Press Kit

Dave Young

ARMA Training, LLC is not your typical training organization or institute. Perhaps it’s the fact that their instructors have over fifty years of collective experience in the field. Perhaps it’s the fact that in addition to training police, corrections officers and security professionals, they also train civilians in personal safety and self-defense.  

Or perhaps it’s Dave Young, the ARMA Training's director. Young is a former marine, as well as a former corrections and law enforcement officer in the state of Florida. Furthermore, he has served as a control system designer for both military and civilian authorities. Young also boasts many consultant credentials, such as the defensive tactics consulting that he provided for myriad police and correctional agencies both domestic and internationally.

But it was Young’s experience working as the director of training for Mace Security International that garnered him national attention from scores of media outlets. Young’s hands-on method of training was best described by People magazine: “[Getting] a blistering jolt of mace to the face, not to mention being choked, punched and peppered with various projectiles, is all in a day’s work for the burly former Marine.”

“I don’t mind,” Young wrote in his 2004 Esquire article (regarding his seemingly tortuous day job), “because that means I’m saving the lives of law enforcers who may one day save your life.”

Young was the lead in several National Geographic shows titled "Crash Test Human." Here is an excerpt from one of these shows.

Indeed, Young’s training is invaluable for law and corrections professionals, and his passion for his work is unparalleled. Young is regarded as an industry leader, and his methods have been proven effective. He has developed a vast list of training programs and manuals that are regularly utilized by law, corrections and security officers, such as his groundbreaking “Water Based Defensive Tactics” programs.

Young developed his personal safety training program for civilians after being appalled by other self-defense programs, which he found to be impractical, misguided, and downright dangerous. “If students tried [these methods], they would get killed,” he observed. Relying on his extraordinary experience and expertise, Young created a program comprised of techniques that are easy to remember, easy to execute, and completely defendable in court.  Young has also developed the “S.M.A.R.T” program, a revolutionary new strategy that enables schools to maximize their safety and preparation in the event of violent attacks or disruptions.

Young is undeniably an expert in tactical and defense training. Whether he is working with a seasoned military veteran or a civilian who has never thrown a punch, Young brings unequaled knowledge and experience to each session.