David Hallford, Sensei, began studying karate at age 16 under Charles Gaylord.  Gaylord was a kajukenbo practitioner who created his own system of kajukenbo known as The Gaylord Method.  Charles Gaylord went on to achieve the rank of 10^th Grand Master.

David moved on and began the study of shorinji ryu karate (originating from Okinawan karate) under instructors who were directly under instructor Richard Kim, who would go on to receive the rank of judan (10^th degree black belt) posthumously at the time of his death.  David was awarded his 1^st degree black belt under Grandmaster Kim in 1970.

David went on to study a Chinese kempo system called haak lung chuan under Grandmaster Art Gitlin, earning the rank of 4^th degree black belt in 1994.

After several years of instructing and studying/training in multiple martial arts styles, David moved away from the traditional martial arts and focused his training on ‘street ready’ self-defense techniques that can be taught to untrained students in a short time (hours/days vs. months/years) These techniques can be immediately usable. As a seasoned Sensei, he still shares traditional training but prefers a more real-life and realistic approach to self-defense.

Since the mid-90s, David has studied, trained, and developed realistic self-defense techniques that are designed to work against real-life assaults that happen on the street, campuses, parking lots/garages, ATMs, etc. His techniques are built around the premise that you shouldn’t have to be a martial arts expert to be able to protect yourself from assault.

David has devoted decades to studying violent crime and developing realistic self-defense tactics. While attempting to provide full-circle self-defense training to interested individuals and groups.  It became apparent that effective unarmed, gun disarms, and knife defense skills were mandatory. Discovering that no realistic systems were available, David, together with Rich Nance, formed WARTAC and set about developing a gun disarm system and unarmed knife defense system that are easy to learn, remember, and use in the chaos of a real-life armed assault situation.

David and Rich produced a video through Paladin Press called “Keep Your Piece,” which shows police officers how to keep their sidearm (piece) when a criminal suspect is trying to take it and use it on the officer.

David is a past member of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (A.S.L.E.T) and, along with WARTAC co-founder Rich Nance, has trained as ‘primary instructor’ at ASLET International Conferences in close-quarter combat.  Their “Beating the Blade” seminar has been training law enforcement personnel as well as the military from around the world.

David and Rich received an email from an army corporal serving in Iraq thanking them for producing their gun disarm video, which he studied and had recently used one of the techniques shown in the video to disarm an insurgent hiding behind a door during a room-clearing mission thus saving his life.

David went on to create his own self-defense system called Jeetsu (easy way).  In addition to creating a devastating fighting system for street self-defense.

Jeetsu also has a system of non-striking techniques that are based on close-quarter control techniques that can stop and control an aggressor without causing any injury.  This system was designed for teachers, psychiatric workers, and caregivers for the elderly who might have to deal with Alzheimer’s patients who might physically act out to control, when necessary, someone under their care or supervision. This system greatly reduces the liability that might stem from having to touch and/or restrain another person and is also appropriate for students who are being harassed and/or bullied by aggressive students.

David teaches real-life self-defense tactics with focus on:

• Women’s self-defense and assault prevention
• Mixed adult self-defense
• Law enforcement
• Teachers and educators
• Teens dealing with bullies
• Psychiatric workers dealing with dangerous or acting-out patients