Emerson Combat Systems

Emerson's study and instruction of martial arts is ongoing. He has accumulated close to 40 years of experience in a variety of styles and philosophies of combat. As a result he has developed a unique fighting system known as Emerson Combat Systems, which has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies, members of the U.S. military, and civilians.

The purpose of Emerson Combat Systems is to give the student the tools to survive the first few seconds of a violent attack. It is based upon the recognition of two factors: the human body's physiological response to stress and its reduction to the use of gross motor skills. All of the techniques are based upon the physical and instinctual laws that govern the survival instincts and physical function of a human being.

This system is based on techniques unencumbered by the ritual or "sport" aspects of martial arts and is characterized by training as realistically as possible and utilizing flowing, dynamic concepts (for example, Integrated Fighting Skills and Weapon Transition Skills) with a strong emphasis placed on overall physical fitness. Emerson maintains he does not teach an "art", but a combat system where the goal is more than simple self defense—to overwhelm and destroy the opponent.

Along with the individual Martial Arts Instructor Rankings listed earlier, Emerson's teaching credentials include California POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) Instructor, Gunsite Instructor, Hand-to-hand Combat Instructor for H&K Defense Group, and Director of the Combat Research and Development Group. Emerson is also an expert witness for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and has been consulted as a technical advisor to television and movie productions^] including National Geographic, specifically a program titled Fight Science, due in part to his position as the Hand To Hand Combat Instructor for Harry Humphries' Global Studies Group Incorporated, a company that teaches police and military tactics to law enforcement agencies and film production crews.

Emerson has written over 30 articles on hand-to-hand combat, knife fighting, history, and knifemaking for publications including Blade Magazine, American Cop Magazine,^[72] Martial Arts Experts, Journal of Modern Combatives, Inside Kung-Fu, Black Belt Magazine, Police Magazine, and American Handgunner Magazine.