John Valentine is a military veteran, combatives and firearms instructor, martial artist, and the instructor behind Deeds of Arms. His work integrates empty-hand fighting, grappling, edged-weapons skills, concealed firearms, and scenario-based problem-solving into a practical approach to personal defense.
Professional Biography
Valentine served for more than a decade in the military and deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Public instructor biographies credit him with providing integrated training to American and allied military personnel, law-enforcement officers, and armed citizens.
He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Modern Army Combatives. Valentine earned his Modern Army Combatives black belt under Matt Larsen and served for several years as Larsen’s assistant instructor while training special-mission and intelligence personnel.
Valentine is also an experienced submission-grappling competitor and international medalist, with additional experience in mixed martial arts, boxing, and competitive shooting. That competitive background provides repeated exposure to resistance, uncertainty, fatigue, and immediate performance feedback.
Firearms and Combatives Instruction
Valentine’s documented credentials include Rangemaster Master Firearms Instructor, where he graduated with Top Gun honors; Army Combatives instructor certification under Matt Larsen; Modern Samurai Project red-dot-sight instructor certification; Red Zone Empty Hand Knife Defense instructor certification; and UTM law-enforcement instructor certification.
He has taught through Green Ops, Hill Country Combatives, and Sheepdog Response in addition to working under the Deeds of Arms banner. His students have included military personnel, law-enforcement officers, and private citizens whose missions, legal authorities, equipment, and risk considerations differ substantially.
Through Deeds of Arms, Valentine teaches material addressing the intersection of physical contact and weapons. His curriculum includes defensive-pistol combatives, knife combatives, weapon access and retention, and the transitions between empty-hand and armed responses.
Training Approach
Valentine treats personal defense as a connected problem rather than a collection of isolated techniques. An encounter may begin at conversational distance, in a clinch, during an attempted weapon grab, or before a firearm can safely be accessed. Effective preparation therefore requires more than marksmanship alone.
His approach emphasizes reliable fundamentals, training against resistance, understanding transitions between skill sets, and developing judgment alongside physical execution. Firearms proficiency remains important, but it operates within a larger system involving awareness, communication, movement, physical control, weapon retention, and adaptability.
P&S Connection
Valentine is part of the Extended Primary & Secondary Network through his participation as a P&S podcast panelist. He joined Matt Landfair and other members of the professional training community for P&S ModCast 411 — Airing of Grievances 2024, contributing an integrated combatives perspective to the discussion of training standards and professional practice.
Key Areas of Experience
- Modern Army Combatives
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling
- Defensive-pistol combatives
- Knife combatives and empty-hand defense
- Weapon access and retention
- Concealed-carry skills
- Red-dot pistol instruction
- Scenario-based and UTM training
- Military and law-enforcement instruction
- Primary & Secondary podcast participation
Selected Sources
- Green Ops — John V. Instructor Bio
- Deeds of Arms — John Valentine Instructor Profile
- P&S ModCast 411 — Airing of Grievances 2024
- Spotter Up — Combatives Episode 12 with John Valentine
Profile last reviewed: September 11, 2026.
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John Valentine · Deeds of Arms · combatives instructor · Rangemaster Master Firearms Instructor · Modern Army Combatives · Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu · Matt Larsen · defensive-pistol combatives · knife combatives · weapon retention · Green Ops · Hill Country Combatives · Sheepdog Response · P&S ModCast 411 · Primary & Secondary