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.

Active Listening in the Dojo 聽

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

Active listening is the type of listening very few humans actually engage when in group communications. Most when they hear the very first perceived personal connection to the comment immediately jump to their answer and then wait, sometimes, or interject/interrupt the speaker, most times, to express their point of view - a view often wrong and has nothing to do with what the speaker was trying to present, to communicate. For most, communications is most often a ‘one-way street’ where the signs, ramps and directions outside the mind of the person are often, mostly, ignored so the speed through the streets ignoring stop signs, walk crossings, and other warning signs of danger and trouble as they blindly journey along highways created in their own minds.

Where this becomes most dangerous to the health and well-being of our species is when conflict and violence is involved. Guess what, our species would not exist or survive if not for our very nature toward conflict and violence for both come in all shapes, sizes and levels of force, etc., it is the way of our species.

Active listening is being involved wholeheartedly in the communications system. Humans tend to lean heavily on what experiences they have accumulated so it is natural to have the mind pull up things related or possible related or directly related to what they experience in any given moment but where the rubber meets the road is when the tire has an appropriate amount of tread to squeeze the water off the road to the rubber grips the reality of the pavement. We do the same thing through active listening where data is extracted without biases, i.e., like cognizant or confirmation bias. To use an analysis and synthesis process to work out information to relevancy, validity and reality over succumbing to biases that will just hinder your ability to understand and survive.

Ok, you want to get laid. In order to get to that goal you have to make some decisions where you will have to actually actively listen to the other person because deep down inside you know that to connect to that person so they also connect will often lead to having SEX. The whole social process is tricky and full of landmines so in order to detect those and avoid being blown out of contention for that SEX you really have to actively listen to what is being communicated, i.e., words, voice inflections, etc., and body language all require an awareness and attentive focus because in the SEX game, to win you have to see the moves, hear the triggers and tells and then act accordingly or YOU WONT GET LAID. 

Now, what has been just described applies to all forms of communications so the goal here is to find your reasoning that says, I will actively and truly and completely listen in a conversation then in accordance with the message actively listen and participate to “GET LAID.” 

In the dojo, if your practitioners are there to learn self-fense or to learn a way then active listening in a productive form of communications is the only way they will learn and appropriately apply that learning in live and in self-fense. 

This article is not about teaching active listening and proper teaching methods, you can get that elsewhere in my blogs, in books and through experience attending seminars, etc. But in a nutshell active listening is, “Active listening is a communication technique used in counseling, training, and conflict resolution. It requires that the listener fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what is being said.”

Another source states, “Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding. Often when people talk to each other, they don=t listen attentively. They are often distracted, half listening, half thinking about something else. When people are engaged in a conflict, they are often busy formulating a response to what is being said. They assume that they have heard what their opponent is saying many times before, so rather than paying attention, they focus on how they can respond to win the argument.”

And that statement leads to active listening which is, “Active listening is a structured form of listening and responding that focuses the attention on the speaker. The listener must take care to attend to the speaker fully, and then repeats, in the listener’s own words, what he or she thinks the speaker has said. The listener does not have to agree with the speaker - he or she must simply state what they think the speaker said. This enables the speaker to find out whether the listener really understood. If the listener did not, the speaker can explain some more.”

Are you actively listening to your students, do you perceive the students as actively listening to the teachings in the dojo, and do they demonstrate an understanding of what was taught in the actions of practice and training? If yes, then active listing is achieving the goals of the dojo and the teachers, if not then look closely at the teacher because they set the tone of the dojo and those members tend to follow the teachers lead. What goes around comes around so if the teacher is spreading inappropriate teachings that will come back around sooner or later but if they are actively listening and applying the teachings then that too will come around with a more appropriate and efficient result. 

Choushu [聴取] is translated to mean, “Listening; hearing; audition; radio reception.” The first character translates to, “Listen; headstrong; naughty; careful inquiry,” the second character translates to, “take; fetch; take up.” 

Akira [] is translated to mean, “Hearing.” 

Choukaku [聴覚] is translated to mean, “The sense of hearing; to listen.” First character translates to, “Listen; headstrong; naughty; careful inquiry,” the second character translates to, “memorize; learn; remember; awake; sober up.” 

Bibliography (Click the link)




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