Be Prepared for Violence

Welcome to Progressive Combat Systems

What is Progressive Combat Systems?

Surviving an actual violent encounter is not about belts, traditions, styles, competition or any such luxuries. It is about truth. The truth about real asocial violent encounters is uncomfortable, but if you don't learn to face reality you will be unprepared when it rears it's ugly head, and that may mean that you don't make it home to see your spouse, kids or loved ones.

Progressive Combat Systems is about the truth.

Our techniques are proven effective and are in use by our elite Special Forces, Navy SEALS, FBI, CIA, DOD, SWAT and over 50 police departments in addition to normal everyday citizens.


What is Progressive Combat System's goal?


First and foremost we want to provide you with a world class formula to survive any act of random violence. Whether it be a street fight, carjacking, parking lot assault, rape, home invasion or other.

Whether you are traveling on vacation or business, at home or walking into a dimly lit parking lot, asocial predators are looking for victims. Our goal is to keep you from being a victim.

Secondly, we are committed to perpetuating Bruce Lee's concept of Jeet Kune Do. A philosophy of Martial Arts that states that the individual is more important than any established system. In other words, rather than being forced to use techniques that won't work well for you, we encourage the individual to use the techniques that work best for them and eliminate the useless. Imagine a small female trying to out punch a larger man; if she can then great but in most cases it would be better for her to use a different strategy. Our goal is to help you find what works for you to be able to defend yourself in a real self defense scenario.

What do we teach?

What we teach is military technology. What do I mean by that? It is not for sport; it is gritty, realistic and lethal against any foe no matter how scary or intimidating they may seem. Using conventional traditional or sport Martial Arts a smaller female would likely not be able to defend herself against a large male attacker, God forbid he be jacked-up on PCP and acting crazy. That is why there are weight classes and rules in sport Martial Arts. Our system moves the odds to your favor.

We teach you the techniques, strategies and mental aspects required to escape with your life and health intact! We teach you how to survive the most common types of violent situations you may find yourself in; on your feet, on the ground, attacked with a weapon or multiple attackers. Our methods are not pretty, they are gritty, real and violent. I am not going to lie to you and tell you that with 3 easy payments, and my special black belt, you can apply a graceful flowing technique that you might see in a movie to peacefully subdue a large 6'6" 275 lb maniac... You can't! The only way to win is to cheat and use as much violence as possible, that is what we will empower you with.

Why so much violence?

Violence is an awful thing. I never want to use it on a human being, ever! And I hope you do not either. However, the bad guys of the world have no problem using violence. There is a line that most civil social people won't cross, to the asocial maniac, there is no line. Trying to outclass and out-technique a larger, stronger more aggressive violent attacker is like trying to use a fly swatter against a lion... right tool, wrong job.

Violence is only a tool, just like a hammer or a car. It can be used for good or for evil. Your nature will determine how you use it. With the proper training, you will have violence in your tool belt. And with that tool you can walk through life with a peace that can't be described. You won't walk in fear but with respect for your fellow mankind.

Letter to a new student...

Welcome To Progressive Combat Systems

Our Philosophy:
The root of Martial Arts is violence, either causing it (the Military), avoiding it or being forced to deal with it. Sport-based Martial Arts are fun to watch; it is amazing to see champions like GSP, Fedor and Anderson Silva dominate opponents with skill, speed, strength and raw talent. No doubt they have worked very hard to get to where they are. What is missing in sport training is the element of reality. In sport fighting there are weight classes and rules… for good reason. Could you imagine Brock Lesnar vs. BJ Penn? Not sure that would work out too well in a “rules based” environment. But in the real world there are no rules or weight classes or genders. A 95lb teenage girl could find herself being attacked by a 250 man; she sure as heck isn’t going to out punch or choke him. A 175lb man may find himself being attacked by two 200+ lb men, one with a crow bar. Once again, sport techniques are out. Only quick, pure violence utilizing the most effective moves possible and putting as many factors in your favor as possible will allow you to “survive” not “win” as one would in sport.

Our System:
Everything we do begins with the end in mind. We are not interested in ego. Ego based fighting is pretty, fancy, hard to learn and not the quickest way to take someone out. We are interested in results. Results mean that your attacker(s) are so injured that they cannot continue attacking you. You will learn to defend yourself by any means necessary!

We begin with the system that Master Paul Vunak taught to the U.S. Navy’s legendary SEAL Team Six and countless law enforcement and special operation units across the nation; the R.A.T. The RAT, an acronym that stands for Rapid Assault Tactics is battle tested by Paul, the Navy SEALs themselves (boy do I have some stories for you) and countless others; basically if a technique didn’t work, it was thrown out. We are talking about people whose lives depend on their Martial abilities, not their egos in a ring, totally different ball game.

The RAT will teach you to take out an attacker on your feet, on the ground and with weapons in the quickest possible manner, no fluffy stuff and it is actually quite quick to learn. In real Self-Defense we deal more with principles than with techniques. Principle #1: people can take trauma and still fight but people cannot take injury (think punch versus thumbing an eye out!)

After the RAT, which is pure self-preservation, we move to the Golden Goose. Like the fable, the Golden Goose provides us with an unlimited supply of Martial Arts skills, techniques and training methods that we utilize to develop ourselves into very well rounded and complete Martial Artists. We can and do utilize sport techniques because when we can seamlessly blend lethal with non-lethal fighting skills we are a more complete fighter capable of dealing with the silly drunk guy or with the gun or knife wielding rapist, mugger or terrorist!

Just a sampling of the arts we will pull from are: Brazilian Jujitsu, western boxing, Muay Thai, Wing Chun, Jun Fan, Sambo, Savate, Escrima, Kinimutai, Savate, Dumog, Tai Chi, Judo, Krav Maga, Pananjakman, Panantukan and many more. This is not an exclusive list and from the Jeet Kune Do perspective, we will accept any technique that is efficient, effective and works for YOU. Already have a Martial Arts background? Great, let’s keep the useful and eliminate the non-essential. The best Martial Artists do fewer things better!

What is Jeet Kune Do?
Jeet Kune Do, Cantonese for “way of intercepting the fist”, was a term coined by the late Bruce Lee. Lee believed that the individual is more important than the style or art. Thus instead of demanding that a 60-year-old woman learn to do spinning back kicks like her 40 year old male Korean Martial Arts expert teacher, she could instead be free to explore techniques that worked more for her. We all have strengths and weaknesses as Martial Artists and our job is to exploit our strengths while minimizing our weaknesses. Some people have amazing timing and quick hands and will do well with a style like boxing, others have slow hands and poor timing and will do much better closing on their opponent and entering a trapping or grappling range where they can use proprioceptive tactical input to “feel” their opponents moves and defeat him. Either way the goal is to find the techniques that will allow you to win any situation. Even if you are a good grappler, your goal is not to go to the ground, try to submit your opponent while his buddy is sticking a knife in your back… this happened to a former police officer friend while on duty and he can tell you he is lucky to be alive. Although if a uncle Bob has had one too many and starts getting mean at the family reunion, rather than knocking his teeth out and biting his nose off maybe you can put him in a restraining hold until he cools his jets. You need both sets of skills to be a complete Martial Artist. You do not necessarily need both sets of skills to be able to defend yourself. You decide, are you a Martial Artist dedicated to lifelong skill development or are you self-preservation oriented and only want the minimum to defend your life in most situations.

Our Training:
I have spent the better part of my life in various Martial Arts schools and gyms. You typically find very poor training either based on perfecting technique with no reality behind it or too much time gloving up and beating the crap out of each other, which in a gym like that, only the naturally gifted and determined students will rise to high levels of skill. Another draw back of gloving up and hitting each other is that it is limited to sport techniques. If I can head butt my opponent in the nose and then rake a sharp elbow across his temple before pulling his ear off how do I practice this “full contact” with a sparring partner? We need a balance of realistic techniques with realistic training methods and no one going home with injuries.

So, we begin our training by learning techniques that Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, Paul Vunak and myself have found to be especially combative and effective against any opponent. Then we practice those techniques in somewhat realistic scenarios using a controlled slower speed; this builds what I like to call your “targeting computer”. Literally it programs it into your brain via a sophisticated system called motor mapping. As your abilities progress we pick up the speed and provide more resistance allowing you to advance and actually become a good fighter. This system is far better than the sink or swim approach most Martial Arts gyms use. Now, when we want to go full speed and power we have a couple of options: we shadow box (fight imaginary opponents), we do drills against pads or we use a punching bag, etc. But when we train with real human partners we always put safety first and thus go a little slower but as your skill improves you will be able to go near full speed (or full speed) and remain safe; but this will always be with drills not with sparring as it is far too dangerous to make contact with the techniques we use.

Closing:
Progressive Combat Systems is a school where Martial Arts return to their origins. Like the Samurai or Roman Soldier who has no time on the battlefield for ineffective techniques or tactics, we will practice real fighting how it really happens in the real world. Master Paul Vunak says that one can attain peace through violence; a peace that only comes from having a .45 strapped to your hip or knowing that you can elicit so much violence that your would-be attacker can’t possibly conceive. When you are capable of that kind of violence you now have more responsibility to use it wisely. You will become a better person through the practice of violence, and God forbid, if you ever have to use it one day; violence will always be an ally on your side that you can count on. Remember, “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away!”

Whether you are coming to me to learn as a non-Martial Artist wanting to learn the bare minimum of self-preservation, of if you are an experienced Martial Artist wanting to add the reality based RAT to your skill set or a lifelong Martial Artist who will make Progressive Combat Systems their home, I welcome you and encourage you to become the best Warrior you can be!

Brian Copeland – Owner and Chief Instructor of Progressive Combat Systems

If you are a regular Joe or Jane and want to have the empowerment of our system contact me today.

If you are an experienced Martial Artist from any background and you want to know how to take your already exceptional skill and translate that into the quickest way to end a violent encounter possible, then contact me today.
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Progressive Combat Systems is a Martial Arts and Self-Defense academy in the Denver, Colorado area. If you are looking for Self Defense or Martial Arts in Aurora, Centennial, Park Meadows, DTC, Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, Englewood, Lone Tree or other Denver Metro areas, then come train with us. If you are not from the Denver, CO area and want to train with us then contact Chief Instructor Brian Copeland to discuss our Intense Personal Training Course. We can help you locate a hotel near our Aurora studio.