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.

Resistance is Futile

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

Not really, resistance is a yin/yang concept in the discipline of self-protection for self-defense. Your attacker is going to resist all your efforts at self-protection while you are going to resist all his efforts to cause you serious harm and even death. It’s that simple. 

Even tho, on the surface, the use of resist seems the same in the above example in reality the one used to describe your attacker is the yang, the bad, while the one used to describe your efforts to protect and defend is yin, the good. Just as long as your resistance and effort don’t pass the line into the bad, or what would be perceived and judged as aggressive. 

In karate, in the dojo, we use things like drills and such where we are learining concepts and principles because those tools are great to achieve that objective. It is imperative that we understand that we must evolve past those levels to a state of mind and body wherein resistance is added to expose the practitioner to certain traits and concepts. 

What you do in the drills is functional to learn the concepts and principles but not good to apply them in the reality of violence. Drills and structured practices and training serve that critical part of “introduction” to concepts and principles. They provide a medium where one can not just learn but achieve creative spontaniety of applied principles and concepts so that when they evolve to the higher levels of functionality in reality concepts and principles will not trip you up. 

Violence is unpredictable and that is a concept that transcends both the introductory levels and the reality functional levels. Here is where one must begin introducing creativity, reality and functionality into their regimen. 

Introducing a creative spontaneity into those drills and such will begin the transitional stage and level you need to achieve to protect and defend. 

This is where experimentation and analysis are important, i.e., our need to test and fail, if you will, so that you can weed out what works and what doesn’t work with the caveat that even if it works it may not work in situations unique to violence. In short, “it depends.” 

You have to experience creative change through spontanious actions to be exposed to the adrenaline chemical dump, the intensity of violence, the speed at which it is applied, the surprise used in many acts of violence and what happens when your execution is hindered by it all. This comes when surprised by an unknown and uncooperative attacker. 

Context, if your training and practice is not conducive to the context of both social and asocial violence and conflict it will fail unless luck is on your side. 

If your goal is self-protection then you have to take this, and more, into consideration that also requires a group dynamic that uses the concepts of violence along with fundamental principles to achieve success.

One more thing, in general, even the most effective realistic training and practice requires a mind-state and mind-set that must overcome that chasm between the training hall and the chaos and danger of reality because a mind with no or little experience is going to cause a brain-lock when it happens.

Example: if your are not aware, if you don’t use your skills and if you are in a position that conveys to a criminal you are a good target then when the attack happens it will, “surprise you completely and utterly; it will disrupt your structure and balance; it will lock you in the OO bounce of the OODA loop; it will be a continuous flurry of damage being inflicted on you and that is how you become a soft-target for what ever the attacker’s objective be it “a process or a sought after resource.” 

Make sure to stress test your skills. Expose your skills to every possible realistic methodology used in violence and expose your mind to as much as possible that will prepare it to take the step to cross that chasm that divides the training environment from the environment of conflict and violence. 

Remember, even the best preparation does not necessarily guarantee success in self-protection for self-defense. 


More… “Tips for Troubleshooting Martial Arts Techniques at the martial poet blog.”

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

No comments: