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.

Trade-offs

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

In general, within the security discipline and industry at its most basic, security always consists of trade-offs. In Self-defense your security and safety are at the top of most lists as important to survival in conflict and with violence. The goal is to create a balance, achieved between two desirable but incompatible features; a compromise.

You can say that this is another aspect of the yin-yang, i.e., when you lose one quality or aspect of something you gain another quality or aspect. If something increases, some other thing decreases. Where the SD discipline comes in it is critical for the practitioner to understand, “The idea of a tradeoff often implies a decision to be made with full comprehension of both the upside and downside of a particular choice, such as when a person decides whether to participate in a conflict (more risky, with lower potential of safety and health, etc.) versus walking away (generally safer, with higher potential returns).”

A good place to begin understanding all the trade-offs in the martial arts, karate and self-defense disciplines is to lean about both conflict and violence in all its forms, start at the no nonsense self-defense site by Marc MacYoung. Step into his book on SD then take a look at another perspective through the efforts of Rory Miller, another professional on the other side of the yin-yang coin. 

One example is when you are doing your thing when something or someone triggers your spidey sense or you observe something hinky as you start to travel into an environment where you have to decide to continue or turn around and go another way. One is about avoidance while the other is about exposing yourself to possible dangers. If you think about the pro’s and con’s of both decisions then you can decide which benefits you as to your personal safety, health and well-being. Your decision will therefore involve some trade-offs but for me the decision is moot, turn around and all because I took the time to study the recommended material and so on. 

Morally speaking which is the best trade-ff between the harm prevented and the harm caused. This is called, “The trade-off interpretation of the requirement of necessity.” What option would result in the least harm to you, to bystanders and even your attacker? What, if you had to go hands-on, would cause the least harm while accomplishing the objective of stopping the attack among your defensive methods and force levels so that you achieve the highest probability of successful defense that includes actually meeting the standards of self-defense legal requirements. Don’t forget the rule of proportionality on the grounds of necessity, etc.

As can readily be perceived such trade-offs are also intricate to study, training, practice and application of various modes and methods of self-defense and that begins here, reading and studying along with a good dose of analysis, hypothesis and synthesis to achieve a self-defense model good for it and teaching and learning and most of all, “Understanding!”

Bibliography (Click the link)



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