Mark Hatmaker

Mark Hatmaker is the owner and operator of Extreme Self Protection, a company that specializes in teaching old school boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts (MMA), conditioning, and pragmatic street defense techniques.12

Professional Background

Mark Hatmaker has extensive experience in combat sports and self-defense:

• He is the author of over 15 books and has produced more than 175 training videos on various martial arts and self-defense topics.1
• Hatmaker has been running Extreme Self Protection since at least January 2000, accumulating over 24 years of experience in the field.3
• He was previously the owner of Hatmaker Combat Sports before focusing solely on Extreme Self Protection.

Expertise and Teaching Approach

Hatmaker's approach to teaching self-defense and combat sports is characterized by:

• A focus on "old school" techniques from boxing, wrestling, and frontier rough-and-tumble fighting.12
• An emphasis on practical, street-oriented self-defense rather than sport-focused martial arts.2
• A preference for adaptable templates and stress-testing over rigid curricula, allowing students to develop personalized skill sets.1

Current Projects

As of 2024, Mark Hatmaker is involved in several ongoing projects:

• The Black Box Project: A series of instructional materials focusing on highly effective, previously unreleased techniques.2
• Monthly RAW DVD releases, which cover various aspects of striking, grappling, and frontier weaponry.2
• A podcast called "Rough and Tumble Raconteur".2

Mark Hatmaker's work combines historical research into combat techniques with practical application for modern self-defense, making him a respected figure in the field of extreme self-protection and combat sports instruction.