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.

Simplicity is Doable

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

Finding and using simple, relativity easy and uncomplicated methods for protection and defense is easy, gathering up the appropriate data and experience to get there is hard. Many seek out that easy, one-stop shopping and singularly answer to the question of violence while the answer to reaching that level is a bit more complicated and complex. 

Let me clarify if I can. Everyone is subject to the human condition and that condition is to find the easiest and simplest and fastest answer to all of life's complex and complicated situations and issues. You probably already know that simple, easy and fast answers don't exist and yet I feel they do. What I find to be the difficult, complicated-complex and slow truth is this, "To reach that level of enlightened skills, abilities and understanding requires us to seek out, gather in, process through analysis and synthesis and then gain as much experience(s) as humanly possible to reach that simple, easy, and fast skill level.” 

Our minds are a complex and complicated machine, if you will allow some latitude. You can imagine its capacity and capability, it is one of the many organs in our body that works non-stop twenty-four seven from the moment of conception to the day the ashes are scattered. It does, as you probably already know, some amazing feats and triggers some awesome skills, skills developed and created/manufactured through our constant exposure to things internally and externally as data, experience and other forms of input the brain processes to create concepts that are built on the fly to handle all situations and issues. 

That is a huge effort that a person is able to perceive from the old adage, "learn and create and develop skills through 'blood, sweat, and tears'." 

The more you sweat, bleed and shed tears in your training, the more simple, easy and fast you will apply skills in moments of great need. You can perceive, see and feel, how that can make for a long and arduous process of  a proverbial forging of skills adequate to self-protection. Can you imagine the process of forging the very steel that is used to create the greatest swords known to us, the long process and delicate effort of the master forger who folds, pounds, heats to varying high temps, etc., to then cool, polish and sharpen the edge that creates a simple, easy and fast blade that cuts like no other? Yet, people try to resist this necessity to find the shortest, quickest and easiest path to some mythical one-stop singular answer to self-defense.

It isn't just time, the qualities and ingredients of that long arduous journey matter as well adding to the complicated complexities of gaining easy, fast and effective skills and methodologies necessary to handle aggression and violence. How you go about building that data-base of knowledge, understanding and experiences matters because it is those very concepts the triggers involved in aggressive and violent behavior that manufacture the easy, fast and simplistic methods that get the job done...stop the damage; stop the attack; gain safety and security!  


Bibliography (Click the link)

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