The Founder
A former Campus Patrolman, Deputy Sheriff and Police Officer in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan area, Tony Zanti served twice in the US Army, first as a member of the Military Police and then as a Field Medic, also gaining brief but meaningful Training in the Intelligence and Special Forces fields.
He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the State University of New York, and he is a CLET (Certified Law Enforcement Trainer), certified by ASLET (American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers) and a BCETS (Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress), certified by AAETS (American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress).
He also holds several Instructor's Certificates and he now operates out of Italy in the Executive Protection field, also offering Tactical Training to police and military Operators of NATO Countries.
He is an Advisory Board Member for ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association), Director of the Italian Chapter for IACSP (International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals), and he belongs to international professional Associations, such as the SFA (Special Forces Association), TTPOA (Texas Tactical Police Officers Association), ICTOA (International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association), IALEFI (International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors), and IPA (International Police Association).
In 1988 Tony Zanti created Senso-Do (the art of War), which constituted a prime basis for the smart use of the Force continuum, implementing at the same time Defensive Techniques, Weapon Retention and Disarming Techniques, and Pistol and Shotgun Shooting Techniques, all characterized by shared effectiveness.
The first students of the "Art of War" were Police Officers (it was, may be, the first instance of attributing to Cops the mark of Warriors!), and his fellow soldiers from the 20th SFGA at the Florida National Guard in Ft. Lauderdale.
Through the years, the Method grew from the first few simple techniques to a complete Combat System. Its name was changed to TPS (Tactical Protective System®) ten years later, to indicate it had a different orientation than a traditional martial art, as "Senso-Do" was sometimes perceived, albeit it maintained its original Doctrine, while its Techniques and Tactics followed the natural evolution that still goes on to this day.
Techniques and Tactics are adapted to the state of mind and body generated by the elevated state of stress that distinguishes armed and unarmed confrontations alike, and the Positive Reaction Model™ is utilized to attain Operator Survivability. The TPS Doctrine remains central in those tactical activities it embraces: Combat Shooting, Unarmed Defense, Police Techniques, Military Tactics and Close Protection. Each one of them has developed in a Tactical System of its own, originated by the same way of thinking outside of the box, thus unknown to most.
Tony Zanti is also an expert witness, tactical journalist and author, and he wrote six books and nearly two hundred articles - mostly in Italian - on the subjects of Security and Tactical Training. He is a regular contributor of "The Journal of Counterterrorism and Homeland Security International" (USA) and "Action Arms", the newest Italian Magazine. His fifth book, "Close Range Survival Shooting", was written for US Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. His last book, "La Difesa Armata" (Armed Defense) is due for publication on April 2010, and was presented at the EXA (Arms & Security Show, Brescia, Italy, 10-13 April 2010).
