SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING: WHERE ‘JEDI’ MEETS MODERN SAMURAI

Self-Defense TRAINING

Instructor Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski aims during his three-day self-defense course on appendix carry and red dot sights.

WHERE ‘JEDI’ MEETS MODERN SAMURAI

Between his background in martial arts and sidearms training system focusing on body mechanics, Scott Jedlinksi gets shooters on target ultrafast.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY PAUL PAWELA

Samurai: a Japanese noble warrior. Jedi: a noble order of protectors unified by their ability to tap into the power of the force. At the invitation of Kent Hower, CEO of Green Mountain Defense (greenmountaindefense.com), I recently attended a self-defense class held at the beautiful West Shore Sportsmen’s Association in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. Lewisberry is just 43 miles from the famous Gettysburg battlefield, where over 8,900 men fought to the death and over 22,000 more were wounded. In the end, our country was formed on the premise that our Declaration of Independence was conceived in liberty and that all men are created equal – a principle men and women fight and die for to this day.

The class, led by Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski, centered around appendix carry and red dot sights on pistols. Originally, I was against both concepts for concealed carry until my friend Ken Estes, who is one of the most analytical men I know in the business, reminded me to keep an open mind. Twenty-four red-blooded Americans of different backgrounds and ethnic nationalities signed up for this three-day course being taught by Jedlinski, who is part-Polish, part-Korean, and 100-percent pure American.

JEDLINSKI WAS A very upfront and honest man right out of the gate. He explained that he had no law enforcement or

military background, which I thought was very interesting considering he had just been awarded a contract by one of our most elite counterterrorist units in the country. Jedlinski is booked two years in advance for both civilian and law enforcement agency classes throughout the country, so I figure he must be doing something right. So he had my immediate attention from the get-go.

After being in martial arts for over 50 years, I pegged Jedlinski for a grappler or jiu-jitsu guy due to his size, not a stretch as he is 6-foot-2 and around 250 pounds. My instincts were spot-on. He is religiously devoted to the art of jiu-jitsu and it shows, as he teaches his gun methodology from a martial arts perspective. Now I was hooked!

When training for deadly-force encounters, the general rule is that all techniques should be evaluated on two overall principles. These are: 1) Economy of motion: Where the body under duress can complete tasks that are direct, simple and quick, and 2) Efficiency of action: every technique used in saving your life must work with as little complexity as possible and must deliver as much energy or power into the target – the opponent.

Based on Jedlinski’s martial arts background, his training system focuses on body mechanics, eliminating unwanted motion in acquiring the gun, which translates to being smoother in getting the weapon out of the holster, bringing the gun to eye-level, and shooting one round in one second – or six rounds in two seconds – at 7 yards. Scoffers will say, “Who needs to shoot that fast in a second?” In pure Jedi wisdom, Jedlinski will tell you, “If you have a one-second problem, you need to fix it in one second!”

IF YOU ATTEND one of his classes, you will notice Jedlinski’s wisdom on the subject of shooting parallels another great Asian master martial arts instructor, Miyamoto Musashi (15841645). Musashi was Japan’s greatest samurai, who was undefeated in over 60 duels to the death and the author of The Book of Five Rings.

The first thing Jedlinski explained is that it is more important for the body to have structure versus strength when it comes to shooting. Why? Because it helps with both recoil and movement. He also emphasized the importance of the “proprioception index” – the sense of self-movement and body position as it relates to drawing the gun, bringing the gun to eye-level, and shooting quicker and smoother.

Jedlinski demonstrated the draw with his appendix holster and gun centerlined to his belly. In the demo, his hands are up in a defense position until he needs to make a move for his

Jedlinski emphasizes the “proprioception index”– the sense of self-movement and body position as it relates to drawing the gun, bringing the gun to eye-level, and shooting quicker and smoother.

Why they call him the master. Shooting from the draw, in under two seconds Jedlinski had three hits, two in the same hole.

Course participants included a body guard (center back) and school teacher (front). Even with torn shoulder issues, skeptical author turned believer Paul Pawela shot accurately and fast.

gun. At that time, he grabs his shirt with his nondominant hand and pulls it straight up. With his dominant hand, he firmly grasps the gun and his thumb is positioned over his red dot, as it is out of the way. He stands in the on-guard position – where the left leg (for right-handed shooters) is slightly forward and bent – bringing the gun to his eyes with elbows slightly bent, working as shock absorbers and helping with recoil to the body.

In the isosceles stance, which is what most shooters use today, your muscles tighten on the body and tense as you lean forward. But with Jedlinski’s method, it is one efficient fluid motion, which means faster shooting and the first shot on target usually wins!

Compare this to what Musashi describes as hitting the enemy “in one timing” in The Book of Five Rings. He writes, “‘In one timing’ means, when you have closed with the enemy, to hit him as quickly and directly as possible, without moving your body or settling your spirit, while you see that he is still undecided. The timing of hitting before the enemy decides to withdraw, break or hit, is this ‘in one timing.’ You must train to achieve this timing, to be able to hit in the timing of an instant.”

AS JEDLINSKI POINTS out, eyes dictate posture and stance, and this is one of the reasons he favors red dot sights on

Nearly all attendees in this particular class “were ordinary people who were just interested in improving their shooting abilities,” per Pawela.

pistols. He stated, “Father Time catches up with all of us and our eyesight gets weaker.” The red dot has one focal plane, as opposed to three from front sight, rear sight to the target.

Now let’s compare that to what Musashi said about the “gaze in strategy”: “The gaze should be large and broad. This is the twofold gaze ‘perception and sight.’ Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things. It is important in strategy to know the enemy’s sword and not to be distracted by insignificant movements of his sword.”

Jedlinski pointed out that red dots on pistols will help you avoid being distracted by those insignificant movements; with one focal plane, you will focus solely on the target at hand. He also went into full depth on the subject of appendix carry – what he likes in a holster and why. He did the same for pistol-mounted red dots, going into detail about the guns he likes using as well.

OVER THE LAST 35 years, I have been trained by just about every gun school in the country, including several military counterterrorism and police

SWAT teams, and never have I witnessed people shoot so fast and accurate at both close and far distances in such a short time. With the exception of one military colonel, a retired police officer and an active bodyguard, the rest of the 24 men in the class were ordinary people who were just interested in improving their shooting abilities. Jedlinski said, “Be a craftsman of your trade; put the time and work in. If you can’t shoot under pressure, you can’t do it – period.” Musashi said, “To train in Kendo one must subjugate the self, bear the pain of grueling practice, and cultivate a level mind in the face of peril.”

I don’t know if Jedlinski is a reincarnate of Musashi or if he read his book and applied his training principles. Either way, for me, his training is a modern-day game-changer and I am proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I was so impressed with his training that I am nominating him for induction to the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Tactical Police Trainer of the Year and I can’t think of a finer endorsement than that!  Editor’s notes: For more information on Scott Jedlinski’s classes, contact beverly@modernsamuraiproject.com or visit modernsamuraiproject.com. Author Paul Pawela is a nationally recognized firearms and self-defense expert.

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