RAPID ACTION TACTICS
Real Skills.
Short Courses.
Ready When It Counts.
The Rapid Action Tactics (RAT) Fighting System is a nine-module self-protection system designed for real life. Learn the concepts. Know the law. See trouble coming. Then train the skill you need most, from avoiding violence and talking your way out of trouble to fighting with your hands, a stick, a knife, or a gun.
Most courses fit into a single weekend; Fight-RAT (empty-hand) and Gun-RAT (firearms) add one classroom day, either taken on Zoom beforehand or held live as part of a long weekend. Focused instruction, hands-on reps, and practical skills you can use immediately.
The RAT Fighting System builds on Sifu Paul Vunak’s Rapid Assault Tactics, a direct-action, military-grade combatives program taught to U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 in the 1980s. The VGI Tactics version keeps that foundation and adds what civilians and officers need today: averting violence, de-escalation, force matched to the threat and the law, and gunfighting, which was not part of Vunak’s original program.
Explore the SystemMost courses fit into a single weekend; Fight-RAT (empty-hand) and Gun-RAT (firearms) add one classroom day, either taken on Zoom beforehand or held live as part of a long weekend. Focused instruction, hands-on reps, and practical skills you can use immediately.
The RAT Fighting System builds on Sifu Paul Vunak’s Rapid Assault Tactics, a direct-action, military-grade combatives program taught to U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 in the 1980s. The VGI Tactics version keeps that foundation and adds what civilians and officers need today: averting violence, de-escalation, force matched to the threat and the law, and gunfighting, which was not part of Vunak’s original program.
THE SYSTEM
Nine Modules. One System.
Train the skill you need most—or stack them into complete real-world capability.
C-RAT — Concepts
The theory and core principles behind the system — the foundation every other module builds on.
L-RAT — Legal
The law of self-defense and use of force — know when action is justified before you ever need it.
P-RAT — Perceptive
Awareness, threat recognition, and the decision cycle that drives every other skill.
A-RAT — Avert
Avoiding, escaping, and evading.
T-RAT — Talk
Defusing and de-escalation.
F-RAT — Fight
Unarmed combatives.
S-RAT — Stick
Impact-weapon combatives.
K-RAT — Knife
Edged-weapon combatives.
G-RAT — Gun
Proactive and reactive gunfighting.
HOW IT WORKS
Start Free. Train Live. Go Deeper.
A path from your first free video to full instructor certification.
01
Start Free
Real techniques. Zero commitment. See how RAT thinks, moves, and works before you spend a dollar.
Watch Free Videos
02
Train Live
Pick one RAT module and train it with a certified instructor, live or on Zoom where offered. Real scenarios, real reps, real feedback.
Request Course Dates
03
Go Deeper
Go deeper with Patreon—full-length training, expanded content, and direct access to the instructor. Complete a live course to earn student status, then advance toward RAT Instructor certification.
Join on Patreonrapid action tactics
Course Catalog
Rapid Action Tactics is built around a simple idea:
Effective self-protection begins with understanding, develops through decisive action, and ends with the appropriate response.
The full RAT Fighting System is organized into three integrated families: Knowledge RATs, Action RATs, and Kinetic RATs. Most modules stand on their own (S-RAT and K-RAT require F-RAT first), and together they create a complete framework for recognizing problems early, making better decisions under pressure, and responding with the appropriate level of action.
Effective self-protection begins with understanding, develops through decisive action, and ends with the appropriate response.
The full RAT Fighting System is organized into three integrated families: Knowledge RATs, Action RATs, and Kinetic RATs. Most modules stand on their own (S-RAT and K-RAT require F-RAT first), and together they create a complete framework for recognizing problems early, making better decisions under pressure, and responding with the appropriate level of action.
rapid action tactics
Knowledge RATs
Knowledge RATs — Know the Principles. Know the Law. C-RAT (Concepts) and L-RAT (Legal) provide the foundation for the entire system. C-RAT teaches the principles, mindset, decision-making, and tactical concepts that connect every other RAT. L-RAT focuses on the legal framework surrounding self-protection, including when force may be justified, how decisions are evaluated, and the legal consequences that can follow an encounter. Knowledge RATs are designed to help students understand not only what to do, but why, when, and under what circumstances to do it.
- ✓C-RAT (Concepts): Build the mindset, principles, and decision-making framework that make every other RAT work.
- ✓L-RAT (Legal): Understand when you can act, how much force is justified, and how your decisions will be judged afterward.
rapid action tactics
Action RATs
Action RATs — See It. Dodge It. Persuade It. P-RAT (Perceptive), A-RAT (Avert), and T-RAT (Talk) focus on the critical period before an encounter becomes physical. P-RAT develops perception, situational awareness, anomaly recognition, and early threat detection. A-RAT teaches avoidance, escape, evasion, positioning, movement, boundaries, and practical strategies for staying out of danger whenever possible. T-RAT develops verbal control, de-escalation, boundary setting, and communication under stress. Together, the Action RATs are designed to help you recognize developing problems sooner and create opportunities to prevent, avoid, or defuse them before physical force becomes necessary.
- ✓P-RAT (Perceptive): See trouble sooner by sharpening awareness, recognizing anomalies, and detecting threats before they fully develop.
- ✓A-RAT (Avert): Avoid the fight through smart positioning, movement, boundaries, and decisions that keep danger at a distance.
- ✓T-RAT (Talk): Use calm, controlled communication to set boundaries, de-escalate conflict, and influence behavior before words turn into violence.
RAPID ACTION TACTICS
Kinetic RATs
Kinetic RATs — Fight It. Control It. Dominate It. F-RAT (Fight), S-RAT (Stick), K-RAT (Knife), and G-RAT (Gun) address the physical dimensions of self-protection. F-RAT provides the empty-hand fighting foundation. S-RAT develops impact-weapon skills and transferable movement principles. K-RAT addresses edged-weapon dynamics and application. F-RAT is the prerequisite for S-RAT and K-RAT, because sticks and knives are extensions of the empty hand.
G-RAT focuses on practical handgun skills and gunfighting concepts. Rather than treating each weapon or range as a separate discipline, the Kinetic RATs are built around common principles so skills transfer across modules and remain as simple, adaptable, and efficient as possible.
G-RAT focuses on practical handgun skills and gunfighting concepts. Rather than treating each weapon or range as a separate discipline, the Kinetic RATs are built around common principles so skills transfer across modules and remain as simple, adaptable, and efficient as possible.
- ✓F-RAT (Fight): Build simple, aggressive empty-hand skills designed to work under pressure when avoidance and de-escalation are no longer enough.
- ✓S-RAT (Stick): Develop practical impact-weapon skills built on transferable movement, timing, and striking principles.
- ✓K-RAT (Knife): Learn the realities of edged-weapon encounters and develop practical skills for control and survival at close range.
- ✓G-RAT (Gun): Build efficient handgun skills focused on fast decisions, sound mechanics, and practical performance under stress.
READY TO TRAIN
Book Your Training Today
Tell us what you want to achieve, and we’ll help build the right RAT training path for you or your team.