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.

Martial Arts/Karate Seminars

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

Every time I read about an upcoming seminar and see the comment, “You will leave this seminar with the knowledge you can take back to your dojo. - GUARANTEED!” I get a little feeling of something not quite right but not really wrong. 

A seminar, generally speaking, is “a conference or other meeting for discussion or training; a class at a college or university in which a topic is discussed by a teacher and a small group of students, i.e., a work shop, a study group or a lesson, etc.” In general, a seminar is a form of instruction, often academic, often offered by an academic institution, commercial organization or a professional organization such as in our case a karate or martial arts person, dojo or organization, i.e., an association, the honbu dojo or another type of group. 

It should be noted that, “Normally, participants must not be beginners in the field under discussion …” Yet, for our martial arts and karate communities a good many of the participants are beginners, often a mix of both kyu’s and dan’s. 

There are not set fast hard rules as to the duration of seminars, some are a few hours while others can span a day to several days. It all depends but one factor I see in many is the concept that seminars for martial arts and/or karate are to be packed full of subjects, as many as they can get in using a one hour per session model (sometimes half hour and sometimes three hour sessions, etc. it varies.). 

First, note that in seminars as with any dojo, etc., there cannot and should not be any guarantees’s. It is impossible for anyone anywhere to guarantee anything from such sessions or training programs. You can provide what is going to be taught and discuessed but as to what one or a group is going to take away with them is a crap shoot simply because we are all humans and therefore fallable. Memory, retention and understanding in such short climates and environments are also questionable due to so many factors like the ability to communicate by the presenter, the clarity of the material presented, the facts and validation of the content and the vast learning and retention abilities of the persons on the receiving end to name just a few. 

What can help is the entire seminar being recorded, a set of materials that present at least an outline of subjects and materials for the lectures/demonstrations and the notes taken by recipients and how well they take notes. Regardless, seminars from my standpoint are merely methods of introduction to other like minded professionals in that field, a way to socialize and socially connect with others for the ultimate goal of exchanging information and ideas and lessons not just at the seminar but after, the connection and ability to meet again, maybe train in one another dojo and to analyze, hypothesize and synthesize questions, answers and experiences toward growing their knowledge, understanding and experience in martial arts and karate. 

Otherwise, if such connections are not made and it is just one attending a seminar the probabilities of retaining adequately and efficiently a complete understanding of the martial is minimal simply because of the way our brains work and the way our memories function. It is a bit like learning one thing in the dojo, it requires continuous re-visiting by both the recipient and the presenter through repetitive conscious aware focused mutual contact and exchange over time and time again until one day it sets in and you say, “Oh crap, that is what it means to me” and so on. One seminar even recorded and without the mutual ongoing connections that martial will end up in a drawer until someone retrieves it write an article or book or make a video. ;-)

When students are required to attend seminars for promotions, etc., they tend to do so simply to meet that REQUIREMENT for their own goals of promotions and rank, etc. It is best to not force or require any person to attend such events as I feel strong that if you mentor and by example show it as a positive satisfying educational fun event they will go to learn, not to get a check mark on a list of requirements to get a black belt, etc.

Seminars are just one venue to learn, understand and gain mastery in martial arts and karate and the best way to make it stick is to create an environment where they want to do such things for the social benefits and the educational goals of mastery. Just remember, seminars are not dojo nor are the absolute and comprehensive teachings, there are always, I mean always, more to such events that require you ask questions, questions and more questions because seminars simply present small threads that a practitioner must see, grasp then pull to find out just how deep and far the rabbit hole goes. 

Addendum dtd 16 December 2016 at 10:09 hours: One very important factor of most seminars it the ratio of presenters to recipients. When you have a skewed ratio, greater than 3/4 to 1, you lose something much like the issues that exist when a teacher in a school has to teach twenty, twenty-five or more students - you lose the type of connections our species requires to learn, grow, prosper and be healthy in mind and body. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)



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