Understanding & Applying Self-Defense Strategies

Book Preface

Tammy Yard-McCracken is the owner and chief instructor of Kore Self-Defense & Krav Maga, a training center in Northern Virginia. Dr. Yard-McCracken is a certified expert Krav Maga instructor with Krav Maga Global (KMG). She earned her instructor certification under Eyal Yanilov and her expert certification in Israel. Dr. Yard-McCracken is the third woman to earn an expert rank with KMG in North America and the first fully certified female instructor for KMG on the East Coast. She has advanced instructor training in areas including women’s Krav Maga, Krav Maga for children and adolescents, mental conditioning, and scenario training. Dr. Yard-McCracken also serves as a subject matter expert to KMG on women’s issues and violence dynamics.

Dr. Yard-McCracken’s academic background includes a bachelor of science in Education from Illinois State University, a master of science in Professional Counseling (LPC) from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and a doctorate in Psychology (PsyD) from the Eisner Institute for Professional Studies, where she wrote her dissertation on using mindfulness training to improve situational awareness for frontline operatives. She has been established as an expert witness in Virginia and Texas civil and criminal proceedings and has served as a professional consultant to legal counsel on issues of human behavior and violence. Dr. Yard-McCracken has also served as an adjunct faculty member for Argosy University and Houston Community College, and she has authored numerous articles on conflict management, instructor development, and gender issues in self-defense.

In addition to having more than 25 years as a practicing psychotherapist, Dr. Yard-McCracken is a certified conflict communication instructor and is credentialed as a self-defense instructor with Chiron Training. She is also a board member for Conflict Research Group International and a core instructor with Violence Dynamics, which teaches seminars on various aspects of violence prevention, self-defense, and conflict communication. Her training programs have been sought out by safety and security professionals, members of law enforcement, first responders, and national security professionals.

Dr. Yard-McCracken has also provided training and instruction for private companies, international safety and security organizations, and nonprofit groups serving populations at high risk for violence. She has been a requested speaker for organizations such as the Air Line Pilots Association and Women in Federal Law Enforcement. Dr. Yard-McCracken also serves as a violence dynamics subject matter expert for a Washington DC–area tactical training organization, coauthoring and instructing a range of courses, including Active Shooter Response Training.

Dr. Yard-McCracken is a guest instructor for the Great Course Martial Arts for Your Mind and Body. â–