What is a Ryukyu Martial Art?

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

Easy question, right? In essence a Ryukyuan Martial Art is any system or methodology that involves martial discipline, i.e., Martial referring to military methodologies in defense of the island and/or its people, etc. It actually spans from the empty hand to the various weaponry used in that defense and/or offense solely dependent on the mandate of the Okinawan government, past or present. 

Where things get a bit sticky is the reference to “Art.” As it may pertain to the indigenous system or methodologies as described it may be about military prowess regardless of how that is applied or practiced. It also may be about both artistic and technique performance oriented skills toward a more combative, fighting and defensive applications. You will hear about skills, technique, craft and performance or better yet applications. 

Most often in our modern times when asked most instantly as if by reflex will yell out, “Goju-ryu or Uechi-ryu or Shorin-ryu or Isshin-ryu,” and so on because most of us know those particular styles as offspring of the indigenous system of Ti, sometimes referred to as “Te or Toudi.” This is pretty limited in understanding what is a Ryukyu Martial Art.

I prefer discipline because that term encompasses both the jutsu and the do of Ryukyu, i.e., those principles involving both theory and philosophy as it might come from Okinawan cultural beliefs. Isshinryu for instance, the creator of that particular style is believed to have created it from his belief system that incorporates some of the Chinese ancient classics and practices such as divining the future through the I Ching, etc. It really is about the eclectic embodiment of martial prowess from experience and the absorption of other cultural belief driven disciplines of all the surrounding cultures the Okinawan encountered over their history like China, Japan, Korea, etc. 

Also, Ryukyu is absolutely in reference to Okinawa, i.e., as referenced in the above. In essence, an Okinawan Martial Art must therefore be any and all martial disciplines born of Okinawan methodologies for fighting, combatives and defense of both empty-hand model and weapons model. Ergo, the modern name given as “Karate and Kobudo.” 

I don’t see any designations that say the more modern systems/styles created in some specified span of time from the present backward to those early years of Ti or Te or Toudi (the references to the more indigenous forms of empty handed disciplines the Okinawans themselves use today).

Here is the crunch, the historical data other than hearsay, etc., pretty much is non-existent prior to the early 1900’s and even that material is iffy at best where a lot of assumptions and speculations are involved in determining its historical origins, etc. It is so muddied that even the Okinawans cannot prove karate’s historical background. 

We can probably assume with a bit of authority that discussions in the realm of Ryukyu (Okinawan) Martial Arts will involve those systems and styles directly associated with Ti, then Naha; Tomari; Shuri, and finally Karate but we can also assume that any subject that is, was, can be or could be derived from the practice of Ryukyu MA would be acceptable topics of discussion even if they don’t directly refer to any one or group of systems or styles.

Example: Fighting, defense, fundamental principles, etc. are all present in every single form or type of martial discipline whether it originates from Okinawa, Japan, China, Korea, the United States or any of the European Union members. I would not say that medieval sword arts of the English would qualify but any principles that support that system would also support the Asian methodologies, i.e., its martial disciplines. Therefore the discussions on those principles would be acceptable in a discussion of Ryukyu Arts but the actual sword methods of the European discipline - not so much unless there can be established some connection between say, swordplay of Europe and Kobudo weaponry (which ever one that would parallel the techniques and principles of that swordplay - the distinction should be both presented or at least implied to qualify. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Street-Fighter

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

The next term used to try and demonstrate the superiority of one form of fighting over another, i.e., the street-fighter vs. Amateur MMA Fighter. Not really able to determine what it is they are trying to prove but a good guess is an attempt to show that an amateur MMA fighter is superior to a street-fighter.\

Well, lets try to find out what a street fighter is. When you try to define that term, i.e., street-fighter, you come up with defining sites for a game. If yo separate the two words you get more of the same. Apparently the game industry has a monopoly on that term as far as Google searches are concerned. I also have a feeling I am one of the few in the world to attempt to find a definition that works for what self-defense often calls street fighting. 

Now, when searching street fighting, with the “ing,” you get, “hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. Unlike sport fighting, a street fight might involve weapons, multiple opponents or revenge and has no rules.”

A pretty good site to check regarding this term is the “No Nonsense Self-Defense” site created and maintained by Marc ‘Animal’ MacYoung and Dianna Gordon MacYoung. http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/streetrat.html

The following quote comes from the site at No Nonsense Self-Defense, it is well worth the effort to read the entire article. “ … a street fighter, it means that I was a vicious, self-centered, misbehaving drunken, stoned thug among other vicious, self-centered, misbehaving drunken, stoned thugs. We were the worst kind of savages. Man to man, mano y mano was bull. Numbers and weapons were always used to increase our odds whenever possible. Once you realized the other side could and would shoot back, you did everything in your power to make sure he never got the chance. You always stacked the deck in your favor. You hit first, you hit hard enough to make sure he didn't get up. You ran as often as you hit, and you hit from behind as often as you could. The blood, the bullets and the knives were real. In the streets, life and death were determined by whims, pride, intoxicants and sheer stupidity. It's a way of life (and often death), and it's constant. It's living with being the hunter and the hunted every day and night.“

My personal thoughts on the matter are as follows:

First, there are various levels of what I would define as a “Street Fighter.” It is a full range or a gradient between the most extreme that I would classify Mr. MacYoung at then there is the opposite end of that spectrum that is at its most opposite. It would be hard-core to that level of soft-core with many levels or gradients that flow across that spectrum.

Hard-Core: Look to Mr. MacYoung’s quote above then read the following and it should give you an idea of what a full-fledged all-out street fighter would be, i.e.,:

"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"

In my mind if you can claim that you have lived and experienced the above then you are a street fighter. But, when you start to look at what most actually believe are street fighters then you begin to see why there is such a disparity.

Folks who have had a couple of fights in the local school yard tend to think that is street fighting. Then those who have had a couple of fist fights in their neighborhoods because it occurred on or near a street think they are street fighters. Those monkey dances in local sports bars when too much alcohol is consumed and testerone rises and two guys go nose-to-nose they assume they are street fighters. Well, actually bar-fighters but that as well is far from reality and that is why some seem to refer to those encounters as the “Monkey Dance.” 

I believe that at the hard-core level and a few gradient levels below that, no where near the balance point of that spectrum, you can say a participant is a street fighter. When you get to the other lower levels, not so much. Fighting out in the street does not make one a street fighter. I consider the title one that you would attach to someone who lives a life where conflict and violence are in integral part thereof where they have to fight for survival. 

All the media drama monkey oriented forms we see today referred to as street-fighter are actually sport oriented endeavors where the use of the term is simply a sales tool that also works as a self-soothing form of making ourselves feel something that we can only feel if we lived a life of conflict and violence, etc. Remember for a street fighter there are no rules and anything goes to remain alive and to survive. 

Now, to make sure my readers don’t mistakenly assume I am a street fighter, I am NOT. Yes, I have had a few fights in my life and yes, I have experienced a very, very small amount of violence but most men do at one time or another - THAT DOES NOT MAKE A STREET-FIGHTER!

Most males in these modern times are doing the monkey dance. A form of fighting that involves attack postures, attack indicators, a LOT of verbal violence and a LOT of indicators that say, I will get physically violent if you don’t I will attack but in reality even if the attack comes it comes from the use of hitting and getting hit, and that is not the end all violence we all assumed it is or was. 

When I originally read a post on a FB Wall about a competition between a “Street Fighter” and an “Amateur MMA” guy I immediately thought, “Who says the guy is a true to life real street fighter? How would they or could they know? Are they using the media driven version of what it is to be a street fighter as depicted by sport oriented labeled street fighter crap or the video games also labeled the same?” 

From where I sit today, NOT even close. When I watched the actual video and didn’t observe a predatory like attack by the labeled “Street Fighter” against the Amateur MMA guy, I kinda figured it was a media oriented drama-esque type effort to gain our attention and to sell something effort. 

Come on reality, where are you?

Bibliography (Click the link)

Power

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

the whole concept of what people think “power” means; the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality; the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events; supply (a device) with mechanical or electrical energy; move or travel with great speed or force; physical strength and force exerted by something or someone; energy that is produced by mechanical, electrical, or other means and used to operate a device; move or travel with great speed or force.

Of these only a few will apply toward martial arts, i.e., the ability to do something or act in a particular way; the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events; move or travel with great speed or force; physical strength and force exerted by something or someone; move or travel with great speed or force.

Then there is the psychological powers such as, “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events; political or social authority or control, especially that exercised by a government; a right or authority that is given or delegated to a person or body; the military strength of a state; a person or organization that is strong or influential within a particular context; used in the names of movements aiming to enhance the status of a specified group.”

As the author of God’s Bastard blog writes in a blog titled, “Power & Leadership 1 & 2,” power is significant when it comes to groups, survival and hierarchal control through status, etc (my take on her article that is). As she states and I believe is a large part of our responsibility in teaching martial arts for self-defense is the, “Live-or-Death” situations that any human may encounter in life. 

In MA-SD, the instructors tend to lean toward such “Codes of Conduct” as they interpret from such foreign terse teachings such as the Ken-po Goku-i or tomes like the “Bubishi.” Seldom do practitioners or instructors take the time and make the effort to study such things and question them but instead assume their meanings as they perceive them accordingly and make them the defacto leadership rules with any power concepts that are assumed and derived through the teachings of a particular dojo and its head instructor. 

Power in and of itself with all its variations can be cut and pasted to accommodate any one persons perceptions toward often biased goals that usually benefit that individual where such other teachings mentioned tend to insinuate unbiased goals of the group as a whole. We can even detect the human survival model in that last statement because it is the hierarchal status driven model of groups or tribes to survival of that group or tribe in relation to, “Others,” who may be competing against that group or tribe for something that often equates to “Power.” 

Power as with almost any other concept of this nature and for this type of discipline is another one of those things that instructors must study and embrace for a teaching model that is meant as a goal of martial art self-defense as it relates to the whole that is a social construct toward survival of that society comprised of many groups or tribes. 

Any one or combination of power definitions can and often do skew goals in regard to power as perceived toward any particular distinctions made by individual or group.  

Bibliography (Click the link)

Building a Foundation

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

Our most powerful weapon for
Self-Defense

Many times I have professed that anyone wanting to become proficient in martial arts first should create a foundation from the study of one system or style then branch out. In truth, the foundation in question does not depend solely on one style or system bur rather a foundation involving not only principles of fighting but rather a mind-set and mind-state that comes from either training or experience where experience trumps all forms of training be it martial arts or some other model. 

What I am saying is a person who has spent time gaining experience in real life conflicts and violence will have a better foundation than one who trains and practices in a martial art or other combative/fighting model. If you have that foundation then you can branch out and build on that experience by studying any number of martial arts, etc. and you don’t have to worry about achieving any particular level or rank in any of them. Your foundation will hold a superior support of all the possible applications from any number of systems, i.e., those that will give you more tools or more methodologies applicable to your foundation and applications in fighting, combatives and self-defense. 

When I hear about folks who ask, “I was practicing so-n-so martial art but I moved and cannot find it where I live now, can anyone make a recommendation?” I first would ask, “What is your experience and what are your goals for your choice of martial art?” How they answer will dictate how a recommendation is presented. 

Honestly, those with actual real life experience in conflict and violence more often than not will not ask that question because they more often than not have that instinct that tells them it really doesn’t matter - simply find a place to train and train. It seems, on the surface to me, that one with experience is not going to get caught up in the trappings of rank, levels, status and other such things - especially if they study and practice toward self-defense, fighting and/or combatives (thinks of distinctions in training and practice).

As Alain Burrese states, “Teach the skills to become a complete martial artists and be able to defend yourselves if you ever have to.” What a complete martial artist means to me, as a striking practitioner, is become a martial artists who can draw from a variety of fighting methodologies, i.e., those that take into consideration, “proficiency with applying impacts, drives (pushes), pulls, twists, takedowns, throws and compression to achieve your self-defense goals,” while adhering to fundamental principles of all combatives, fighting, self-defense martial arts disciplines, etc. This will then already encompass your abilities to defend yourself if you ever have to. 

Herein lies the importance of building a foundation, a foundation built on actual experience trumps all others. Regardless, if you don’t have that experience then the training and practice you seek out and use must achieve a certain amount of reality and that reality will be based on the instructor. If that instructor does not have either experience or training from an experienced combatant then seek out reality-based adrenal stress conditioned training from an instructor who has the credentials, experience and abilities necessary. Not an easy goal!

Bibliography (Click the link)

Making Distinctions

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

In many of the articles I wrote I mention distinctions, a lot. Then the question came up, if you train in sport, combatives and self-defense won’t that hinder you in actual self-defense, combatives and sports? The answer, to my mind, is simply “Simple yet not.” 

First, when it comes to distinctions it is not about the training model itself but training of the mind-set and mind-state. If your realize the differences between each and maintain a proper mind-set and mind-state in practice, training and most critically in application then distinctions through proper mind-set and mind-state will carry you through successfully.

Second, your mind-set is about commitment and goals regardless of the distinction on how you practice along with what you practice. You will have a particular trained mind-set in sport competition - it is NOT the same with fighting and defense and combatives. You will have a particular trained mind-set in combatives, i.e., if you are military and required to utilize your hand-to-hand skills as a last resort to achieve military goals. This also applies to combatives necessary as professionals such as police and corrections officers, etc., but a bit different because in a socially driven civil arena you have different rules of engagement, etc. You will also have a particular trained mind-set in self-defense, i.e., you are a martial artist or just some person who faces a violent attack in the streets. 

The mind-state is that state of mind that allows you to follow through with your goals in all three models as presented herein. You have to set your mind and maintain that state of mind until the threat ends and you achieve relative safety and security. Police and corrections officers when you are cuffed and the environment is safe for them, the prisoner and the public as applicable. In sports it is about when you are declared the winner and/or when your opponent taps-out, etc. In self-defense is when you achieve your goals while remaining within the self-defense square (as defined in, “In the Name of Self-Defense by Marc MacYoung).

Making such distinctions in your training and practice will make your mind-set and mind-state aware of and able to apply the appropriate set/state depending on any given situation necessary to accomplish your goals. This also explains why I present the distinction of mind-set vs. mind-state. You can set your mind for something but to achieve a mind-state, state of mind appropriate to any  given situation especially regarding conflict and violence, you have to train, practice and apply your mind-set accordingly to those distinctions. For instance, just telling yourself that you will and must hit harder in self-defense when your SD training is practiced does not equate doing what you need when the reality of self-defense applies, i.e., the difference between mind-set - you will hit harder, vs. mind-state that you not only hit harder but apply hits and strikes with other attack/defense methodologies. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Impressions Matter

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

Impressions of one another come from our perceptions of those folks. Perceptions and impressions are a fact of life and while in most teachings of the “Way” say that we must cast off our ego’s and pride driven attitudes it is still a fact of life that others will always make judgements dependent on their impressions and perceptions governed by their own personal private and socially driven belief systems. 

Take a look at a lot of what is happening in todays media deluge, i.e., take the most current about the confederate flag. What is driving this effort is not actually the flag itself but our perceptions and impressions to what we think it represents and that was driven by its presence when some innocent folks were killed in a souther church not long ago. 

The confederate flag holds a lot more symbolic history of our country than simply slavery. The flag was not just created when we went to war between the states, right? This brings up the fact that many misunderstanding occur due to some “Stigma” attached to some thing or event because it was related to that same thing or event at that time of occurrence. This also comes from socially emotionally ego pride driven beliefs from misguided, stunted and incomplete perceptions and impressions humans tend to go toward in an “Instance of emotional outcry” usually attacked to some singular stigma assigned to some thing or event. 

This carries over into martial disciplines. This carries over into martial arts self-defense. We make assumptions from our impressions and perceptions often driven through media such as movies, fictional books and television - to name a few cause Youtube, twitter, etc., all have to take some responsibility for the misconceptions and stigma’s that are assigned through media framing to gain viewer attention, etc. 

Martial Arts is about perceptions and impressions. Lets’ take the coveted “Black Belt” as an example. After its implementation in Judo so long ago along with its adaptation to karate and other martial disciplines it became a symbol of proficiency, expertise and mastery. It didn’t get there by some defining definition held to higher standards, at least not at first because it was exclusive, as to the dan-i system of judo, to that discipline. It had meaning in that discipline that was understood by those students and instructors. It didn’t start to come to symbolize anything outside that system until it was adopted and adapted to other systems of martial discipline. 

Since no one actually put forth a defining definition with specific attributes, principles and goals in achieving black belt status it was then the individual systems, styles and instructors to define the meaning of the system. It was then a matter of perceptions, knowledge, understanding and experiences that became each persons perception and impression as to what it means to be a black belt and that often came about from lesser and lesser transference of knowledge, experience and teaching of original higher standards. (can you begin to see how convoluted and complex this becomes when something is left without some overall pre-requisite valid levels of meaning, etc.?)

Add in other influences such as a need to see or get something for something, i.e., rank and title for the amount of money invested, and then instant gratifications along with perceptions and impressions as to what constitutes black belt along with criteria that will set a time and duration to achieve such a goal. This, along with many other factors and issues, led to the denigration of ranking systems along with testing, etc. 

Lets get back on track with why even in martial arts impressions matter. All of us tend to look for some validations to ensure that what we see, experience and often pay for has the value we personally perceive makes it worth our effort and makes the overall end product worthwhile to pursue. Humans look for something or some sort of credentials that say, “This person is an EXPERT!” At one time making the first black belt meant that the recipient was a dedicated novice and ready to become a true student, a beginner. Now, today, most believe incorrectly, to my view, that to be a first level black belt means you are an expert and master of your system or style. 

Now, as time has passed and many, many changes have occurred - some good, some bad - that black belt status has fallen far from the tree that says one is an expert, now the higer levels have to be attained to validate in many minds that one is an expert. Example is the thoughts, i.e., impressions and perceptions of many, that to be a master expert in martial arts one must have attained many, many black belts in many, many different systems or styles. They must have participated in many, many tournaments; have trained with and under many perceive luminaries in martial arts through seminars; have won many, many varied sport oriented competitions with many, many trophies and so on. In one instance of personal experience when seeking a place to teach the organization wanted teaching certification from that state, a college/university degree in physical education and many other perceived credentials to qualify me for teaching at their organization. 

When one such organization talked to me about teaching martial arts they wanted to know what level of black belts I held in various forms of practice such as ju-jitsu, karate, judo, aikido and others as a minimum show of expertise and ability. Then the level of said black belts also was necessary so you had to have a level of fifth grade or higher. The part that surprised me was no one verified such credentials and grades and ranks, the accepted that as their perceptions and impressions from media driven information said that was what made for an EXPERT. 

At one time if someone said they had a black belt in karate the impressions and perceptions of those not in martial arts automatically went to the thoughts of expert and master of fighting. In reality it could not be far enough away from the truth. 

Impressions count, in order to even have acceptance in martial arts those who look to you must see what they believe makes you the expert and more often than not that involves credentials along with a resume that may or may not actually be true, valid or even verifiable. As long as the other person perceives that you are an expert, then you are an expert.

Going back to the flag thing, because of the stigma assigned to the flag and because no one will listen and because now that the momentum has snow balled to such a frenzy of emotional bull the flag is close to being wiped away from American history as possible simply because a small group with a lot of pride driven emotional movement has declared by their personal inaccurate understanding and knowledge that this flag is symbolic of racial discrimination and murder. The momentum and belief system has taken such a strong hold in our social emotional realm that no matter how factual and accurate the counter argument the flag now holds only that small assigned stigma of racial stigmata that it will be gone and forgotten in only a few years. 

First impressions do matter in human nature. Whomever, be it an individual or group, who comes out with their impressions and perspectives with the loudest and most dramatic version will be the impression, perception and BELIEF accepted by the whole, the group. Once it gets its hooks in us seldom with truth, reality and knowledge be able to overcome and change that belief, perception and impression. 

Back to MA, this is why you will continue to see various forms and accouterments of martial system take a dominance in the discipline with colored belts, unique and varying uniform styles and lots of drama media driven forms of entertainment and sport.  It is why acceptance and validation of expertise will be geared more toward credentials as to how they fare from the perceptions and impressions of non-martial folks as they see them from a media commercial driven entertainment source. 

The true essence of what is considered as traditional martial arts without all the symbols, stigma’s and other accouterments they entail will be practiced, trained and taught by the very few who in all likelihood will be viewed as cult-driven like followers who just can’t see the truth of marital arts. 

Bibliography (Click the link) [As a good example, watch the following]

Cult Like MA-SD

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

Martial Arts are just like any other discipline be it football, hunting game or providing services in the Information Technology industry. They often form tribal like groups where jokes and comics make a living using that cult-like system to make fun. We all have by now heard the joke, sometimes not so much a joke, term used of, “McDojo.” 

The other form of this cult like tribal group forming is the particular and individual style or system of martial arts. This drills down to a point where a single training hall with a particular Sensei becomes identify with its members where they become somewhat “Comfortable” resulting in all their training time and efforts are spent. The costs are students failing to reach full potential especially in the self-defense models. To reach potential in self-defense martial arts means diversity, a type of diversity only achievable through exposure to other ways and teachings unique to other systems, styles and most of all, “Instructors.” 

A driving force in this type of model comes from various human issues such as the logistics necessary to train, travel and the correlation toward convenience. Things like this either directly or indirectly influence the decisions made when seeking out martial arts and self-defense. When it comes to a defense for conflict and violence one must achieve proficiency, at least physically, with a wider spectrum of methodologies, i.e., applying impacts, drives (pushes), pulls, twists, takedowns, throws and compression to achieve your self-defense goals. We are talking about cross training and not just any cross training but the kind meant to teach defense.

A goal in self-defense especially when it involves martial arts is the development of a comprehensive set of methodologies that cover self-defense with extra emphasis on the critical thinking that must be coupled with the physical applications and so on. 

These cult like MA-SD schools also feed off of and/or fall prey to students who have the type of connections where the chance of offending or being disloyal prevent them from branching outward to encompass all that they need to achieve higher levels of ability with self-defense. 

As an aside, this concept of the cult like MA-SD or just MA also presents problems when the leaders and members both fall prey to their beliefs of the system as well as the proficiency and abilities of that same system. Kind of like a human nature thing, i.e., where it becomes so deep seated and ingrained they fail to see and accept others or other concepts or other ways and so on. 

It all is a very dangerous slop that tends to be icy slippery and practitioners and instructors alike must remain self-aware toward maintaining a balance between camaraderie and cult like effigy pedestal blindness.

Lastly, no one single school has all the answers, no one single instructor has all the answers and it takes a holistic melding of many things to achieve proficiency, mastery and a full and complete and comprehensive knowledge, understanding and ability to apply in life those things that make up a martial art and one that teaches self-defense.

Bibliography (Click the link)

Psychological -n- Physical Game Changers

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

Which would cause you to give up and how the physical can affect the psychological causing a person to quit or give up. If your body, the physical, stops because of some physical obstacle, i.e., for instance if the central nervous system is disrupted from say enough blood loss, etc., than that is a physical game ender for the person whose CNS was disrupted, etc. (Even then some can still continue until the body just stops too)

The spots that would result in this type of game ender are not easy to attack. If the attacker does not suffer from those physical game enders and they stop the attack then that is most likely a psychological decision, i.e., they changed their minds and stopped attacking or you hit on some psychological issue that made them stop. 

When humans are in the fight regardless of social or asocial they suffer from the adrenal stress conditions that make targeting such physical targets that will stop the threat very difficult. It also makes application of methodologies used in a fight to stop a threat also very difficult to apply. We don’t have that much control and even with adrenal stress conditioning reality-based training scenarios we don’t really overcome those obstacles, we just become capable of handling them a bit better than being untrained, etc.

It reminds me of the difficulty the striking arts has when applying strikes and punches with force and power. There are many principles involved to achieve maximum effect that also if not applied exactly bleed of that same power and force resulting in strikes and punches being less effective. This is one reason why professionals teach that it takes a combination of fight methodologies to stop a threat and striking/punching is one and not one that is high on the effective techniques list. 

A professional wrote in one book that a lot of fights end because one or the other combatant “Quit” vs. actually suffering from some physical game ending application or combination of applications. It reminds me of when it was written that in social encounters it isn’t the fight itself that cause grave bodily harm or even death but actually, for instance, the fall of one or the other combatants where gravity takes over and, for instance, their head hits a very hard object, say a cement curb, where the head injury results in death. 

This brings us back to the all important, and I feel critical, mind-set and mind-state where the practitioner trains to create a mind-set and mind-state removing as many mental/psychological road blocks that would result in quitting. This type of mind-set and mind-state leads to one that when various levels and types of pain are involved the practitioner can pretty much ignore that and continue until the threat is stopped. It is a “Do or Die” type mentality, mind-set/mind-state, one gains from involvement in such disciplines. 

It involves exposing yourself to as many psychological obstacles as you can, exposing yourself to pain and exposing yourself to the adrenal stress conditions so that you build up that confidence when pain hits, you keep right on going and so on. 

Look at it this way, “If you are attacked you WILL reach your goal of survival, you WILL reach your goal of stopping the threat, and YOU WILL remain within the self-defense square regardless!” Regardless of the pain, the injury(ies) or any perceptions of physical fight ending damage. There is nothing that will stop you from your goals. Pain is nothing. Fear is noting, use it to your advantage along with the adrenal stress conditions. 

I remember a lecture by a Marine Drill Instructor one day after a long, hard, difficult run in combat gear. He asked everyone what they would do if they got tired having sex, would they stop? Then he asked why getting a bit of laughter (although short lived after all this was boot camp and recruits don’t laugh without permission). You don’t even let fatigue, tiredness or any other physical or mental obstacle stand in your way to achieve that goal, right? It is the same with discarding fatigue, tiredness and both physical and mental obstacles in a run, in a obstacle course and in the combat training field operations, right? (Hey, it made sense then and sounded right then and yea, we were all testerone filled young males back then and sex was everyone’s goal regardless of fatigue, tiredness or any kind of mental or physical obstacle, right? Hey, mind-set and mind-state, right? It all comes down to how you look at things, how you perceive things and how you react to things - train the mind. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

Skill -n- Critical Thinking/Skill OR Critical Thinking

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

Martial Arts self-defense almost exclusively teaches the physical technique drill form or model of self-defense. Rarely, if ever, do they take into consideration the additional teaching requirements of self-defense, “The Critical Thinking of Self-Defense.” 

MA-SD has a narrow focus of repetitive practices toward the development of what many refer to as, “Muscle Memory.” We fail completely to teach, train and practice those mental/psychological necessities toward the seriousness and gravity of the defend/don’t defend, the action/stop action decisions that keep MA-SD applications within the self-defense square. It appears that MA-SD falls prey to the easier repetitive muscle-memory training and practice for more economical needs over the needs of that person when confronted, on the street, with conflict and violence. This deficiency exists in society as a whole but becomes critical when involving self-defense. 

MA-SD seems focuses on what will get them promoted, what will get them the win in a tournament and what will get the training hall more students and greater economic gains. The critical thinking process as to training then applying in the adrenal stress conditions of violence is difficult, not fun per se and means humans have to see and accept the nature of humans toward the use of violence and conflict. They fail to recognize that self-defense processes are both intellectual (first and foremost) and physical in nature. The models in MA-SD need to provide those intellectual and emotional tools and training for appropriate application before, and when no other choice is left, the physical applications of violence in self-defense. 

It is why I believe wholeheartedly in the model of training the whole, the mind, body and spirit. I mean that we teach a philosophy appropriate to the discipline, the psychological appropriate to the discipline, and the mental critical thinking and decision making processes to apply self-defense according to all the rules, laws and social necessities. In other words, to remain steadfast and legally within the self-defense square. 

Lets just say that humans tend to go the easiest and safest route to a goal. There is nothing wrong with that as long as that decisions is made with a complete picture of the situation. When we go looking for SD we tend to look for something, “Tangible.” Applications based on physical combinations of techniques is a tangible things we can feel, see and understand directly but the intangible teaching of the philosophical and psychological critical thinking process can’t be seen or felt visually or tactilely. Look at it as software in the hardware, i.e., critical thinking software in the physical body manifestations of hardware like hands, feet, elbows, etc. 

The intangible has always been the most difficult product to sell while a bird in the hand is easier. Trying to sell both as a pair tends to make people uncomfortable and that often leads to them leaving and looking for the easier answer route. 

Critical thinking in self-defense be it martial oriented or some other form is absolutely critical to applying it in real life, not just playing in the club-dojo.

Bibliography (Click the link)

Spectrum of Self-Defense

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

The spectrum involves self-awareness, awareness, avoidance then those methods or methodologies that result in proficiency with applying impacts, drives (pushes), pulls, twists, takedowns, throws and compression to achieve your self-defense goals. It is NOT about technique training or even those physical teachings found in most self-defense martial arts programs. It also involved such things as, “Conflict communications; Emotional Intelligence; Lines/square/circle of SD, Three brains (human, monkey, lizard), JAM/AOJ and five stages, Adrenal stress (stress induced reality based), Violence (Social and Asocial), Pre-Attack indicators, Weapons, Predator process and predator resource, Force levels, Repercussions (medical, legal, civil, personal), Go-NoGo, Win-Loss Ratio, etc. (still working on the core sub-principles for this one)”Attitude, Socio-emotional, Diplomacy, Speed [get-er done fast], Redirected aggression, Dual Time Clocks, Awareness, Initiative, Permission, etc.”

Lets focus on the first part. 

Self-awareness begins with each person’s perception and perspectives of their beliefs and abilities along with a strong view of how they interact with the world at large. Self-awareness also encompasses how you see yourself and what you are willing or not willing to accept, understand and do about life’s little curves and obstacles especially when it involves conflict and violence. 

Self-awareness continues on with our being aware of our abilities and our commitments toward self-protection/defense. It is that awareness of our mind-set and mind-state from understanding the world, accepting both the good and bad and then giving ourselves the permissions necessary to do what is needed to achieve goals, i.e., stopping the threat in violence for instance. 

Self-awareness is also about knowing what we don’t know so that less and less obstacles of the mind will result in our failure to protect and defend. Being aware that there is more than just physical answers to issues, problems and obstacles in life’s ways. 

Awareness begins with the awareness spectrum that provides each and every person the tools, knowledge and abilities to embrace the path that leads to conflict, violence and violent conflict that will allow us to become aware of the danger life presents in all its forms thus allowing time and distance to come up with an appropriate response to any given situation so that one can avoid, deescalate or apply the mental and/or physical actions necessary to achieve a goal, especially in self-defense. Think environmental awareness, situational awareness, physical/body awareness (yours and your adversary’s), dynamics awareness such as attack indicators or pre-assault indicators, etc., criminal and legal awareness, danger awareness, and mindful awareness to name just a few. 

Avoidance begins with awareness and awareness is all about avoidance, avoiding conflict and violence and all the surrounding things that result in the type of repercussions that enhance the damage one might endure in any physical defense process. Avoiding the monkey in all of us so that it does not take over and drive us faster and further down that road toward physical damaging violence. Those things that allow us to choose to take the first and best exit off that highway resulting in avoiding the more damaging aspects of the self-defense spectrum. 

Then we, as a last resort, have to fully understand, be aware of and apply those various physical aspects in self-defense toward ending the violence fast and remaining within the self-defense square. No one system or style of martial self-defense is adequate by and of itself to achieve the goals of self-defense.

Developing those tactics and strategies that use the fundamental principles of martial disciplines that span a range far and above any one system or style to achieve the proficiency and application of tactics for the use of attack methodologies such as those that produce impacts, drives (pushes), pulls, twists, takedowns/throws and compression, etc. built upon one another in no specific order or need that are best for stopping a threat. Those that allow you to work a threat from a distance to mid-range to close to hands on skin-to-skin that can go to the ground and so on. Those methodologies and principles that will allow you to end it quickly and decisively while maintaining the ability to articulate your needs and actions in self-defense - remaining within the self-defense square. 

Note: I doubt I actually covered the full spectrum simply because I know there are a lot of books out there on the subject meaning the full spectrum of self-defense is actually an encyclopedia britannica set of volumes on the discipline that still don’t cover it all. So let me have my fun, k? Note II: Just check out the bibliography if you don’t believe me :-) Hey, I am still trying to work it all out for me!

Bibliography (Click the link)