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.

Motivational Drives

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

What makes us do what we do, biologically and psychologically speaking from a point of view as a laymen, a very novice one at that. It is about our mind-states, self-states of mind, that are organized around some basic biological drives that originate from our subcortical circuits and shaped by the regulatory prefrontal cortex. Phew, that part is over now so on we go.

The basic drives I have mentioned are, partially listed for brevity, “Exploration, mastery, play, reproduction, resource allocation, executive control, sexuality, and affiliation.” 

The karate-ka and martial artists  when joining a dojo, a team so to speak, the training and practice tends to be multilayered: It satisfies  our base drive for affiliation, being a member of a group, and play, because play is how we learn best. Every time on the dojo floor, in practice and training, every adjustment and change engages our drives for executive control and master. The uncertainty of the process to learn the discipline and the openness of the practice and training meet our needs for exploration. When the training and practice session is over and we are discussing and practicing lightly for fun while socializing, our resource allocation circuits may remind me that I am thirsty, hungry and need rest. These “Motivational Drives” pull together all the input signals from our body, the brainstem and our limbic areas as well as the cortex that plays an important role in mind-states or self-states driving our motivation in doing karate and martial arts. This applies to other disciplines like playing football, baseball or performing in track or gymnastics, etc.

Exploration: Humans are a curious lot, we seek out information and knowledge especially when it concerns something we enjoy. We all who read this enjoy the discipline of karate and martial arts with some of us enjoying one or more of its sub-categories such as sport and self-defense. The way we survive is to witness the needs and then explore all the possibilities through research, knowledge, understanding, experience and application. 

Mastery: To survive you have to accomplish a great deal toward a type of mastery of things. In karate and martial arts it is about mastering the fundamentals in principled based multiple defense methodologies as well as types of force and power, etc. We therefore explore the skills and disciplines then we work diligently to encode them into our minds, our brains, so we master their benefits and applications. 

Play (Fun): Playing with things, having fun, is a solid way to teach, learn and apply skills like karate and martial arts. It has been demonstrated and shown that play works well as a means to learn and apply in life. Play tends to stimulate the neurons of our brains so when we repetitively and effectively and appropriately apply ourselves in the skills involved, both mental and physical and spiritually, we make the sub-routines a permanent part of the procedural memory zombie routines that the cortex pulls from the top level in our inner world and then applies them when the external reality starts to mix and trigger actions within the functions of the encoded sub-routines. 

Reproduction: In society and life this is that survival instinct we have to propagate the species. In karate and martial arts self-defense is it learning to consistently reproduce those methodologies in the defense mode. Reproduction can also be seen in the dojo as the connectedness that passes down to those who follow the knowledge and wisdom of the dojo so it also survives the passing of time. 

Resource Allocation: In K&MA it is about allocating appropriate resources toward a healthy, fit and capable body, mind and spirit while also properly allocating fuels, energy, force and power toward attaining our goals in self-defense. This is a simplistic definition and warrants study to find and understand all the resources we have not just for live and living but when necessary to reach the goals of self-defense through our karate and martial arts training, practice and applications. 

Executive Control: Control is about self-control, control of events and situations through mind-set and mind-state, control of our actions, control of our very thoughts, control in self-analysis of our minds, bodies and spirit when apply said control in conflicts and violences. 

Sexuality: In society and life that speaks to our survival instincts in group dynamics and survival of self, family and tribe. It is our very sexuality that transmits through body language, scent and other unspoken signals to one another as the best to carry on the human species and the tribe. 

Affiliation: Group, tribal, and clan associations, connections, integrations and affiliations that speak the core of human survival of our species that tends to bleed over into our daily life decisions and actions. In the Dojo it is our affiliation and connections to one another in a dual dynamic way to achieve goals and to survive. Humans alone are a weak and vulnerable species and when we collect together into a socially driven group our strength of numbers lessons that weakness and vulnerability. 

Herein lies our base drives, the drives that propel us forward in time and space to keep the species and ourselves alive and strong for the tribe and the tribal members as a collective. 

Bibliography (Click the link)


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