The Instructor Team

Hank Hayes is the founder of NLB Tactical (originally No Lie Blades) and CEO of Intuitive Self-Protection, the civilian subdivision of NLB Tactical. He grew up in a rough NYC environment and learned to read the streets at a young age, formally starting martial arts at 10. By his late 20s he was working as an executive protection specialist and teaching the fighting arts, holding numerous black belts across more than 40 systems of fighting, and he was inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2012. In his early 30s he invented and patented the No Lie Blade, a feedback training knife that created an entire training-product category and was adopted by U.S. Government departments and agencies. Hank and the NLB team have instructed well over 22,000 law enforcement officers, military operators, SWAT teams, Tier One units and Joint Special Operations Commands under government contract. In 2019, after years of civilian requests, he launched Intuitive Self-Protection in Virginia Beach, VA to bring that same training to everyday people.

Steve Johnson is a military small arms expert with over eight years of active-duty military experience. He has trained under top instructors in the firearms training industry and is a valued instructor with both NLB Tactical and Intuitive Self-Protection. An avid competitive shooter and certified AR-15 armorer, Steve regularly steps outside his comfort zone to stay "comfortable being uncomfortable." His teaching focus is moving students from bystander to responder — helping them understand that the items on their belt are merely tools, and that they are the weapon.

Dan Spagone came up through NJROTC, earned Eagle Scout, and competed on junior rifle and pistol teams. He attended Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont in the Corps of Cadets under contract with the United States Marine Corps, and graduated USMC Officer Candidate School in 2006. Alongside numerous shooting awards he holds a black belt in Military Arnis. Dan joined the NLB Tactical team in 2015 and quickly became a valued instructor working high-level Special Operations military and law enforcement contracts as well as civilian training evolutions. He now also serves on the ISP team, bringing specialties in both firearms and combatives.

Jared Grant has served on active duty for 13 years and is currently in Army Special Operations. His seven combat deployments include Afghanistan, Iraq/Syria, and AFRICOM. An avid hunter and competitive shooter, he has trained with the NLB team on multiple occasions and is a lead instructor on the ISP team. Jared is known for conveying the realities of combat in a way that is palatable to the everyday person — a leader on and off the battlefield with the knowledge and experience to turn a student into the protector they need to be.