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 vs. MA (Your MA is NOT SD, maybe :)

Oh shit, a bell is going off and guess what, it is about my long practiced and personally important martial art that is being “dissed.” Yet, all that it is and all that I thought is was is false but true. There are some very important aspects to its practice, its training and most important of all, “its applications.”

My MA as previously practiced, trained and applied is not a SD system. It just isn’t because of a variety of reasons and those reasons are all provided, in a quick and terse manner so as to get the point across without writing a damn book on that subject, by a professional who has not only trained in MA but has lived a life where as a professional he has had to apply all aspects of the SD world while utilizing a more appropriate form of MA and other learned actions through experience to get the job done while maintaining the integrity of the social requirements and the legalities our society require and apply to everyone. 

In almost all martial arts SD instruction I was exposed to and to those who were exposed to it when I gave instructions is based on both “fighting and combatives.” We tended to take the opposite end of that spectrum to teach when in reality we needed to be at the other end. Our MA effectiveness is based on the sport aspect and also the fighting aspect that is promoted as the best and greatest means of SD. Bullsh$#.

Am I angry that what I practiced, taught and believed is wrong on several levels? Nope, just glad as hell that someone finally put out information that is valid yet does not pretend to validate SD except in a more reality form thus waking up the mind to the truth of things before I find I have to defend my SD. 

Example: many MA tend to “finish the guy off” type training when the true focus should be on, “Stopping the Threat.” This attitude is what gets folks who find themselves in a SD situation getting cuffed, hauled to jail and trying to dig up a good attorney and bond agent. Fist, none of these MA’s actually teach how to avoid in the first place. None even remotely approach the topic of emotional intelligence. They never discuss or cover such things as levels of force necessary to “stop the threat.” 

Perceptions are important but the correct perceptions are critical, i.e. how you perceive the situation, the perception of that antagonist, the perceptions of the legal representatives where the first line is that officer questioning you about what happened, the perceptions of the district attorney who is taking a lead from the officer and so many other perceptions who would include all those righteous folks sitting in that nice wood enclosure with just enough room for twelve chairs and a special room where they get to discuss what a bad, bad, bad boy you have been fighting and all that stuff. 

Knowing how one gets caught up in a conflict is important and that leads to avoidance. Lets not forget how one’s ego as in monkey brain can lead you by the nose right down the path toward a time in a small confined space with a lot of big, ugly and mean folks eyeing you like a piece of meat ready for consumption. Yikes!

What is this all about? Well, I just read a section in the book INoSD that speaks to MA and SD, i.e. the differences of what is most often taught as SD in MA vs. “stopping the threat.” Not just stopping the threat but doing so in a manner that directly conuters what is taught, getting the job done as soon as possible so perceptions are more in line with SD, not fighting (oh, yea, as previously stated time and again, fighting is illegal). Does your MA actually teach this and do your moves actually promote this and are they such that they keep you from applying things that are not adequate to stopping the threat vs. fighting? 

You are going to have to do the work to find out the answers because I am not qualified enough to do so here in this post. If what I write here rings a bell and if you truly and seriously want to learn SD along with your MA and if you want your MA to be what it is and what it could be then do the work.

Personally, this is one of many things over the last ten years that has opened my eyes to things I was taking for granted. I am not displeased with the value of my MA. It is still what I wanted it to be but now I can temper it in practice and training so that I will make it valuable toward the why to my efforts with it and “NOW” if I am ever required to defend myself I will do so with the knowledge gained and act accordingly. I mean from the very first level of self-awareness through self-reflection to avoidance to the physical as a last resort and to those needs and requirements should it get that far to remain truly and completely within the SD square. 

When you do the work you will soon recognize a lot of the words as the influence of the materials that will set the stage for “Reality-based Self-defense.” Oh, and that word reality has a lot more to it than what you may perceive from this simple yet incomplete posting. Yea!

Bibliography:

MacYoung, Marc. “In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It.” Marc MacYoung. 2014.

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