Bmore Safe: An Interview with JB Jaeger of Maryland Jeet Kune Do

With the rise of violence in Baltimore following the events of last year, we sat down with JB Jaeger, the head instructor of the Maryland Jeet Kune Do Academy, located in Odenton, to ask for simple answers about personal self-defense. Jaeger was recently featured on 98 Rock’s morning show and we wanted to get more in depth with him.

Do you think Baltimore is a safe city?

I love Baltimore. I wasn’t born here but it’s the city I’ve come to call home. Like any city, it has its share of problems, and violence is definitely a problem that has plagued Baltimore for years. I can’t comment on the politics of it all or what I think the city needs to do to improve the situation it’s in. Violence is more than a political issue, an issue of this neighborhood or that. Most murders occur between people who know each other, domestic disputes, acquaintances, relationships. Keeping these things in mind, as an individual, how I conduct myself in my everyday life, the friends I choose, the people I associate with, and the places I go, these are far more vital to my self-defense than anything else.

Do you think everyone should have some sort of self-defense training?

Absolutely. The sanctity of life and personhood is one of the most fundamental human rights, and while we do have the police and the law, when it comes down to it, only you are truly able to protect yourself. The average police response time in Baltimore City is three to five minutes. A lot can happen in those moments, and that is even assuming you have the ability to call 911. Everyone should have some form of self-protection training, but self-protection isn’t just about fighting, though we do teach those skills. The best fight is the one you never get into.

So avoidance is key?

Absolutely. Despite being a combative art, Bruce Lee called Jeet Kune Do the art of fighting without fighting. Self-protection is 90% situational awareness, 9% having a plan, and 1% having the psychical skills and conditioning to execute that plan when your situational awareness fails you. We emphasize in all of our courses. There are basic strategies to increase your awareness, and make it an active thing. Too many people walk around with their head in their cell phones, with their IPod headphones in their ears. I’ve never committed a felony in my life, but if I look at you and label you a potential victim, imagine what an actual predator sees you as.

If you are in what we call Condition White, what we call being unaware of your surroundings and the people populating it, then when you are confronted, you immediately go to Condition Black, you freeze, and you are unable to respond. We teach the awareness skills to keep you from being in Condition White in public, which means you have the ability to avoid the situation or address it if you absolutely must. You can have all the awesome martial arts skills and be armed to the teeth, but if you are not aware of the potential threat to your safety, they won’t be worth anything. Luck is not a plan that can be executed.

You mentioned armed. What sort of self-defense options do Maryland residents have?

There are plenty of options. While it is hard to get a concealed carry permit in Maryland, firearms are certainly available for home defense. Folding knives of a reasonable length without a gravity or spring assisted opening are options for public self-defense. Pepper spray is legal in Maryland. Stun guns are restricted in Annapolis and Baltimore and so they aren’t a worthwhile product for most Marylanders, but again, the importance is not on the tool, but rather on the mind of the person who will be holding the tool.

One of my mentors, Doug Marcaida has a saying. “The tool is not the weapon. I am the weapon.” Through training and awareness, you can use anything you can put your hands on to defend yourself. Anything becomes your tool, because you are the weapon. Otherwise, you can buy all the cool tactical toys, but if you are not aware of your situation, you’ll never be able to employ them. Thus, situational awareness training and strategies are vitally important. So is training to deploy your tool and acting out your self-protection plan. Don’t just buy a gun or pepper spray and think you’re safe.

One of the things we specialize in is edged weapon use and defense. Many people underestimate exactly how deadly the knife is. Many say, “Well, if he has a knife, I’ll just shoot him.” The likelihood actually is that you will have been stabbed multiple times before you ever saw the knife, much less drawn your weapon, and as I mentioned, if you’re a civilian in public in Maryland, you are almost certainly not armed with a firearm. So we provide edged weapon training.

If you do own a firearm, through our partnership with Annapolis Defense & Security, we offer full tactical firearm training, how to defend your house, how to react while being fired on. Purchasing a gun and going to a shooting range and shooting at a piece of paper are not going to prepare you to defend yourself and your family. Having the training, having the plan before you find yourself in that situation is infinitely more important than whatever external object you are going to use to defend yourself.

So mindset and training are more important than anything else?

Absolutely. I can’t think of any of my teachers or my colleagues who would disagree with that.

What advice would you give to Baltimore residents and Marylanders in general who are concerned about their safety?

You don’t have to be paranoid, but you need to be aware. This is especially important when you are out in public places. Whenever there is some sort of tragedy, people say “We thought we were in a safe space.” The reality is that there is no such thing as a safe space. Keep your eyes up, look around you, get off your cell phone, and take the ear phones out of your ears. If I told you to close your eyes right now and asked you to describe, in detail, the person sitting five feet away from you, could you do it accurately?

The bottom line is that you must understand violence if you do not want to become a victim of violence. Ignoring it or saying it won’t happen to you is not a plan. Be aware, have a plan, and learn how to execute that plan.