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.

Reliance on One Source

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

In many disciplines humans tend to rely on singular sources for information in and before making decisions. Is this smart? Not so much and yet this is how we humans work, we want things a simple as possible so many of the biases we suffer from tend to push us in that direction. The compliance profession depends on that a lot and that industry encompasses many, many, many disciplines from the entertainment industry, to the government and to the ad guys who use that discipline and principles to persuade us to do things.

In the discipline of martial arts and karate, at least in the beginnings as I perceive it, practitioners rely heavily on the information provided to them by sensei. The higher the level the greater the status the more the practitioner(s) rely on their teachings and that includes the data used in those teachings. 

It took me a couple of decades to come to the realization that what I was taught, philosophically and theory-wise, was not exactly accurate, logical or even made sense. My only luck was that for self-fense, the physical part that is, my sensei had a fair amount of hands-on experience in both social and asocial encounters. Yet, even then, when I started to study others of that ilk I found that even his experiences didn’t fit the complete bill on self-defense (not combatives like for the military or those professions such as police, security disciplines and corrections folk). 

Even the pro’s tell us that what they teach is the tip of the iceberg and there is a whole lotta other stuff hidden just below the surface as deep and dark as the ocean’s themselves. 

One of my pet peeves is when one source creates a tribe like environment where the members create a belief system that says this one source is the end all source who shall never be questioned regardless of other sources as to facts and validity, etc. They end up becoming saint like and are held at levels not even religions place people who are exceptional in their lives. 

I can tell you that in my experience I have run across a few masters who when questioned or corrected with facts that cannot be questioned tend to fall back on their belief systems and fall into the state of denial. I know of one historian of martial arts and karate who provided a master documentation from sources considered valid and of good reputation, etc., that countered a teaching only to have that master come up with emotionally driven statements, think cognizant dissonance, etc., to refute the presentation even when it is apparent what they are doing simply because they cannot admit error. I am guilty of that too but am proud to say that with a concerted diligent effort I have been able to accept such things and changes - mostly. Call it a work in progress.

What I am truly grateful for is the current work and effort of folks who are studying history and references on martial arts and karate so that we may be better informed such as Andreas Quast Sensei and that comes from our modern techno social media driven Internet. Warning: The Internet is chock full of fake information so data-mining and fact-checking are a must. 

No one, no one discipline and no one individual has it all for there are multitudes of electronic brains out there trying to gather, store and make sense of all the information available and more is becoming available every milli-second of ever moment. So much so it has become an industry worth billions of dollars. 

What I do for myself, for my education is to put out there on various media venues my thoughts, ideas, theories and beliefs often with references so that I can get input from the many awesome sources on things. I question everything even that of masters in my disciplines regardless. I fact check and research things as far as possible then I present things in the hopes others will provide counter arguments, counter theories, and facts that counter or validate my efforts so I can lean, grow and prosper as a person and a martial artist and karate-ka. 

I do NOT BLINDLY follow one person, style or system for I have come to understand, for the moment, that to do so stunts progress and may lead to grave harm or even death - bummer grave harm or death.

So, don’t get emotional when your read my stuff, don’t assume anything, don’t make it personal and don’t think for a minute that I am saying you are right, wrong of anything in between. Cooperation and Communications are about survival and humans require that to survive regardless of the social advancements humankind has achieved. We still have a long way to go and if you doubt it just take a peek at the current events of today. 

Our time, modern times, are our chance to really take things beyond anything we could imagine or do in past times so we shall achieve enlightenment if we simply try hard, work hard and look to everything with questions, questions and more questions. 

Bibliography (Click the link)



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