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.

Gender in Self-Defense - OH, My!

Caveat: This article is mine and mine alone. I the author of this article 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 article. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding. Oh, and just because I wrote it and just because it sounds reasonable and just because it makes sense, does not mean it is true.) 

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.

“Sun Tzu and Miyamoto Musashi made no distinctions regarding gender. To them all adversaries were defined as combatants.” - Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder, September 29, 2014 YMAA “Never Hit A Girl…Unless She’s Armed.”

One of those social conditions that permeate modern times is those imposed as to gender and how we treat those gender specific conditions. As both Sun Tzu and Musashi Sensei stated, in combat there is apparently no gender conditions. Yet, our society imposes them on us and in the self-defense community that merely places more obstacles and restrictions on how to survive. The conditions come from the influences of family, friends, and the legal system comprised of police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the juror pool (also driven by social conditioning that includes the “Entertainment” industry).

This just sucks, i.e., when I was very young I learned about chivalry and the treatment due to the fairer sex with one major caveat, “If a woman, regardless, is going to take an attack posture and apply both the five stages of an attack along with JAM, jeopardy-ability-means, to cause damage to me then they are just another combatant and will incur the same level of force anyone would face that would stop the damage while remaining within the self-defense square (Thanks Marc MacYoung for that SDS term or phrase)>

Women can and are just as dangerous as men and some, to my beliefs, are even more dangerous. Friends and fellow Marines who served with me and had the distinction to have served in combat in the Viet Nam arena often spoke of how dangerous the Viet Nam or Cong women were in the zone. Some of the activities they performed against our military and against the innocents of Viet Nam were pretty horrid. I can tell you my belief of those fellow Marines came into question just hearing about it, i.e., like this is a fictional thing rather than realty paradigm shift event. 

If you study self-defense and have to apply it against a woman just believe that when the first responders get there the inclination may be to label you the aggressor and the female as the victim. Yes, the police may understand reality but the social pressures and conditioning may bias that opinion. Take into consideration also your level of expertise, i.e., your training was in self-defense with emphasis on the physical applications, your status may be as a martial artists at the black belt level therefore gaining you the status of professional, and the types of techniques may be considered by themselves or as perceived by their martial arts connections to be deadlier than they actually are and so on ad infinitum.  Now, articulate and convince the first responder so that he can present your view to the prosecutor and then see if you are arrested and/or charged. Oh, yea, don’t forget that if the situation is on cell phone video, even if truly presented and recorded as self-defense, will influence public opinions causing a political and emotionally charged response, uh oh, crap just really hit the fan, oh yeah!


Read the article by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder here: “Never Hit A Girl…Unless She’s Armed.”


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