Biography

This is a running biography of my experience in the fields of the outdoors and martial arts. If you are a media outlet and would like a short bio for placement in articles or promotional material I have provided a short bio below the main list.

  • Editor of Knives Illustrated Magazine
  • Associate Editor/Art Director of Survival Quarterly Magazine
  • Published Author with Tactical Knives Magazine
  • Contributor with World of Firepower Magazine
  • Contributor with American Survival Guide Magazine
  • Regular contributor with S.W.A.T. Magazine
  • Contributor with BUGOUT Exit Plan Magazine
  • Published in Black Belt Magazine
  • Published in Personal & Home Defense Magazine
  • Staff Editor for Survival Quarterly Magazine since the beginning, before becoming Associate Editor/Art Director
  • Host of the Podcast “Keeping It Real: Urban Survival for the Real World” on the Preparedness Radio Network
  • Knife designer with TOPS Knives
  • Certified NRA Firearms Instructor
  • 5 years Law Enforcement experience, 2years as a Reserve Officer with the local Sheriff’s Department and 3 years with the most highly trained, respected, utilized and recognized Reserve Unit in Michigan
  • MCOLES Certified for three years in Patrol Pistol and Pressure Point Control Tactics (PPCT)
  • Studied wilderness survival in the Colorado Rockies while growing up in Colorado
  • Studied jungle survival in the Amazon Jungle in Leticia Colombia
  • Learned urban survival from experience having spent periods of my youth homeless
  • 15 years of focused martial arts instruction
    • 5 years Ving Tsun Kung Fu
    • 12 years Hakkoryu JuJutsu
    • 2 years Daitoryu AikiJuJutsu
    • Intermittent Escrima study (including seminars and small private classes with GrandMaster Renee Latosa)
    • Intermittent Mugai Ryu study
    • Advanced police control tactics
    • Hardcore Combatives for professional personnel
  • One of the original founding members of Urban Defense Institute

Shortened Bio for Media Outlets

Joshua Swanagon has studied survival in both urban and wilderness environments in Colorado and Michigan for most of his life, while also adding experience in harsher terrains abroad. He utilizes his experience and years of diverse martial arts and combatives training and real world application as a self-defense/combatives instructor,  published freelance writer and Field Editor for various magazines in the fields of knives, survival, self-defense and tactical subject matters.