What you can expect of us:

• Our goal is to help our members become proficient at practical, realistic self-protection.
• We believe firmly in a co-operative, helpful, and welcoming learning environment.
• We believe in normal courtesy, respect, and politeness but wholeheartedly reject needless formality–instructors are called by their first names, not “sensei” or “guro” and NEVER “master.” We speak “per du,” not “per Sie.”
• We support ongoing research and inquiry; our curriculum has been developed and tested by people who are far more knowledgable than us, but at the same time we are always striving to improve our training methods and practices. We regularly question WHY and HOW we train, and encourage you to question us as well.
• We want you to understand the goal of each training exercise or module—what you are trying to accomplish via the drill or exercise. We don’t expect our members to be unthinking robots.
• We encourage “aliveness” in our training, not dead patterns or unrealistic robotic movements. We always start slowly (“If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast, either!”) and over time build speed, intensity, and resistance as the methods are “pressure tested.”

What we ask of you:

• Every human being is afraid of something, and has various weaknesses. As you train, you will recognize your fears and weaknesses, as we recognize ours. This is a natural part of any learning process. Embrace this reality, learn from it, and benefit from it.
• Keep an open mind.
• If you don’t understand something, ask questions.
• Don’t worry if you can’t perform as well as you wish to in the beginning. Proficiency comes only with time and repetition. We are all students all of the time, and beginners some of the time.
• Show respect to your training partners. They are a very important part of your development as a Combatives practitioner.
• Stay focused on the training; we are only together a few hours per week, so attention to that week’s training is very important. Leave the outside world behind while you train.
• Training outside of class is very important. We encourage you to train with others in your private time, and further practice the skills you learn in our training. We also encourage your involvement & training in at least one combat sport such as MMA, BJJ, wrestling, judo, boxing, Muay Thai, etc. Developing this “athletic base” is very helpful in your progress as a student of self-protection.
• If you have an injury that prevents you from doing a certain exercise, skip that exercise until you heal.
• Needless to say, personal hygiene is very important. Also, keep your fingernails trimmed short! Broken or ripped fingernails are not good. 
• Please pay your monthly or weekly dues ON TIME. Please!