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.

Balance (Crosspost from Philosophy Blog)

Caveat: This post is mine and mine alone. I the author of this post assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this post. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding.)

It occurs to me that self-defense, from start to finish, is pretty much about balance. If you review Marc MacYoung’s metaphor on the self-defense square you have to create the square then as you apply all the different aspects of self-defense you end up creating a tower of things that without good balance causes that tower to topple throwing you out of the SD Square.

If you have studied the books on this subject, especially “In the Name of Self-Defense by Mr. MacYoung, you can see why I say this. Just review Rory Miller’s book on Force Decisions, it requires a person balance a lot of chaotic moving things to apply self-defense without running amok to the laws that govern it. 

This balance must be maintained in every single circumstance and then make appropriate decisions on the fly without kicking over the tower that holds you up and in that square. 

Taking another path this also speaks to the principle/sub-principle of yin-n-yang. Complementary opposites that make the whole where to achieve a balance of the whole is to have positive and negative equality of those perceived opposites. It appears to my perception that balance is what humans seek in life and considering how the Universe works balance may be the key to why we are here but on a more pragmatic and practical level in self-defense we start by striving for an internal balance of the mind, body and spirit.

As many of my sources seem to be saying, conflict and violence all begin and end with the individual and how that individual deals with conflict and violence determines its outcome. There are things that seem beyond our control and there are things that influence how conflict and violence go that will influence you but still, it is how you deal with it and that is where balance is most important. 

My sources use the three brains to help us understand the complexities of the human survival instinct toward conflict and violence, i.e., the human brain, the monkey brain and the lizard brain. Here also a certain balance of their influences on us makes the difference. If the monkey brain has its way we all would be going about our business like the scene from “Jumangi” where the monkey’s are spreading havoc in the kitchen (you can see this on YouTube if you do a search). 

Then there is the lizard, the one that provides us the survival stuff along with running the unconscious stuff that makes the human body run. It is that part that we hope is well trained to act, bypassing the monkey and human to get-r-done, properly and within all the restrictions surrounding self-defense so we can escape and evade such conflicts and violence. 

Balance is weighing the practices of the physical with the practices of the mental, i.e., the moral and philosophical standards and practices necessary to hold our animal survival instincts in check according to societies requirements, i.e., laws, etc. Look at it as encoding and programming our mind-set/mind-state to avoid the trappings and pitfalls of the emotionally driven monkey brain by mixing it a good doze of the human, logical and reasonable, brain so that we train the lizard properly in using appropriate force levels according to any given moment of a conflict and/or violent encounter and maintain that state of being throughout each and every moment of each and every situation till you avoid, de-escalate, escape, evade or find safety and security all balanced precariously on the floating water of the self-defense square while balanced atop each level that governs and drives self-defense. 

Imbalance is unacceptable, to provide too much balance on one side leaves the individual open and susceptible to attacks, i.e., their attitudes and state of being is one of denial to the point they are scoped out as easy targets, while too much balance on the other side leaves the individual open and susceptible to legal and civil repercussions simply because they failed to recognize the many factors that would stop them before tipping over the self-defense pile precariously balanced but toppled because of this imbalance to the other side (could I or should I condense this sentence, yes, but am I going too, nah). 

This also speaks to the need for self-defense martial arts to ensure and embrace the fundamental principles of martial systems as I present them in my soon to be released book, “The Modern Martial Arts Instruction Manual: A Modern Bubishi,” where I describe such aspects toward balancing our martial arts training and practices. The sole purpose of both are to achieve a balance in our applications regarding conflict and violence. It is not a comprehensive and complete manual but a more terse form that should promote further study to achieve a more individualized goal in what we do and why we do it. 

Strive for balance in all that you do, make the scales float in that state to create a more stabilized study of self-defense in martial arts. 

Primary Bibliography of Self-Defense:
MacYoung, Marc. "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It." Marc MacYoung. 2014.
Miller, Rory Sgt. "Meditations of Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence" YMAA Publishing. 2008.

Secondary Bibliography of Self-Defense:
Ayoob, Massad. “Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self-Defense”Gun Digest Books. Krouse Publications. Wisconsin. 2014.
Goleman, Daniel. "Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition [Kindle Edition]." Bantam. January 11, 2012.
Miller, Rory. "ConCom: Conflict Communications A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication." Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 2014. 
Miller, Rory and Kane, Lawrence A. "Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-making under Threat of Violence." YMAA Publisher. New Hampshire. 2012
Miller, Rory. "Force Decisions: A Citizen's Guide." YMAA Publications. NH. 2012.
Miller, Rory Sgt. "Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected." YMAA Publishing. 2011.
Elgin, Suzette Haden, Ph.D. "More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense." Prentice Hall. New Jersey. 1983.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1995
Morris, Desmond. “Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior.” Harry N. Abrams. April 1979.
MacYoung, Marc. “Writing Violence #1: Getting Shot.” NNSD. Amazon Digital. 2014.
MacYoung, Marc. “Writing Violence #2: Getting Stabbed.”  NNSD. Amazon Digital. 2015.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1993.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense" MJF Books. 1997.
Maffetone, Philip Dr. “The Maffetone Method: The Holistic, Low-stress, No-Pain Way to Exceptional Fitness.” McGraw Hill, New York. 2000
Strong, Sanford. “Strong on Defense_ Survival Rules to Protect you and your Family from Crime.” Pocket Books. New York. 1996.
and more … see blog bibliography.
Jahn, C. R. “FTW Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2012
Jahn, C. R. “Hardcore Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2002.

My Blog Bibliography
Cornered Cat (Scratching Post): http://www.corneredcat.com/scratching-post/
Kodokan Boston: http://kodokanboston.org
Mario McKenna (Kowakan): http://www.kowakan.com
Wim Demeere’s Blog: http://www.wimsblog.com


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