Civilian Tactical (Personal Training)

AMAC Civilian Tactical (Personal Training)

Personal training sessions can be done one on one with your coach, or you can bring a friend or family member to train with while the coach guides your training. These one-on-one sessions focus more on you and your goals and can be organized explicitly around what you want to accomplish. Private training also allows you to go at your own pace and advance when you feel ready. We have multiple instructors at the Academy, so you can choose who you prefer to work with. There are also numerous fitness-focused options that you can do in your private training to focus more on your health goals while you learn to defend yourself & your family.


Civilian Tactical (C‐Tac) is Atlanta Martial Arts Center’s newly introduced reality‐based system. C‐Tac is a program designed to meet the needs of the professional adult that wants to be prepared for any potentially violent or dangerous encounter in today’s changing world. it is a Non‐Sport, reality-based, street focused self defense system, it’s tactics are based on a socially acceptable force continuum.

What is C-Tac?

With 34 years in the Martial Arts and self defense industry, Alan Baker has extensive background in practicing and teaching multiple martial arts. In 2009 he was approached by the Law Enforcement community to develop specialized training programs that were designed around the unique environments that their SWAT members were encountering. This was the beginning of the AMAC Tactical Training Group.

In 2010, AMAC Tactical was approached by the Executive Protection Institute of New York to develop a specialized defensive tactics and counter Measures program for teaching to their bodyguard/protection graduates. The program was developed and is currently being taught routinely at EPI and around the United States by Alan. Once the program was developed and introduced to the executive protection industry, it was noticed by members of the Law Enforcement community, which eventually led to opportunities for his training of multiple Law Enforcement agencies, SWAT Teams in the United States.

Recently, Alan was asked by The Vehicle Dynamics Institute in New Jersey to design a specialized program of defensive tactics that could be used in and around the operation of a motor vehicle. This program, as well as other specialized programs, has gained the attention of various government agencies that have also expressed interest in similar programs. From the obvious need in the defensive tactics industry for effective programs, Atlanta Martial Arts Center’s Tactical Training Group, “AMAC Tactical” for short, now teaches its unique and highly effective tactical and specialized defensive tactics programs to law enforcememt agencies, tactical government agencies and security groups throughout the world.

Why the need for Civilian Level Tactical Training?

Turn on any TV, watch the news and you will see how changes in today’s world and in our culture are creating the need for information and training that exceeds what a normal martial art school or Karate program has to offer. The many benefits of martial arts in our culture has been proven over time and is more than can be mentioned here, but today’s martial arts community simply does not offer the experience, background or knowledge needed to effectively meet the needs in industries that need more narrow, specialized applications. Many “self‐defense” instructors out there today received their certification to teach by attending a three‐day weekend seminar. Many groups in the martial arts that call themselves “martial arts practitioners” claim to offer solutions for today’s needs but when you peel back the layers of the so‐called “realistic programs,” they generally turn out to be just well‐marketed nonsense that was pieced together in order to have something to sell to the unknowing civilian.

What is AMAC’s C‐Tac?

With his extensive background in some of the most proven effective martial arts in the world, and his experience gained from designing programs for the security, protection, law enforcement and military environments through AMAC Tactical, Sifu Alan has designed a program to be taught at his school that would deliver what other programs in the martial arts community fail to deliver. The civilian tactical training class at AMAC (C-Tac for short) was designed to meet the needs and answer the tough questions of a civilian in today’s world that could suddenly be thrust into a violent real-world encounter.

What will C‐Tac do for you?

C‐Tac will give you a well‐rounded effective personal protection plan that will cover intelligent threat assessment and planning, basic firearm use and close quarter manipulation (Disarms, Weapon Retention), effective and realistic defensive tactics (Self‐Defense) that will work in multiple environments including hallways, doorways, ground fighting, and in and around motor vehicles ‐ just to name a few. You will study the urban weapons program that will teach you how to take everyday objects that are around you and use them as tools in a threatening encounter. Also as part of the urban weapons program is how to use a bladed weapon or how to defend against the bladed weapon if someone attempts to use one on you.

What is the Development / Student Progression for C‐Tac?

C‐Tac has three phases and each phase contains three levels of rank.

  • Phase 1 “basic training”
    The first phase is called the basic training phase. In this phase you learn your basic defensive tactics/self-defense, all of which are based on a force continuum that is socially acceptable. You also go through basic handling of a firearm and start on the basic principles of gun disarming. In phase 1 you will alsolearn the basics of home defense as well as learn techniques to increase your situational awareness or tactical awareness.
  • Phase 2 “the car phase”
    Phase 2 of the program is the “car phase”, in this phase you learn to use all of the basics from the previous level in and around vehicles. The defensive tactics are based on scenarios like a carjacking or someone attacking you outside of the car. All of the previous principles based on weapons disarms are studied in and around the vehicle. Additionally the student will learn how to do their own advance work when traveling in the vehicle as well as a basic study of counter surveillance.
  • Phase 3 “the war phase”
    Phase 3 of the program is called the “war phase”. In this phase now that the student has reached an advanced level they are able to take the information into scenario training at a higher pace. This will give the student an opportunity to start to develop a level of stress inoculation. Phase 3 also gets into more advanced concepts on edge and blunt weaponry as well as firearms.
  • Phase 4 “advanced training phase”
    Phase 4 of the program is the black level phase. Once the practitioner has reached this phase they start to study advanced level principles and tactics.

Areas of Study (Training Modules)

Personal Protection Mindset (Be your own bodyguard)
Defensive Tactics & countermeasures for self-defense
Anti-grappling / counter grappling (countering a grappler on the street)
Ground fighting (fighting standing opponents while on the ground)
Armed Ground Tactics (surviving the ground fighting game while armed)
Edged Weapon Tactics (Dealing with an opponent with a knife)
Offensive Edged Weapon Tactics (Offensive Knife Tactics)
Urban Weapons ‐ The Mighty Pen, tactical flashlight
Vehicular Defensive Tactics (fighting in and around a motor vehicle)
Basic Pistol (Getting your weapon out and on‐line under stress)
Intermediate to advanced weapons disarming
Weapon System Retention (Maintaining control of your gun)
Weapon System Disarming (Disarming a gun from an armed threat)
Home defense countermeasures

How do I get started training?

In a stressful encounter, It’s easier to know when to do, than to know what to do. Come learn the “what” before you are placed in the “when”!

Sifu Alan Baker

“What makes the C-Tac program unique from other systems?”

The C-Tac system was developed to mentally and physically prepare you for dangerous situations by teaching you pre-fight conflict-resolution techniques and situational awareness. C-Tac will give you a well-rounded, effective personal protection plan that will cover intelligent threat assessment and planning, essential firearm use and close-quarter manipulation (Disarms, Weapon Retention), a practical and realistic defensive tactic (Self-Defense) that will work in multiple environments, including hallways, doorways, ground fighting, and in and around motor vehicles.