Sammy Franco
Sammy Franco is one of the world's foremost authorities on armed and unarmed combat. Highly regarded as a leading innovator in combat sciences, Mr. Franco was one of the premier pioneers in the field of reality-based self-defense. His innovative ideas have made a significant contribution to changing the thinking of many in the field about how people can best defend themselves against vicious and formidable adversaries.
Sammy Franco is perhaps best known as the founder and creator of Contemporary Fighting Arts (CFA), a state-of-the-art offensive-based combat system that is specifically designed for real-world self-defense. CFA is a sophisticated and practical system of self-defense, designed specifically to provide efficient and effective methods to avoid, defuse, confront, and neutralize both armed and unarmed attackers.
After studying and training in numerous martial art systems and related disciplines and acquiring extensive firsthand experience from real 'street' combat, Mr. Franco developed his first system, known as Analytical Street Fighting. This system, which was one of the first practical 'street fighting' martial arts, employed an unrestrained reality-based training methodology known as Simulated Street fighting. Analytical Street Fighting served as the foundation for the fundamental principles of Contemporary Fighting Arts and Mr. Franco's teaching methodology. CFA also draws from the concepts and principles of numerous sciences and disciplines, including police and military science, criminal justice, criminology, sociology, human psychology, philosophy, histrionics, kinesics, proxemics, kinesiology, emergency medicine, crisis management, and human anatomy.
Sammy Franco has frequently been featured in martial art magazines, newspapers, and appeared on radio and television programs, including the CBS television newsmagazine '48 HOURS' with Dan Rather and the Montel Williams Show. Mr. Franco has authored numerous magazine articles and editorials, and has developed a popular library of instructional self-defense videotapes, DVDs and workout music.
Mr. Franco has also written thirteen best-selling books, including his first book, Street Lethal, released in 1989, which was one of the first books ever written on the subject of Street Fighting. His other books include Killer Instinct, When Seconds Count, 1001 Street Fighting Secrets, First Strike, The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall, War Machine, War Craft, The WidowMaker Program, War Blade, The Combat Conditioning Workout Journal, Feral Fighting and Ground War.
Sammy Franco's experience and credibility in the combat science is unequaled. One of his many accomplishments in this field includes the fact that he has earned the ranking of a Law Enforcement Master Instructor, and has designed, implemented, and taught officer survival training to the United States Border Patrol (USBP). He instructs members of the US Secret Service, Military Special Forces, Washington DC Police Department, Montgomery County, Maryland Deputy Sheriffs, and the US Library of Congress Police. He is a member of the prestigious American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (ASLET) and he is listed in the 'Who's Who Director of Law Enforcement Instructors.
Sammy Franco is a nationally certified Law Enforcement Instructor in the following curricula: PR-24 Side-Handle Baton, Police Arrest and Control Procedures, Police Personal Weapons Tactics, Police Power Handcuffing Methods, Police Oleoresin Capsicum Aerosol Training (OCAT), Police Weapon Retention and Disarming Methods, Police Edged Weapon Countermeasures and 'Use of Force' Assessment and Response Methods. Mr. Franco is also a nationally certified firearm instructor (both police and civilian) who specializes in firearm safety, personal protection, and advanced combat shooting.
Mr. Franco holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland. He is a regularly featured speaker at a number of professional conferences, and conducts dynamic and enlightening seminars on numerous aspects of self-defense and personal protection. Mr. Franco has instructed thousands of students in his career, including instruction on street fighting, grappling and ground fighting, boxing and kickboxing, knife survival and knife fighting skills, multiple opponent survival skills, stick fighting skills and firearms training.
Sammy Franco teaches not only combat-proven techniques, but from the standpoint of having a firsthand understanding of the emotional, psychological and spiritual issues that arise from surviving physical violence. Having lived through extreme violence himself, Mr. Franco's goal is not its glorification, but to help people free themselves from violence and its costly price