The Goal of Target Focus Training

Tim Larkin, the creator of Target-Focus Training, simply stated that the goal of the system is "giving you the tools necessary to survive a violent encounter so that you can live a more peaceful life." While some may decry the brutal nature of some of the techniques that are covered in TFT live training sessions as creating trained killers, the reality is quite the opposite. Because of the careful explanations of exactly what the physiological results would be with each strike, whether a kick to the saphenous nerve or a kneeling shin across the trachea, each and every participant left with a greater appreciation for the fragility of the human body and a greater sense of social responsibility.

On the last day of the live training camp, Larkin and crew explained the difference between social aggression and asocial violence. Social aggression occurs when one person tries to assert dominance over another without the goal of killing or maiming them: for example, someone pulling up next to you, cursing, and flipping you off because he thought you cut him off. Asocial violence is a markedly different issue: for example, someone driving his car right into yours, striking your car full-on, and sending you off the road and down a cliff. These discussions helped demarcate the differences between fighting, aggression, and violence - words that are used almost interchangeably in our society, yet with markedly different meanings to one who has a clear understanding of them.

"You never know just by looking who’s a sociopath and who isn’t," said Larkin. "If anything, my years of studying human violence and creating TFT have made me more aware of proper conduct, good manners, and humility. Simply because I don’t want to run the risk of either losing my own life or potentially killing someone else, I’m the first to say ‘Please excuse me’ or ‘I’m sorry’ even if I’m not the one at fault." Torin capped the discussion by saying, "If you have a choice to use violence, it’s probably just an instance of social aggression."

Throughout the weekend, the instructors spent an incredible amount of time conditioning each participant’s thought process. By Sunday afternoon, we saw that the target focus principle was applicable in any situation, even with a weapon or against an armed attacker or in multiple attacker situations. Constantly reviewing and updating their own teaching and training methods, Larkin and his instructional team made certain that everyone who came was capable of surviving a real situation if they walked out the door. Indeed, more than one of the participants gave the course the highest possible endorsement. As seasoned practitioners with more than a year of training with Larkin, they eagerly came back to attend the same live-training sessions that total beginners were coming to.

For me, a veteran of the martial arts and medical professional, I saw and heard
explanations that would be the envy of any trauma specialist along with principles that some traditional martial arts only cover in the black belt levels, yet taught effectively to beginners over the course of a weekend. Without cloaking techniques in mysticism, without diluting the realities of combat in unrealistic sport formats, and without sacrificing safety for realism, Target-Focus Training delivered an uncompromising course on the intelligent and responsible use of violence. I’d have to say that Larkin’s TFT is right on target for anyone serious about survival.