The Role of Student Diversity

Chongdo is interested in training people of all backgrounds and interests. Although our programs are intended for adults, we have some younger students as well. And as a non-profit, we never recruit based on anyone’s ability to pay.

This has consistently worked to our advantage, because diversity brings us new challenges each time, and we have been able to test our coursework against the realities of our students’ broad experiences.

For example:

• One student became a county sheriff, and was able to address which of our hand-to-hand and weaponry techniques were “LEO friendly” and which posed liabilities.
• Another student is a Chicago police officer, and found our weapon retention drills of realistic value; our Escapes module prepared him for how easily some individuals can instantly undermine conventional come-along techniques.
• Just as one student with a background in physics and engineering tailored our course material in Physics, a doctor also introduced us to modern neuroscientific approaches to the Physiology of stress, panic, and survival.
• One student, a member of the Rangers and a veteran of the Gulf War, was also a survivor of the infamous Mogadishu Mile (his character is featured in the Ridley Scott film Black Hawk Down). He was attracted to the realism of Chongdo’s hand-to-hand and weaponry studies, stating “The fluidity of the System matches the way it really is.” We are indebited to his service to our country, and his verification of our instructional content in those areas.
• One of our senior instructors has a professional background in corrections and hospital security. This has allowed us to fact-check our approaches to control techniques and surviving multiple opponent situations. We discovered nearly all traditional approaches are prone to critical failure.
• We maintain certified project management expertise. This allows students to apply the principles of Chongdo training to real working-world situations, in a way that will directly benefit their employment future. We believe that it’s one thing to discuss how focus, balance, and determination can help you in your job; it’s another thing to offer students specific assistance in budgeting, resource planning, risk analysis, meeting management, and logistics.
• The technology behind modern security systems is overwhelming. Some members of our team actively work in the highest levels of security planning and design; our experience includes dual technology motion detection, IP-based camera systems with analytical intelligence, biometric integration, and other cutting edge technology. While some groups are content to offer bodyguarding as an elective, Chongdo believes there is substantially more to this field.
• Another student was a professional boxer; among many fighting enthusiasts, the experienced boxer is a hallmark of excellence. Although he expected to round out his capabilities, he stayed on as one of our longer-term students; when he was attacked overseas, it was his Chongdo training (and not his boxing) he utilized to save himself.

We enjoy this in-house expertise because we welcome a diverse community of students. Every student contributes something to our combined training, regardless of level. We can’t wait for the next one.