Editor's Note:In CDT: Nonlethal Self-Defense Moves to Keep You Free From Injury and Jail (Part 1), we looked at the roots of Thomas J. Patire's Compliance-Direction-Takedown method, outlining his findings regarding the need for a self-defense system that would allow protection professionals — as well as everyday citizens — to effectively defend themselves (and/or others) while avoiding the legal entanglements that come from the implementation of what Patire termed "overzealous self-defense techniques." In Part 2, we look at the scope of the CDT organization. CDT is now taught at more than 700 training centers in the United States and hundreds more in other countries, says CDT founder and senior instructor Thomas Patire. More than half a million people are certified in the system. And as its popularity continues to skyrocket, more agencies are coming to him to learn it and more martial arts schools are using it to enhance their offerings. A big part of the appeal of CDT is the way it meshes with the student's schedule, Patire says. Because of their hectic lifestyles and physical limitations, most people lack the time needed to become a martial arts master, but those same people can easily fit a few CDT classes into their routine

“I have been in the martial arts world all my life, and no one ever addressed the idea of family protection until Tom Patire came along. After training in CDT, I know I have options not only to protect myself but my family as well."

— Mike Swain, American Olympic judoka
(Mike Swain is featured in The Ultimate Guide to Grappling, available now in print and PDF formats!)

To meet the needs of the masses, CDT teaches compliance techniques and weapon disarms to adult students, and it conducts specialized programs for women and children. “The one for kids ... is designed not to beat up the bad guy but to outsmart him," Patire explains. "And our family-protection course is the first to treat all members of the family as a cohesive unit. They learn how to safely cover and evacuate a child, how to move in crowded areas, how and why children are targeted for abduction, and what a parent should do if the child is being taken away. We teach physical and non-physical techniques to parents or guardians so they can constantly be in the safe mode when out and about."

Most of CDT's programs can be taught in one- or two-day courses. The exception is the instructor course, which spans five days and requires a tactical or martial arts background and a clean criminal record.

To be continued…

About the Author

Sara Fogan is the former managing editor of Black Belt. For more information about CDT, call (888) 238-7287 or visit cdt-training.com.