Shivworks

I became aware of ShivWorks by stumbling onto some of their YouTube content. When the Edged Weapons Overview class was offered in my area, my sons and I signed up. This was my first self- defense class that did not involve firearms.
The class had approximately 29 participants from a wide variety of backgrounds and demographics. There was a couple in their 70’s and an 18-year-old. There were Military / Law Enforcement personnel and civilians. There were people with years of experience in martial arts, and people who had never taken a class. There were males and females. There were Asians, Caucasians, African Americans, and Latinos. There were white collar and blue-collar professionals. The people in the class were a cross section of America.
The course material was based on real-world, real-life experiences. It emphasized that the fight you avoid is the fight you win. The ShivWorks instructors began the training by giving us specific techniques to increase awareness of potential threats. The training provided a graduated scale of response to manage those threats. These responses began with verbal boundaries and escalated to physical ones.
If an assailant breaks those boundaries, Edged Weapons Overview gives you specific, simple, and actionable techniques to employ. These techniques will enable you to get an attacker off you and keep them off you. The application of these techniques can enable you to escape and survive a dangerous encounter.
The ShivWorks instructors were consummate professionals with years of real world experience. Their goal was to help every participant get the most out of the course. There was NO bravado, tough guy talk or “Rambo” attitude from the instructors. They were focused on giving the class simple, actionable, techniques to solve the problems posed by real world threats.
The environment created by the ShivWorks instructors made everyone comfortable, which facilitated learning. Some participants had physical limitations from injury, they were accommodated. Novices like me were shown patience and focused attention. There was no such thing as a “stupid question.”
No matter what your background is, Edged Weapons Overview is a valuable experience. The course content is easy to understand, simple to use, and relevant to the real world. The instructors are focused on helping the participants get the most out of their time. I have no question that after taking Edged Weapons Overview, my sons and I are significantly better prepared to protect ourselves. If you take this course, you will be significantly better prepared too.

Honestly, can’t say enough good things. The class is obviously very well thought out and planned. I especially liked the functional warm up on day 2 - it really helped drive home the lessons from day one. I’m a kinetic learner so that was great for me. Craig kept a great eye on both participants in evolutions and when someone got rocked it was called for safety. I have some health issues so I had some concerns about being able to do the class, but the instructors do a great job with safety. I think the best endorsement I can give is that I’ll find a way to be back in another Shivworks class again.

There was so much to process from this class that I wasn’t able to fully digest on our debrief. I’m a decent shot in a neighborhood that has limited resources for firearms and self-protection. People in our area ask us for instruction and I do because I believe that people of all backgrounds should have the right to defend themselves and be informed and make decisions based on solid information. I tell the handfuls of people that have come to me for firearm instruction, please don’t come to me believing you will receive everything you need to defend yourself. I start by letting them know my class is an introduction to a much larger responsibility. That I myself am still very much a student. I took EWO and have taken several classes prior to this on top of my background with firearms.

I believe this EWO class and Shivworks’ instruction holds the standard for understanding the depths and investment needed to put together a solid foundation, physically and mentally, for self-protection. This was a truly humbling experience and I don’t regret it.

I will be sending people that ask me for my recommendations to Shivworks. I appreciate you Craig and Scott and hope you continue on this path to bring value and reality into the overly saturated “self-defense” market.

Any Shivworks course is a no-brainer 5 stars. This is my second SW weekend, first time doing EWO. The content is useful for ANYONE - men, women, trained, untrained, experienced, first timer. EWO really makes you live the chaos of a real attack, but in a simulated and controlled environment. There are plenty of reps and evolutions in the coursework and Craig and his team are always very helpful. They have an answer for every question and tons of experience to back it up.