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.

Performance vs. Application

First, I am not a professional. I am not currently teaching self-defense on the floor, so to speak. I don’t have credentials that many look for or need to validate what I am writing. My experiences are limited but I am knowledgable.

Second, performance is about performing kata and various drills that are “pre-formatted” with specific actions and reactions. 

Third, application means to apply it in a real life self-defense situation, the fight, violence and the predator attack, etc. 

Performing kata and drills are not enough. The are formatted, change seldom and provide a very basic teaching to convey things like fundamental principles of martial arts let alone what is needed in the self-defense world. Kata and drills don’t teach you about the before, during and after of self-defense, fighting or combatives. They just don’t do that and yet many allude that kata and drills teach self-defense, fighting and combatives. They just don’t, there is too much missing from that model. 

I might suggest that kata and drills, etc., are excellent fundamental or basic teaching tools. I also would suggest that they are also a product of the introduction and teaching of martial arts in the educational system, circa 1904 era, to develop health, fitness and a martial spirit of the youth in Asia. It is a part of the changes that make them more palatable to the younger folks at that time along with appeasement of the officials who decided that the true martial art needed change for younger audiences. After all, karate and other martial arts were practiced more by young adults and full adults rather than the younger generation. Not to say that younger persons didn’t practice martial arts before the intro to the educational systems but mostly it was the older generations. 

As an introduction and training tool to teach fundamental principles of martial systems these kata and drills cannot be beat. Where they begin to miss the mark is when they are thought to be the final and end all of martial training and practice. It was not intended that this model be the complete system and I believe wholeheartedly that once the educational system trained the younger generation in both martial basics and martial spirit they would then take that training beyond mere kata and drills, etc. This sounds a lot like what Tatsuo-san stated about his teachings of the military in the fifties and sixties. He provided the gokui, etc., with a statement that was hoped would lead many of the military karate-ka to go beyond these fundamentals. 

Applying what you learn, i.e., the fundamental principles of martial systems plus what can be derived from kata and drill training and practice is a different matter entirely. It is about knowledge, understanding and physiokinetic/technique application of a system that matter. It is about experiencing what it takes to avoid, deescalate and then apply the physical if necessary. It is about learning what leads up to violence. It is about what it takes to handle the chemical experience that violence and the stress of life and death stresses imposes on the human mind and body at the moment it occurs. It is about knowing, understanding and applying actions that will consider all the resulting after shocks of violence, i.e., the medical, the moral and the legal. 

If you leave your training and practice to the performance of kata and drills and you don’t consider, train and practice for the entire spectrum of defense, etc., then “IF” you encounter conflict you will find that your lizard will take over and use what ever actions or inactions that nature provides to survive and often times that is just not enough. 

Keep in mind that performance on the dojo floor is not application of self-defense, fighting or combatives. There is much more involved than just being able to perform things in a pattern that is predetermined. Conflict is just different and thinking you can handle it with this type of limited training and practice is just not good. 


Performance vs. Application is something to think about in your practice, training and teaching. It is something that needs consideration if you are thinking about self-defense, fighting or combatives. 

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