Taking Back Our Neighborhoods: Down the Barrel of a Gun

By Ursula Madden - bio | email

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) – Self-defense instructors will tell you never fight for your property, but if the attacker wants your life, fight back.

If someone pulled a gun on you, would you know what to do?  What if that gun was touching your forehead?  Or if you were forced to kneel down, execution style?  It may seem like a no win scenario, but Krav Maga instructor Patrick Terry says there are four steps you need to know, that can help you get out alive.

“It will not matter, where ever the gun is on me, this redirection is what will save you,” Terry said.

The first step to staying alive is to redirect a gun away from you.  Next, move the gun to the attacker’s body.  Then, try to get aggressive by striking the attacker.

“I want to shut down the command center that’s behind that weapon,” Terry said.

Now that you’ve redirected the gun, gotten control of the gun, and made an aggressive counter attack, it’s time to take away the gun.   But, according to Terry, remember that once you decide to fight, you have to commit and follow through.

“Nothing else matters,” he said. ‘If I choose to attack this gun, what matters is this.  And it matters until I have this gun until the fight is over.”

The same principles work if someone pulls a knife, or a long gun. Terry says you can’t train every what-if scenario, but he says the principle guidelines can help you get out of potentially any deadly situation.

You can learn more about fending off attacks by viewing the videos on this page.

Copyright 2010 WMC-TV. All rights reserved

Click Here to see the full coverage Including Videos

Here are excerpts:

As Rick Pollan settled into his adult life, he also settled into his sofa every night after work and ate whatever he could get his hands on until bedtime.  Topping off at 5-foot-5, the 47-year-old weighed in at 200 pounds, was borderline diabetic and suffered from acid reflux and high blood pressure.

“I really felt like I was dying. I couldn’t tie my shoes without having to hold my breath,” said the Cordova resident.

Instead of undergoing surgery to correct his acid reflux, he decided it was time to make a change.

“I didn’t want to have to resort to surgery, so I made up my mind to try to do something to get the weight off,” said Pollan, the owner of Pollan Electric Co.

At first he was successful working out at home and watching what he ate, but after losing 20 pounds he found it difficult to drop any more weight.

That’s when he found Mid-South Krav Maga, a martial arts studio on Poplar that specializes in Israeli self-defense.

“I’ve always been interested in martial arts. Krav Maga is hand-to-hand combat, real self-defense for real situations in the real world, where you may have guns, sticks or multiple attackers,” Pollan said. “It’s not a lot of mumbo-jumbo with fancy kicks, and you don’t wear uniforms with fancy belts.”

He also liked the idea of having a different place to go after work rather than his home with the call of the sofa looming over him.

Pollan began training for one hour five times a week at the studio near the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, and “the weight just started to fall off.”

Eventually he was able to bump it up to two-hour training sessions, and after close to four months, Pollan got down to a lean 145 pounds.

“I was very serious about getting the weight off,” he said.

So serious that he also cut his calorie intake to 1,200 calories a day.

“I laid off the Cokes and pizza, and ate a lot of (Kelloggs) Special K cereal, Egg Beaters, drank a lot of water and ate a lot of Ezekiel bread because it doesn’t have any flour,” he said.

That wasn’t the hardest part.

Describing himself as someone who always wants to take it to the next level, Pollan committed to becoming a trainer, and for one week he trained for eight hours a day, seven days a week.

“That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said.

Since earning his certification in February, Pollan feels like the effort has already paid off.

“I like to help people achieve what I achieved,” he said. “People who are struggling with their weight or who have no idea how to defend themselves, I get to watch them transform. I see their confidence level really come up, and I can sympathize with them.”

“I really think Krav Maga saved my life,” he said.

Rick Pollan

Age: 47

Hometown: Cordova

Workout choice: Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense system.

Gym: Mid-South Krav Maga, 2869 Poplar, 327-0297, midsouthkravmaga.com

Advice: “Get off the couch. Stay active. Eat to live; don’t live to eat.”

by: Lesley Young/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Rick Pollan (left), 47, went from 200 pounds to 145 thanks to Krav Maga self-defense at Mid-South Krav Maga on Poplar Avenue.

Congratulations to our newest Instructors – Ryan Robertson, Chris Vlautin, Rob Yahn, Larry Coffee, Rick Pollan, John Covington from Memphis and Chris Hollingsworth from our Nashville location.  We look forward to having all our great members and guests benefit from their new skills and unique teaching qualities.

Your membership with Mid-South Krav Maga is valid at any of our locations.  Come try one of our self defense and fitness classes at this phenomenal facility with one of Mike’s awesome classes.  Tell your friends and collegues and even better bring them for a free visit.

Click Here for our latest schedule at the BRC.

Happy New Year
The Memphis Center will Be CLOSED
Thursday December 31st –
Sunday January 3rd.
We WILL BE OPEN Monday January 4th.

Check out a few pictures of this awesome seminar: 

 At this seminar you will learn defenses including:

● Basic and Advanced Handgun & Knife Defense Techniques

● Ground Scenarios Defending Gun & Knife Attacks  

● Multiple Threats

● Stress Drills

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY—Non-Members Welcome

SAVE NOW and Pre-Register!!

Pre-Paid Registration—$39       At the door—$49

Click Here to see the Flyer and Pre-Register NOW

SEMINAR POSTPONED:  The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting a 2 day Krav Maga Law Enforcement Seminar October 15 and 16, 2009 from 8:00a.m to 5:00p.m. at the Shelby County Sheriff’s office Training Academy Multiplex Facility located at 993 Dovecrest Memphis, Tennessee

The class will be taught by Patrick Terry, owner and chief instructor of Mid South Krav Maga. The class will be 2 days of training covering empty hand combatives, self-defense techniques against common attacks, ground work, weapon retention, defenses against weapons including assilants armed with handguns & edged weapon threat and attacks and MUCH more! 

The cost for the entire 2 days of training is $199.00 per person. If 4 participants register together then receive 1 FREE registrant. All training equipment such as striking pads and training weapons will be provided. Participants will need to bring their own duty holsters. ALL participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course as well as a 1 month FREE training pass to Mid-South Krav Maga AND a certificate to a FREE follow-up 2 hour LE Seminar.

Point of contact is Sgt. H.R.Stabe at (901) 387-5933 OR Patrick Terry at Mid-South Krav Maga at (901) 270-9375. Space is limited!

Click Here for More Details and Printable SCSO Seminar Outline

Happy Holiday!  Be Safe!!

Nine participated and Six tested in this awesome experience.  Our Krav Maga Self Defense Workshops test your endurance, mental toughness and technique.  We want to assure you can perform techniques fatigued and under stress.  All who participated did a superb job! 

Click For Even More Photos

Level 3 members should ask Sam or Mike to see if you are eligible to test or to see if you can participate if Level 2.

WE WILL Have classes on Monday May 25th as scheduled!

Welcome to our latest new Level 2 Members:

Isaac Bennett

Morgan Cook

Brian Winter

Justin Howard

Welcome to our latest new Level 3 Members:

Rob Yahn

Loye Willis

Mike Eller

Dale Harvey

Mike Loggia

Xris Omotesa

Click Here for Many More Photos of Counter Terrorism Training in Israel

Click Here for Lots of Photos from Patrick’s Krav Maga Training in Israel