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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.


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.


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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Rule Enforcement

Caveat: This article is mine and mine alone. I the author of this article assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this article. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding.)

First, a short explanation of the three brains model found in many of the self-defense tomes you will find referenced in this article. 

Human Brain, Monkey Brain, Lizard Brain

The human, human brain, thinks in terms of solutions.
The monkey, monkey brain, thinks in terms of winning.
The lizard, lizard brain, thins it terms of survival.

Now, a little bit about how rules in tribal groups were used to educate and condition its members toward a more acceptable form of survival. This model seems, on the surface, barbaric but the alternative we find in modern society tends toward a greater level of conflict and violence where death, great bodily harm and incarceration becomes the norm. 

Rules of Fighting

One, you never pull a weapon on one of yours, your tribe members.
Two, when you have won you stop, regardless.
Three, if you lose you take your beating like a man, no revenge.
Four, winning is not everything and losing is not the end of the world.
Five, when the fight ends, no matter what, you make up.

I actually remember this as a youth. I got into a lot of disagreements with my fellow childhood friends. It often led to fights and those fights never involved weapons and were never truly dangerous (although, like any violent encounter it can lead to death or great bodily harm but more often than not lead to bruises, cuts and abrasions.). I remember we stopped when one or the other gained a win, the other just understood their position and we would stop and consider the end understanding, i.e., one’s position accepted as the rule or new rule. Then we would laugh, pat one another on the back and take off on our bikes to get some sugar from the local 7-11. 

What all this means is what I propose in the following about the lost art of violence to enforce and condition persons toward the rules and toward the need to follow them or receive the beat down necessary to enforce said rules while keeping the level of healthy, fit and capable tribal members that equated to tribal survival. 

The Lost Art of Tribal Fighting for Enforcement of Rules

We seem to have lost this fine art of fighting or violence (at a non-injury/non-deadly level) as it applies to the enforcement of social rules set for survival of the group or tribe. The result is an inability to know when to stop in a conflict with and without violence as well as how to lose. It appears to me we have lost our way and allowed our monkey brains to dominate through emotional conflict and violence where there are no rules except that the monkey has to win at all costs. 

In our past when someone broke the rules there were repercussions that would and could range from a stern look, to a verbal reprimand and when needed to a beat down. This seems, on the surface, to equate to the conditioning that comes from operant conditioning, a form of teaching and learning that is most effective toward reflex responses. Today’s monkey, due to a lost teaching and understanding of appropriate use of conflict and violence as a teaching and learning tool, has become fearful, dreaded death is imminent kind of fearful, of “losing.” 

It makes me wonder how many modern violent attacks were about a feeling that if one loses they die where weapons are easily introduced into what would normally, long ago, be an “Educational (conditioned learning) Beat Down? (phrase coined by Rory Miller)”In those days a solid, non-injurious, beating with punching, often got the point across and resulted in the person toeing the tribal line. 

If we re-instituted that model of learning, at least at the family level and even in the social levels where groups gather, maybe our slide into grievous bodily harm and even death would decline until only the predatory process/resource conflict and violence existed. This may also result in a lot less “innocents” becoming in an instance of monkey dancing, becoming “criminals.” A life time of correct behavior of the innocent can turn into criminal behavior in one single instance. 

Let me say it this way, we have a human brain that is logical and tends to think without emotional interference so that logical, acceptable and socially correct solutions can be determined, reached, and agreed upon. We also know that when emotions are triggered because of fear, anger, stress, etc., that our human brains take to long to kick in and that means the monkey gets in the door. The monkey is going to want to win and if we, as a society, try to suppress our natural tendency toward conflict and violence through suppression of knowledge and facts on this very same subject while ignoring the benefits of the rules of fighting as well as the use of violence as a rule enforcing tool we tend to have a bunch of chattering monkey’s dancing to  the tune of emotional drives with the only and ultimate goal of “winning” that in turn triggers the lizard toward actions inappropriate to the true goal of the conflict and violent situation. 

This comes up in the training and practice (not conditioning although many egoistic pride driven training is about conditioning, the wrong kind of conditioning or goal in conditioning) for self-defense where goals are monkey driven “I gotta win this fight” model. Self-defense is not about winning and not about losing. You don’t win if you fight and win because greater forces, try legal and civil to begin with, will take you to task for breaking the laws of society about fighting. You have to focus on a goal where winning has no place in that goal. 

If we allow such things space in social acceptance toward rule/law enforcement then we open the gate to knowledge and understanding that will allow us to learn and condition ourselves with the logical, acceptable and reasonable solutions of the human brain who will drive those actions kicked in by the lizard brain. This could go a long way toward reducing true criminally unacceptable conflict and violent behaviors.

Primary Bibliography of Self-Defense (Some titles have RBC drills included):
MacYoung, Marc. "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It." Marc MacYoung. 2014.
Miller, Rory Sgt. "Meditations of Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence" YMAA Publishing. 2008.

Bibliography Articles on Self-Defense/Conflict/Violence

The main page leading to the articles I have chosen as a starting point to attain knowledge of conflict, violence and self-defense is: http://ymaa.com/articles/society-and-self-defense where you can navigate to the below or you can simply find a title below and click for direct access to the articles. Most of these are actually introductions to the references written by the authors themselves. It is advisable to start here then move on to the more in-depth stuff in their publications. This section will get you a beginning understanding necessary in phase one of learning self-defense. 

I.M.O.P. Principle—Intent, Means, Opportunity and Preclusion http://ymaa.com/articles/2014/10/imop-principle-intent-means-opportunity-and-preclusion
Introduction to Violence: Scale of Force Options http://ymaa.com/articles/introduction-to-violence-scale-of-force-options
Interacting with Law Enforcement Personnel http://ymaa.com/articles/interacting-with-law-enforcement-personnel
Facing Violence: The Unconscious Stuff-Finding Your Glitches http://ymaa.com/articles/facing-violence-the-unconscious-stuff
Violence: What Everyone Needs to Know About Fighting http://ymaa.com/articles/violence-what-everyone-needs-to-know-about-fighting

Secondary Bibliography of Self-Defense (Some titles have RBC drills included):
Ayoob, Massad. “Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self-Defense”Gun Digest Books. Krouse Publications. Wisconsin. 2014.
Goleman, Daniel. "Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition [Kindle Edition]." Bantam. January 11, 2012.
Miller, Rory. "ConCom: Conflict Communications A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication." Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 2014. 
Miller, Rory and Kane, Lawrence A. "Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-making under Threat of Violence." YMAA Publisher. New Hampshire. 2012
Miller, Rory. "Force Decisions: A Citizen's Guide." YMAA Publications. NH. 2012.
Miller, Rory Sgt. "Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected." YMAA Publishing. 2011.
Elgin, Suzette Haden, Ph.D. "More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense." Prentice Hall. New Jersey. 1983.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1995
Morris, Desmond. “Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior.” Harry N. Abrams. April 1979.
MacYoung, Marc. “Writing Violence #1: Getting Shot.” NNSD. Amazon Digital. 2014.
MacYoung, Marc. “Writing Violence #2: Getting Stabbed.”  NNSD. Amazon Digital. 2015.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1993.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense" MJF Books. 1997.
Maffetone, Philip Dr. “The Maffetone Method: The Holistic, Low-stress, No-Pain Way to Exceptional Fitness.” McGraw Hill, New York. 2000
Strong, Sanford. “Strong on Defense_ Survival Rules to Protect you and your Family from Crime.” Pocket Books. New York. 1996.
and more … see blog bibliography.
Jahn, C. R. “FTW Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2012
Jahn, C. R. “Hardcore Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2002.

Bibliography of RBC Drills (Some titles have RBC drills included):
MacYoung, Marc. "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It." Marc MacYoung. 2014.
MacYoung, Marc (Animal). “Taking It to the Street: Making Your Martial Art Street Effective.” Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1999.
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.
Miller, Rory. “Drills: Training for the Sudden Violence.” Amazon Digital Services, inc. Smashwords. 2011.
Quinn, Peyton. “Real Fighting: Adrenaline Stress Conditioning Through Scenario-Based Training.” Paladin Press. Amazon Digital Services, inc. 1996

My Blog Bibliography
Cornered Cat (Scratching Post): http://www.corneredcat.com/scratching-post/
Kodokan Boston: http://kodokanboston.org
Mario McKenna (Kowakan): http://www.kowakan.com
Wim Demeere’s Blog: http://www.wimsblog.com

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