Emerson - 100 deadly skills: the SEAL operatives guide to eluding pursuers, evading capture, and surviving any dangerous situation

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Copyright 2015 by Escape the Wolf, LLC

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Touchstone Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Touchstone trade paperback edition October 2015

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Skill testing by Kenzie Emerson

Interior design by Erich Hobbing

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Emerson, Clint.

100 deadly skills : the SEAL operatives guide / Clint Emerson, retired Navy SEAL ; illustrations by Ted Slampyak.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. United States. Navy. SEALsHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. SurvivalHandbooks, manuals, etc. I. Slampyak, Ted, illustrator. II. Title. III. Title: One hundred deadly skills. IV. Title: SEAL operatives guide.

VG87.E64 2015

613.6'9dc23

2015012021

ISBN 978-1-4767-9605-5

ISBN 978-1-4767-9606-2 (ebook)

The skills described in the following pages are called deadly for a reasonand not just because of the danger they pose to others. Developed by highly trained operatives who regularly face life-threatening conditions, these skills push the limits of human endurance, precision, and ingenuity.

And often, the boundaries of the law.

The book you are holding in your hands (or reading on your device) contains actionable information adapted from the world of special operations. Much of that information, shared here with civilians in the spirit of self-defense, is to be used in only the direst emergencies.

When confronted with unexpected danger, in many cases the safest course of action is escape. In the face of an active shooter (see ), the first option (if conditions allow) is to runand the last is to fight. If a thief wants your valuables, hand them over. If the end of the world truly does come to pass... well, then all bets are off.

The author and publisher disclaim any liability from any injury that may result from the use, proper or improper, of the information contained in this book. The stated goal of this book is not to enable a deadly class of citizens but to entertain while simultaneously imparting a body of knowledge that may come in handy in the absolute direst of emergencies.

Be deadly in spirit, but not in action. Respect the rights of others and the laws of the land.

Our fate is determined by how far we are prepared to push ourselves to stay alivethe decisions we make to survive. We must do whatever it takes to endure and make it through alive.

BEAR GRYLLS

Potential dangers lurk everywhere these days. Disasters strike in war-torn regions and far-flung locationsbut with alarming regularity, they also seem to inch closer and closer to home. Spanning acts of terror, mass shootings, and the unseen (and sometimes virtual) matrix of everyday crime, danger refuses to be confined to dark alleys, unstable nations, or distant zip codes.

People tend to imagine worst-case scenarios in highly colorful terms, but chaos and crime are the real apocalyptic scenarios. We picture aliens, frozen tundra, and intergalactic warfare, when in fact the catastrophic event weve been waiting for is more likely to look like a mundane report of vandalism on last nights newsor the massive Internet shutdown in tomorrows headlines. Or, indeed, the violent criminal hiding in the shadows of a desolate parking garage. In the face of true catastrophe, a basement full of canned peas and distilled water isnt likely to be much help.

In a future where every stranger poses a potential threat, knowing the predator mindset is the only safe haven. What are the tricks used by the stealthiest, most dangerous human beings in our midst? How can you spot and avoid the dangers that surround us? You could turn to the criminal class to find out. Or you could go one better by taking a page from some of the most highly trained specialists on the planet.

The one hundred deadly skills you are about to encounter are adapted from the world of special operations, a complex web of associations dominated by operatives with a shared predilection for intrigue and danger. These elite, highly skilled warriors are charged with risking their lives under the most challenging and dire conditions on earth. As operatives who routinely infiltrate the worlds most dangerous and volatile regions, they must be equal parts spies, soldiers, and lawless rule-breakers.

They are action heroes for modern times, one-part James Bond, the other Rambo. Some call these highly skilled operatives Violent Nomads, as a nod to their disregard for international borders and their bias for swift, brutal action.

Many of the techniques that make up the Violent Nomad body of knowledge cannot be divulged without severe risk to public safety, but a great deal of potentially lifesaving information can still be shared. Each skill is broken down into its most critical parts, or Courses of Action (COAs), and summed up by a BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front), which spells out the key takeaway from the operatives perspective; Civilian BLUFs flip the skills around and outline preventive measures civilians can take to arm themselves against predators using these particular techniques.

As a retired Navy SEAL who spent several years inside the NSA (National Security Agency), in writing this book I drew on an unusual breadth of experience that spans twenty years spent running special ops all over the world, both in teams and alone, and merges lessons learned from both combat and surveillance. The skills in this book represent a potential path to survival in the face of any number of dangerous situations, from eluding pursuers and escaping abduction to self-defense. And they may even provide a blueprint for getting through doomsday.

The world isnt getting any safer, but you can be prepared. Whether youre faced with an alien invasion or an assailant wielding a seemingly innocuous item such as a water bottle or an umbrella, learning how to think like a Violent Nomad will radically improve your chances of coming out on top.