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.

Stupid Shit

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

No matter how much we learn, no matter how much we understand and no matter how much experience and expertise we attain in our lives we are still human and therefore subject to monkey brain stupid shit. I have lived the good life of sixty-one point 8 years with about forty plus years actually experiencing life as a proverbial adult where my Marine side as well as my Martial Arts side reside. It all adds up over time and as I enter my winter years, as understood toward the Chinese belief age 60 and above is senior winter years, I accept that I and others like me will be more enlightened, knowledgable and experienced yet I also readily admit that I still say, do, and write, “Stupid Shit.” As a part of my enlightened state of becoming I try my best to acknowledge and change my stupid shit.

I know of, not know personally but of this person, a person who in his mid winter years has accumulated a lot of knowledge, experience and ability by the experiences of that persons life. Like all elders this person has a lot to offer and deserves a great deal of respect and admiration. Except, like all humans he sometimes says, does or presents things that are, in my book, stupid as in stupid shit. Some of it is blatant and some is very, very hard to detect, perceive and question. 

Expertise is subjective and relevant toward specifics of each individual and the discipline involved. One persons expert might be another persons novice, it is about perception and the distinction toward what is generally accepted by the majority of that discipline as it regards the “Expertise of said discipline.” 

In general it is a person of an authoritative and comprehensive knowledge, skill and all important understanding of a particular area or discipline where that persons authoritative and comprehensive knowledge, skills and understanding are acknowledge by the whole of that discipline as a level commensurate with the award and holding of such a title. 

Regardless of the expertise of any person and the discipline involved we are all still humans subject to mistakes, misunderstanding and falsehoods that lead to saying, writing and believing, “Stupid Shit.” 

Even when queried for advice on the discipline  due to their extensive knowledge and ability as based on practice, training, teaching, research, experience and occupations as to the discipline studies those in receipt of that response must fact-check, verify and question to validate, verify and confirm. Why you might ask if they hold such a distinction, because we are all human and we are all subject to saying monkey brained stupid shit. 

Now, this person that I speak of has my appreciation, respect and admiration for their levels of knowledge, experiencing, teachings and understanding but I still question their teachings nonetheless because of that respect and admiration. It is my job as I receive such gifts that when I pass them along they are correct, factual, relevant, true and work to my students especially if that information could lead to ramifications detrimental to the student and practitioner of the discipline.

I am often chided when I question this person by his direct students because of his status within that group but in truth they failed, as he has in this part, to convey the importance of questioning, verifying, validating and correctly stupid shit. This person actually advocates change when falsehoods are discovered yet in the same vane this person cannot see or perceive any part of their knowledge, etc., as questionable or incorrect, etc., so they tend to adhere to stupid shit that should be changed. The changes come only when it involves others outside the group and often appears and is perceived to validate the belief to change incorrectness while not changing when valid, verifiable and factual proof is provided. 

I still follow and study this persons discipline and knowledge and experiences and so on because on the whole his expertise is outstanding. He has earned my respect and admiration. He is an example one would aspire to in life and in the discipline in question - yet, he still says, does and promotes some stupid shit. I just tell other who ask, “Data mine, validate, fact check and verify everything regardless.” 

Hey, I do and say stupid shit all the time and I consider myself to be an expert in certain disciplines but that expertise as with almost everything is subject to questioning. 

In the end my intent is not to cast dispersions on the individual, it is not personal at all, or his expertise but my intent is to learn, accumulate knowledge, make that knowledge base valid, effective, factual, true and relevant and then pass it down with all the caveats I try to live by in this effort. Look at it as a continued effort for self-growth for a goal of a greater depth and breadth of knowledge, understanding and ability to this discipline(s). 

Here is a good example, using myself for this one, at one time I assumed I was an expert martial artists in the realm of fighting, combatives and especially civil self-defense. I taught what I was taught to my students for a very long time. One day I was introduced to a site titled, “No-Nonsense Self-Defense.” I was literally flabbergasted, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I then began to study Mr. MacYoung’s material and was introduced to other professionals like Mr. Rory Miller and many others along the way. I had to make such a HUGE paradigm shift in my study, belief and teachings of self-defense that it became my mission because, truthfully, what I learned, taught and assumed was self-defense was such a minuscule part of the world of SD I had a hard to taking it all in. 

I assumed even at the physical level the technique based teachings taught me and I taught my students was going to “Get-r-done” if attacked or if encountering conflict with physical violence. I never once encountered teachings of self-defense that taught about adrenal dumps, reality based adrenal conditioned training, and especially awareness of how to detect violence before it makes it physical toward an understanding of avoidance and deescalation let alone about the three brains with emphasis on the monkey along with ramifications and so many other aspects, i.e., “Conflict communications; Emotional Intelligence; Lines/square/circle of SD, Three brains (human, monkey, lizard), JAM/AOJ and five stages, Adrenal stress (stress induced reality based), Violence (Social and Asocial), Pre-Attack indicators, Weapons, Predator process and predator resource, Force levels, Repercussions (medical, legal, civil, personal), Go-NoGo, Win-Loss Ratio, etc. (still working on the core sub-principles for this one)”Attitude, Socio-emotional, Diplomacy, Speed [get-er done fast], Redirected aggression, Dual Time Clocks, Awareness, Initiative, Permission, multiple attack/defense methodologies (i.e., actual tactics and attack methodologies of impacts, drives (pushes), pulls, twists, takedowns/throws and compression, etc. are best for stopping a threat.”

AND

“Attacked Mind, Train It, Breath It Away, Visualize It Away, Sparring vs. Fighting, Degradation of Technique/skills, Peripheral Vision Loss, Tunnel Vision, Depth Perception Loss/Altered, Auditory Exclusion, Weakened legs/arms, Loss of Extremity Feeling, Loss of Fine Motor Skills, Distorted Memory/perceptions, Tachypsychia (time slows), Freeze, Perception of Slow Motion, Irrelevant Thought Intrusion, Behavioral Looping, Pain Blocked, Male vs. Female Adrenaline Curve, Victim vs. Predator, The Professional, Levels of Hormonal Stimulation, etc.”

If you take a look at my bibliography you will see a lot of references that were never addressed in self-defense martial arts as I studied and taught since I began in 1976 and earlier. I was taught to “Do this when they do that” technique based defense and I can tell you the only reason I made it work in my youth was my mind-set and my training of mind-set and mind-state as a Marine.

If I were to apply my skills without learning all of this over the last decade, minimum, I might be writing about stuff from prison or I might actually be dead never reaching my winter years. Now, I strive to get the word out through my writing, blogging and soon to be published book on the subject. Another awesome product of learning of self-defense comes from Marc MacYoung, who published the most comprehensive book on the subject titled, “In the Name of Self-Defense.” 

No where to date will you find one source that provides you the information you need for self-defense. It provides you the fundamentals necessary to self-assess your self-defense needs, find and choose a self-defense training program(s) and make the decisions toward your needs in the world of self-defense be it martial arts or by other means. I have read this book four times and every one of those readings as exposed things I needed to know about self-defense and I can say with steadfast resolute certainty that this book is absolute to teaching, learning and practicing the “Discipline” of Self-Defense. 

Dont’ take my word for it, get a copy and determine the truth for yourself!

Bibliography (Click the link)


2 comments:

Rory said...

Charles, don't know if you're referring to me. It's easy to fall in love with your own theories. That said, anyone who wants to be better will relish the challenge of being questioned. In an infinite universe, we are all wrong. The quest is not to be right, because that is unachievable, but to become better. Every day. And the only way to do that is to be challenged.

Charles James said...

Thanks Rory,

I want to be "Right" only in the process. I hope to achieve a better sense of right. I will keep trying.

Again, thanks for chiming in.