In the private security sector, much of my work could be described as problem-solving.

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Clients range from companies and Family Offices to high-profile figures. Usually, they are keen to enhance their risk intelligence and personal safety; occasionally, they are staring down a complex threat that requires deep investigative work.

Depending on the nature of the security matter, I have highly specialised assets I can deploy. Other times, security companies will utilise me particularly for surveillance and counter-surveillance. Here you must either blend into the environment or be that elusive presence on the move, gliding through urban streets with light, ethereal steps.

The target could be someone who has committed serious financial fraud or an individual who poses a threat to the client. There are all kinds of factors that can make this type of assignment challenging. Sometimes, you don't have the luxury of knowing the target's set location at any given time. In which case, one has to embody the attributes of a tracker.

While the majority of my assignments are in urban environments, I've always found it invaluable to study those specialists and cultures who have perfected these skills in the wild. Indeed, the foundational elements of tracking field craft were developed by indigenous cultures and ancient hunter-gatherer societies.

Similarly, various martial and warrior traditions provide a seasoned practitioner with vital attributes. These include heightened intuition, an enhanced awareness of one's environment, and the persistence required to keep on the case. Such training develops the ability to move with maximum efficiency and minimal signature. One learns techniques to merge seamlessly into the background, steady the heart rate, and drastically reduce presence indicators. Crucially, it refines the craft of reading the terrain, allowing an operator to spot subtle patterns or, conversely, pattern disruption. This is a concept we will explore in my own tactical training system, Tri-Tier, which I recently discussed on The Martial Podcast.

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