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.

Movement -n- Balance

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

Movement is critical in self-protection. Moving out of the situation and environment through avoidance, escape and/or evasion comes from maintaining a balance of the body so movement can be efficient and fast and that takes balance in motion using just the two legs using the arms to give the movement of the legs balance much like the tightrope walker uses arms and a pole to assist in maintaining one's balance. 

Learning how to recognize dangerous environments and situations goes a long, long way toward avoidance. Even when that doesn't work at its best recognition allows one to also escape the situation and environment. The next stage if the first two are not triggered is evasion using skills and environmental obstacles to allow fast and safe evasion. 

Many professional karate-ka and martial practitioners know that attaining a balance using the feet and legs means creation of stances that are faulty in the kamae assumed. Once you set the two feet then you have to do so in a manner that will maximize your balance and stability and structure to meet and move and avoid the force of your attackers mass as it comes toward you. 

I quote another expert, "A fundamental. The basic is demonstrating and instructing basic stances. The fundamental of each stance is to instruct the person on its effective zones. In the book, 'A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly,' the author calls this the stability of stances. The directions that a stance is stable or has integrity and the directions that it does not or where it becomes less stable and easier to push a person off the stance and on to the ground, etc."

In my article on "Stance Effectiveness" I wrote, 

I guess what I am saying is there are two points I would look for if attacked. First, is the person in my exclusion zone? This is what was called a martial artist perimeter where he/she can be hit with the foot or hands. If they are outside your exclusion zone your not in danger of being hit. When you see them start to enter your exclusion zone then prepare to take action.

This zone line cross over may mean before the crossing your standing in a natural stance, arms down, and hands by your sides. Once they cross the zone you raise your hands, my hands anyway as this is my thing, up by your face, palms facing them, and hands open as a sign saying I don't want trouble.

Knowing your range, i.e. effective distance of either your foot or your hands, is now even more critical. Now you move and take note of the attackers direction and stances as he moves. If moving directly toward you and you move off at an angle and forward your going to move into his instability zone or the effective zone to knock him off balance and out of his stance. Then if done correctly his body will succumb to gravity.

Now, as to you and your stances. As a fundamental of stances you have to know all your stances and their effective/ineffective stability zones. You have to know them and associate them with appropriate and most effective techniques, etc. Simplistic and basic and keep in mind it is not all of it but a door to get to all the other fundamentals involved.

Two points, when the attacker enters your exclusion zone you move into a position of his weakest stance integrity. I guess actually that is three points but what the hey, I am just figuring things out. Practice-practice-practice!

Create all your stances (see graphic below) and have some one walk 260 degrees around you and push slightly so you can feel at what point the stance is most stable. Do this until it is ingrained and it applies to an opponent. You may find when you do this type of study of the fundamentals that when you use them in practice and training it and the applicable technique take on a bigger meaning. Then other things start to jump out at you to increase your knowledge of stance effectiveness, i.e. fundamentals.

Notes: The graphic is my rendition of the one provided in the bibliography by Marc MacYoung. The second one at the bottom shows only the various stances, a few, to give you an idea  on finding the stability points of each one. Feel free to download, find the stability points, and then change it/rename it and send it to me. I would be interested in what you find/found, etc. :-)

Bibliography:
MacYoung, Marc. "A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situations." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1996.

Once you find those stability points then work that into the movement where arm movement along with mass movement and the fluidity of change the legs must achieve to remain upright and balanced and stable all contribute toward a person’s ability to move to escape and evade with additional understanding about how the body works to move, remain stable and balanced, and to apply skills of a physical nature when, rarely if at all we hope to achieve, you have to apply karate and martial methodologies to stop the damage and perform self-protection. It is also about understanding how the arms support our balance and stability on the move and how that changes once the decision is made to utilize the arms and hands as tools to stop an attacker. 


Bibliography (Click the link)

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