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Firstly, Eddie, can you please give the readers an overview of your professional history?
I'm a former soldier in a special forces unit that was responsible for counter-terrorism and hostage rescue during conflicts in the Middle East. I served in the military for over 10 years and during that time I was trained in a variety of specialist skills including weapons, unarmed combat, intelligence, demolitions, close personal protection, security as well as other specialist military skills of a sensitive nature.
In 1987, I moved to Australia to start a new life and to try and put behind me the horrors of war and the daily experience of witnessing the death and destruction of society. I subsequently formed a specialist training and consultancy business in security and protection. During this time I was invited by the Chinese Government to visit China and provide advice and training for their officers in use of force.
In 1996, my business won a major contract to provide security training and consultancy for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Over 7000 security officers and protection officers were trained by our team. As a direct result, I was again invited to China to consult for the 2008 bid team and provide training in various security and protection for military and law-enforcement officers. I have been living in Beijing since 2005 and established a security and risk consultancy firm offering specialist services to the private and corporate sector, as well as to government in the areas of high-risk environment training, close personal protection, security and defensive tactics training in Israeli combatives (Kapap). I have been honoured as a professor by the Chinese Government.
What led you to this path?
My path has been a natural progression of who I am and where I've come from. I came from a country that experienced violence daily, and seeing first-hand the effects of terrorism and extreme violence towards innocent men, women and children has made me determined to help people. The best way I find that I can help people is by offering very special skill sets that can be used to stop other people trying to hurt them. As a former soldier and bodyguard, [I follow] the warrior ethos, so it was only natural that I continue working in the security and protection field.
What are the most important skills and personal traits in your line of work?
Some of the key attributes are integrity, determination, professionalism and the ability to work safely in any type of environment and/or culture. Maintaining a high level of self-discipline and physical fitness is paramount, otherwise you can be a danger to yourself, your team and the person/s you are protecting or training. Also essential is maintaining self-preservation skills and constantly training and advancing your skills and knowledge through personal and professional development. I recall one of my former military instructors from the Israeli Special Forces who would always say to me, "Live and learn, otherwise you won't live for long".
How often do you have to deal with real violence in your line of work?
When I was a soldier, real violence became part of a lifestyle, as almost every day I was encountering various situations that could result in death or serious injury. My body and mind was pushed to its limits, especially my ability to maintain a level of mindset conditioning that allowed me to adapt and adopt a certain type of aggression to deal with these high-risk circumstances. From a very young age I trained in a number of martial arts and unarmed combat techniques, and was always impressed with the philosophy of the samurai, where they would treat each day as though it was their last. Living and fighting for survival in a high-risk environment where the threat of death is there 24 hours a day, I was able to adapt to a similar mindset, which put my life into a similar perspective.
Real violence is everywhere and unfortunately it's part of society, no matter where you are. As society changes, so too do the threats. We're all vulnerable to this violence and must maintain a mindset of awareness, and accept that violence is real and can change a life at any time of the day or night. When protecting a client, the potential for violence is even greater due to the potential threats against them, so I have to be prepared. Through training and education, maintaining my specialist skills and being aware, I've been able to deal with and minimise violence in my work.
What effect does the constant pressure of potential threat have on you, day-to-day?
It's something that I think about; however, if you concentrate too much on it, it will destroy your ability to operate and perform under stress. Bodyguarding can be a deadly and dangerous occupation, depending on what country you are in. For example, in Australia a bodyguard can carry a firearm if they are trained. In China, they cannot carry a firearm, so preparation, high attention to detail with the planning and physical defensive tactics skills (Kapap) is paramount. If you are professional, plan accordingly and maintain a high level of physical and mental health, then the pressures are decreased.
Is it possible for you to ‘leave work at work'?
Yes it is, but it sometimes takes a lot of hard work to erase the visions of the unpleasant things that you have experienced and seen. My training in the arts of Kapap and ninjutsu allow me to free my mind and heart from the negative so I can continue to live a positive and healthy lifestyle.
How would you describe real-life violence?
It's dirty, it hurts and it's very personal. My experience of violence is that there's no romance in it like we see in movies. When it's in your face, you just want to be out of there. I still have the physical scars from being shot and stabbed during close-quarter combat operations and these scars are constant reminders of the reality of violence. The hardest part is when you are up close and very personal, where you can smell the fear and when you either have to take a life or have yours taken away. At the end of the day, when it's just you and the other person, it's all about, ‘Do I leave this world today, or do they?' - nothing more and nothing less. And it's an even stranger feeling when the other person is a 15-year-old kid who's a hardened veteran of war and has just fired a couple of rounds into your chest, or the young girl who has just stabbed you in the side of the neck as you question her about reports of insurgents. As humans, we have to become more aware that violence is real and can be complicated as to why someone would wish to harm us or our loved ones. We are overwhelmed with violence no matter its proximity. Significantly, violence is presented to us daily in both the electronic and print media and often we deny or fail to accept that what we see as ‘reality' in movies, etc. is not how it occurs in the real world. Having seen people killed or seriously injured in front of me, I know first hand that what happens in a movie is not like real life. For example, you can't smell or sense the fear or have your nerves shaken by watching a movie. You can't smell the senses involved with death. The fear of violence is in our face daily by television-based crime dramas, CNN, the six o'clock news and/or reality television.
The human race is not immune to it. The human experiences are permanently surrounded by aggressive behaviours and violence and as people become more angry and desperate because of social changes and economic hardships, so too does the rise of violence and crime.
What are some indicators of impending violence?
Much has been written about the indicators of impending violence, however, from my own personal experiences, every person is different and displays different indicators, if any at all. Always be aware of a person's hands. Being aware is the most important attribute that you can have to prevent yourself from being attacked. When I teach Kapap, the first point I make is to know your environment and have situational awareness - then you will be in tune with identifying impending violence.
What are common physical responses when confronted with violence?
Obviously, it's not easy when you're facing aggression from a person that may wish to harm you and your loved ones. Your mind and body will do things that it normally wouldn't do and you will be put into a situation that potentially will jeopardise your existence in society. Fear may set in and your heart races like you have just had a shot of adrenaline. Your body may be tensed up and you may start to shiver with fear. Tunnel vision and auditory exclusion may set in and everything may seem to slow down. Automatically you may switch from a certain situation into survival mode, depending on the circumstances at that time and what the threat consists of. Are weapons involved? How many attackers are there? Are your loved ones at risk of being hurt? Is it a robbery and they just want your money, or are they wanting to take your life?
Everyone will have different physical responses depending on their training, awareness of dangers around them and also the options they have around them to escape or survive. There are three natural responses to fear: fight, flight or freeze. Depending on many factors, each of us will do one of these. Training in martial arts and defensive tactics such as ninjutsu and Kapap can assist in overcoming the fear and physical responses when confronted with real and immediate violence.
Fear can be controlled, but if you do not respect fear then complacency can set in and it can destroy you.
How has your martial arts training benefited you as a soldier and bodyguard?
If it wasn't for my skills and knowledge obtained over many years of training in military unarmed combat, the various Israeli defensive tactic systems such as Kapap, and the martial arts, such as ninjutsu, then I doubt I'd be here today. During my combat service I faced several difficult situations where it was purely hand-to-hand combat using bare hands and close-range weapons such as a knife and stick. Not only did the training allow me to walk away standing upright, but it has allowed me to have peace in my heart and remove any guilt or second-guessing that I may have when those distant thoughts come back to the present. Furthermore, my Kapap and ninjutsu training has assisted me in my role as a bodyguard on numerous occasions.
Is there anything else that you'd like to share?
There has been too much violence already this year with the ongoing and constant threat of terrorism, the tragic deaths of our troops in Afghanistan, the horrific shootings and bombings in Norway and the recent civil unrest in the United Kingdom. It's essential that we keep training and maintaining our skill sets so they are there in the unfortunate times that we are confronted with violence. There are no halves in real-world violence, so there can't be any halves in your training - you either train or you don't. [Bujinkan grandmaster] Hatsumi Sensei has said the following, which really sums it all up: "The world is a dangerous place. You must not forget this. The teachings of the Bujinkan are not about who is good and who is bad; the teachings are about how to live, how to survive."
About the interviewer: Paul Johnstone is a Brisbane-based instructor of Bujinkan ninjutsu and Kapap. He regularly writes for Blitz.
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