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.

Chikai-no-hiji or "close in elbow"

Updated Wednesday, February 4th, 2015 at 11:07 hours

Chikai no hiji  [近いの肘] This is the name I gave to a kata I created a few years back and it brought to mind the why. It came to be a favorite technique, elbow strikes, because they were powerful and Henry Sensei liked to use them all the time when we sparred. It requires one get really close to an opponent/attacker. It made me think of fighting or being attacked on the street.

Lets just say fighting as in school yard scuffles. It may apply to other area's of violent behavior/attacks but that is best left to the professionals with a whole lot more experience than I. I have been in a few fights so that is my limited basis for this post.

I have come to the theory that fights tend to get very up close and personal. There are no large area's where everyone dances around feeling one another out and faking/feinting, etc. Usually it is close, brutal, and quickly done, if your lucky.

Note, one must end the fight fast. The longer it takes the more opportunity the attacker will have to hurt you bad, basically. It's is complicated. Anyway, when someone decides to clean your clock they tend to move in with a haymaker, if untrained, or a kick/strike, if trained, and then it tends to go to a clench, etc., i.e. basically in a school yard scuffle.

I found that using elbows, for me, tends to be powerful so in order to bring together those elbow techniques I created the "Chikai-no-hiji" which means, I think, close elbows kata. It requires one to get in very close and use the elbows to dominate and end it quickly.

I don't hit directly but come up, down or from the various side angles to strike across and into the body as I find that works better than direct impact which the body is built to endure.

What all this brought to mind is in kata and kata practice we tend to use a lot of floor space. The embusen and the lines we follow for each kata are kind of set for the basic's of the system. Where I go further is that once I got the basics of the system somewhat learned I stretched outside the box and beyond the gross body movement, etc. and moved toward "economy of motion/movement."

In my kata practice I tend to work the footwork, movement, motions and kamae/stances where I can assume each one in a "very, very small space" as if I were in a close up and personal fight. It can look as if I an twisting, turning, and dropping into various stances, etc. in a space about four foot square - give or take as I have not measured it for specificity.

Try it sometime. Do a kata as you normally would slow and easy, relaxed in a positive relaxation mode. Then do another working the movement, stances, stance transitions as if you could not leave that four foot square box. Visualize it as if you and the attacker are face to face throwing strikes, punches, elbows, forearms, etc. leaving out grappling to ground work cause I try to avoid that for me although I don't mind putting my attacker on the ground using gravity to help me out. Try this, see how things become a bit different.

If your new, leave it alone because you really have to know the kata instinctively/consciously, etc. or you get confused. Even higher level practitioners who try this lose the kata but persistence and knowledge will blend the two much like doing kata in mirror fashion, i.e. one side then reverse the side to start, etc.

No comments: