman wrestling.
Charlie Lysak- strongest hands in the Martial Arts, incredible strength and conditioning coach, incredibly skilled martial artist
Other possible instructors (have no idea who is scheduled to come this year other than the above instructors):
Bill Wallace- former world champion kickboxer
Tony Blauer- trainer to numerous swat/LEO/military personnel
Mark Hatmaker- catch wrestling authority
Kelly Worden
Lamar Davis 11
So in other words, numerous highly sought after Martial Artists with centuries of experience between them, many the leading (or at least a leading) authority in their field. All of this for 1/3-1/5 of the price that Larkin is charging.
I definitely wouldn’t pay $1,000 for a day less and only training with 1 (not as accomplished) instructor , but hey do what you want, it’s your money.
^^^ That’s a pretty sweet lineup
agreed.
i’d pay like 63 bucks.
max
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
Jay-jay,
I’ve never had the chance to train with Larkin, nor do I own any of his DVD’s. But 1,000 dollars for a two day seminar is obscene.
Just to give you some frame of reference my instructor is holding his annual conference this May in Massachussetts. The cost is around $320 for 3 full days of training. If you sign up early you can get it for only $197.
Instructors include:
Joe Lewis- former multiple time world champion kickboxer/karate champ as well as one of the best striking coaches in the world
Walt Lysak Jr.- life long martial artist, one of the leading authorities on real world self defense, combative trainer to the Green Berets/swat/LEO’s/military personnel, coach to numerous grappling and MMA fighers (including Maurice Smith when he beat Mark Coleman for the UFC heavyweight title)
Rich Ryan- One of the head instructors at Gunsite, trainer of numerous law enforcement/swat/military personnel, one of the leading (if not the best) edged weapons trainers on the planet, real world self defense authority
Michael DePasquale Jr.- Son of the Jiu-Jitsu pioneer and one of the founding fathers of JJ in America. One of the true greats when it comes to JJ.
Rodney Smith- Olympic bronze medalist in Greco Roman wrestling.
Charlie Lysak- strongest hands in the Martial Arts, incredible strength and conditioning coach, incredibly skilled martial artist
Other possible instructors (have no idea who is scheduled to come this year other than the above instructors):
Bill Wallace- former world champion kickboxer
Tony Blauer- trainer to numerous swat/LEO/military personnel
Mark Hatmaker- catch wrestling authority
Kelly Worden
Lamar Davis 11
So in other words, numerous highly sought after Martial Artists with centuries of experience between them, many the leading (or at least a leading) authority in their field. All of this for 1/3-1/5 of the price that Larkin is charging.
I definitely wouldn’t pay $1,000 for a day less and only training with 1 (not as accomplished) instructor , but hey do what you want, it’s your money.[/quote]
sounds good!
i forgot to mention that a couple of my buddies are going to the ILEETA seminar soon, and Tony Blauer, Masood Ayoob, etc are all gonna be there. i don’t recall the price, but i know it’s quite a bit cheaper, and it’s a who’s who of CQB and defensive tatics instrucotrs.
something like that would be worth the oney to me, mainly because i’m not learning jsut one thing, but a whole bucnh of ideas. some might work for me, and some might not…
Oops, crap I meant to say that the conference was in August, not May (though I believe that the cut off date for the early registration/discount is in May).
If anyone is interested in coming let me know. I know that there is limited space for outside students.
[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:
Jay-jay,
I’ve never had the chance to train with Larkin, nor do I own any of his DVD’s. But 1,000 dollars for a two day seminar is obscene.
Just to give you some frame of reference my instructor is holding his annual conference this May in Massachussetts. The cost is around $320 for 3 full days of training. If you sign up early you can get it for only $197.
Instructors include:
Joe Lewis- former multiple time world champion kickboxer/karate champ as well as one of the best striking coaches in the world
Walt Lysak Jr.- life long martial artist, one of the leading authorities on real world self defense, combative trainer to the Green Berets/swat/LEO’s/military personnel, coach to numerous grappling and MMA fighers (including Maurice Smith when he beat Mark Coleman for the UFC heavyweight title)
Rich Ryan- One of the head instructors at Gunsite, trainer of numerous law enforcement/swat/military personnel, one of the leading (if not the best) edged weapons trainers on the planet, real world self defense authority
Michael DePasquale Jr.- Son of the Jiu-Jitsu pioneer and one of the founding fathers of JJ in America. One of the true greats when it comes to JJ.
Rodney Smith- Olympic bronze medalist in Greco Roman wrestling.
Charlie Lysak- strongest hands in the Martial Arts, incredible strength and conditioning coach, incredibly skilled martial artist
Other possible instructors (have no idea who is scheduled to come this year other than the above instructors):
Bill Wallace- former world champion kickboxer
Tony Blauer- trainer to numerous swat/LEO/military personnel
Mark Hatmaker- catch wrestling authority
Kelly Worden
Lamar Davis 11
So in other words, numerous highly sought after Martial Artists with centuries of experience between them, many the leading (or at least a leading) authority in their field. All of this for 1/3-1/5 of the price that Larkin is charging.
I definitely wouldn’t pay $1,000 for a day less and only training with 1 (not as accomplished) instructor , but hey do what you want, it’s your money.
sounds good!
i forgot to mention that a couple of my buddies are going to the ILEETA seminar soon, and Tony Blauer, Masood Ayoob, etc are all gonna be there. i don’t recall the price, but i know it’s quite a bit cheaper, and it’s a who’s who of CQB and defensive tatics instrucotrs.
something like that would be worth the oney to me, mainly because i’m not learning jsut one thing, but a whole bucnh of ideas. some might work for me, and some might not…
[/quote]
Exactly, you’re learning from a number of different effective sources. You’re bound to find things that you like, and yeah probably some that you don’t think fit you all that well, but are still effective.
You’re also training in numerous arsenals (grappling, striking, weapons, etc…) and for different scenarios (one of the most fun and eye opening seminars last year was on multiple opponents with Mr. Ryan).
The really cool thing is that there are foundational principles which run through what everyone teaches (even though they’re technically different systems) which actually make the systems blend together pretty well.
TFT would have you believe that a system taught in only 2-3 days “works” in dealing with a violent encounter when the participants have absolutely no experience of applying the system against a non compliant aggressive opponent.
I am amazed at the over confidence exhibited by people who having taken the TFT course think that they have all they need to handle a violent confrontation.
The methodology of training involves slow motion strikes without significant contact or stress/adrenaline experience and control.
Essentially you practise the striking or the “destruction” of vulnerable targets with you opponent “reacting” to the damage of each strike to provide you with further striking opportunities.
By analogy the approach seems to be that you have been given a gun which once you have been taught how to fire it will work effectively regardless of the opposition and which does not need constant practice.
To be convinced by this you need to buy into the idea that your grandmother can incapacitate Fedor with a poke to the eye. That contains an element of truth even if it is not something that you would bet your life on or on her being able to finish the job if she did miraculously pull it off.
[quote]peterm533 wrote:
TFT would have you believe that a system taught in only 2-3 days “works” in dealing with a violent encounter when the participants have absolutely no experience of applying the system against a non compliant aggressive opponent.
I am amazed at the over confidence exhibited by people who having taken the TFT course think that they have all they need to handle a violent confrontation.
The methodology of training involves slow motion strikes without significant contact or stress/adrenaline experience and control.
Essentially you practise the striking or the “destruction” of vulnerable targets with you opponent “reacting” to the damage of each strike to provide you with further striking opportunities.
By analogy the approach seems to be that you have been given a gun which once you have been taught how to fire it will work effectively regardless of the opposition and which does not need constant practice.
[/quote]
Exactly. This syndrome is called, “I have a hammer, so everything must be a nail.”
I’m far from a great fighter but if you put me in with some CPA that thinks he’s hot shit because he took a fucking two day seminar, I’d look like Sugar Ray in there.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Ahh so you’re definitely on the payroll.
Hell, this might be supersecret killer tim larkin himself for all we know.
Unless, of course, he’s coming up behind us right now…
Say what you want, but any motherfucker that is trying to con $1000 out of someone for a two-day seminar… OP, do you what you like bro, but if you do this shit you will be conned out of a lot of money.
And this cocksucker above will have to find some other way to make his commission.
[/quote]
ITT best post.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Ahh so you’re definitely on the payroll.
Hell, this might be supersecret killer tim larkin himself for all we know.
Unless, of course, he’s coming up behind us right now…
Say what you want, but any motherfucker that is trying to con $1000 out of someone for a two-day seminar… OP, do you what you like bro, but if you do this shit you will be conned out of a lot of money.
And this cocksucker above will have to find some other way to make his commission.
[/quote]
On the other hand, can’t knock the dude for getting paid. Sounds like BS to me, but hey, if he can find a bunch of people to pay $1000 for a 2-day seminar and they all come away satisfied with the product they got, then there’s really nothing wrong with that. As weird as it sounds, I think that some people WANT to pay $1000 for some top-secret l33t training seminar as it makes them feel more special.
I suppose you could say it’s a little ethically irresponsible to make people think they are equipped for deadly combat after a 2-day seminar, but nowadays there’s a lot bigger fish to fry I think.
[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
Ahh so you’re definitely on the payroll.
Hell, this might be supersecret killer tim larkin himself for all we know.
Unless, of course, he’s coming up behind us right now…
Say what you want, but any motherfucker that is trying to con $1000 out of someone for a two-day seminar… OP, do you what you like bro, but if you do this shit you will be conned out of a lot of money.
And this cocksucker above will have to find some other way to make his commission.
On the other hand, can’t knock the dude for getting paid. Sounds like BS to me, but hey, if he can find a bunch of people to pay $1000 for a 2-day seminar and they all come away satisfied with the product they got, then there’s really nothing wrong with that. As weird as it sounds, I think that some people WANT to pay $1000 for some top-secret l33t training seminar as it makes them feel more special.
I suppose you could say it’s a little ethically irresponsible to make people think they are equipped for deadly combat after a 2-day seminar, but nowadays there’s a lot bigger fish to fry I think.
[/quote]
Nowadays there’s bigger fish to fry? What the hell does that mean?
Yea, I can blame him for that. Because the next time some fuckin CPA who took his class gets confronted with a knife wielding mugger, he’s going to have just enough confidence to get him stabbed and killed.
This guy is a straight up con man, as are most of the bullshit artists who “sell” self-defense. How they sleep at night is beyond me