Someone won't leave you alone.
At a gas station or in a parking lot, a stranger ignores your boundaries and keeps closing distance. Learn to recognize the warning signs, communicate clearly, keep space, and look for a safe exit.
FPC / MISSION: GET HOME SAFE
Pearl, Mississippi / Jackson Metro
SELF-DEFENSE
IS MORE THAN
FIGHTING.
Someone follows you through a parking lot. An angry customer becomes threatening at work. Someone grabs you before you can get away. Would you know what to do? Train to recognize danger early, manage unwanted contact, protect yourself when necessary, and leave as soon as it is safe. We offer self-defense classes, women's self-defense, private instruction, Eskrima, combat sports, personal training, and locally hosted or traveling seminars.
AwarenessContact ManagementRespondGet Home Safe
BUILT FOR REALITY / FPCNew to Four Pillars Combatives?
Request Your Free Intro Lesson START WITH A FREE INTRO LESSON.
Get introduced to our training approach, meet the instructor, and ask questions before choosing a membership. Free introductory lessons are for local residents only. Contact us to arrange a lesson and confirm availability.
01.Weapons
02.Grappling
03.Striking
04.Fitness
The missionAVOID THE FIGHT.
AVOID THE FIGHT.
BE READY IF YOU CAN'T.
Awareness. Contact Management. Respond. Get Home Safe.
The goal is to avoid fighting unless you have to—and get away as soon as safely possible. Recognize danger, manage contact, set boundaries, and leave when you can. If you must fight, be capable of defending yourself wherever the confrontation goes: on your feet, in the clinch, or on the ground. Train to protect yourself or others when necessary, stop the immediate threat, and disengage safely.
How we train ↗Awareness first.Recognize problems early and avoid preventable violence.
Capable under pressure.Train striking, grappling, ground survival, and weapons awareness so you have options if you cannot leave.
Built for you.Weekly Monday and Wednesday group classes, private lessons, small groups, personal training, and events.
For your life. For your work.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU?
You do not have to want a fight to need the skills to handle one. Whether you want to protect yourself, help someone you care about, or be better prepared for confrontation at work, we connect awareness and sound decisions with practical fighting ability when avoiding violence is no longer an option.
A routine interaction escalates.
A customer, patient, inmate, or member of the public grows aggressive while you are doing your job. Learn to recognize escalation, manage distance and boundaries, and prepare for physical contact if necessary—while acting within your responsibilities, policies, and the law.
Someone grabs or knocks you down.
What if you can't simply walk away? Practice striking, grappling, and ground-survival fundamentals with an emphasis on protecting yourself, getting back up, and disengaging when possible.
A firearm is not a substitute for fighting skills
CARRYING A FIREARM DOESN'T REPLACE FIGHTING SKILLS.
A confrontation can turn physical before you have room to react. Carrying a firearm does not replace awareness, striking, wrestling, grappling, or the ability to maintain control at close range.
WHAT IF IT STARTS AT 0–5 FEET?
At arm's length, someone may grab you, crowd you, or force a clinch. Train for contact, movement, balance, and making safer decisions—not just ideal conditions at a distance.
BEING ARMED IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING PREPARED.
When physical fighting and weapons risks overlap, you need more than marksmanship. We connect empty-hand skills with awareness, weapon retention concepts, responsible decisions, and safe disengagement.
TRAIN FOR YOUR LIFE. TRAIN FOR YOUR JOB.
Private citizens can train to protect themselves and others. Law enforcement, corrections, security, and military personnel can request instruction tailored to their responsibilities, equipment, policies, and the law.
Citizens. Professionals. Athletes.
WHAT ARE YOU TRAINING FOR?
Choose your goal: practical self-defense, job-related skills, or combat-sports competition. We tailor the training to you.
PROTECT YOURSELF & OTHERS.
Recognize danger, manage unwanted contact, avoid violence when possible, and build the striking, grappling, and weapons-awareness skills needed if you must defend yourself or someone else. Get away as soon as safely possible.
Explore Self-Defense ↗PREPARE FOR CONTACT ON THE JOB.
Law enforcement officers, corrections personnel, security professionals, and others may have responsibilities that make immediate disengagement impossible. Train awareness, communication, physical control concepts, and fighting skills appropriate to your duties, policies, and the law. Military personnel may also inquire about tailored training.
Explore Professional Training ↗TRAIN TO COMPETE.
Want to step into the ring, cage, or onto the mats? We also coach boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling, and submission grappling for people whose goal is athletic skill or competition—not just self-defense. Competition-focused coaching is available by private lesson or custom seminar.
Explore Competition Coaching ↗Ways to train
CHOOSE YOUR TRAINING.
Whether you want personal protection, job-related defensive skills, or to prepare for combat-sports competition, choose the service that fits your goals. No experience is required to ask about training.
01 / FIND YOUR TRAINING
Group Classes
Practical self-defense and martial arts instruction focused on awareness, striking, grappling and responsible decisions.
Explore this option 02 / FIND YOUR TRAININGWomen’s Self-Defense
Build practical personal-safety skills through awareness, boundaries, verbal skills, movement, physical escape and ground survival.
Explore this option 03 / FIND YOUR TRAININGPrivate Lessons
Train one-on-one in practical self-defense, Eskrima, boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling, submission grappling, and specialized combatives at your pace.
Explore this option 04 / FIND YOUR TRAININGSeminars & Workshops
Too far from Pearl for regular classes? Bring Four Pillars Combatives to your area. Host self-defense curriculum instruction, women's self-defense, Eskrima, combat sports, or specialized combatives for your martial arts school, business, school, church, or private group.
Explore this option 05 / FIND YOUR TRAININGPersonal Training
One-on-one coaching for strength, power, cardio, mobility and physical attributes such as agility, speed and balance. Martial arts experience is not required.
Explore this optionClear training options
WHAT IS REGULARLY SCHEDULED?
The group membership is for the weekly self-defense classes. Other training formats are available by request and are not included in that membership.
Group Self-Defense Classes
Awareness, contact management, practical striking, grappling and weapons awareness. Mondays and Wednesdays; this is not a dedicated MMA or boxing class.
Combat Sports & Individual Training
Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling, submission wrestling, No-Gi grappling, Eskrima and specialized combatives are available by private lesson request. Personal training is booked separately for fitness and physical attributes.
Traveling Seminars & Workshops
Host training at a martial arts academy, school, business, church, or community venue—locally or out of town. Choose the Four Pillars self-defense curriculum or focused instruction in Eskrima, combat sports, women's self-defense, and specialized combatives. Events can run from one hour to three days or longer, depending on your goals. Every event is arranged by request.
It's easy to get started
CHOOSE A GOAL. START TRAINING.
Not sure where to begin? Tell us what you're looking for and we'll discuss the training format and availability that fit.
Choose your training
Group classes, women’s self-defense, private lessons, personal training, or a seminar.
Send an inquiry
Tell us about your goals, group size if relevant, and preferred dates or times.
Make a plan
We’ll confirm the location, available time, pricing details, and next steps before you attend.
Clear pricing. Real savings.
PAY FOR TRAINING. SAVE WITH COMMITMENT.
Our group memberships include both regularly scheduled weekly classes. Compare savings against our standard $95/month month-to-month rate.
Best monthly value
12 MONTHS
Regular $95/month
$75 / month
SAVE $20/MONTH · $240 OVER 12 MONTHS
You pay $900 over 12 months instead of $1,140 at the flexible monthly rate.
Lower commitment
6 MONTHS
Regular $95/month
$85 / month
SAVE $10/MONTH · $60 OVER 6 MONTHS
You pay $510 over 6 months instead of $570 at the flexible monthly rate.
Flexible training
MONTH-TO-MONTH
Standard monthly rate
$95 / month
NO 6- OR 12-MONTH INITIAL COMMITMENT
Train on the standard flexible monthly membership.
Group classes meet Monday and Wednesday, 5:30–6:50 PM. Four-class passes expire 60 days after purchase. Processing fees for noncash payments and applicable taxes are additional; review full membership terms before enrolling.
See All Rates & DiscountsThe self-defense curriculumFOUR SECTIONS.
FOUR SECTIONS.
ONE PURPOSE.
Learn to recognize danger, manage contact, respond when necessary, and get home safely. Our four curriculum sections show what you'll work toward—not every drill or lesson plan we use to teach it.
01
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Learn to spot warning signs, set boundaries, manage unwanted contact, and find a safe way out.
02
EMPTY-HAND FIGHTING
Build practical striking, clinch, grappling, and ground-survival skills so you can defend yourself when escape is blocked and leave when it becomes safe.
03
WEAPONS FIGHTING
Prepare for the added danger of weapons, including awareness, retention, and responsible decisions when physical contact cannot be avoided.
04
FITNESS & ATTRIBUTES
Build strength, conditioning, mobility, balance, and the physical attributes that support your training.
More than a one-time lesson
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. KEEP YOUR SKILLS.
Learning a technique is a start. Understanding when to use it—and practicing it enough to respond under pressure—is what makes training valuable.
COMBAT SPORTS VS. SELF-DEFENSE
Combat sports train you to compete against an opponent within a ruleset. Self-defense prioritizes avoiding a fight when possible. If violence is unavoidable, the goal is to defend yourself or others as necessary, end the immediate threat, and get away as soon as safely possible.
Want to compete? We also offer combat-sports private lessons and seminars, including MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, and grappling. You can train specifically for competition—not just for self-defense.
When the goal is self-defense, we use those fighting foundations while accounting for weapons, surroundings, other people, and the need to disengage.
Understand the difference ↗SKILL IS PERISHABLE.
One class can introduce a skill. Consistent practice helps you keep it. Timing, movement, judgment, and conditioning can fade without training, even when you've learned them before.
Make skill practice part of your routine so you are better prepared for the situations you hope never happen.
Why practice matters ↗Our training philosophy
"Self-defense is about avoiding a fight if possible and getting away as soon as safely possible."
Real skills. Responsible training.
Not a traditional gymTRAIN WHERE
TRAIN WHERE
LIFE HAPPENS.
Train indoors or outdoors in the Pearl area, depending on the session. We confirm the location and suitable safety equipment in advance.
- Group Classes
- Private and semi-private training
- Women's self-defense training
- Seminars and workshops for groups and organizations
- Combat sports and Eskrima by private lesson or hosted seminar; personal training by appointment
Group Classes: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30–6:50 PM (80 minutes). View the class calendar and memberships and contact us to confirm the date and location.
Meet your instructorREAL EXPERIENCE.
REAL EXPERIENCE.
CLEAR PURPOSE.
Mark has trained in martial arts since 1996. His background includes boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, MMA, submission grappling, Eskrima, military service and security work. He is also a certified personal trainer.
Training emphasizes avoiding unnecessary violence while building practical fighting capability for the moments when avoidance is no longer possible.
Meet the InstructorOur training philosophy
“Avoid fighting unless you have to. If you must fight, be prepared to protect yourself or others, stop the immediate threat, and get away as soon as safely possible.”
Awareness • Contact Management • Respond • Get Home Safe