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.

SD and Impulse Control

Now, granted not many will actually connect impulse control with SD but just think about it a moment. I quote, “There is perhaps no psychological skill more fundamental than resisting impulse.” - Emotional Intelligence, “The Master Aptitude” chapter 6

Think about how most of us end up in violent situations? When it comes down to it often it is the inability to resist impulse, especially when it is driven by out monkey brains on drugs, i.e. the physical chemical flooding often called the adrenal stress dump. How we handle impulse in our lives does effect how we react to situations at all levels.

Think of it as “emotional self-control,” i.e. “all emotions, by their very nature, lead to one or another impulse to act.” - EI, “The Master Aptitude section of chapter 6.” 

What I propose is that SD training must also include how one practices to control those types of impulse where one might say or do something that will cause an escalation of conflict toward violence. It is said in the EI book, ‘The capacity to resist impulse to act, to squelch the incipient movement, most likely translates at the level of brain function into inhibition of limbic signals to the motor cortex, though such ain interpretation must remain speculative for now.” It is that ability developed or enhanced that fundamentally is “the ability to restrain the emotions and so delay impulse.” 

Lets see about how one who is more adept at controlling impulses can be “less apt to go to pieces, freeze, or regress under stress, or become rattled and disorganized when pressured.” Those folks tend to be more “self-reliant and confident, trustworthy, and dependable; they take initiative and plunge into projects; they are able to delay gratification in pursuit of their goals.” Lets see where this leads.

Controlling impulse in a conflict can be achieved not only through training and practice but also by developing those traits found to be that which controls or assists controlling impulses. When we succumb to self-gratifying impulses to feel good about what we are doing, most especially when the monkey is running the show where that monkeys gratification is often counter intuitive to safety, security and good health, let alone the best resolutions in any conflict, tend to hinder our ability to control our impulse to simply, “kick that assholes ass.” 

If your goal happens to be avoidance of conflict and especially violence then these traits trained and practiced under the appropriate environment, i.e. both the physical and emotional, etc. then we can achieve better impulse control. If we are able to control how we act and react to conflict, danger and violence along with the emotions triggered in such circumstances such as anger and fear then we can come closer to achieving more acceptable goals, tactics and strategies. 

Controlling impulses are synonymous with controlling the monkey. The monkey is driven by emotions and flooding when it comes to conflict and violence so it may be that focusing on the many factors driving our monkeys including a healthy look at our self-control or impulse control may assist in our SD goals and training/teaching strategies and so on. 

Think of it this way, delinquency is connected to emotional intelligence, i.e. “impulse to control in childhood is a powerful predictor of later delinquency.” EI also means a greater ability to accurately read social situations, that can still be learned. Isn’t one of the many abilities in SD geared on how one would actually read social situations, i.e. social violence usually comes from social situations gone astray, etc.?

Impulse control, that ability either innate or developed through training, practice and application in ever day life can be connected to learning how to apply such impulse control under the effects of flooding in a conflict with potential to escalate toward physical/psychological violence. Is this something to pursue in SD training and practice?

Questions, questions and more questions. Is “impulse control” just another way to look at the “monkey brain?” How does one train and practice an impulse control response, well the book suggests a possibility, i.e. “goal-directed (I assume setting certain goals to train your impulse to act) self-imposed delay of gratification is the essence of emotional self-regulation: the ability to deny impulse in the service of that goal, whether it be solving a mathematical problem or pursuing a self-defense ability. This is often referred to as an “emotional intelligence meta-ability.” 

In social situations where things can get out of hand it might be practicing recognition of when your actions or your mouth are about to spit out something cute or irritatingly offensive so you can soothe your monkey mind you simply tell your monkey to shut the f*(& up then restrain yourself from saying your mind. Whenever you get the urge to spit something out you count to ten or when you decide that you want that latest and greatest electronic device you hesitate, think then take time to reconsider whether you actually need it now or whether it can wait - then wait. 

I have a feeling we all can relate to impulses to do things quickly and for instant gratifications but how about every other time you resist that temptation as a means of building that impulse resistance muscle up. 


In the MA/Karate world, you might get the impulse to skip over some boring and tedious requirement thinking it is not worth the effort - stop, think and then resist that impulse. This could be a novice training and practice goal.  In other words, hit that impulse control red button to put a hold on your monkey when it wants to slap some silly asshole  up side their head. 


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