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.

Sense (Sensory: sight, touch, taste, audio/hearing, etc.) Dominant

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

All humans have a sense that dominates their sensory processing. Society has focused on the visual and many of us who have other sense dominant properties often feel the discomfort of being forced to use just the one. Those who are sight sense dominant have the advantages simply because others of other sense dominant primary sense input will always be left at a disadvantage to those of sight sense dominance abilities. It is like being in a constant state of reactive ability while those of sight sense dominance hold fast to the active abilities putting them ahead in the OODA loop. 

Do you know what sense dominates your life? I can tell you that mine is a touch sense dominant sensory processing machine that makes good use of sight and sound and taste but the touch sense always has and always will drive my actions, deeds and beliefs. How do I know, well long ago I found a resource that spoke to this sense dominance ability and I did the work studying it always hitting points that gave me this "oh shit" moments. It was that time that opened my eyes to why so many things happened in the way they did without my knowing and realizing and understanding of it. 

Example, in all things physical I always exceeded because once I felt something it stuck in my mind, as a concept and trigger, that always took over when the need hit seemingly without my conscious logical mind intervening. It was a true eye (not pun intended) opener and shift my paradigm with an understanding that has led me to this time and place in my life for which as you can imagine I am grateful. 

I, as a karate-ka and fighter, found that I naturally applied fundamental principles of physiokinetic's in the dojo much like all other physical things to include those encountered in my Marine Corps life and career. I found when I finally started to take karate, Isshinryu, very serious I was able to encode things like basics and kata much, much faster than others except a few exceptions who now I assume were also touch sensitive/dominant. 

In the old days those who were stationed in the Marines on the island of Okinawa when tours were around thirteen months there bouts earned their sho-dan in that time using the standards of the mid to late fifties and early sixties that I was not surprised when I suddenly found a black belt around my waist in about eight months. Yes, I had other martial-esque experiences along with my natural physical abilities enhanced and supplemented through various sport like endeavors including all the physical stuff we Marines are subjected to and take up on our own do to excel as Marines, ergo why I earned the right to be a Staff NCO in short order, about 5.5 years of active duty. 

Being touch sense dominant provided me many advantages including how I achieved dominance over many who were natural socially dominant visual sense oriented. I learned how to bring my sight sense up to just a smidgeon under touch sense abilities, i.e., when I see something that triggers my perception I found that I naturally and instinctively reached out, sometimes literally, to touch and feel and therefore sense using both sight and touch to encode concepts and triggers that gave me a huge advantage. 

I suspected that in a sense dominant social reality those with sight sense dominance, in most cases, never came to realize just how sight and touch together provided such huge advantages to those who could. In short, my touch sense dominance put in my mind the discomfort that later brought the paradigm shift that many others of sight sense don't perceive thus don't make efficient and proficient use. I have always, mostly, dominated when on the dojo floor even with many seniors. 

Read also: 


Notes: Remember, all of our senses are tied to our mind-state through an accumulated body of concepts and triggers set through experiences, perceptions, beliefs, culture (social, family and personal), and previous unreliable memories all affected in the same way. For instance, don’t ever rely on touch alone because according to past and present memories, etc., you may feel something different than reality. Ever hear the story of the blind guys and the elephant in the room? 

Note: Lets not forget, as you are already thinking, that stress/stressors and the following chemical/adrenal stress-conditions and effects all much around with all of our senses and that as you can imagine can run havoc on what is seen, heard, touched and smelled with occasional taste issues when we face aggressions and violence and more so in self-protection self-defense defense. 

Note: It is the one lesson imperative a person learn, that it is not just the sense that dominates one’s life but all our senses and it is critical that a person learn about sensory, especially sense dominant, processes then take that understanding and open the mind, the conscious logical mind, to accept that and then work diligently to train the mind-state to use all combined senses equally and effectively and at the same high level as the dominant sense to achieve objectives, goals and concepts with triggers, etc. All too often we assume since our sensory systems work on auto-pilot that we don’t need to see, hear, touch, taste and smell them equally, etc., and we, as we are and were socially driven and trained, stop relying exclusively on sight sense and embrace all our senses to work wholeheartedly as ‘one’!


For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)

Logical Thinking Processes (Words)

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

Logical thinking is a slower process and it is a process humans gained and developed through the evolutionary processes not that long ago. Before then, most of our human brain processes were lizard oriented, if you will, that allowed us the freeze at danger if appropriate; flee from the danger faster than the danger; or fight or defend if you will or hunt and kill or whatever to survive dangers. 

As we humans evolved into the tech-savvy folks we are today the logical thinking parts of our brains had to kick in... to survive. We still use extensively the lizard parts of our brain and we also, if we survived, began using the thinking logical side after to figure out what was what and how we did what we did so we could improve and pass on to those who follow in our footsteps... survival stuff. 

Any questions? 

Now, in these very modern self-protection times in and out of the dojo, for us karate aficionado's, we need to really, truly and consistently use our thinking logical brain parts to learn, study, practice and apply those skills necessary to achieve successful self-protection. This stupid is as stupid does saying, "shut up and train" must be tempered equally with efforts of logical thinking testing synthesizing of processes and concepts that need to work when tempers flair, anger ensues and aggressions and violence rear up their ugly and deadly heads.   

Words + Actions = Concepts + Triggers = Success in self-protection through self-defense and self-defense defense. 

It is all nice, fine and dandy to spout out euphemisms such as shutting up and training. 

Imagine this, you are a First Lieutenant with a new team of grunts. Can you picture and experienced LT telling the new untested, untried and untrained fire-team telling them to simply, “shut up and go train” and can you visualize that training being of any benefit at all? A good LT is going to assess his new fire-team and then he and a solid experienced Sergeant/Company Gunny, etc., are going to begin training first with words in classroom environment; they are then going to have discussions with the new team on how all of this is implemented; then possibly they will hit the field in exercises to first, with set exercises and expected responses, train and test what they learned intellectually and as they progress and learn then the officers and NCO’s will implement unexpected situations and concepts as a part of learning creative actions and reactions and such to learn and create concepts and triggers … BEFORE they go live in the reality of combat. If we simply told them to shut up and train what could you suppose would be the results, it won’t be experience and they won’t last long. 

Even after all the training and practice the LT/NCO’s are not going to just tell their fire-teams to simply go out and train. There is a process…

Ever hear of AAR’s? You first prepare for an exercise/mission; you create a plan and your implement as much of the intelligence as possible coupled with the experienced side of the troops to create and plan for as many inevitabilities as possible; then, if time permits you train and practice both set and creative; then and only then do you enter the zone. Even then and if you are lucky to have both boots and vets when you enter the field or zone you still listen and learn from those there and in the mix because as you already know combat, like all aggressions and violence, is constantly in flux… changing all the time and in almost every moment. Complacency is a real killer.  

What makes any of us even consider that any other way in a military unit or in the dojo is going to be different fundamentally and basically speaking? We have to ask ourselves questions at every step in the training processes, i.e., 
  • Can you imagine situations and scenarios?
  • Can you ask the ‘what if’ questions without being a what-if monkey? 
  • Can you ask and define what it would be like if…?
These and other questions are necessary for the logical thinking mind/brain to consider and then transition from the slower logical thinking side that often makes us look clumsy and goofy in training and practice until everyone achieves that transitional leap from the logical mind to the lizard-like instinct-like side to create concepts and triggers that lie on top of our lizard basic instincts like flight and fight responses to trigger the NOT thinking mind and allow our programming to go and get-r-done. 

This is where such meme’s and quotes and euphemisms are great inspirations that because they are easily misunderstood must be supplemented with words and logic and thinking and words so the student does not misunderstand but learns and understands and leaps to the implementation from academic to reality when the times comes, right? 

Be careful what you say and write, be ready to explain and in preference as you already know and can see in your mind’s eye… explain it up front like you would encounter in a news article, i.e., 

Open with just enough to convey the idea in the first paragraph; then in each successive paragraph of words and sentences and ideas and theories and concepts explain in detail the ‘Rest of the Story’! Oh, and all the while make sure YOU and your STUDENTS… “Have FUN with it all!”


For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)

Go-Tai-Jutsu” [剛体術]

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

[rigid body art; technique; skill; TRICK; MAGIC] which means a technique of tensing the body muscles.

In the almost never ending search for the truth; for facts; for the reality of the discipline here is another term used to describe the indescribable, the principle of chinkuchi as go-tai-jutsu or rigid body art or technique or skill. I kind of like the fact that the English translation of the characters/ideograms are also ‘trick and magic’. 

There are many explanations and definitions out there but the one that is mine is a manifestation of fundamental principles with a focus on the physiokinetic principles. Like chinkuchi as it is defined and explained, the term go-tai-jutsu is inadequate to the task at hand as well and simply denotes a very small part of the manifestation of chinkuchi. Here is the link to my definition of this somewhat mystical concept and mine alone:



Koshi, gamaku and the ever elusive principle of chinkuchi is discussed in the third link above and I recommend one read all the articles to get a glimpse of what this term and principle means to us in the martial arts communities with special emphasis on the Okinawan karate arts since that is the origin of the term. No one and no where has anyone put forth the effort to analyze and synthesize the meaning and manifestation of chinkuchi. It is a hot topic in some circles and it is a means to a mystical symbolism that supports the dissonance and biases, confirmation bias in particular, the permeate the martial arts like projection of Ki or Chi and so on. 

Go-tai-jutsu is more a description of a stunt that many believe is indicative of the elusive chinkuchi and many use the same demo’s to indicate great force and power. One can, as can be imagined, see how it appears to the uninitiated that the dynamic tension of a strike in practice either in air or even on a makiwara differ in the end demonstration as one of the two differ greatly in application as to the target, i.e., one being air as in kata, the other being a hard rooted target of a wooden makiwara. Try it also on a heavy bad and the dynamics shift imperceptibly to one who is not looking for it leaving many to assume rather than discover fact over fiction. Generating, maintaining, conserving and applying maximum power, force and effect on a target is nothing like this manifestation of sanchin-like dynamic tension/isometric-like appearance technique-theory. 

Some of what I perceive as the greatest effective power application in any of multiple methodologies with appropriate force levels is not seen as strong or dynamic but rather as easy in use causing the greatest of efficiency and effect. 

The best demonstration ever witnessed by me in the proverbial application of chinkuchi is in the boxing martial discipline when you witness the devastation of a properly executed principled based ‘drop-step’ punch in a boxing match. 

As a CHALLENGE, lets take a look at one expert terse definition and analyze it non-scientifically: 

“Chinkuchi is the tension or stability of the joints in the body for a firm stance, a powerful punch, or a strong block. When punching or blocking, the joints of the body are momentarily locked for an instant and concentration is focused on the point of contact; the stance is made firm by locking the joints of the lower body (the ankles, the knees and the hips) and by gripping the floor with the feet. Accordingly, a rapid free-flowing movement is suddenly stopped for a very short instant, on striking or blocking, as power is transferred. The tension must be released immediately for the next movement.” - Higaonna Morio [東恩納盛男] Sensei, a well known Goju-ryu master as he describes this technique.

Lets break it down into atomistic parts then at the end see how the parts fit as a whole. 
  • Chinkuchi is the tension or stability of the joints in the body for a firm stance, a powerful punch, or a strong block. 
    • as to principled based practices and applications this part seems to cover it well enough on its own. It is about stability through a dynamic tensioning of the entire body in specified ways, to be discussed separately in the next bulleted items, but it does not address that to take a firm stance is also a momentary thing and that to create a powerful punch, etc., it requires movement of one’s mass in proper principled ways. 
  • When punching or blocking, the joints of the body are momentarily locked for an instant and concentration is focused on the point of contact; 
    • Here again, all is good as long as the teachings adhere to the principled based methodologies to make sure the entire body is used properly and efficiently and with the body, if at all possible, in a constant state of proper mass movement tying all the principles, especially physiokinetic, to achieve a whole wholehearted chain reaction methodology to achieve appropriate forces and methods to stop an attack.
  • the stance is made firm by locking the joints of the lower body (the ankles, the knees and the hips) and by gripping the floor with the feet.
    • This is where I diverge a great deal because if you grip the floor with the feet you stop the momentum of body mass thus reducing a good deal of the energy, force and power involved. It seems as if sensei is mixing the basic novice teaching stuff with more progressive practical applicable methods necessary, i.e., remaining in the first level of shu-ha-ri while hinting at the second level and confusing the issue for the uninitiated by suggesting a partial second level process/concept. 
    • Rooting the feet as explained stops a lot of energy thus force and power putting the onus of that onto a smaller range of principles of physiokinetic while wasting the value of mass movement, etc. In self-protection for self-defense you don’t want to throw away the most valued method of generating, conveying, reducing waste through energy loss v. generation and applying a flawed skill when violence is involved and your health, well-being and very life are on the line. 
  • Accordingly, a rapid free-flowing movement is suddenly stopped for a very short instant, on striking or blocking, as power is transferred. 
    • There are parts here that speak well and one part that is lost in the translation and explanation, i.e., that stopping of a millisecond to dynamically tense is only utilizing maximum skill when the part is done while moving, not ‘stopped’ because it is that very movement of mass that makes the locking/unlocking dynamic tension oriented method useful and effective. The moment you stop, root and stop body mass movement you lose about 75% of your stopping power, force and energy - a total waste. 
  • The tension must be released immediately for the next movement.
    • This is another one of those mistakes made when teaching and not explaining that what is being taught is novice beginner level teachings to convey concepts that cannot be taught any other way and are the prerequisite to teaching and learning the more progressive practice skills necessary to span the levels of shu and ha and ri.
    • Once movement is taught the next level is teaching that there is no next movement for movement encompasses a continuous movement that doesn’t start or end but remains movement without non-movement. There is NO NEXT MOVEMENT because that teaches one to assume in physicality that there is a void, a pause if you will that makes music … music, that is between movement. Movement must not have a void or pause and that is because a pause puts a pause in the OODA loop lengthening one’s line while shortening, for your attacker, their line giving them an advantage you would be hard pressed to overcome in self-protection. Often, in self-protection you are already behind the curve receiving damage and pain so remove the pause, the void, and work to overcome the glitches like “next movement thinking.”  
Caveat: This not about saying sensei is right or wrong, it is about clarity and when posting comments it is necessary to clarify before, during and after just like hands-on teaching of others to teach novice to beginner to intermediate to expert levels for the betterment of the individual and the system or art. Sensei is spot on and I try to fill in the holes seeking to understand and build on the knowledge of martial skills, philosophy and concepts.  

General Comment(s): As you can imagine, you may already know as an advanced practitioner, these glitches are great in a novice-beginner shu-level teaching model. It is apparent that because of the short-duration training and teaching done in the early years of martial arts for Americans, i.e., forties and fifties generally, no one bothered to teach that what was being taught was the educational oriented basic fundamental novice level stuff. It is apparent, as you already know, that in the culture most novices were expected, never told directly, to learn how to get to the next level of ‘ha’ in shu-ha-ri. The cultural and communications disconnect along with the all to recent and sensitive nature of WWII aftermath that some things would be left out to meet the needs, wants and desires of the occupation forces stationed in the region and still there. I suggest that the only reason we are now advancing is as time passed the association and relations of two distinct different cultures and belief social entities mended fences and began to exchange what was not in the early years and days. 

The most positive aspect of all this is that because of the progression and willingness and motivation of the martial arts communities to accept previous limitations and a desire and strength and ability to seek out knowledge and understanding we have all come to accept that which we did not know; that which we did not know we did not know; and to embrace that which is not known to come to a consensus of beneficial understanding that has promoted the natural evolution of martial arts to meet and exceed the necessary requirements of said evolution to rise up beyond the moon, out to the stars and way beyond into the very universe we once simply gave notice to by lip-service. 

In short, we of the martial arts communities have ‘matured’ and ‘grown’ and ‘become’ true martial artists more complete and divergent in our nature for the benefit of those who follow and for the benefit of the very survival of martial arts. 

For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)



My Efforts

This blog of articles is a continuous merging and melding of a few decades of hard sweat equity both on the dojo floor and in the halls of the proverbial academia. Add in my writing and impressions and perceptions and beliefs and concepts, etc., would readily indicate the lack of static and a lot of change, i.e., change as in the I Ching, etc.

My personal perceptions and perspectives have changed and continue to change, as has the culture around me and around the discipline of martial arts. All for the better as I hope and my diligence in presenting a side to the rest of the story is to avoid preaching but, ultimately, to help my fellow martial artists, as my fellow man, to construct a more open-ended expanding growing construct of martial skills and philosophies to help others reach toward the stars and float through the skies of knowledge, understanding and proficient and efficient and skillful abilities both physical and psychological. 

Most martial artists care deeply about their efforts and the efforts of those with whom they share this discipline. All of truly, as you can imagine, practice and train and apply the discipline at the highest levels possible to more comprehensively orient toward the wholehearted understanding of the art and the practice applicability it inherently presents to all of us. 

We are ALL motivated by our intention to serve our disciplines, our dojo-mates and the martial communities as best as we can overcoming all obstacles and achieving higher and higher levels of beneficial achievements not just for self, but for all martial artists and practitioners. 

What I present is NOT a comprehensive methodological approach to the studies of martial arts but a doorway to open using my own interpretations, concepts and experiences; my personal philosophical reflections of one who is trying to make sense of a very complex and important system that will ultimately effect, affect and benefit us all. 


Why Karate Self-Defense Don't Work

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

Many of the self-defense programs of karate involve a technique-based model where one does a certain attack and the other does a certain reactive response. This is a solid beginner’s model to teach certain principles and I often tell folks that what is being taught is not directly related to what it takes to make things work in self-protection, i.e., self-defense of a real predatory type of attack, etc. 

What is wrong with it, what often feels and hurts and produces pain tells the mind that it is working, it is effective and it must get the job done if I am ever attacked and because of this a lot of not so effective and useful skills are taught and encoded into one’s mind. 

The missing link is adrenal stress-based scenario’s that trigger the chemical dump into the body. If that is missing and the mind is calm and the body is open then even the simplest of pain inducing methods will feel, seem and tell the mind… “IT WORKS!” This is why when the rubber meets the road in an attack a lot of folks will soon find that what they felt worked … doesn’t and that is a real shame. 

Many, many, many techniques not tested in the fire of violence will feel, be seen and be assumed and perceived as a good method or technique but when the effects of the stresses of the proverbial combat situation hits a lot of that will simply bounce off like rubber bullets hitting armor. You won’t even notice. 

As example, as an experienced martial artist doing “ville-patrol” in Kin Village outside of Camp Hansen one weekend in mid to late 1979 had to deal with a drunk and violent Marine on liberty. There is this one technique taught that was supposed to debilitate even an inebriated Marine to a controllable state and when I applied it, nothing and it took me and two other Marines on duty to hold the guy down till the MP’s arrived and cuffed the Marine. 

During practice, having a bunch of fun while we were at it, we applied the technique on each practitioner as them on us and it dropped us like a sack of potatoes. Two things, because our sensei said it worked; his first demo showed it working and since all of us were in a suggestible state of compliance and influence we all began to practice and apply said technique. Remove the power of suggestion; remove the influence power of a sensei; add in the alcohol of one participant and the adrenal stress induced mind of self in a real and dangerous situation then those chemicals caused all sorts of affects and effects on both parties resulting in total and complete failure of the technique causing us to fall back on the tried and true… gang up on the guy, hold him safely in a submission state and wait for the calvary. 

This example also speaks to using sport competition as a means and proof of its applicability in real self-defense protection models and methodologies. Yes, adrenal stress conditions are there in sport competitions. It helps a huge amount by introducing and exposing one to adrenal stress conditioned effects on both parties and because it is sport it does NOT induce the same reactions and effects predatory violence does in the streets. It helps a lot to take you closer but due to rules and other safety mandates of sport there are simply way too many variables of self-defense not addressed in the sport concepts.

There is this huge step that must be taken even with a ton of sport adrenal stress oriented experiences because it tends to fall back on that self-defense technique taught that is NOT used in sports meaning you should revisit the first part of this article again. 

There are tons of benefits to be gotten both in SD courses and Sports AND you can imagine and may already know that there is this huge divide that you must consciously take to apply appropriate, strongly express the term APPROPRIATE, legal and socially accepted methods and forces to protect and defend in a self-defense defense… a defense both in the street to stop the damage and the defense you and your expert attorney apply in the legal street-like system or environment that is as or more dangerous than an predatory attacker on the street. 

For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)

AND


Justification

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

Seito-ka [正当化] the English translation is "justification; warrant," and the first character translates to English as, "correct; justice; righteous," the second as, "hit; right; appropriate; himself," and the third as, "change; take the form of; influence; enchant; delude." 

The following are definitions of the term in English as defined by the language and attached cultural social influences. 

The act or an instance of justifying something; an acceptable reason for doing something; something that justifies an act or way of behaving that often is not true or deliberately false to satisfy one's dissonance and biases. 

The point is not to get defensive, not to blame other people, not to offer a million and six justifications for our actions and/or words, i.e., "the fact that something’s always been done in a certain way provides little justification in and of itself for staying the course."

This of course comes down to human innate drives to justify what we say, do and so on and that brings up the concepts of both cognizant dissonance and biases like confirmation bias. Where this comes to light in self-protection is our instinctual-like need to be right and how we justify that rightness in our thoughts, words and deeds. You can imagine how this attaches to our ego’s and how all of that can drive escalation or our passing the attackers interview process making us his or her target. 

This and other discussions along with some adequate and efficient way to train it into our self-protection programs as you already know can lead us toward a path that avoids and in some cases leads to deescalation with, as you can imagine, avoiding the aggressions and resulting violences. 

When in a situation it is best to learn our triggers and glitches that make the monkey in our brain scream and shout so that we may STOP the process and take other more appropriate steps toward avoidance, etc. One way to look at a situation that is getting heated is to be polite, say your sorry or apologize as appropriate and then consider, “what could this person be experiencing and how are they justifying their actions and words along with what is it about all this that this person may be right to consider their side over just our own biases and dissonance triggering our own justifications leading to the wrong end results, think about this. 

In short:

Miller's Law: "In order to understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of." - Dr. George Miller, Psychologist.

AND

If your monkey/tribal brain is working your human/thinking brain is not.
If you are feeling emotion, you are not thinking; that part of your brain is turned off.
If it is about who did or said it and not what was said, you are in your tribal brain.
If you label anyone, it is a tactic to put that person in another tribe specifically so that you don't have to listen to the content.

People who disagree with you are rarely stupid. If you cannot effectively, compassionately and convincingly argue the other side's point of view, you are the one in your tribal brain. You are the stupid one. - Rory Miller at Chiron Blog "Silly Season"


For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)

Only in the Dojo

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

If you only practice in the dojo; if you only train in the dojo; if you build experience(s) only in the dojo then you can imagine how little you know, understand and have experienced. There is a whole wide world out there and we encounter every day in every moment small things that relate and connect to what it is we strive to achieve within the dojo walls. Many of the small things may seem irrelevant to what we do in the dojo and as you already know and can readily imagine those irrelevances actually provide us experiences that we can then translate to proper trigger concepts to what we do "doah if you will" in the dojo. 

If you only train, practice and apply skills in the dojo and you don't relate that and other studies with an interconnection the the way of the dojo you can understand then how much you short yourself of the possibilities of the dojo, both in and out of the dojo. 

To truly achieve the way to the dojo you have to “transcend” that dojo and take that to the streets. To transcend the dojo one must connect the dojo to everyday life. Even when it seems to stand far from what is in the dojo. If we expect the things we do in the dojo to be relevant and workable, practical if you will, to the streets be it sport competition or self-protection against aggression and violence then transcension  of dojo practice, training and understanding must be relevant and connected to what is done in the dojo. Otherwise the dojo becomes not a dojo but a club where one socializes then leaves the social reality of the dojo at the dojo doors when re-entering the real world. To make the dojo real-world applicable it must transcend beyond the dojo doors. 

To practice, train and understand only in the dojo is to NOT practice, train and understand the martial arts within the dojo proper for martial arts to be understood is to live the training and practice in every moment of life whether obvious or not.  

Let’s use the four key features of scenario-based training as provided by Greg Ellifritz Sensei in his article, “Conducting Quality Force-on-Force Training“ to provide an example of what taking it out of the dojo might mean:

Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, about pretending to be someone you are not AND
Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, about performing, i.e., practice and training, etc., in a LIVE set of conditions, a reality-based adrenal stressor condition, with all the emotional pressures and effects, etc. AND
Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, about experiencing vivid and speedy feedback AND
Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, repeated over and over and over again while having fun with it?

These are just indicators of whether your efforts are achieving a reality-based live action role playing training, practice and learning process to ensure that what you do works, in the dojo and out of the dojo, when you need it most otherwise what you are doing only in the dojo is all well and fine except when out of the dojo and in that situation where you need it most, IT WILL FAIL YOU unless you are very, very LUCKY BECAUSE that is the essence of why one trains in a “Quality Force-on-Force Live Action Role Playing adrenal stress-conditioned emotionally challenging training and practice program!”

Think about this… read Ellifritz Sensei’s article above for more on this then look within the provided bibliography to find more sources and lets not forget Rory Miller’s and Marc MacYoung’s and OTHERS new venue of “getting the information out there,”:


and many, many, more including Marc MacYoung’s Youtube venue: Safety Concepts Youtube 

Note: this is why the four pillars of fundamental principles is so critically important because philosophy speaks to the ability to imagine just how the stuff in the dojo can apply to even the most obscure actions, deeds and thoughts both logical and emotional that lead humans around in our environment and social reality especially when it comes to aggressions and violences mankind heaps upon mankind. 


For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)

Stoicism + Seriousness + Fun

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

I am a stoic kind of guy with a large influence from my introversion to where I take being serious to a high level. I did that a lot in my day in the dojo both as the ‘student’ and later as the ‘sensei’. I do feel that a certain amount of seriousness in necessary along with attitude, character, and personality BECAUSE learning a martial art, especially for self-protection, is a very serous subject, discipline and matter overall as to safety, security and influenced by social realities. 

It wasn’t till to long ago that a person, a professional in the violence disciplines, made a comment to me about having fun. After some small exchanges and research I came to realize that taking things serious although a necessary trait to really learn, encode and achieve efficient and appropriate results you really do have to make the seriousness a fun-seriousness. 

There is research out there that speaks to this having fun as it relates to changing the parts of our brains so that we develop and encode triggers and actions that provide us faster and “funner” processes. Yes, it comes from children research and in my beliefs it applies to adults as well. To see this research:


Playful Interaction by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross outlining the importance of playful interaction dealing with research under the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development's Hope Connection Camp

Play puts the fun in fundamental – central to a child’s well-being now and in the future. Playful Interaction, featuring Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross, along with other child development experts, outlines the importance of play and provides practical examples of playful interaction from The Institute of Child Development’s Hope Connection Camp.  96 minutes.

In a recent posting to my wall shared in my group and in the Isshinryu group “Rory Miller’s Chiron Training” provided a quote from Dr. Karyn Purvis as follows:

“Scientists have recently determined that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain - unless it is done with play, in which case, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions!” - Dr. Karyn Purvis

This goes along with what the professionals, like Rory Miller, say about playing and having fun. Mr. M is know to say something like “Go Play” in his training sessions and seminars. His efforts, along with others like him, are what opened my eye and mind to the concept of having fun in training and practice.

You see, I always felt having fun led to a less effective ability and mind-state and found it through the efforts of those professionals that I had it wrong and I needed to adjust my paradigm on having fun in the dojo. 

I do believe having fun is not just about playing games, etc., but taking the seriousness of what, when, where, how and WHY of self-protection of aggressions and violences and put it into a context of fun and having fun and playing with the material, lessons and principled-concepts, etc. It did make a difference in my training and practices, it did make a difference in how I train/trained others and it will make your efforts not just fun but effective and efficient and FUN!

It is alright to be serious and stoic and it is alright to to have and be and relate to this seriousness in a fun and playful way. When you see faces light up, the light in their head goes off and the expressions on their faces during and after training and practice you kinda know that fun, serious-fun and appropriate reality-based fun training and practice is awesome. 


For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)