Robert Cabral has been involved in the martial arts for more than 20 years. He holds senior masters credentials (seventh degree black belt) and has taught traditional martial arts as well as practical self defense in the U.S. and in Europe. He has worked as a bodyguard for numerous celebrities and dignitaries. His practical approach to personal security has made him a respected authority on the subject. Cabral has taught hand to hand self defense to police officers, bodyguards and lay people for the past 20 years. He founded Be Your Own Bodyguard, the first online self defense program in 1998, and has recently restructured the entire course and made it available on DVD. Today, Be Your Own Bodyguard, is the finest self defense / personal security course available online as well as on enhanced DVD.

What is Be Your Own Bodyguard?
Be Your Own Bodyguard started out as an idea: Give people some practical tips how to protect themselves and make it readily available, nothing fancy, just the basics to empower them and give them an edge. It was originally a workshop, then in 1998 it was formed as an online self defense course (the first one ever). However, there were limitations. The internet was, at that time, not able to stream video and audio very well, so the video's were short and the course relied mainly on pictures. Well, with the advent of broadband, Robert re-structured the course and made it available on DVD as well as online. click here for a magazine interview of Robert on the original course.

What's the difference between the online course and the DVD?
The DVD is considerably more intensive and offers discussions on security, detailed explanations of the techniques and more. The men's DVD course is approximately 60 minutes long and the women's DVD course is 90 minutes long. The online course focuses on 12 of the primary techniques. The online course is available to anyone at any time with almost instant access. The online course is taken from the DVD itself. Due to bandwidth issues, the online course focuses on the practical techniques and limits the discussions.

What's so special about the DVD?
The DVD is enhanced, and it offers interactive menus that allow you to choose what you want to watch. You can watch the entire DVD with lessons and discussions, you can opt to only watch the techniques or the discussions, or you can jump to a menu that allows you to select which technique you want to watch. Along with that, the DVD (as well as the online course) has picture in picture technology in which a second window opens in the corner of your screen and guides you along through your lesson, whether it be the explanation or the demonstration. All techniques are shown in real speed and then slowed down to assist you in understanding and comprehending the lesson.

What's the difference between Be Your Own Bodyguard and other self defense courses?
Be Your Own Bodyguard is designed to teach you practical knowledge of how best to avoid a potential attack.  The course also teaches self defense techniques to use in the event of an attack.  It is NOT a course on fighting.   This course is about practical self defense and personal empowerment.

For the women's course Robert took a woman with absolutely no previous experience and taught her self defense right on the video. You watch the common mistakes she makes her first time and then learn from the corrections that Robert suggests to her. Many courses show an expert demonstrating complicated techniques and then expect you to be able to do the same. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to learn advanced techniques from a video, that is why this course focuses on simple and logical adjustments to what you already know. Once you see how quickly the woman is able to turn the situation around, you feel confident that you too will be able to learn these lessons.

In the men's course Robert himself demonstrates the techniques, but guides you through the techniques in careful detail. You will see the techniques demonstrated and hear the explanation with picture in picture explanation. Each technique is slowed down and explained in detail to clarify any questions that might arise. The course does not rely on complicated martial art techniques. You are taught practical and logical techniques that most anyone can apply.

The course focuses on important steps that you can take to protect yourself in your day to day life. Things like protecting yourself from stalkers, purse snatchers, identity theft and more. There are simple pieces of advice that will surprise you that you overlooked them. The problem is the bad guys know your weaknesses. Robert will give you some simple steps to protect yourself even if you never need to use the physical parts of the course. The practical advice is worth the price of the DVD itself.

How long does it take to complete the course?
The courses are not meant to be watched once and then understood. It is recommended that you do a lesson a day and then review the course periodically. You have this option with both the online course as well as the DVD. The online is downloaded to your computer. You can then watch it whenever you want. There is no time of membership, you are purchasing tokens which allow you to pay as you go. In fact you may just want to purchase certain lessons and not others. Your membership for the online course lasts as long as you need to download all the lessons you paid for, no monthly memberships and no recurring charges.

Can I take both courses online?
Yes, when you purchase the tokens for the course they can be used on both the men's and women's courses. So if you wish to share the price of the cost with someone, you can do that. You are only paying for the lessons you choose.

How much does it cost?
The online courses costs $25.00 each. The DVD's are $29.95 each. If you take the online course, you can still order the DVD and save $5.00 by including a copy of your internet purchase receipt with your order. Also if you order both DVD's you save $5.00 on each.

What is the difference between the men's and the women's course?
Men and women tend to be attacked in different ways, and learn differently. The courses are quite different and address various points. The courses were structured through Robert's intensive knowledge of personal protection. He has trained both men and women and gears the individual classes to the person he is teaching. In these courses he is right there with you every step of the way. It is highly recommended that men take the men's course and women take the women's course. There is nothing wrong with watching the other course, however, each is geared toward the specific individual. It is recommended that if you are using an opposite sex partner for practice that you have them watch the video with you as a point of reference.

How do I sign up for the online course?
You can click on any of the purchase membership links on the site and you will be taken to the sign up page. If you have any questions on how to use our system, click on the how it works link below and there is a short tutorial that will have you up and running in a few short moments.