American Self Protection, also known as A.S.P., is a combative art developed by Dr. Evan S. Baltazzi for the purpose of developing a system of self-protection that addresses the needs of an occidental audience.
A.S.P. departs from other martial arts in that it aims to be accessible to most of the Western population, and to be easy to learn. To achieve this end, the beginner program focuses on a small number of body motions which, through repeated practice, will be committed to muscle memory. As an example of the program's goal to be highly accessible, A.S.P. does not require any kicks higher than the waist.
A.S.P. features an emphasis on techniques which will be considered acts of self-defence, rather than acts of aggression, in a U.S. court of law.
Unlike many martial arts, A.S.P. does not originate from a tradtitional religious or philosophical viewpoint; for example, its psychosomatic exercises may appear to be similar to what a practitioner of Yoga or Tai Chi performs, but A.S.P.'s techniques are devoid of Asian cultural references.
The American Self Protection Association maintains a website at http://www.americanselfprotection.com/ which at the time of this writing was being maintained by Troy Schultz. Relevant publications concerning A.S.P. written by Dr. Baltazzi include "ASP: Basic American Self-Protection" (Library of Congress No. 72-83542) "Kickboxing: A Safe Sport, A Deadly Defense", "Stickfighting", and "American Self Protection Complete". All books except the last are out of print. "American Self Protection Complete" is available from Evanel Associates, Sagamore Hills, Ohio.
