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.

Stress

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Stress is your body's physical and emotional response when it thinks you're about to die. It is said at times that a person can experience good stress and bad stress but in reality stress no matter how you label it is not good - not even a little good. This is tantamount to saying eggs are good for you if you only eat one or two a week and reality says that eggs effect our heart and cholesterol and are bad. The egg industry simply lobbied to have that message adjusted so its bottom line would not be adversely effected by the news.

There are tons of things in the human world that are simply bad for you and when that message hits then pressures are applied so that those sending the message are pressured to change it so that the thing is not bad but the thing if used judiciously and in moderation is not so bad for you message. Here is how our bodies, in short, deal with all kinds and levels of stress.

“When our brains perceive what is happening in our world and decides that your life is at risk, your body is given two choices: fight or flight. Your brain turns on the stress response system that is hard wired into your brain and body.” 

Now, you might start to make assumptions that very little in our life that is stressful is about putting our very lives at risk of death but reality says that when stress hits the brain, the lizard brain, does not care or differentiate between causes of that stress as to whether it is life threatening or not - the lizard has one speed when stress hits, danger-danger Will Robinson death is facing us right now so run or fight!

When stress adrenal conditions occur no matter the level or the cause the lizard brain kicks in and dumps the chemical cocktail of the adrenaline family and the lizard goes directly to death fears regardless of what our brains and minds see, smell or perceive in our environment. The levels tend to be about sensitivities and the reasons or intent make no difference. When stress, any stress hits, the body and mind use the same levels of chemical releases as would be triggered if facing a true life or death situation. 

There is NO GOOD stress and that is just how it is and our goals in life is to handle, control, reduce and/or avoid as much stress as we can and I say, “Good Luck with THAT!”

Karate, martial arts, meditation, and other efforts to achieve an immovable mushin present moment mind are about leaving as much as possible thoughts and experiences relived as possible to reduce stress to its absolute minimum. This is about mind-state programming and training and experience building models of practice and training. 

In short, not complete or comprehensive answers, you have to expose yourself to stresses that would help you to know, understand and experience to build up a resistance. Guys and Gals who work in professions that have lots of stress will tell you that over time and not all the time their experiences help lesson the stresses making them capable of doing the job while lessening the effects that effect how they do the job because sometimes, most times, you will just have to experience and deal with stresses.

Now, here is the kicker you already know but may not be consciously considering, “How you handle stress matters as to how bad that stressor effects you physically, mentally and as to heath, etc.” It is like using positive self-talk vs. negative self-talk while both have beneficial effects, at least initially, the negative will in time add lots of stress to your stress. Positive self-talk without burying your head in the sand and ignoring the stress triggers helps you deal with stress so that you can combat that stress through experience for the future and so on. Make sense?

Karate, martial arts and other such disciplines are about learning of stress triggers, understanding the stress triggers and then accumulating experience of handling the triggers and stresses to build up a type of resistance allowing us to apply our skills through the adrenal stress conditioned repercussions and so on. Make sense?

Something else, if you don’t know about stress triggers and the stress conditions and the stress repercussions; if you don’t know that you don’t know; if you don’t accept the facts of human life and existence; if you don’t learn, understand, train and build experience of those stress triggers, etc. then you are doomed to experience the past over and over again without relief or the coping skills that allow you to toughen your proverbial skin toward stress. Failure to achieve such goals is not an option for stress and stress repercussions are like the Borg, resistance is futile. You can’t resist and ignore them for they dig under your subconscious and cause the damage while leaving you ignorant unless you decide to face them head on appropriately. 

Adrenaline stress conditions are triggered.

Bibliography (Click the link)


No comments: