Please take a look at Articles on self-defense/conflict/violence for introductions to the references found in the bibliography page.

Please take a look at my bibliography if you do not see a proper reference to a post.

Please take a look at my Notable Quotes

Hey, Attention on Deck!

Hey, NOTHING here is PERSONAL, get over it - Teach Me and I will Learn!


When you begin to feel like you are a tough guy, a warrior, a master of the martial arts or that you have lived a tough life, just take a moment and get some perspective with the following:


I've stopped knives that were coming to disembowel me

I've clawed for my gun while bullets ripped past me

I've dodged as someone tried to put an ax in my skull

I've fought screaming steel and left rubber on the road to avoid death

I've clawed broken glass out of my body after their opening attack failed

I've spit blood and body parts and broke strangle holds before gouging eyes

I've charged into fires, fought through blizzards and run from tornados

I've survived being hunted by gangs, killers and contract killers

The streets were my home, I hunted in the night and was hunted in turn


Please don't brag to me that you're a survivor because someone hit you. And don't tell me how 'tough' you are because of your training. As much as I've been through I know people who have survived much, much worse. - Marc MacYoung

WARNING, CAVEAT AND NOTE

The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books. Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.


Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.



“What you are reading right now is a blog. It’s written and posted by me, because I want to. I get no financial remuneration for writing it. I don’t have to meet anyone’s criteria in order to post it. Not only I don’t have an employer or publisher, but I’m not even constrained by having to please an audience. If people won’t like it, they won’t read it, but I won’t lose anything by it. Provided I don’t break any laws (libel, incitement to violence, etc.), I can post whatever I want. This means that I can write openly and honestly, however controversial my opinions may be. It also means that I could write total bullshit; there is no quality control. I could be biased. I could be insane. I could be trolling. … not all sources are equivalent, and all sources have their pros and cons. These needs to be taken into account when evaluating information, and all information should be evaluated. - God’s Bastard, Sourcing Sources (this applies to this and other blogs by me as well; if you follow the idea's, advice or information you are on your own, don't come crying to me, it is all on you do do the work to make sure it works for you!)



“You should prepare yourself to dedicate at least five or six years to your training and practice to understand the philosophy and physiokinetics of martial arts and karate so that you can understand the true spirit of everything and dedicate your mind, body and spirit to the discipline of the art.” - cejames (note: you are on your own, make sure you get expert hands-on guidance in all things martial and self-defense)



“All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” - Montaigne


I am not a leading authority on any one discipline that I write about and teach, it is my hope and wish that with all the subjects I have studied it provides me an advantage point that I offer in as clear and cohesive writings as possible in introducing the matters in my materials. I hope to serve as one who inspires direction in the practitioner so they can go on to discover greater teachers and professionals that will build on this fundamental foundation. Find the authorities and synthesize a wholehearted and holistic concept, perception and belief that will not drive your practices but rather inspire them to evolve, grow and prosper. My efforts are born of those who are more experienced and knowledgable than I. I hope you find that path! See the bibliography I provide for an initial list of experts, professionals and masters of the subjects.

Assumptions (Katei [仮定] Assumption; supposition; hypothesis)

A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. A fact or statement taken for granted. An assuming that something is true. When teaching and training for self-defense often assuming that someone understands your meaning can be an assumption that leads to that persons misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that can lead to violence and failure. 

When we assume someone fully understands and comprehends something as complex as “Situational Awareness and Self-Defense,” we leave that someone open to pain, suffering and possible death. In the following terse definition of situational awareness the author may, unintentionally, make the assumption that the students/practitioners are aware of what the “items and actions” are they need to scan for and determine if potentially dangerous. 

“Situational awareness is the ability to scan an environment for items or actions that could be potentially dangerous. It allows us to alert to those items and behaviors and activate one's capacity to make intelligent decisions and actions in regard to that data based on one's training and experience.” ~ Limatunes’ Range Diary, Situational Awareness: The New Talisman dtd Tuesday, October 28, 2014

This would include making an assumption that the student also knows and understands what “behaviors” constitute a potentially dangerous situation. The student may have ideas of what they believe is situational awareness but do they know what that is as to “Items, actions, and behaviors” when they are in another different environment with different cultures, beliefs and tribal rules?”

Traveling, for what ever reasons, if it takes you outside your environment where you live, breath, work and play every day takes you to a whole new planet, i.e. environment with sometimes drastic differences in culture and beliefs along with rules and scripts of behavior both acceptable and unacceptable. If you are not knowledgable and capable of handling these kinds of differences then you are not situational aware and often times your actions can actually lead to violence rather than avoid conflict and violence. 

Katei is about teaching about such assumptions. It is about Sensei becoming more “Aware” of what they teach, how they teach it and making sure that false assumptions, especially in regard to MA and SD, are not instilled giving a false sense of confidence and capability especially in the arena of “Situational Awareness.” Then there is that other awareness, “Environmental Awareness.” Wow, who knew it would be so complex and difficult?

Caveat: First, my MA knowledge and experience is pretty good. Second, my Self-defense knowledge is ok and getting better every day and my actual experience is very, very limited. I understand it, SD, and I can write about it but from a more academic perspective than reality simply because my encounters in the SD world can be counted on one hand and not all my fingers will be used. Third, most of my academic comes from sources that are considered both professionals and experts, as that is defined by my perceptions and perspectives. This post, by no means, is definitive or even complete simply because I have so much to learn and that does not include leaning the more physical aspects as applied to Self-defense. Finally, I am not an expert or professional in the arena of self-defense and all that is encompassed in that domain but I am knowledgable but also fallible. This is not the end all on this subject but rather a learning experience through the model of writing and receiving of comments out there in eLand and it is meant to stimulate the old grey cells in each reader in the hopes they do their own research and discovery. Never assume and never leave until you have dug deep and found that this subject actually has no limits on learning for its vastness is sometime daunting but doable. Now that I have my caveat out there, somewhat terse and incomplete as that may be, go forward and read, have fun with it and then go the distance!

p.s. Is my understanding of situational awareness full and complete? No way, but I have a good start. I know there is more to learn and I know that knowledge alone is not enough but practice in a reality based way, if possible, is needed to develop and encode that kind of behavior into the lizard. In addition, has anyone ever tried to use it when under stress and/or adrenal chemical effects? You might think that situational awareness is something that is often used most before any kind of adrenal stress dump or flood but doesn’t that flood occur the moment some intent, action or behavior signals the lizard that something dangerous is coming? Something to think about, yes?


p.s.s. Just because I pulled out Limatunes’ quote from the article/post does not mean that I am “dissing them” or saying what they are writing about this subject is wrong or incomplete because like many things second hand, i.e. an article written, they may actually teach the full spectrum to their practitioners/students so when those read it they already know the full and complete story. I am just using that quote as an example and means to show how things can fall to assumptions outside certain parameters. I really like the terse definition and the overall article, read it here, was really very good and informative. I just used the quote as a means to create an post of my own to show how assumptions can be difficult if not down right dangerous.

p.s.s.s. How many of us are actually “Aware” in our own environment? How many of us are stuck in our own personal world and are actually oblivious to our own environment? How many of us end up in conflicts and end up in socially driven violence and conflicts simply because we insist, no demand, that everyone else live within our beliefs and standards regardless because of our own sense of entitlement? If this is true and if it exists how can those folks achieve environmental awareness outside their own worlds, their own tribes and their own environments?

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