About Us
Meredith Gold
Director of Training
I have been training and teaching ASST for over 13 years. I came to the world of reality-based self defense and empowerment as a result of an attempted abduction I’d survived as a teenager. After growing tired of living with the fear and anxiety that were a constant in my early adult life, I got involved with the Impact Personal Safety program. The empowerment I gained was profound and life changing for me! The skills I learned not only gave me a whole new sense of confidence and security, but I was also incredibly inspired by my brave and awesome classmates who had overcome obstacles far greater than I had. I knew right away that I wanted to be involved in this powerful kind of work.
After becoming a certified instructor and teaching with Impact Personal Safety for a number of years, I had the good fortune to work with Peyton Quinn, becoming the Director of Female Instructor Training for his Rocky Mountain Combat Applications Training (RMCAT) program. My time with RMCAT afforded me the opportunity to see firsthand how ASST could also be incredibly useful for those involved in more traditional martial arts. It was obvious that this type of training truly had something for everyone!
In 1999 I began writing about ASST and women’s self defense and empowerment for "Black Belt" magazine. The column I share with Kathy Long, “Beyond Technique” has been a feature ever since. Additionally, I was a contributing writer for “Self Defense for Women” magazine for the duration of its existence.
In 2000, my husband Mike Belzer and I started R-A-W Power. Over the years women’s self defense and empowerment has been my primary focus, with the bulk of my students being female non-martial artists. But, my time with RMCAT, combined with my husband’s years of martial arts experience, made it clear that there is a larger audience for this powerful training method. So, we decided to create a program based on the ASST principles and methodology that would address the needs of both experienced martial artists as well the complete novice.
It has been a gratifying road so far, and with a book and video series in our near future, we are hoping that more and more people will benefit from the incredible experience that Adrenal-Stress Scenario Training can provide.
Michael Belzer
Instructor Trainer
I have been involved in the martial arts almost all of my life, starting the practice of Jujutsu at the age of nine. As I grew older I was lucky to be able to live and train in such places as Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Over the years I have been fortunate to train under the “best of the best” including Sensei Donn F. Draeger, Prof. Wally Jay and Guro Dan Inosanto.
Although I was eventually ranked as a godan or 5th degree black belt in Jujutsu, I always felt that something was missing from my training. The missing part had to do with how to deal with fear/anxiety and the immediate effects of the adrenal reaction that inevitably occurs in a real life-threatening situation. Adrenal-stress scenario training provided the “missing link” I had been looking for.
I have been practicing and teaching this method for over 14 years. I received my original training from the Impact Personal Safety organization and went on to become an instructor-trainer for them. I have enjoyed opportunities to “mug”/teach and develop programs for Project Blind Ambition, Impact-Switzerland, Peyton Quinn’s RMCAT program and a number of martial art organizations.
I branched out on my own with the help of my training partner David Feldman, to adapt ASST for law enforcement applications. For the last 10 years we have worked as a consultant to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Arrest and Control Unit as part of their Civilian Martial Arts Advisory Panel (CMAAP). In the year 2000 Meredith and I developed the R-A-W Power program.
Currently, I follow the advice of both Donn Draeger and Dan Inosanto, to always “remain a student” and to keep training. My personal practice is focusing on what is now termed “reality-based training”. My instructors include Cliff Stewart of Within Arms Reach (W.A.R.), Hock Hochheim of the Scientific Fighting Congress/Close Quarter Combat Group (SFC-CQCG) and Bernie Lau of Icho-ryu Aikijutsu (police arrest & control).
My respect for “traditional” training continues as I train under Guro Khalid Khan in Cabales-Serrada Escrima.
Other R-A-W Power Staff Members :
This work could not be accomplished without the teamwork, skills and dedication of many individuals. Our regular teaching staff also includes:
Ron Vizanski
David Feldman
David Cherkes
Thomas Rodriguez