Guided Chaos, Elmsford

John Perkins's father began teaching his son fighting techniques when John was 5. His dad trained him to wield a tomahawk, knife, stick, and spear in case of bullying or attack, as well as Native American combat-style wrestling. Blended with formal training in martial arts, John devised Ki Chuan Do—later re-dubbed Guided Chaos—a form of combat that promotes creativity over practiced patterns. He has successfully faced more than 100 threatening encounters as a police officer and bodyguard. At the method's namesake gym, he and his staff lead self-defense classes to spread their tactics to the masses.