ESDS

07/09/2026

SELF-DEFENCE MUST WORK FOR THE PERSON WHO NEEDS IT.

LEO training cannot be built on the assumption that every officer practises self-defence extensively off duty. Methods must be usable by the average officer - not only by experienced instructors who train regularly.

That starts with understanding what we are teaching, and why.

An officer attempting an arrest alone may suddenly have to defend against an assault. Arrest tactics and self-defence can overlap, but controlling someone for arresting and protecting yourself from immediate harm are different objectives.

The distinction matters in civilian training too. Presenting restraint and arrest methods as the default response to violence can encourage someone to remain in a confrontation when their priority should be reaching safety.

Training must fit the person, their role and the situation they may face.

Self-defence therefore needs clear priorities and simple, adaptable fundamentals: skills that people can learn, remember and apply under pressure.

But simple does not mean effortless.

Even a straightforward skill requires repetition. It must be practised against resistance and applied in situations where the other person does not cooperate.

Before adding another technique, ask whether the person can already use what they have been taught.

Can they recognise the problem, make a decision and act when the situation becomes physical and unpredictable?

Discussion alone cannot answer that.

Take part in realistic scenarios with physical contact, meaningful resistance and decisions to make. Record the exercises. Review your performance honestly.

Where did you hesitate? What worked? What failed? What needs more practice?

Use those findings to improve the training, then test again. Theory should help explain and improve performance, and practical results should challenge our assumptions.

If you cannot apply the fundamentals under pressure, why are you spending your training time on minor details and advanced techniques?

- ESDS

02/09/2026

DO YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICAL SKILLS AND GUTS TO FACE THE REALITY OF VIOLENCE?

Practical ability cannot be developed by talking about it.

Knowledge matters - but knowing what to do is not the same as being able to do it when someone is resisting, the situation is unclear and stress begins to affect perception, coordination and decision-making.

Practical skills must be physically trained.

They are also perishable.

What you were once capable of doing is less important than what you can reproduce today - under pressure, against resistance and in a scenario involving real physical contact.

HOW MUCH TRAINING IS ENOUGH?

In Sweden, a security guard may receive formal refresher training that can remain valid for up to five years.

That refresher training must cover a considerable range of responsibilities: legislation and authority, communication, conflict management, tactical and physical methods, emergency care and the use of relevant equipment.

For Swedish police officers, annual conflict-management training amounts to 24 or 48 hours, depending on their duties.

For frontline officers, that time must cover areas such as:

• Communication and de-escalation
• Mental preparation and stress management
• Tactical decision-making
• Physical methods
• OC spray and other equipment
• Fi****ms
• Law, authority and professional responsibility

Even 48 hours represents less than 3% of a working year.

These are officers expected to respond to everyday violence, rapidly escalating incidents and active-threat situations.

Can such capabilities genuinely be maintained through occasional training alone?

Repetition is the foundation of practical competence, that we know.

You must train repeatedly - not only to learn a skill, but to retain it, adapt it and apply it under dynamic scenarios and pressure.

Stop treating practical methods as a theoretical subject.

Train them. Test them. Place them inside realistic, high-stress scenarios.

25/08/2026

ACTIVE THREAT / ONGOING DEADLY VIOLENCE
Kronan School in Trollhättan, 2015.
Brinell School in Fagersta, 2026.

Two attacks involving bladed weapons - eleven years apart.

An active threat is not defined by the weapon used, nor is it something that only happens ‘somewhere else’. It can develop at a school, shopping centre, workplace or transport terminal.

The question is: What must we know, and what must we actually train - to make effective decisions and save lives?

Before delivering a course in ongoing deadly violence as an active police officer, I once asked my sons:
“If something like this happens, should I go in - or not?”

Their answer stayed with me:
“Dad, we do not want anything to happen to you. But if you do not go in, who will?”

Does that mean I would have the courage to act? Not necessarily.

The willingness to intervene is not the same as being prepared. Courage alone cannot replace competence, tactics and sound decision-making.

Professional preparedness requires:
• Mental preparation
• Tactics and decision-making
• A clear but adaptable plan
• Emergency medical competence
• Communication and coordination
• Physical defensive capability
• Weapons competence where required
• Knowledge of legal authority and responsibility

This does not mean that everyone should move towards a threat. The appropriate response depends on role, training, equipment and the situation.

However, those who may be professionally expected to act cannot begin considering these questions only after the violence has started. We act according to how we have trained. So how much have you actually trained?

Not discussed. Not watched. Not rehearsed under ideal conditions. Actually trained - realistically, repeatedly and under pressure.

When lives may depend on decisions made during the first few minutes, preparation must be grounded in experience, professional competence and training designed for reality.

"It's simple, because it has to be." - ESDS

- Slawomir Gozdzik, ESDS

03/08/2026

Talking about training, education and better decision-making is one thing. Building the ability to perform under pressure and make sound, defensible decisions in real time is something else entirely.

Incidents involving police officers, security personnel and other first-responders consistently show how rapidly tactical choices, communication, and the lawful use of force can come under scrutiny.

This is not a single-layer problem - it is a performance problem under high-stress situations. And it is exactly here that training must and can make the difference. The lawful use of force cannot be reduced to a one-time certification topic. It is a core operational competence that must be continuously trained, pressure-tested, and evaluated in realistic conditions.

At ESDS, we focus on scenario-based training that reflects real operational demands. This means training the full decision cycle: recognizing and assessing threats, selecting and justifying proportionate responses, communicating effectively, coordinating with others, and adapting dynamically as situations evolve.

Under stress, performance does not improve by chance - it reflects preparation. If we want better decisions in critical moments, we must train them under realistic conditions, not just talk about them.

It's simple, because it has to be. - ESDS

28/04/2026

Time and again, the courses we run, and the feedback we receive-highlight a consistent gap in how military, police, and security personnel are traditionally trained. The issue is not a lack of technical instruction, but a lack of exposure to realistic, high-intensity scenarios -and, critically, a lack of methodological understanding of how these skills should be taught.

The difference is not necessarily in what we teach, but in how we teach it.

Through iterative development and field testing, we’ve refined our approach further to introduce high-intensity scenario-based training at a much earlier stage, often before theoretical input. This shift has proven decisive.

By experiencing stress first-hand, participants develop a deeper and more accurate understanding of combat stress, perceptual distortion, instinctive reactions, and the body’s natural limitations. The theory then becomes contextual, not abstract.

This approach establishes the correct mindset from the outset and sustains it throughout the training process.

The result is faster learning, stronger retention, and most importantly - skills that remain accessible under pressure.

We don’t just make better use of time - we accelerate the development of real competence.

"Teach them today!" - ESDS

-Emil

So, what really happens when an officer is confronted with a genuine life‑threatening situation? Imagine a close‑range encounter involving a knife or a fi***rm. An officer draws their weapon and suddenly realises their hands are locked into a convulsive grip.

04/10/2025

CQB Defensive Tactics Course – Registration Open!
Take your tactical skills to the next level with hands-on training in Uddevalla, Sweden!
📅 Dates: April 24–26, 2026

Designed for police, IPA/DTG/ESDS -members, security & military personnel, and experienced first responders. Not for complete beginners.

More details and registration details on our website:
https://www.esds.se/landing/

30/09/2025

CQB Defensive Tactics Course – Registration Open!

Take your tactical skills to the next level with hands-on training in Uddevalla, Sweden!

📅 Dates: April 24–26, 2026
💰 Fees:
Standard: €1,199 (from Jan 1, 2026)
IPA Early Bird: €599 (until Dec 31, 2025 – limited seats!)

Designed for police, IPA members, security & military personnel, and experienced first responders. Not for complete beginners.

More details and registration details in the flyer on on our website: https://www.ipa-international.org/Events/ipa-sweden-close-quarter-self-defense-tactical-/181088

04/09/2025

CQB DEFENSIVE TACTICS COURSE - COMING SOON

Explosive Self Defence System
COVER — COUNTER — MOVE
simple, reality based & pressure-tested.

We don’t just practice. We train. And we teach.
- Emil Gozdzik, Head Instructor ESDS

15/08/2025

Train like your life depends on it - because it does.

COVER - COUNTER - MOVE
It's a state of mind.

Explosive Self Defence System - for those who protect

• Tactical Self-defense
• Fi****ms Defensive Tactics
• Point Shooting
• Surviving Edged Weapons
• TECC based medical integrations.

Contact for inquiry.

11/08/2025

📚 ESDS Defensive Tactics: Instructor Course for Women in Law Enforcement

📍IPA IBZ Gimborn - August 2025

Train for reality, not the dojo. If doesn't work under pressure, it doesn't work.

Stay vigilant, stay dangerous.
COVER - COUNTER - MOVE

***rms