The Defender 1 was the third tool in my invention line, after the Guppy and the Rabbit.

The Rabbit introduced two features I was excited about: a sawtooth grip and the digit-capture hole. They worked great — but those sawtooth teeth had a sharp profile, which meant the tool could never clear a TSA checkpoint. That got me thinking: what if I could build a grip that did the same job with no sharp geometry at all?

I worked through a lot of samples. The winning design was the “squares” — spaces cut down into the head that give the tool somewhere to grip whatever it’s set against. I placed them unevenly on purpose; it turned out that uneven spacing grabbed a wider range of surfaces and shapes far better than an even pattern. The larger head also gave the tool real striking power.

Kinetic energy is the Defender 1’s first line of defense. You hold the handle and use it like a hammer. Because the striking edge is small and the head is only a quarter-inch thick, every bit of that downward swing gets concentrated into a tiny area — creating enormous pressure against hard, bony structure. A light tool becomes effective because of where that force goes, not how hard you swing. It’s all about stopping the threat, non-lethally.

The rear point and talon were new too, and they’re what let you control an attacker’s whole body. Set the talon against the right structure and you can steer someone off you through leverage alone — break a front choke, or take the pressure off and put them where you want them. Every bit of it is non-lethal. The talon works for weapon disarms as well: seated against the hand, it takes away the grip, and most attackers drop what they’re holding.

The digit-capture hole turned out to be priceless. Capture a finger or thumb, secure it between the Defender and your grip, and the encounter usually stops on the spot — his hand caught at two points that can’t move independently, so letting go stops being his decision. Lift to bring the attacker up onto their toes, or press down to take them to the ground — and hold them there safely until police arrive.

Funny story: many of my students were sure the digit capture would never work under real pressure — they said catching a finger in a live scramble would be near impossible. So I ran classes, four hours of sparring a week. Two weeks in, we compared notes. The student who’d doubted it hardest had made it his personal mission — and it’s now his favorite feature. He went from skeptic to true believer, and he helped develop the digit-capture techniques you’ll learn in the free, unlimited online Defender training.

That’s the short version of what the tool does. The free training video shows every part in motion — the squares, the talon, the digit hole, the flat top surface, and the pommel end — and walks you through how each one gives you a place to push against, a way to steer, and an option to end the encounter without ending a life.