#16: Dexter Fletcher – Form Follows Function when Hunting Monsters

03/08/24 • 78 min

“When you go into a Hostage Rescue you have to see it as if you are protecting or trying to save your own child, your own mother, your own brother. If you can’t put yourself in a situation to see it that way you can’t do that job. And that’s the way Miami Dade SWAT SRT, that is what our perspective was. The Job that we do is real, and you are going to have to perform. You are going to be put in situations where you have to respond at the highest level, and if you fall short someone loses their life. When you see the reality of life and death, and you are responsible for that, it puts a different level in you. You have a mindset that you cannot fail, there is no failure in this, if you fail you die, your teammates die, and more importantly the person you are trying to save dies.”
– Dexter Fletcher

My guest this episode is Dexter Fletcher, who served for 35 years in the Miami Dade Police Department, and 30 of those years on S.W.A.T. as part of their Special Response Team. He is a multi-discipline martial arts master with a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Nisie Goju Ruyu Karate & Ju Jitsu and a 5th Dan Black Belt in Nagasudo Ju Jitsu and Combative Arts. Mr. Fletcher specializes in training Police, SWAT, and Military Units Nationally and Internationally. He has first-hand experiences protecting Presidents, Popes, and Dignitaries. His highly decorated career has involved everything from frequent hostage rescue situations, to hunting fugitives, to protecting civilians from the monsters in this world.

This episode is all about the makings of a Guardian and what it takes to function at the highest levels in the most extreme and stressful environments. My key takeaway is that Form must Follow Function. In life and death situations when you are responsible for yourself, your teammates, and those you are protecting your training must prepare you to perform with zero room for failure. Hero’s like Dexter Fletcher are a very rare and humble bread, they are guardians who put the preservation of others over their own self-preservation. I consider Dexter Fletcher to be a Modern-Day Samurai, who lives by a strict code of conduct driven by a definiteness of purpose and a selflessness dedicated to service and the preservation of life. We can learn so much from being in the mere presence of such individuals, who truly walk the walk, I am humbled and honored to spend time with this remarkable man. Tune in for a life changing episode.

Previous Episode

#15: Chris Kent – The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do

“Jeet Kune Do to me is not about the perpetuation of an art, it is about the personal cultivation of an individual. To me Jeet Kune Do is a state of being. It’s a dynamic way of thinking and acting that encompasses the same fluid operating principles you use in dealing with opponents that you would use every day in the arena of life. I would like to see Jeet Kune Do resume its place in the Pantheon of Martial Arts. The position that I feel it deserves to be in and it should be in. It was designed to be a revolutionary cutting-edge martial art and philosophy that has a culture of innovation and experimentation.” – Chris Kent

My guest this episode is Chris Kent, who has been deeply immersed in Bruce Lee's martial art and philosophy for five decades and is widely acknowledged as one of the world's foremost authorities on Jeet Kune Do. He has gained international recognition for his knowledge, leadership, and contributions in perpetuating the art, training methods, and philosophy as developed by Bruce Lee. He is regarded as one of the few individuals in the world that has total comprehension of all facets of Lee's martial art and philosophy, including what is referred to as the “styless-style.” His extensive research into the foundations of the art from a technical, philosophical, and spiritual perspective, as well as educating himself in the fields of exercise physiology, kinesiology, and human performance gives him a unique perspective to preserve and perpetuate The Art and Philosophy of Jeet Kune Do.

This episode is all about the original spirit of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. My key takeaway is that the physical and philosophical aspects of martial arts like Yin and Yang cannot be separated from each other. Together they can they be utilized to obliterate our self-limiting belief systems, and give us access to connection, creation and adaptability. We dive deep into the early cutting-edge culture and energy of JKD, which was one of exploration, innovation, and experimentation. We also discuss dynamic teaching and training methods that were designed to free practitioners from fixed routines and lead them towards fluid operating principles that can be utilized when dealing with opponents and in the everyday arena of life. This episode was near and dear to my heart, and Sifu Chris Kent shared the soul of Jeet Kune Do. Tune in for another amazing episode.

Next Episode

#1: Mike Lee Kanarek – Those Who Constantly Evolve, See the Future First.

“Train like a fighter, think like a soldier, fight like a warrior. I believe confidence has to be done with inoculation. In martial arts we have stress and aggression drills that inoculate us to pain, it’s like they give us a little bit of poison, and the next night a little more poison, then a year and a half later, when we are in the arena with real fighting, we can perform. In sparring you have to give students inoculations, it’s got to be done in a logical progression, because if you don’t do it in a logical progression, those students will break. So first they need to learn defensive maneuvers, then they got to learn how to block and get hit, it’s got to be done in a systematic progression with sparring drills that lead the way. This is how you build confidence.”—Mike Lee Kanarek

My guest this episode is Mike Lee Kanarek, who is a multi discipline martial arts master. He is the founder of Haganah, a 6’th degree Black Belt in Joe Lewis Fighting Systems, a 4th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, a 1’st Degree black belt in Krav Maga, a Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Former Special Forces. He was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame and was Instructor of the year in 2007. He is a teacher of teachers and has instructed Special Units in every branch of the US Military.

This episode is all about progressively developing the warrior spirit and trusting yourself in combat. My key takeaway is that constant growth and evolution is essential to building trust and performing under pressure. In life and death situations, those who have prepared themselves by testing themselves under pressure, will have the confidence to execute in chaos. A principles based modular approach that addresses the physical, mental, tactical, and spiritual aspects of an individual is essential for growth and development in combat and in life. We discuss the importance of integrating fighting training from sports combat with self-defense training to develop a complete martial artist. Mr. Kanarek is truly a Machine, he has a unique sense of his purpose, and is driven to make the world a safer place by creating warriors on and off the battlefield. Join me for an amazing episode with a one of a kind martial arts personality.