A Typical Day

I was contemplating my daily workout to see if I am doing enough or doing too much. I am sixty-two years old and my wife got wind of my daily stuff and mentioned I may be doing way too much.

• 0501hours: I get up from what is often a good nights sleep, about seven or eight hours.
• 0502hours: I do a variety of calisthenics to include squats, pushups, trunk twists with weights and some dumb bell weight work. 
• 0830hours: I take a break from work to run stairs. I do five flights, up and down, for about five repetitions, sometimes ten for a total of about twenty-five to fifty flights. 
• 0930hours: I take a break from work to run stairs. I do five flights, up and down, for about five repetitions, sometimes ten for a total of about twenty-five to fifty flights. 
• 1030hours: I take a break from work to run stairs. I do five flights, up and down, for about five repetitions, sometimes ten for a total of about twenty-five to fifty flights. 
• 1130hours: I take lunch, an hour, perform chi-gong exercises then a tai chi chuan form. I then do squat jumps, pushups and two visualized kata with focus on different scenarios as well as principles, etc. Then I repeat that with the same routine but the next two kata the same way. Then I repeat until all ten kata are done along with the exercises, etc. I also do lunges before beginning the kata/exercise/visualization, etc. processes.
• 1400hours: I always do ten repetitions of the five flights for a total of fifty flights up and down to finish out the day.

Note: Yes, I am at work but I have the privilege of working at a place with what we call flex hours, i.e., we call it exempt and non-exempt where I am the non-exempt. That means I can flex my hours throughout the day as long as I complete or make up to achieve eight or more hours of actual hands-on work. There are days when I don’t get any exercise because of the work loads or the time requirements or the project time constraints, i.e., end dates coming up fast. 

I also go home and occasionally walk two miles with my wife and we meditate for a minimum of fifteen minutes a day. Then there are the weekends where we walk two or five or eight miles dependent on schedules or how we feel. We do five miles without fail on Sundays and this weekend, being memorial weekend, with a three day weekend we will walk what I call, “The deuce (two miles), the wooden nickel (five miles) and the crazy-eight (eight miles) walks.” That doesn’t include chores or errands or outings with and without friends. 

Do you think I am overextending myself physically? I don’t feel it mentally at all except every now and then I get to thinking, I can stop now on these stairs I have done enough only to tell myself, I don’t think so, can’t quit and can’t turn back, gotta get it done mentality ;-) I am sixty-two years old after all and I am semi-retired, i.e., I don’t actively teach in a dojo, I don’t actively participate with others in the dojo now and I do spend considerable time self-individually-training in karate and martial arts with lots of research, study and other learning things ergo all the articles I write on my blogs. 

What do you think, too much or not enough?  (Note: I do spend an exorbitant amount of time contemplating, analyzing, studying, dissecting, and synthesizing things about writing, creating and developing things of martial arts disciplines and defense/offense, etc. Marc MacYoung has another writing on violence for defense out and it is awesome!

The “Art” in Martial Art

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

As I was practicing today a “Oh crap moment” occurred, it came right smack dab in the middle of an intense practice of a method or methodology with visualization. It finally occurred to me the true meaning of the term art used in martial arts. 

To apply a martial art for combat, fighting, defense/offense and sport you have to acquire, develop and increase your ability to apply the discipline using patterns randomly and appropriately in a rapid changing dynamic way to surprise and dominate your adversary. The uniqueness of each moment and situation often from the chaos of the unknown you have to traverse the OODA in a manner that is artistic in nature. It is the creative process of applying a discipline in a manner that assures winning, attaining the goals of defense/offense in a dangerous and often deadly encounter. 

It cannot be done by memorizing set patterned combinations of techniques often specific in application but a dynamic creative application of principles and methodologies synthesized on the fly under duress, the adrenal chemical dump with its effects while remaining within the self-defense square and while limiting the bodily harm and possible death. 

Look at it like the sculpture who looks upon a large chunk of marble then who chips away at it seemingly random and without intent or purpose to expose the art hidden within the chunk of marble. Every situation, like every chunk of marble, will have some unique, different and new hidden art that when chipped at with chisel and hammer, the principles and methodologies of defense/offense, to expose that one of a kind and unique piece of art underneath. 

In defense/offense you create from practice and training a scheme that changes constantly to the moment and situation by pulling things apart (analysis) and them putting them back together again (synthesis) in new combinations of seemingly unrelated actions and ideas that are related to one another in finding how they would work in real-time, that is art and the artistic endeavor and discipline. It is about acquiring knowledge and understanding from experience, training and practice both direct and indirect to create a piece of art, an art piece that gets the job done. 

It takes insight, it takes imagination and it takes initiative to learn, comprehend, shape, discover, innovate, relearn and adapt to each unique and often changing moment for each situation much like seeing the art in a chunk of stone and then bringing that piece of art out and expose it to the light. When you use the term art in martial art, you apply this belief and discipline of artistic creativity to the martial or the military art of war. 

Karate is also an art and even tho not derived from the art of war it is a prerequisite to those arts, weapons, that are used in war. It is therefore a new concept to accept that arts be they martial or karate or even others from other cultures, etc., they all fall under being an art! 

Understand, the way to reach such concepts with accuracy and validation means to take ideas and theories and explore them, discover as much about them as you can. To think, comprehend and adapt them to the possibilities through the connections discovered from study that are insightful, full of your imaginations and derived from your initiative to think out side the box so you can shape them, learn from them, do them, achieve goals by their use and adopt them to your discipline, this is art at its very best. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

p.s. “Analysis and Synthesis (artistic endeavors) is thinking that consists of pulling ideas apart (analysis) and while intuitively looking for connections that form a more general elaboration (synthesis) of what is taking place. The process not only creates the discourse but also represents the key to evolve the tactics, strategies, goals, and unifying themes that permit us to shape and adapt to the world around us.” - Colonel John R. Boyd, USAF Deceased

Click for larger view.

“We will use this scheme of pulling things apart (analysis) and putting them back again (synthesis) in new combinations to find how apparently unrelated ideas and actions can be related to one another.”  - Colonel John R. Boyd, USAF Deceased

bodyslammed by the cops - Marc MacYoung

Why this behavior will not only get you arrested, but bodyslammed by the cops

Hints (Rules) Regarding Police (the following is not an article by Marc MacYoung, its all me)

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

I was raised in a time and a society that taught us to respect authority. Authority in my time were the police and the military and all they consisted of and represented. In my sixty some odd years of living whenever I dealt with the police I automatically, call it a socially conditioned response, gave respect through my demeanor, i.e., I was respectful in my actions, I was respectful in my words and I not only listened to what he or she had to say but if they asked me to do something, I did it - regardless. Now, regardless means to my mind that I did what was asked regardless of how it made me feel; regardless of what I thought my rights were and whether I felt the process was doing to those perceived rights; regardless of whether the police’s words, actions or deeds seemed right or wrong to me. I know and knew that if there were such a problem I could redress those later through proper channels - regardless.

I know, from experience, that my ability to walk away without any muss or fuss with the authorities it was due in no small part to the way I act and acted with those same authority figures. An example, I was arrested and I was very polite with the officer and as a result he didn’t throw my in a cell. He let me remain in the lobby with the desk sergeant, call my boss who had my pay check (in cash) and wait there until my boss arrived to pay me so I could pay the bail. He could have put me in jail and I could have spent the entire weekend there waiting to see a judge and so on but I suspect bcause he had to and because I was polite and compliant to his instructions he still had to take me in but because he had a choice I spent that time well and paid the bill to go home. Seemed like a win-win to me except I really hated to have to pay out that money - arghhh, but if I had not broken the rules that would have been party money for that weekend.

Here is the rub, with very, very, very few exceptions, if you end up on the bad side of law enforcement I can guarantee that you will be there because of - wait for it …. YOU! It is your responsibility to know and understand the rules of society and it is best you also take the time to learn how the legal and laws processes work especially as it regards the first responders - the POLICE!

In Marc MacYoung’s article on this very subject, “Why this behavior will not only get you arrested, but bodyslammed by the cops,” he provides the reader with a lot of data/information that, if you listen and learn, will almost always help you deal with the authorities, the police, as long as you have not already done something that requires they arrest you. You still have a chance to walk away and if you follow the rules regarding police your chances are pretty darn good.

Oh, and yes, now that you read his article, it is a lot more complicated and it takes a lot more than an article or a list like below to know, understand and utilize what is needed when dealing with the legal system and those first responders - POLICE - and with that I lead you to Marc MacYoung’s book, “In the Name of Self-Defense.” He teaches a wider and deeper way to understand these things before you have to deal with them under stress and adrenaline - can you say, “Monkey Brain Antics?” NEXT … (Note: the reason I add my list of rules is because humans tend to glaze over in the eyes when confronted by long detailed articles - yes, this one is long too, so having some shorter terse way to get thier attention seems appropriate and we all only hope it inspires them to read the longer version, yeah inspiration!)

In the movie, “The Lost Boys,” their Grandpa says, “there are ruuulllees!” Well, folks, if you wish to have a successful and beneficial encounter with law enforcement, Police, you have to abide by rules, there are ruleeessss when encountering police! What are those rules?

Rule 1: Be polite and when you feel like you need to talk, be POLITE.

Rule 2: Comply with ALL instructions from the Police without question and without resistance, passive and non-passive.

Rule 3: Remember, your behavior both spoken and physical, will go a long way toward a successful encounter with police. See rule one and two.

Rule 4: Do NOT FAIL the personality test of Police, see rule 3.

Rule 5: Learn and understand the legal and justified under use of force policies of legal authorities such and especially as police. 

Rule 6: Learn, know and understand the concept of resistance and that there are different levels of resistance. That resistance is a pattern that legally allows increased levels of force - learn about them then see rule 3.

Rule 7: Do not resist the police, not passively and especially not actively. You can talk but do so while complying and NOT resisting. Read rule 3.

Rule 8: When you are asked to do something, comply.

Rule 9: When the officer then TELLS you to do something, realize you made a mistake and read rule 8. 

Rule 10: When the officer then ORDERS you to do something, realize you are in deep doodoo and read rule 9 and 8. 

Rule 11: When the officer then tells you that you are UNDER ARREST, shut the f*&^ up, comply with no resistance and let your lawyer do all the work from that point on - too late, you screwed the pooch and resistance of any kind will just pile on the problems you and your lawyer will have to deal with later. 

Rule 12: Remember your RIGHTS:

• You DO NOT have the RIGHT to DISOBEY a lawful order by POLICE! (Note: it is not up to you to determine lawful/legal as to his duties, that is for lawyers/professionals)
• You DO NOT have the RIGHT to RESIST ARREST by POLICE!
• You DO NOT have the RIGHT to resist and/or participate in civil DISOBEDIENCE!
• You DO HAVE THE RIGHT to experience HANDS-ON by Police when you engage in non-compliance active or passive actions!!! (Note: don’t allow yourself, or you alligator mouth, to go past the TELL of the Police ASK-TELL-ORDER process)

Rule 13: If more police show up; read Rule 3 again!!! More police means you and your friends failed the personality test and failed all the rules, so buckle up and ready for the ride - it’s arrest time in the old corral of justice. 

Rule 14: Remember, Police are Professionals and - YOU ARE NOT!

Rule 15: READ the following article by Marc MacYoung. I am not kidding, you can actually learn something that will keep you out of the Police encounter and guess what, it can be done long before the first responders HAVE to respond to you and your location!!! Think, count to ten and then follow the rules.

Bibliography (Click the link)

History of Principles and Methodologies

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

Although these two concepts seem new and modern they are in truth ancient and historically relevant to modern times. The difference is in how they are presented and explained. Modern times and modern studies especially with the advent of the Internet has provided an unpresedented ability to articulate, verbally and by written word let along through video media, the terms and concepts that in the past were convey through the spoken and written words of great men but from words created to the times and to the materials such as books used but afforded only by those with means to purchase and study, the upper classes. 

As time passed and progress achieved changes were created, synthesized, from an analysis of what had passed before, much like sensei holding knowledge from perceptions and experiences, that didn’t actually change those ancient beliefs and knowledge, they just changed the way they were written and spoken so that greater clarity could achieve greater results. It came down to literally teaching through new by connecting that to the old and paying honor and tribute to those who came before by adding to the clarity of their teachings for the future making their teachings timeless much like the modern translations of the ancient classics like Sun Tzu’s Art of War. 

Example: Indirectly the mechanized use of tanks gained acceptance when it was connected to and heir to the armored horsemen of ancient times and is a natural means of reviving the decisive role the calvary played in past ages. This technique was used to connect the Huey Helicopter to the Army’s Calvary by connecting the new ride into battle with the old time honored ride into battle on horseback, the Huey the new horse to take them into battle.

Principles and methodologies have always existed and have always been an intricate part of learning martial arts and karate for defense/offense, protection, combatives and in training, the contests between practitioners. It isn’t anything new, often many of them were taught through demonstrative teachings rather than the spoken word, this from the cultural belief systems of Asian sensei. It is now a matter of bringing those ancient some what secret teaching methods out into the light so that modern practitioners can better understand and therefore better analyze and create, synthesize, their unique perspective and practice of the ancient disciplines of karate, in ancient times called Ti or Toudi in Okinawa, and martial arts of Japan. 

Because the teaching methods of those times involved kata, kata became the articulation of methodologies and principles such as the form taken, kamae, where sensei would touch, strike and create resistance so that he could check things like structure, alignment, balance and other physiokinetic sub-principles but by the demonstration and inherent understanding that the mind perceives unconsciously vs. the conscious understanding we in modern times and western cultural belief systems rely on to learn, study and understand. 

It is not about right or wrong, ether the ancient teachings or the modern. It is about understanding the indirect methods of teaching and understanding the teaching methods that are from another culture vastly different from our own. In our culture we strive to understand but from more of he senses than the eyes and the actions of the body. We need to see, to hear, to touch and to experience as a whole so that our minds understand so that our bodies more readily achieve progress in a way conducive to our learning and applying the knowledge to real-life situations be they normal or that of violent conflict. 

When the teachings use such terms as physiokinetics or multiple methodologies it is to expose the hidden foundation of the techniques, drills, kata, and tactics taught that are what we see as the cover of a book but to expose the more depth and breadth that comes from reading between the books cover. 

Liken it to reading the art of war where the Chinese characters are strange and undecipherable to our culture and mode of communications, to have experts “Translate the material” so that it is understandable to our communications model, our culture and our belief systems. 

If you cannot fathom the old then you cannot make use of them for the new because the new is not new since nothing under the sun is new. It is about taking the old, analyzing it by breading it down into its parts and then creating something seemingly new from the old when put together in a way that makes sense to our culture and way thus synthesizing what seems new but is rather a more relevant old-new way to reach goals and to win and so on.

For those who practice karate, remember that before karate it was Toudi and before Toudi it was simply Ti and now due to analysis and synthesis, terms never used before but the same as how they manifested new for their times, we have a plethora of systems and styles all derived from that one, wholehearted, system called Ti. The only way to pass on the old is to create a new-from-old that is not truly new, just another way of looking at the old and making the old work for the new - modern man and modern times. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

PRIMAL CONDITIONED RESPONSE

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

I am so thoroughly enjoying an eBook that I took a moment to present some information that previously I mistakenly misunderstood as fact when in reality it was - inappropriate. I use and have used instinct and instinctual to describe the unconsciously trained behavior but now find that to be just - wrong, incorrect and inaccurate. 

Instincts, as you can read in the quote that follows, are not changeable. Instincts are hard-wired and cannot be trained out of us but “Primal Conditioned/Flinch Responses” can be trained out of us. If you read this then go back and read my past posts when you read the use of instincts or instinctual simply replace that in your mind with primal conditioned responses. 

“PRIMAL CONDITIONED RESPONSE in lieu of instinctual, instincts cannot be changed. Flinches are PCR, etc. PCR is what we learned that work best for a given situation and they happen faster and without conscious thought ergo why many mistakenly assume they are instinctual, these reactions come from a different part of our brains. Whatever strategy one found worked the first time often makes it their primary PCR, at least until they find something better and train that response to replace the previous one. Primary Conditioned/Flinch Responses can be changed and that is how learning to effectively defend oneself does.” - Marc MacYoung, Writing Violence IV: Defense

Bibliography (Click the link)

p.s. “Like all animals, humans have instincts, genetically hard-wired behaviors that enhance our ability to cope with vital environmental contingencies.” Instincts are to do with visible muscular action in response to releasers. Releasers are triggers which set off chains of instinctive behavior. Although instincts are not learned, in some cases their performance can be improved by experience and practice. Properly, it is used only of well-defined acts whose causation is inherited, and which are triggered by specific stimuli called releasers. Other terms for instinct are fixed action patterns (FAP) and innate behavior chains.

Instincts defined: where the confusion in this instance comes from is the term is a natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking; a natural propensity or skill of a specified kind; the fact or quality of possessing innate behavior patterns. Looking at these other definitions may validate the use of instinct or instinctual but for clarity in the use in training and practice I would use PCR as a better, clearer, way to describe what we are attempting to do. In regard to an actual instinct, we can sometimes enhance that instinct through training but that is out of my expertise comfort zone. 

If Character Were the Prerequisite

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

Kowakan Dojo provided a most excellent article today on, “The Waiting Game.” ( http://www.kowakan.com/the-waiting-game/#more-117 )  It reminded me that most of today’s karate and martial arts would not last very long if that were the way to enroll. We don’t do those things and the chances of them every returning would be astronomical as to the obstacles against. 

In an earlier article about rank with quotes from other karate and martial arts luminaries speaks to the commercialization of karate and martial arts too. Both would result in few taking up the challenge and even fewer going the distance - a lifetime of training and practice. As to the dan-i system, that came about when circumstances resulted in karate and martial arts being made a part of the educational systems for political and social conditioning purposes. The old way of karate was a dojo in the Sensei’s yard or other remote and hidden away place, no rank and very few students/practitioners. You hear stories all the time of the dojo consisting of two or three students who had to “qualify” to be accepted.

Sometimes acceptance would be achieved only if someone of note provided you a recommendation and that someone had to have a solid close relationship with the sensei. Now, with the educational versions being pushed that meant big, big classes with lots and lots of students and often only one sensei. You CANNOT teach large groups adequately in this discipline, it is not doable without sacrifices. 

The old stories of how the sensei would test the discipline, the attitude and the character of the prospective student may or may not be true but I do understand from some solid sources that this practice came about during the span between the samurai era and this more modern era of the way vs. the combative ways of martial prowess. 

Lets say for the sake of argument, karate sensei in those early years would use the character prerequisite to allow or gain entrance to this dojo. Then the question arises, whose concept of character? What constitutes a good character and when is it truly evident that the person has that character best suited for the karate disciplines? These very same questions arise in our modern times and you add to that, “How does the sensei resolve the need to make a living in the dojo and the acceptance under the character requirements he or she may have to teach and them to learn?” 

In truth, this concept is doable and would achieve a lot of great results. It is also my belief that this type of model, character prerequisite, would work commercially. I believe that a person of integrity and character that teaches karate and martial arts through actions and deeds acts as the character litmus test over time. Most who have that integrity and character tend to teach a certain way and that way often is seen by those lacking such character as a waste of time and who tend to walk out the door soon after starting. This is actually one reason why sensei with character and integrity tend to have higher turnover and tend to teach outside the means of making a living other than karate and martial arts. 

I am of the belief that such sensei can and do work with a character prerequisite but not the one told as follows in this quote from Kowakan’s blog:

“The martial arts at that time were taught to only carefully selected students whose character had been observed closely by the teacher. This of course, was not a guarantee that all persons selected to become students met such qualifications, hence the long term testing and evaluation period of performing chores and learning only basics. The unworthy would be weeded out or kept at a basic level. … What we can glean from this tradition of making students wait is that the apparent paradox of martial arts reducing violence may simply come down to a selection bias as this sort of practice would aid in weeding out undesirable students, but not completely eliminate them.” - Kowakan Blog, The Waiting Game (quote by Chojun Miyagi Sensei

This is especially true here in the America’s, folks without an appropriate character and integrity tend to want things quickly and with minimum fuss and muss. The kind of dedication, diligence and attitude to last and learn in karate and martial arts, traditionally speaking, tends to weed out the chaff from the wheat real fast. The time spent is often minimal and what they learn is a few basics that will do them little to no good regardless. 

Character is a prerequisite in certain dojo and it is perceived and determined by a sensei of integrity and character through actions and deeds both in and out of the dojo. Those with character and integrity stay, those without leave and that is life. The “Waiting Game” is still ON, just done differently than the old stories. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Gokui, Principles and the OODA

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

These three concepts of karate and martial arts regardless of the why of the discipline are all mutually beneficial not only in relation to one another but to the relationship and connectivity of their individual parts. Everything is about “one” and everything is about “Duality of Yin-Yang.” Even these three, when combined and connected holistically, are about the one and the duality of yin-yang. Yin-yang drives them all and they all are derived from the mutual benefit of each one, the yin to yang and yang to yin.

The OODA is thought of in a linear mechanical way, this has been discussed before, and many assume a one-dimensional understanding where one “Observes” then when necessary “Orients” on the observed thing or situation or phenomena. Then once we orient we then have to make some sort of decisions such as, “Shall I cross the street or shall I remain here?” When the decision is made then we act, we stay or cross. This is how I once thought the OODA worked and that processing the loop faster would give me the advantage but in truth it is a lot more complex than that linear mechanical one-dimensional definition. 

Principles are the same way, when we thing of yin-yang we assume it means hard-soft (as to karate and martial arts applications) and that goes for other aspects of principles. We tend to take them one at a time, learn about them then apply that linear one-dimensional understanding to our practice and training. It is only when we truly look at the sub-principle of yin-yang that we begin to understand that it and other principles don’t stand alone and are not learned or applied atomistically, separately, but as a whole one principled based application toward the discipline regardless of the why of our practice and training. There is, like the OODA to be further explained later, an ebb and flow and morphed mixing of the two to get a balanced one whole product or action.

We can say the same to the gokui, the ken-po goku-i, that is a terse Zen-koan like tome that is also thought of and understood from a single one-dimensional atomistic linear mechanical meaning. When they read about seeing all sides they assume that means the eyes through direct visual signals sent to the brain provide us something to observe and orient on that could be either good or bad further influencing the decision processes. Seldom does the person or system go past the linear single dimension concept toward a more robust one holistic wholehearted continued concept and meaning beyond that singular belief. It is one reason I re-wrote the gokui into a continuous single sentence that can be analyzed into distinct and separate concepts where the individual then synthesizes back into a more robust and complete, unique, understanding that teaches us more about ourselves and our study of karate and martial arts. 

In the OODA the OO, observe and orient, are independent and distinct concepts and processes yet to work both mutually support the other in order to achieve the results intended. Humans observe everything in their environment then compare that to the perceived understanding of that environment, outer world, into an inner world. What is assumed is that the individual observing actually knows and understands what it is they see, hear, touch and so on because of their perceive inner world. They fail to understand that to orient to the observed phenomena they must first know of it and understand it completely and utterly. You must orient on what that is, what it is you must know, what you need to know and what you need to know that you don’t know. 

Orient on that first, encode that to the perceived inner world of your mind and then use that to compare when you observe the outer world so that you can make a decision that you will act upon. Still a simplistic explanation but shows how we circle around the entire loop rather than one, the next, the next then the act or actions. Orient also effects our decision processes because to find an appropriate actions you need to decide on one and that comes from experiences as perceived by our observation of things and how we orient on those things making decisions along the way as to what is appropriate to what event and what is not. You have to observe that you need to know something, you have to orient on that, then you have to decide to study and understand what it is you need to know then you have to decide on how that gets encoded in procedural zombie sub-routine/functions memory and that also takes your orientation and decision so that when you act, in training and practice, you make the right decisions according to your observation and orientation during the training and practice processes, actions and decisions along with analysis and synthesis processing in an appropriate way as another decisive actions on your part. 

Using the OODA processes is how you first learn of the principles, then you analyze them as individual distinct things until you understand and begin to orient them with one another to make for one holistic whole that changes rapidly in the moment and situation so that you end up absorbing and encoding the entire principles so that progressive training will allow you to draw on them in the decision and action process of the loop.

Then there is the gokui, did you know that the gokui also makes references to the Chinese ancient classic, The Art of War of Sun Tzu? It is not just the first two lines that are more spiritual or mystical as to the sun and moon or the heave and earth, that also connect to the ancient book the I Ching, but to the way and means of battle in the art of war. It comes to mind once this is accepted that the simplicity of the gokui acts as a key to open the door to what you can achieve for yourself and in your use of the disciplines as related to the art of war. 

Balance and unbalance being like a weight is not just about physically unbalancing an adversary but also is derived from Sun Tzu’s teaching that a battle best won is the one not entered into, i.e., unbalance your adversary in mind and spirit and you can avoid doing battle, or fighting. 

Sun Tzu speaks to energy, the ordinary and extraordinary forces used in battle, speaking to how they “end and recommence; cyclical, as are the movements of the sun and moon. They dies away and are reborn; recurrent, as are the passing seasons. As the sun and moon cycle through the heavens that surround us cause the Earth and man to experience the passing of seasons and those seasons matter in the strategy of the art of war. 

The OODA, the Fundamental Principles and the Ken-po Goku-i are all like the teachings of Sun Tzu in his chapter on Energy, i.e., “The primary colors are only five in number but their combinations are so infinite that one cannot visualize them all.” His teachings are inter-connected and mutually beneficial and our other concepts of karate and martial arts also connect; if you open your mind, your body and your spirit to change, chaos, and an opening of the box you can see what cannot be seen, you can hear what cannot be heard and you can touch that which seems untouchable. 

These are the concepts of the Gokui, the Fundamental Principles and the OODA and yet, they are not the end all of what is out there. You just have to let them in. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Self-Defense Domains

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

The Cornered Cat wrote an outstanding piece today (read it HERE ) on different domains as they effect firearm self-defense and that inspired me to add in that even general self-defense of empty hands, etc., also suffers from the various domains used to promote and sell self-defense where military inferences seem highest to my perception. 

She states, in short and out of context to her article,  “ … an effective and good military mindset might in fact be a dangerous and perhaps illegal mindset for a civilian … “

It really does come down to the distinctions behind the intent of an individual training for self-defense. Our mind-set has such a huge effect on how we apply such disciplines that to not distinguish the sources of self-defense in the same way seems - bad. Sensei from the military in the late fifties and especially the early sixties had a strong influence on how the systems and styles were taught setting us all off on the wrong foot. 

In her article she then compares the same quote above but replaces military with law enforcement and she hits that on the head as well, both the military and law enforcement have totally different perspectives toward training, practice and application of force not for self-defense but more toward a defense/offense way of handling bad situations in the line of duty. Military have a totally different mind-set for combat, war, and their Rules of Engagement, etc.

In fact, mostly due to its popularity, many of the military services adopted karate and martial arts for their hand-to-hand training programs, i.e., like the USMCMAP or United States Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Even there, it was once stated that the nature of that program was more about training the Marines mind-set to overcome the more normal and human resistance toward facing others in combat, especially up and close. 

I am not a law enforcement officer but many of the trainers and programs researched take a completely different side to training officers to handle conflict and violence in the streets. First, they are mandated by law to act while civilians in self-defense are not mandated to act and are judges accordingly (note: it is more complex than this so do the research). 

Self-Defense has domains created by the instructors/teachers according to their backgrounds and experiences such as Krav Maga, a system promoted as a deadly Israeli martial art for self-defense - kind of an oxymoronic selling point but since most are conditioned by movies, etc., not to far a stretch to gain members. 

Then there are those who compete in the sports side of karate and martial arts. As I have learned and understand from my study of professionals who teach and write on violence, sports is not self-defense and even tho it is very cool some of the best competitors endure some seemingly tough and rough competitions that is NOT self-defense. 

Last is the domain of a more philosophical way of training and practice more toward self-development, etc., where teachers put in self-defense as an after thought that is based on movies, television, games, sports and military/law enforcement influences both experienced and stolen from references materials on the Internet and in publications, etc.

Self-Defense Domains are also important, important to a critical level for those who truly and actually need self-defense. A self-defense that covers all aspects of the discipline from knowledge to actual physical applications and all the levels between (read Marc MacYoung’s, In the Name of Self-Defense for a prerequisite to this subject). 

I first studied karate and martial arts as a Marine, military service from 02/72 - 12-81, and I can tell you that a lot of what is actually self-defense was NOT taught to me and a lot of what was is not self-defense and would have resulted in my going to jail if I had used it inappropriately. It wasn’t till about ten or so years ago that I finally got exposed to what self-defense is and how to study, learn and train for it while a lot out there in SD land still have no idea the depth and breadth self-defense encompasses. We truly do live on our LUCK in this discipline!

Bibliography (Click the link)

Characteristics of a “Man”

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

As the old saying goes and a question many of us men try to answer for ourselves is what characteristics make a man, a man? There are a plethora of meme’s and quotations all geared toward telling us men what it is to be a man but I have to wonder if all that is true or is this just a bunch of male ego driven platitudes to hide our true natures as men. 

One site provides a few characteristics as follows: Physical Presence, Function as to ability, Sexual as in offspring and carrying on the family name, Emotional and in Emotional Maturity, Intellectual, and Interpersonal. They give an “Other category” but that is simply a catch all for things that the author feels makes for a man. 

I look first to “personality and character.” The trouble is, by whose standards and what determines personality and what makes for good character for that list in and of itself can be long, very long. You have to wonder whether all other characteristics actually fall under the two headings of character and personality because to my mind it is those characteristics that create a person of character and personality. I also suspect it involves cultural influences, social requirements and necessities as well as tribal like hierarchal standards, practices and requirements that would dictate the necessary character and personality of a man toward his survival as well as the tribe and so on. It is how the tribe and the social construct according to cultural belief systems that would dictate personality and character in making a man, a solid contributor and defender of the social group tribe construct. 

Then again, I suspect for every man out there regardless of social tribal make up will give you a different characteristic or set of characteristics that say, to them and their tribe, what it takes to be a man. 

I also feel that this subject of being a man is also what leads to a whole lot of conflict and violence when you consider things like tribal hierarchy toward status, etc. It them becomes about your status and how that makes you a man with the higher status seeking often ending up by use of conflict and violent means. Other aspect in this use of man toward a competitive aspect within tribes is also about ambition, pride both personal and tribal, the honor as well being both personal and tribal, then competitiveness explains the status and need to rise higher in the tribe then there is that sense of adventure but that tends to take us from a sense of responsibility both family and tribal. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Wisdom and Enlightenment

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

Wisdom: forms a quality of a person’s personality and character based on the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement. It is about having qualities of being wise. It is about developing and having a soundness of action and decision with regard to the application of that persons experiences, knowledge, understanding and good judgement. It is having a great body of knowledge and the principles that develop within a certain discipline, social tribal entity and period of time. 

Enlightenment: is a state of being of having knowledge and understanding along with the acts and actions of giving others that knowledge and understanding through teaching, mentoring and lecturing but most importantly through actions and deeds in setting the example. In the teachings of Buddhism it is about reaching a state of the blessed by the absence of desire and suffering. It also represents a period of time in history where societies had that age of reason toward an age of enlightenment, i.e. a philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century.

In our modern age and derived from knowledge skewed due to a lack of documented facts as well as the misunderstanding toward certain Asian belief systems such as Zen Buddhism, etc., karate and martial arts has used the two terms to express an ideal that is yet fully and comprehensively explained. There is only a little effort by a few to seek out a better understanding. 

In karate and martial arts, what ever that truly means, wisdom should use the above definitions to determine if one has reached a state of wisdom, reached a state of being a wise one. Not that age old picture many get in their minds of the aged Ancient grey-bearded Buddha like person sitting on a high mountain outside a cave dwelling sitting seize waiting for others to climb up and ask for advice perceived to come from a wise ancient sage. 

Wisdom in karate and/or martial arts is about attaining a certain quality of character and personality from the concerted effort to study, understand and apply experience, knowledge and good judgement as derived from the practice of the physical and mental disciplines associated with such systems. In the practice, training, study of and understanding of along with its every day applications in thought and deed seen in the soundness of the persons actions and word that has built a great body of knowledge and principles developed through, within and of that certain discipline that leans toward benefit of self and especially others - a wise person. 

Enlightenment in karate and martial arts is about achieving a state of being, a mind-state and mind-set found and built upon those things that make them wise and are always expressed in actions, deeds and words and that are passed down by teaching, mentoring and lecturing and leading by example. It is dynamic cohesive interconnectedness of both wisdom and enlightenment that is complimentary and builds on one anothers development in and over time.

Bibliography (Click the link)

Editorial - Opinionated Opinions - Lecturing - Teaching - Mentoring

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

There will be days like this and there will always be days like this but truthfully that means there will always be days like this that teach and where I learn. When I editorialize, where I provide opinionated opinions, theories, ideas, etc., where I lecture as a teacher, instructor and mentor, when I lean toward a teaching form my editorialization, opinions, lectures and lessons I am mentoring but with one caveat, a need to learn, a need to understand and a need to find out more so I can editorialize, express opinionated opinions, lecture, teach and mentor. Does that make even a bit of sense?

Editorials: an article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue. A part of a newspaper or magazine that are not advertising. The question is in our modern tech world, are blogs and other venues of electronic publication qualified to present editorials on issues, topics or in my case disciplines such as karate, martial systems and self-defense? Or are editorials a purview of only newspapers, news television, or magazine publications? There are political editorials, there are business editorials and there are debate type editorials but what are they really? Are editorials actually just opinions form authors/writers who have some expertise on the subject of editorials because I do have some expertise on the subjects I write about in my blogs? An editorial, in general, is an opinion piece written by that often expresses an opinion of a publisher and yet it can be any other written document that reflects an opinion of a periodical but can it also reflect the opinion of an author who writes on a subject they have extensive knowledge of? My blogs are of a single topic and theme with text expressed as my opinion and is often in a lecture format, is that an editorial piece?

Opinionated Opinions: first, an opinion is a view or judgement formed about something, like karate and martial arts and self-defense and philosophies of the three, etc., not necessarily based on fact or knowledge (my opinions and editorial articles tend to come from facts researched and knowledge gained from studies, practices and experiences). As to opinionated, that is a view of a person or material presented perceived as conceitedly assertive and dogmatic in one’s opinions. My question is who gets to decide what is opinionated and what is not for an opinion may be perceived as derived from that persons perception of their inner world and beliefs and may not actually be a correct perception of that opinions. There can be and seems to be a very fine line between an opinion presented in an editorial article, article or blog entry  based on an individual perception of conceited assertive dogmatic opinion. Can it be a misinterpretation of an confident presentation vs. an actually opinionated piece and how do you tell the difference? Opinion to opinionated seems to be defined by terms such as dogmatic, fixed views, dictatorial, pompous, self-important and arrogance but how can that be detected in a written piece without knowledge of the author/writer, a perception through sensory data input like body language, voice inflection or attitude? The written word is only a very small part of that communications leading a belief that when one feels a persons written word without a knowledge and understanding of the authors personality, etc., is a judgement as to the persons own personality in expressing and receiving opinions. If the author of an opinion piece, an editorial or lecture type written article, how do you determine if it is truly opinionated as to conceit and dogmatic especially if that person is presented with refuted information and/or opinions that stimulate change in the authors view, opinion and understanding and does one determine opinionated views of the author before or after making such determinations, I wonder? 

Lecturing: is a delivery of an educational lecture to a class or other audience that would include readers of a blog, of a Facebook entry, of a twitter submission or a forum site, etc. It is often used to present materials in a educational arena such as an institution of higher learning, a University lecture. Lecturing, dependent on the perceptions of an internal nature of the recipient, might be also a view of a serious talk or of reprovingly nature to someone but that too is about the recipient rather than sender although one would hope the sender or lecturer would do so after a connection is made such as an empathy connection, etc. It is a difference of a scolding, chiding, admonish like deliver that in all honestly cannot be conveyed or determined by just the written word especially understanding just how difficult it is to convey such views without first knowing the person more intimately and being in physical presence while lecturing to perceive their body language, etc., as the necessary additional sensory data output needed to make such a determination. 

Teaching: is an informal method of lecturing and discussing or a series of lecture on a subject of public interest or of personal interest to say, students in a lecture hall or participants of a tech social connection forum like a blog, a wiki or a FaceBook social site. Sensei teach and to teach such a complex and difficult subject of a skill based knowledge of karate, martial disciplines and especially self-defense you have to participate in prolonged periods of “Lectures,” speeches, and editorialized written materials, etc. conducted often without interruption by members of an organization like school faculty or invited guest speakers at other education institutions or when used as a technique in  a social protest, etc.

Mentoring: is about one who comes before or one who has a knowledge of a subject and/or skill who advises or trains someone in that subject, skill and/or discipline. A mentor promotes, advocates and is a resource for mentoring but is not all knowing of the subject or skill but rather a knowledgable person who has a good understanding of the discipline, skill and knowledge, etc.

In my blogs, in my writings and in my books I am a person lecturing and teaching on a subject and skill that is about karate, martial disciplines, self-defense and a philosophy on all of that so I mentor and I teach and I lecture and I am of a certain opinion but I am open to change when properly presented and later validated by my own efforts in research, etc.

Isn’t that they way it is? Does it mean that it is opinionated and does it mean that the lecturing is negative or is it just the excuse some give to justify remaining steadfast, dogmatic, in their status quo belief system? 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Let Me Tell You a Story

(Truth or Bullshit, you decide and I am sure you can tell since you know the man from only his written word, on a blog and on a wiki site, right?)

Bout a man named Jed, no wait, that is another story. This story may be true and it may not, you decide. I admit I like fiction but often fiction is based on fact and truth, right? No, aw crap … bwahahahaahhhaaaa

Long ago in a far off state a very young man started to run with a questionable crowd of druggies, dealers and all round thugs. He was befriended by one, a ex-con not long out of the Raiford State Prison. 

Wayne Horton was his name and his game included bulking up the young man and teaching him how to be tough.

The pair created their own jail house weights with a boom handle, two large coffee cans and some cement.

Next came the toughening/tough part. Wayne boxed in prison and on the prison boxing team.

Their came blood, bruises, abrasions along with damaged hands and being knocked down, out and getting stomped - lessons, after a time learned.

Sweeping swiftly through the next few years: Wayne got pissed and came at the young man with a knife - you fill in what happened; Wayne got caught later and went away; a brother decided the incident on TV about a monk in Vietnam Nam was cool so he doused himself in as and lit a match; the young man's older brother went on a rampage and went to one of the lesser state prisons; and the young man learned that getting away would be better so - at the last several years of the police action joined the military and left for boot.

Boot was exactly what the young man was looking for, another tribe to be a member and he became a solid brother in arms. His lot was not to go to combat much to his disappointment but he found other ways - He drank a lot; had some run-ins with other military fold who tried to toss him out a second story window while in a deep drunken sleep; his from him when he came to apply some revenge the next day after reveille, he walked in holding a large full trash can with evil in his eye and anger in his voice ready to take on the crew who attacked him with an aggressive intent; later he me a Hawaiian whose uncle happened to be a luminary in the martial arts world and who himself was also a combat vet and expert in the Hawaiian version of Okinawan karate, he liked to sneak up on the young man and surprise him with bows from behind - guess if that worked out; the young man reached E-5 and while touring the barracks was ambushed by another less than honest and noble man using a baseball bat - that came out well; the young man volunteered and went to Chicago to end up recruiting in the rough and dangerous hood-Cabrini Greens; as a corporal, E-4, tasked with taking a team out to the field for training found at the training point, out in the boonies, the team had other ideas, they immediately jumped him but found their target wasn’t such easy prey - he survived and they were totally taken aback when returning from the field they didn’t find themselves up on charges for attacking and assaulting a senior; another time when coming to the end of a twenty-four hour tour of duty he was resting his eyes, with one boot on the floor, when something caused him to open his eyes, another military person standing over him with a steel student driven sign poised in a spear like fashion aimed at his head - guess what happened; later, on duty as a recruiter, he and a perspective recruit walking the streets of a bad neighborhood in Chicago felt funny so turned to see a group of thugs following so he turned, faced them, pulled his combat knife and they took off - avoidance first thought of as a good tactic but would not become a part of his teachings in karate self-defense until much later; 

Splitting this part up for easier readability.

Wait a minute, lets turn back the time warp a bit! There was a time when the young man took up boxing at the local boxing gym, this before his association with Wayne Horton who taught him how to actually box, not be a punching bag for the local boxing team; oh, and there was that drug deal gone bad where a very large, muscular, strong and did I say very large guy kicked a door as the young man was entering slamming it and him into the door jam, then chasing him down and finally facing off with him ready to pummel him badly - wanna guess how that turned out?

Ok, back to the last point of this story before a need to time warp, a time warp happens because memories tend to be a bit squishy as to time and such other brain things.

The young man, as a military recruiter, waling in the halls of projects seeking out perspective enlistees walked with other recruiters who carried personal firearms for protection. Maybe the young man was stupid because he didn’t fear the place or maybe he was just LUCKy. Regardless, he encountered gangs and such but managed to survive and actually get the job done - mostly; later when serving overseas his responsibilities included a tour as a “Village Bouncer for his military brothers.” It was actually called Ville-Patrols where an NCO, me, and two NON-NCO’s would patrol the streets of the local village outside the main gate of the base much like a bouncer controlling the environment in a bar but for the entire village so as to manage the military personnel when drunk and rowdy to break up fights and restrain his brothers so he could escort them to the base before the local authorities took change and that involved a beating with nightsticks and being dragged to the gate for medical help and to get the idiots off their streets; one particular night a couple of drunks getting rowdy and displaying threatening postures started to wind up toward a fight so we moved in, restrained and took down the two, applied some supposed pressure points, where he learned such things don’t always work when the subject is under the influence, to control and take to the base but again he felt something was up so turned around to see the local police standing there tapping his night stick in his palm so the young man turned, bowed respectively and stood aside but the police instead bowed back and indicated we could proceed, lucky drunks they avoided a bad beating; 

Splitting this part up for easier readability.

Ville-patrol was a part of the weekly duties, three nights a week, for the entire years tour and the young man ran into other situations that allowed him to vet his skills especially those as he learned more about karate; 

Wait a minute, lets turn back the time warp a bit! The time back at his first duty station the young man also met a Hawaiian of a Samoan heritage who wanted someone to train with, to fight. So, the young man being full of piss and vinegar said, sure. This went on for a time but it was mostly a Samoan karate-ka with street experience, smarts and moxy who pounded the young man a lot but still teaching him a lot about fighting, not self-defense as I know it today but fighting-dirty fighting with some karate mixed in … stuff you know.

Ok time warp back; “Question, shall the story continue?” One night while the young man was sleeping it off others decided it was time to get even, so they tried to take the young man out with a large 2x4, across the forehead but alas the young man had a hard head and a bit of luck for he woke, jumped up and reached for the assailant whose eyes went wide, he turned and he ran like the wind while being chased by a very angry young man; not too many nights later the same tried again but thought it might be easier to set him on fire in his bunk so luck was still with him, a young man by the name of Balthazar woke the young man when pounding on his lower back under the cover of the blanket, he woke, turned over but noticed that instead of being assaulted Balthazar was pounding out the flames, flames on the young man. As luck would have it the fire had not yet spread or penetrated the blanket and sheet on the bunk - phew, still alive dammit they said; the young man encountered another significant person who became his Sensei, who served in Korea as well as Viet Nam, who tested his skills in those two combat zones as well as on the streets of villages in country as a fighter; who tested out his skills in martial disciplines like karate and judo on the streets in places like Washington D.C. where once he actually admitted being jailed because of drunkenness and rowdiness that led to fighting and actually fighting with a group of police; he brought that intensity and way of fighting to the sparring floor of our dojo at the base on Okinawa where every session, five nights a week, we spent the last hour fighting while working out certain principles and certain techniques and combo’s along with his fighting strategies and tactics where we bleed, hurt, broke fingers and toes, were abraded, scraped, bruised and sometimes muscles were damaged, strained and became temporarily disabling in the fight; he brought the street he trained in - into the dojo; he kept that up with the young man after the island tour over the next fifteen years in the dojo’s of the young man at other duty stations and in civilian life as a civil servant at the place he worked teaching karate for special services today referred to in the military as MWR or Moral Welfare and Recreation; the young man began to study the ancient classics and the arts of war along with the ever popular go-rin-no-sho; 

Note: In the era or 1965 to 1970 there came a change in the military and about the perception of the military often thought because of Viet Nam but in truth it was about the political atmosphere at that time. It bled over into the worst era for the military and especially for the Marine because moral hit the dumper, the brotherhood atmosphere all but disappeared, race self-segregation ran rampant especially during the period of 1972 to 1975 and a bit into 1976. This lead to a loss of discipline that was the hallmark of the Marine attitude, the can-do anytime and any where attitude that permeates the Marines history. In the barracks fights happened, drugs abounded and the discord driven by individualism without the camaraderie of the brotherhood drove the atmosphere and environment into one more attuned to conflict and violence except on those occasions certain individuals stood duty in those very barracks. At those times the more predatory aggressive types took their anger and angst out to the local towns to party and get into trouble. Two particular NCO’s, one a Hawaiian and the other his student, the young man. The young man saw things well and attacked himself to those combat vets who had already served during that period of 65 - 70 and now in the seventies. Clashes happened where both had to subdue and restrain other Marines in order to enforce things like standing at attention and saluting for morning colors or evening taps. Marines not saluting the colors, what a state of Marine moral and duty and honor during such a trying and troubling time. This was the era of Colonel Boyd who rocked the boat, challenged the status quo and achieved great things that led to lives saved not just at the end of Viet Nam but into other battles to come later that century like Iraq. These were the tumultuous times of military service for the young man and many of his hero’s of the Viet Nam war. If only he could have served in that area during those early years to help close out the Viet Nam effort. Sadly it was not to be …

Moral of the story or lessons learned:

• Assholes attract trouble just because, so being an asshole exposes you to conflict and sometimes violence.
• Learning to not be an asshole works toward self-defense.
• As you progress through life and if you find yourself moving further away from conflict and violence maybe your learning and doing something right.
• Experiences come in all sizes, shapes and durations but it is still experience. A lot more than most but not as much as some, but experience all the same.
• You don’t have to actually fight to gain experience in both conflict and violence for they both take many more forms than merely fighting.
• Be proud of the progression from conflict and violence in life to a state of avoidance, deescalation and escape and evasion tactics, a lot less dangerous and damaging (damaging legally, physically, mentally and economically).
• Note that if you find your aggression and experiences less dangerous that maybe you have learned something and have become more of a socially acceptable person.
• You learned that your early experiences no matter the quantity do have quality in that your actions and state of being and mind have grown so that a need to fight physically but with your mind means you have grown and learned and prospered from those early years. 
• Survival means learning, understanding and changing your ways.
• Your goals and idea’s all change constantly to the betterment of the way you live and interact with others.
• You find that your brain and mind actually feel and change due to your experiences no matter the level of conflict and/or violence involved.
• You need to learn, you need to learn to understand, you need to change and that means constantly in order to grow.
• That success and winning include avoidance, deescalation and escape and evasion over fighting (remember because it took me till the last ten years to understand and know fighting is illegal).
• As you grow and age you realize that there are better ways in conflict resolutions and avoidance of physical violence and even verbal/psychological violence.
• Expanding your horizons to take in things that are uncomfortable, outside the comfort zone, and not of your belief system, etc., means you have a chance to be enlightened. Not the perceived enlightenment often depicted in the ancient Chinese sage sitting outside a cave upon “The” mountain meditation and spewing out wise platitudes and meme’s to the seekers of the mountains wisdom but an inner honorable, humble and wisdom like attitude turned in so that when facing outward presents the best of human kind as humanly possible, at least in some small part in some small seemingly insignificant way. 
• To lean that all self-defense begins with yourself, internally, defending against our monkey brains insistent barrage of stupid shit and asshole actions that are the very core to much of conflict and violence especially in our modern times.
• Realizing that sometimes winning a fight has nothing to do with actual fist fighting or street fighting and learning how to win while making friends with the enemy (still trying to learn and apply this one but then again all of these are an ongoing process)
• Learning that all of this is actually an ever changing ongoing process of discipline and intestinal fortitude where glory comes to those who find another way to reach a goal of survival in conflicts and violence. 
• To realize that even when the empathy gene is turned off you can fake it enough to connect and live a better way and that means a better way to handle conflict and violence - a part of our very nature as humans.
• Learning about brotherhood of men before it is too late and learning how to be one. 
• Knowing that what you did and what you became regardless is still significant and leads to growth.
• 
  

List in progress, come back for updates and there is more to the story so stay tuned …