The majority of violent attacks are sadly predictable. Though rare, these events can be more or less likely depending on your life circumstances and if you roll the dice often enough with your safety, the probability of your victimization will inevitably approach 100%. The first 500 times one walks down a back alley at 3 am, they will likely get away unscathed. How likely will one get away unscathed if they repeat this risky action another 500 times?
One of the most reliable precursors to violence is competition, which is exacerbated by the scarcity of the resource motivating the contest. In a civilization, these situations are almost always solved through games, or organized, explicitly nonviolent contests in which one's prowess is demonstrated and a recipient of the contested goods is chosen by impartial judges. Examples include: promotion in the workplace based on objective workplace productivity evaluations, dating decided by family opinion of suitors, etc. These organized contests can sometimes be corrupted, which encourages savage situations where victors are chosen based on their ruthlessness, superficial charm, and willingness to cheat. Violence becomes an inevitable outcome of these dubious contests and a wise person avoids taking part in them or coveting the goods on offer. Often, simply possessing a high value good can designate one as a target of violence.
Another high probability antecedent of violence is visible weakness or timidity, known among criminals as "looking like a bitch" or "mark." Overt displays of emotional dysregulation, incapacity, inattentiveness, or vulnerability are signals of opportunity for criminals who seek to take something from someone. Usually, they will "case" a target to verify evidence of weakness. Next, they will develop a plan, usually with any number of armed accomplices who bolster their confidence. Then, they will use violence or its threat to extract some good from the victim.
Yet another antecedent of violence is looking or acting noticeably different from a normative group of thugs. Simply having a different race than a group of males can make one a "mark," regardless of one's visible indicators of awareness, will, or skill.
So, how should one avoid victimization? Here's some good ways:
1. Be aware. Know the physical location of all persons in a given area. Do not enter blind alleys whenever possible. Check corners and hiding places. Visually scan people who talk to you and look around you while talking to them. Read their body language and direction of their gaze for evidence of their intentions. Watch the hands of strange persons.
2. Gain muscle. Pound for pound, the larger a person can get while remaining lean, the less likely they will ever be targeted for violence. Do back bridges, dips, sprints, deadlifts, squats, or anything else that causes you to gain lean weight. Muscle definition is unimportant, so long as fat is not allowed to accumulate. At a lean 200 pounds or more, even a short man becomes less attractive as a target.
3. Hide your good fortune. Avoid public displays of affection with attractive partners, or even being seen commonly with that person in suspicious company (hint: anyone you don't know is suspicious). Do not display your sexual appeal, money, or resources among untrusted persons or in a public setting. Be humble for your own safety. Never allow a stranger to know where you live or see you, or your partners, enter your residence. Go elsewhere until they are gone, or utilize the authorities to scare them away.
4. Be hard to categorize/seem subtly odd. If you wear suits, select suits with an unorthodox coloration, or unbutton your shirt in sketchy areas. The author actually removes his dress shirts in bad neighborhoods and simply wears a plain undershirt with slacks. Being very odd can make one a mark. Being slightly odd can unnerve a criminal seeking a mark.
5. Do not covet any goods that are won through uncivilized conduct. Do not seek sexual contact with women who are won through violence (you can determine this by judging their choice of sex partners). Do not seek money through gambling or stocks. There is much money and sex to be attained without abandoning civilization.
6. Stand your ground. Do not be pushed, pulled, or coerced into cooperating with attackers. Be assertive about your rights. Do not fear alerting the authorities. Leaving one's home for a time is preferable to enabling perpetrators.
7. Fight first, or fight back! When attack seems inevitable, attack first and as brutally as possible. Use weapons against multiple opponents with lethal intent. Cause severe physical trauma to your first target and prepare to do the same to their backup. When struck, grabbed, or ordered, initiate overwhelming retributive violence against your assailant, no matter their size or degree of armament. Do not stop until you are incapacitated or your opponents are neutralized or fleeing. Fight hard to ensure the latter.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Racial Cuckoldry and the Pathetic European Female
A cursory view of contemporary popular media shows a distinct self annihilating tendency among women of European descent. Media that would elicit immediate social reproach only 50 years ago is today apathetically overlooked. Of course, the ubiquity of attacks against the dignity of European American people is by design: sometimes the most obvious truths are hidden in plain sight.
Case studies:
Observe the song L.A. Love by Fergie. On the surface, it is a song about international fame, yet the settings of the song and the choice of actors in the music video reveal a distinctly provincial interest. Scenes such as a tour bus filled with white/mut women and black men rolling through the 'hood leave little room for alternative interpretation to a rank, disgusting attempt to symbolically cuckold European men. What other interpretation is available for an overtly sexual, virile, white woman who holds company exclusively with black men and mut women? What is NOT said speaks volumes. Another scene shows a white woman of the entourage comforting her white baby while Fergie rolls her eyes in disgust. In this one scene, a disgust with reproducing one's white lineage, a disgust with white babies, and the complete lack of a sense of shared obligation to future white generations is fucking obvious. Forget academic feminism as a cause of this kind of behavior by white women: Fergie probably can't read higher than a 3rd grade level. This kind of self annihilation is just human nature for a conquered class of women. Intermarriage is common between victorious soldiers and subjugated women throughout history, and L.A. Love simply demonstrates which race has won the war. L.A. and other cities are occupied territory and this song reveals the plan to transform every other white city on Earth in the exact same way. Notice that no African or Muslim cities are mentioned by name at all. If Fergie and her entourage of gangstas attempted this shit in Pakistan they would all go quietly missing. Just goes to show, the hands across America miscegenation advocates only seem to target those races most predisposed to gentleness and peace. Hence, white and Asian women have become the sexual playthings of the world while every other race of woman is left well alone.
Next, check out the degenerate Dev, and her song Kiss It. On the surface, it is a breakup song defending her choice of slutting around and castigating the offended, presumably white male, and that alone would be bad enough if the music video and choice of cameo were not so blatantly indicative of mixed race cuckoldry. Dev is shown sexually taunting her weak white ex-boyfriend by cavorting with his black replacement, Sage the Gemini. She flirts with the possibility of reconciliation, then responds with the admonition that he can kiss her ass. She also taunts his physical prowess against her new black boyfriend, saying the white man "couldn't fuck with him." Subsequent scenes tease and deny sexual access with the presumed black victor directly in the foreground... exactly where symbolic cuckoldry is best hidden.
In my sensitive liberal days, I used to see this form of media as progressive and edgy. How against the norm to replace a 'typical' dominant white male with a black one... or a woman... or a damn garden gnome. The problem with this conclusion is that progressive ideas, once accepted, become the new conservative. The two songs above demonstrate that there is nothing new about mixed race cuckoldry. In fact, it is the new normal in popular media where a love affair between degenerate white women and black men has been quietly occurring for the past 10-20 years. It's enough to make you think the defenders of white heritage were right when they talked about black men coveting white women...
White men who protest too loudly to this blatant disrespect in the media are treated as aggressive savages who will hurt and kill white women and their dusky lovers, but the reality is simpler, and more amusing. The silver lining to this situation for proud white men (yes fuckers, we still exist), is that our errant women have picked so badly among our competition that only our weakest brethren are driven to violence. The strong white men of the world are simply calling white women's bluff. Go ahead and breed indiscriminately with criminals and civilization's rejects. We will continue to breed with even better white women, raise our families, and defend our communities. To the death. You miscreants will receive much worse than our aggression. You will ultimately receive only our apathy.
Case studies:
Observe the song L.A. Love by Fergie. On the surface, it is a song about international fame, yet the settings of the song and the choice of actors in the music video reveal a distinctly provincial interest. Scenes such as a tour bus filled with white/mut women and black men rolling through the 'hood leave little room for alternative interpretation to a rank, disgusting attempt to symbolically cuckold European men. What other interpretation is available for an overtly sexual, virile, white woman who holds company exclusively with black men and mut women? What is NOT said speaks volumes. Another scene shows a white woman of the entourage comforting her white baby while Fergie rolls her eyes in disgust. In this one scene, a disgust with reproducing one's white lineage, a disgust with white babies, and the complete lack of a sense of shared obligation to future white generations is fucking obvious. Forget academic feminism as a cause of this kind of behavior by white women: Fergie probably can't read higher than a 3rd grade level. This kind of self annihilation is just human nature for a conquered class of women. Intermarriage is common between victorious soldiers and subjugated women throughout history, and L.A. Love simply demonstrates which race has won the war. L.A. and other cities are occupied territory and this song reveals the plan to transform every other white city on Earth in the exact same way. Notice that no African or Muslim cities are mentioned by name at all. If Fergie and her entourage of gangstas attempted this shit in Pakistan they would all go quietly missing. Just goes to show, the hands across America miscegenation advocates only seem to target those races most predisposed to gentleness and peace. Hence, white and Asian women have become the sexual playthings of the world while every other race of woman is left well alone.
Next, check out the degenerate Dev, and her song Kiss It. On the surface, it is a breakup song defending her choice of slutting around and castigating the offended, presumably white male, and that alone would be bad enough if the music video and choice of cameo were not so blatantly indicative of mixed race cuckoldry. Dev is shown sexually taunting her weak white ex-boyfriend by cavorting with his black replacement, Sage the Gemini. She flirts with the possibility of reconciliation, then responds with the admonition that he can kiss her ass. She also taunts his physical prowess against her new black boyfriend, saying the white man "couldn't fuck with him." Subsequent scenes tease and deny sexual access with the presumed black victor directly in the foreground... exactly where symbolic cuckoldry is best hidden.
In my sensitive liberal days, I used to see this form of media as progressive and edgy. How against the norm to replace a 'typical' dominant white male with a black one... or a woman... or a damn garden gnome. The problem with this conclusion is that progressive ideas, once accepted, become the new conservative. The two songs above demonstrate that there is nothing new about mixed race cuckoldry. In fact, it is the new normal in popular media where a love affair between degenerate white women and black men has been quietly occurring for the past 10-20 years. It's enough to make you think the defenders of white heritage were right when they talked about black men coveting white women...
White men who protest too loudly to this blatant disrespect in the media are treated as aggressive savages who will hurt and kill white women and their dusky lovers, but the reality is simpler, and more amusing. The silver lining to this situation for proud white men (yes fuckers, we still exist), is that our errant women have picked so badly among our competition that only our weakest brethren are driven to violence. The strong white men of the world are simply calling white women's bluff. Go ahead and breed indiscriminately with criminals and civilization's rejects. We will continue to breed with even better white women, raise our families, and defend our communities. To the death. You miscreants will receive much worse than our aggression. You will ultimately receive only our apathy.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Optimizing Arousal
In becoming a martially competent person, one must carefully attend to their state of arousal, as this will help or hinder one's authentic expression and self defense. Both under and over-arousal can be dangerous in different ways.
The risks of under-arousal include passivity, disconnection, and excessive self abnegation. Examples of this state include such acts as failing to speak to those who one perceives to be aggressive, failing to actively oppose evil intent, and serenely accepting unjust treatment simply to maintain peace. This state works well when one is socially disconnected and can escape into anonymity, however, this state can expose oneself and one's loved ones to unnecessary attacks and losses. Therefore, cultivating an attitude of avoidance and chronic low-arousal, though soothing and healthy, is a fundamentally selfish approach to life, as it curtails the necessary struggle of protecting one's interests and one's family. Ironically, this is the best approach to building situational awareness, as detachment from immediate concerns allows for an unbiased observation of one's life circumstances. Low muscle mass, low pain threshold, and low tolerance for conflict are symptoms of chronic under-arousal. Yogis, Buddhist monks, voluntary celibates, and other separatists from social convention share this trait of low arousal.
The risks of over-arousal include aggressiveness, over-involvement, and impulsivity. Examples include talking more than acting, vigilantly overreacting to slights and threats, and allowing one's situational awareness to wane. By prepping oneself perpetually for conflict, one forgoes honest evaluation of one's life circumstances. Stress becomes a default condition which accumulates in the form of physical and psychological ailments. Obesity, poor awareness, and a positive attitude toward conflict are symptoms of chronic over-arousal. Soldiers who enjoy killing, competitive business personnel, and high testosterone types exhibit over-arousal.
The ideal state is optimal arousal for one's circumstances. One's optimal level will decrease over time as one becomes more secure in old age and less endangered. Examples of optimal arousal include arguing persuasively with sworn enemies by balancing anger with reason, defending oneself using only the amount of force necessary to repel an attacker, and self abnegating only to the point of meeting one's goals and no further. This balance point corresponds with feelings of competence, energy, vitality, safety, and a general acceptance of conflict as a fact of life. Conflict is not avoided or attacked, but is confidently managed to attain favorable resolutions. In sports, this balance of arousal is called being "in the zone" while in life it is simply called surviving effortlessly. Striking this balance is one indicator of walking the martial way.
The risks of under-arousal include passivity, disconnection, and excessive self abnegation. Examples of this state include such acts as failing to speak to those who one perceives to be aggressive, failing to actively oppose evil intent, and serenely accepting unjust treatment simply to maintain peace. This state works well when one is socially disconnected and can escape into anonymity, however, this state can expose oneself and one's loved ones to unnecessary attacks and losses. Therefore, cultivating an attitude of avoidance and chronic low-arousal, though soothing and healthy, is a fundamentally selfish approach to life, as it curtails the necessary struggle of protecting one's interests and one's family. Ironically, this is the best approach to building situational awareness, as detachment from immediate concerns allows for an unbiased observation of one's life circumstances. Low muscle mass, low pain threshold, and low tolerance for conflict are symptoms of chronic under-arousal. Yogis, Buddhist monks, voluntary celibates, and other separatists from social convention share this trait of low arousal.
The risks of over-arousal include aggressiveness, over-involvement, and impulsivity. Examples include talking more than acting, vigilantly overreacting to slights and threats, and allowing one's situational awareness to wane. By prepping oneself perpetually for conflict, one forgoes honest evaluation of one's life circumstances. Stress becomes a default condition which accumulates in the form of physical and psychological ailments. Obesity, poor awareness, and a positive attitude toward conflict are symptoms of chronic over-arousal. Soldiers who enjoy killing, competitive business personnel, and high testosterone types exhibit over-arousal.
The ideal state is optimal arousal for one's circumstances. One's optimal level will decrease over time as one becomes more secure in old age and less endangered. Examples of optimal arousal include arguing persuasively with sworn enemies by balancing anger with reason, defending oneself using only the amount of force necessary to repel an attacker, and self abnegating only to the point of meeting one's goals and no further. This balance point corresponds with feelings of competence, energy, vitality, safety, and a general acceptance of conflict as a fact of life. Conflict is not avoided or attacked, but is confidently managed to attain favorable resolutions. In sports, this balance of arousal is called being "in the zone" while in life it is simply called surviving effortlessly. Striking this balance is one indicator of walking the martial way.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
An Expanding List of the Worst Possible Martial Arts Techniques
In judging a martial technique, both effectiveness and appropriateness must be weighed. Effectiveness refers to whether a technique results in quick incapacitation of an opponent through death, unconsciousness, or defeated will power. Appropriateness refers to whether a technique can be executed with minimal risk of personal harm or social consequences such as incarceration or collective rejection.
One of the single best tests of effectiveness is the pad test: if a technique can defeat the will power of a partner holding a shield, it is generally effective for self defense. For appropriateness, the uncomfortable consequence criterion is helpful: if one would dislike the personal or social consequences of using a technique, they should select another.
Without further ado, these are some of the worst possible martial arts techniques for self defense.
The Crescent Kick
A martial technique is most effective as either a circular or linear attack. Circular attacks gain power through momentum. Linear attacks gain power through speed of delivery. The crescent kick attempts to do both, yet accomplishes neither.
Whether it is an outside to inside, inside to outside, or reverse crescent kick, this author has severe doubts that any variation could be trained to the point of actually incapacitating an attacker. In fact, this kicking variation demonstrates so few principles of effective striking that it is practically harmless to a committed opponent. Any reader who disagrees is challenged to attempt bag work or pad work with this kick and post their training publicly. This author reserves the right to chuckle at the results. If the unfortunate proponent of this kick even manages to remain standing, they will find their target of aggression peacefully undisturbed, as though no kick was ever thrown. Therefore, this kick is best suited for self defense by self abnegating pacifists, masochists, and cowards who will throw a kick, but not to save their lives.
The ineffectiveness of this technique derives from the anatomy and physics of its execution. The smallest muscles of the hip (the hip flexors) are used to launch the kick in a narrow arc which disperses all its power by reversing the direction of the initial kick just prior to impact. Any power this kick might have delivered is wasted before impact in the execution of a foolish, ostentatious crescent which may provide some aesthetic appeal to audiences, but will be pure comedy at best to an opponent.
I've actually seen this technique recommended as a gun/knife disarm, which should demonstrate that many martial artists will teach techniques without actually using them in training.
Why is it trained?
Despite the almost complete ineffectiveness of this kick, it provides great benefit as a training aid to the actual power kicks: front, side, roundhouse, and back kicks. It does this by training the flexibility of the hips, legs, and back while also training balance and accuracy. In this capacity, the crescent kick can be useful for board breaks and pad work as a way of training the transmission of power from an unusual, purposefully restricted angle. Despite its training benefits, this technique is as much a replacement for the other kicks as pushups are a replacement for palm heel strikes.
Alternatives
Pretty much any kick is preferable to the crescent kick in a self defense situation. The front kick or side kick could be used more quickly and effectively in nearly every situation a crescent kick could be used. For the reverse crescent kick, the hook kick or back kick would be superior alternatives.
The Hollywood Backfist
In similar form to the crescent kick, the hollywood backfist is depressingly ineffective, anatomically/physically inappropriate, and yet, remains a photogenic technique that must be explicitly trained out of the younger generation. Check out the TKD black belt (who should know better) demonstrating it below.
Why is it trained?
Unlike the crescent kick in its variations, the hollywood backfist confers no training benefit and does not directly or indirectly benefit any other upper body strike. If you ever encounter a martial arts school advocating this technique for self defense or even training, immediately leave. They are misguided at best.
I would carefully teach this technique to someone who I hated so much that I was teaching him to perform martial arts techniques wrong so he would get his ass kicked. I would use this technique if I was cast for lead in a low budget 80's action film parody as the final climactic finishing blow against the evil villain with the eye patch and mullet. I would use this technique in a street fight if I was hoping my opponent would step out of range, grab my wrist, and dislocate my shoulder. Never use the hollywood backfist under any circumstance.
Alternatives
When striking to the rear, use a proper back fist instead, as pictured:
Other alternatives when striking to the rear are the rear elbow strike and reverse elbow strike, both of which can be used at the same range as the hollywood backfist with exponentially more power. A proper reverse elbow strike can break ribs and rupture internal organs. A "proper" hollywood backfist can dislocate a shoulder (your own).
The Headbutt
A favorite of bullies, martially naive macho men, and cinemaphiles, the headbutt is a technique that seemingly transcends common sense. It is a literally bull headed approach to self defense.
The average person, if you told them how hard you can hit, would want to see evidence in the form of punching bag training, or some kind of accelerometer. For whatever reason, the headbutt is immune to this standard of proof. Perhaps it owes to the sheer hardness of the human skull. Perhaps it impresses the untrained to see a display of confidence like seizing an opponent and attempting to smash their face with your head. Regardless of the reasons for its uncritical adoption, the headbutt remains an awful technique.
The headbutt is awful because it is both ineffective and inappropriate for the majority of situations. To test effectiveness, go right ahead and attempt to repeatedly smack a 100 pound punching bag as hard as you can with your skull for 30 seconds. Go ahead, I'll wait. *Jeopardy Theme* All right, now throw an elbow strike into the back as hard as you can for 30 seconds. Which one smacked the bag harder? For the appropriateness test, which one makes you dizzy and sore? I rest my case.
Why is it trained?
A better question might be why the headbutt isn't trained. In every school I've taught and participated in, none of them have actually prompted us to train the headbutt as an actual technique on actual pads. Rather, its mentioned as a kind of stand alone fight ender with an aura of respect, as though a good solid head butt can maim, knockout, and kill on contact. These beliefs, if tested on actual equipment and fully resisting opponents, are swiftly refuted. A full force headbutt, though using a much larger surface area is about half as powerful as a punch from the same person. The technique is also jarring to the trainee and may cause injury. A lose lose proposition.
Alternatives
Most upper body strikes can surpass the power of the headbutt with a mere couple months of practice. The forward elbow can be used as a replacement for the headbutt in nearly any situation and can cause much more damage to the opponent's face with proper technique. To throw a headbutt usually requires one to grab the opponent's head first, so throwing an elbow instead of a skull is hardly an unreasonable replacement and will almost always result in more damage to one's opponent.
The Knife Disarm
Few martial techniques do so much to assuage one's fears yet provide so little actual protection as the knife disarm. The knife disarm is a martial pipe dream held by those who long for an imaginary back alley brawl where they smoothly disarm a knife wielding attacker and bask in the glory of their nonviolent conflict resolution while the attacker is arrested to burn with shame for their poor life decisions. The only problem with this fantasy is that knife defenses are rarely ever that effective. The reasons for the inefficacy of knife defense originate in the physical properties of all knives: they are small, very sharp, and concealable. A tool that can bleed you out ON ACCIDENT should certainly be very low on the list of weapons one would like to confront. The great fallacy inherent in the concept of a knife disarm is the notion that an opponent will not slash wildly as soon as they sense their weapon being taken or any sign of resistance. Simply slashing at someone wildly is nearly as effective as any "legitimate" knife techniques being taught and practiced in martial arts settings. Therefore, DISARMING knives is a false focus of self defense with potentially deadly ramifications. Rather, NEUTRALIZING one's attacker should always take priority. An unconscious, crippled, or dead opponent cannot cut you anymore. Therefore, learn knockout blows, bone breaks, and killing techniques. These will protect you better than years of knife defense focusing on mere disarmament. Those who pull knives deserve what happens to them, so it is important to reject the tactic of gently disarming those who think assault with a deadly weapon is a valid method of resolving grievances.
Why is it trained?
In an educational sense, learning knife techniques on nonresisting opponents can be a way of demonstrating principles of knife defense (offsetting, joint locks, strikes, distance, blade safety) in the absence of mortal terror. For this reason, there is a place for controlled knife defense training. The problem is when trainees leave the dojo pumped full of false confidence and stop practicing these techniques on resisting opponents.
Alternatives
The best defenses against a knife wielding opponent endorsed on this blog, in order of preference, are: 1. shoot the opponent from distance if you see they are armed and angry, 2. block the deployment of the knife and knockout the opponent if they are unarmed, close, and angry, 3. run for your life and don't stop, 4. knockout the opponent before they have decided to use their deployed knife, and 5. pull out a knife of your own for mutually assured mutilation. These options all assume that the opponent has been seen and has shown intent to harm. Invisible, calm attackers are unlikely to be detected and defended against. This author wishes there were better options to recommend, but knife fighting is a disadvantageous situation by design, and those who claim better tactics than those listed here are likely selling false comfort.
Most self defense experts focus on #4 of this blog's recommendations and skip the first 3. For discussion's sake, if you're stupid enough to skip the first 3 recommendations, this author's advice and typical advice look something like the following diagram with the exception that this blog states unequivocally that step 3 should be a knockout blow, and step 4 should be an arm break:
The problem with the above situation is with the attacker. The "sewing machine" is a more common attack style, where the attacker keeps the knife in the rear hand, grabs with the front hand, and stabs repeatedly. Your best bet against such an attack is to knock out the opponent before they can grab you, or run away. Those who focus on escapes and knockouts have better chances of survival. Those expecting the above scenario are likely to be filleted before they are ever positioned for the disarm. Most won't be fast or lucky enough to execute the above technique without incurring severe wounds.
One of the single best tests of effectiveness is the pad test: if a technique can defeat the will power of a partner holding a shield, it is generally effective for self defense. For appropriateness, the uncomfortable consequence criterion is helpful: if one would dislike the personal or social consequences of using a technique, they should select another.
Without further ado, these are some of the worst possible martial arts techniques for self defense.
The Crescent Kick
A martial technique is most effective as either a circular or linear attack. Circular attacks gain power through momentum. Linear attacks gain power through speed of delivery. The crescent kick attempts to do both, yet accomplishes neither.
Whether it is an outside to inside, inside to outside, or reverse crescent kick, this author has severe doubts that any variation could be trained to the point of actually incapacitating an attacker. In fact, this kicking variation demonstrates so few principles of effective striking that it is practically harmless to a committed opponent. Any reader who disagrees is challenged to attempt bag work or pad work with this kick and post their training publicly. This author reserves the right to chuckle at the results. If the unfortunate proponent of this kick even manages to remain standing, they will find their target of aggression peacefully undisturbed, as though no kick was ever thrown. Therefore, this kick is best suited for self defense by self abnegating pacifists, masochists, and cowards who will throw a kick, but not to save their lives.
The ineffectiveness of this technique derives from the anatomy and physics of its execution. The smallest muscles of the hip (the hip flexors) are used to launch the kick in a narrow arc which disperses all its power by reversing the direction of the initial kick just prior to impact. Any power this kick might have delivered is wasted before impact in the execution of a foolish, ostentatious crescent which may provide some aesthetic appeal to audiences, but will be pure comedy at best to an opponent.I've actually seen this technique recommended as a gun/knife disarm, which should demonstrate that many martial artists will teach techniques without actually using them in training.
Why is it trained?
Despite the almost complete ineffectiveness of this kick, it provides great benefit as a training aid to the actual power kicks: front, side, roundhouse, and back kicks. It does this by training the flexibility of the hips, legs, and back while also training balance and accuracy. In this capacity, the crescent kick can be useful for board breaks and pad work as a way of training the transmission of power from an unusual, purposefully restricted angle. Despite its training benefits, this technique is as much a replacement for the other kicks as pushups are a replacement for palm heel strikes.
Alternatives
Pretty much any kick is preferable to the crescent kick in a self defense situation. The front kick or side kick could be used more quickly and effectively in nearly every situation a crescent kick could be used. For the reverse crescent kick, the hook kick or back kick would be superior alternatives.
The Hollywood Backfist
In similar form to the crescent kick, the hollywood backfist is depressingly ineffective, anatomically/physically inappropriate, and yet, remains a photogenic technique that must be explicitly trained out of the younger generation. Check out the TKD black belt (who should know better) demonstrating it below.
Why is it trained?
Unlike the crescent kick in its variations, the hollywood backfist confers no training benefit and does not directly or indirectly benefit any other upper body strike. If you ever encounter a martial arts school advocating this technique for self defense or even training, immediately leave. They are misguided at best.
I would carefully teach this technique to someone who I hated so much that I was teaching him to perform martial arts techniques wrong so he would get his ass kicked. I would use this technique if I was cast for lead in a low budget 80's action film parody as the final climactic finishing blow against the evil villain with the eye patch and mullet. I would use this technique in a street fight if I was hoping my opponent would step out of range, grab my wrist, and dislocate my shoulder. Never use the hollywood backfist under any circumstance.
Alternatives
When striking to the rear, use a proper back fist instead, as pictured:
Other alternatives when striking to the rear are the rear elbow strike and reverse elbow strike, both of which can be used at the same range as the hollywood backfist with exponentially more power. A proper reverse elbow strike can break ribs and rupture internal organs. A "proper" hollywood backfist can dislocate a shoulder (your own).
The Headbutt
A favorite of bullies, martially naive macho men, and cinemaphiles, the headbutt is a technique that seemingly transcends common sense. It is a literally bull headed approach to self defense.
The average person, if you told them how hard you can hit, would want to see evidence in the form of punching bag training, or some kind of accelerometer. For whatever reason, the headbutt is immune to this standard of proof. Perhaps it owes to the sheer hardness of the human skull. Perhaps it impresses the untrained to see a display of confidence like seizing an opponent and attempting to smash their face with your head. Regardless of the reasons for its uncritical adoption, the headbutt remains an awful technique.
The headbutt is awful because it is both ineffective and inappropriate for the majority of situations. To test effectiveness, go right ahead and attempt to repeatedly smack a 100 pound punching bag as hard as you can with your skull for 30 seconds. Go ahead, I'll wait. *Jeopardy Theme* All right, now throw an elbow strike into the back as hard as you can for 30 seconds. Which one smacked the bag harder? For the appropriateness test, which one makes you dizzy and sore? I rest my case.
Why is it trained?
A better question might be why the headbutt isn't trained. In every school I've taught and participated in, none of them have actually prompted us to train the headbutt as an actual technique on actual pads. Rather, its mentioned as a kind of stand alone fight ender with an aura of respect, as though a good solid head butt can maim, knockout, and kill on contact. These beliefs, if tested on actual equipment and fully resisting opponents, are swiftly refuted. A full force headbutt, though using a much larger surface area is about half as powerful as a punch from the same person. The technique is also jarring to the trainee and may cause injury. A lose lose proposition.
Alternatives
Most upper body strikes can surpass the power of the headbutt with a mere couple months of practice. The forward elbow can be used as a replacement for the headbutt in nearly any situation and can cause much more damage to the opponent's face with proper technique. To throw a headbutt usually requires one to grab the opponent's head first, so throwing an elbow instead of a skull is hardly an unreasonable replacement and will almost always result in more damage to one's opponent.
The Knife Disarm
Few martial techniques do so much to assuage one's fears yet provide so little actual protection as the knife disarm. The knife disarm is a martial pipe dream held by those who long for an imaginary back alley brawl where they smoothly disarm a knife wielding attacker and bask in the glory of their nonviolent conflict resolution while the attacker is arrested to burn with shame for their poor life decisions. The only problem with this fantasy is that knife defenses are rarely ever that effective. The reasons for the inefficacy of knife defense originate in the physical properties of all knives: they are small, very sharp, and concealable. A tool that can bleed you out ON ACCIDENT should certainly be very low on the list of weapons one would like to confront. The great fallacy inherent in the concept of a knife disarm is the notion that an opponent will not slash wildly as soon as they sense their weapon being taken or any sign of resistance. Simply slashing at someone wildly is nearly as effective as any "legitimate" knife techniques being taught and practiced in martial arts settings. Therefore, DISARMING knives is a false focus of self defense with potentially deadly ramifications. Rather, NEUTRALIZING one's attacker should always take priority. An unconscious, crippled, or dead opponent cannot cut you anymore. Therefore, learn knockout blows, bone breaks, and killing techniques. These will protect you better than years of knife defense focusing on mere disarmament. Those who pull knives deserve what happens to them, so it is important to reject the tactic of gently disarming those who think assault with a deadly weapon is a valid method of resolving grievances.
Why is it trained?
In an educational sense, learning knife techniques on nonresisting opponents can be a way of demonstrating principles of knife defense (offsetting, joint locks, strikes, distance, blade safety) in the absence of mortal terror. For this reason, there is a place for controlled knife defense training. The problem is when trainees leave the dojo pumped full of false confidence and stop practicing these techniques on resisting opponents.
Alternatives
The best defenses against a knife wielding opponent endorsed on this blog, in order of preference, are: 1. shoot the opponent from distance if you see they are armed and angry, 2. block the deployment of the knife and knockout the opponent if they are unarmed, close, and angry, 3. run for your life and don't stop, 4. knockout the opponent before they have decided to use their deployed knife, and 5. pull out a knife of your own for mutually assured mutilation. These options all assume that the opponent has been seen and has shown intent to harm. Invisible, calm attackers are unlikely to be detected and defended against. This author wishes there were better options to recommend, but knife fighting is a disadvantageous situation by design, and those who claim better tactics than those listed here are likely selling false comfort.
Most self defense experts focus on #4 of this blog's recommendations and skip the first 3. For discussion's sake, if you're stupid enough to skip the first 3 recommendations, this author's advice and typical advice look something like the following diagram with the exception that this blog states unequivocally that step 3 should be a knockout blow, and step 4 should be an arm break:
The problem with the above situation is with the attacker. The "sewing machine" is a more common attack style, where the attacker keeps the knife in the rear hand, grabs with the front hand, and stabs repeatedly. Your best bet against such an attack is to knock out the opponent before they can grab you, or run away. Those who focus on escapes and knockouts have better chances of survival. Those expecting the above scenario are likely to be filleted before they are ever positioned for the disarm. Most won't be fast or lucky enough to execute the above technique without incurring severe wounds.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
The Synchronicity of Do and Jitsu
In walking the martial path, one refers to Do, or the way of one's life. When one refers to how a life is lived, they refer to Jitsu, or a series of techniques. These two concepts are ostensibly separate, yet interrelated, as mastery at one presupposes a degree of mastery in the other. How shall a person who lives badly perform well? How can one who performs badly live well? As such, a martial artist should not worry overmuch on this distinction or its relevance. Instead, it is advantageous to concentrate on integrating the two domains fully such that one becomes a manifestation of the other. One's techniques can build a good life. One's good life emerges from proper form and good habits.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
On Whether to Extinguish One's Fire
Anger, in the elemental philosophy of conflict, corresponds to fire. As fire varies by its intensity, duration, and consequences, so does one's anger. Annoyance or irksomeness has characteristics of embers which are easily and unpredictably scattered to create larger blazes elsewhere. A small burn corresponds with shouting, posturing, gesturing, and general displays of displeasure. Finally, a firestorm corresponds with violence in its power, speed, and merciless energy. However, like all elements, fire has a weak point. It burns out quickly and consumes everything it touches indiscriminately.
Fire is not heavy, but is severe in its own way. It is quick, light, and devastating. It also spreads linearly. Wind can spread its intent in other directions or blow it out, water can either evaporate itself or extinguish fire, and earth can either block fire or be melted and forged.
With this in mind, some of the martial persuasion immediately oppose the elemental cultivation of fire as a martial practice. It is said to be the most difficult element to harness and maintain over time and can be used to evil purposes whereas the other elements tend to direct one's character toward morally sound judgments with little reflection. Fire on the other hand embodies a moral calculus of power and respect. Those who wield power brand respect into others. Weakness is despised.
While the decision to repress and ultimately extinguish one's fire can make sense in a perfectly just, fair society with little chance of warfare, the moral calculus of the battlefield requires an understanding of fire as an element for mere survival. Killing an opponent in cold blood is not a task well suited for the sensitive and merciful.
In balancing the excesses of fire as an element, one should meditate on harnessing one's firestorms of martial power into controlled metaphors of fury: the flamethrower, the butane lighter, the welding torch. Unlike the other arts, which can often embody strength through expansiveness, such as earth's size, water's fluidity, and wind's trajectory, fire is most powerfully implemented through its judicious limitation and precision of application. A quick palm heel to the face which dispatches an opponent is best limited, directed, and restrained to avoid producing unintended consequences such as a fury of damaging strikes which deal more damage than intended. In life and death struggle, unintended consequences tend toward the favorable; in civilization, they can result in a lifetime's imprisonment.
Fire is not heavy, but is severe in its own way. It is quick, light, and devastating. It also spreads linearly. Wind can spread its intent in other directions or blow it out, water can either evaporate itself or extinguish fire, and earth can either block fire or be melted and forged.
With this in mind, some of the martial persuasion immediately oppose the elemental cultivation of fire as a martial practice. It is said to be the most difficult element to harness and maintain over time and can be used to evil purposes whereas the other elements tend to direct one's character toward morally sound judgments with little reflection. Fire on the other hand embodies a moral calculus of power and respect. Those who wield power brand respect into others. Weakness is despised.
While the decision to repress and ultimately extinguish one's fire can make sense in a perfectly just, fair society with little chance of warfare, the moral calculus of the battlefield requires an understanding of fire as an element for mere survival. Killing an opponent in cold blood is not a task well suited for the sensitive and merciful.
In balancing the excesses of fire as an element, one should meditate on harnessing one's firestorms of martial power into controlled metaphors of fury: the flamethrower, the butane lighter, the welding torch. Unlike the other arts, which can often embody strength through expansiveness, such as earth's size, water's fluidity, and wind's trajectory, fire is most powerfully implemented through its judicious limitation and precision of application. A quick palm heel to the face which dispatches an opponent is best limited, directed, and restrained to avoid producing unintended consequences such as a fury of damaging strikes which deal more damage than intended. In life and death struggle, unintended consequences tend toward the favorable; in civilization, they can result in a lifetime's imprisonment.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Martial Conditioning: Crawling
Intro: While the bridge can work the entire posterior chain through a mere static hold, the leverages of the body demand more difficult tactics to work the anterior chain. Otherwise, simply holding downward dog would be sufficient anterior training to guarantee martial strength. One of the best drills for anterior activation is crawling. This movement conditions just about every muscle in the body while developing many athletic skills at once.
Muscles Worked: All of them. All joints of the body are used simultaneously with the core stabilizing throughout. The wrists, forearms, shoulders, back, abs, chest, entire arm, entire leg, hips, and even the feet and ankles all increase in strength and flexibility.
Why Crawl?: Crawling is one of the most fundamental human movements. As a result, all of us are primed to crawl and the crawl constitutes a building block of all other movements. Crawling contralaterally (alternating left leg/right arm and right leg/left arm) improves neural strength and endurance as well as coordination and balance. Myofascial release can occur due to a rebalancing of muscle groups and the reclamation of functional movement patterns. Joint injury becomes less likely due to the unpredictable, repetitive pressures encountered during crawling. This competency at absorbing irregular shock is known as reflexive stability. The lack of an eccentric movement means that crawling will not result in excess soreness and will not interfere with any existing routine. Wrestlers and other specialists in ground game can develop sport specific movement skills with little more than crawling as a strength and endurance base. Indeed, learning to crawl as easily as walking can exponentially increase one's wrestling endurance. Those who find direct core work boring can maintain and increase midsection stability through daily practice of crawling progressions alone. Those who wish to maintain or build upper body muscle tone will find crawling thickens up the arms, shoulders, chest, and back just as well as a daily regimen of basic calisthenics with the added advantages already listed. Finally, crawling is an exercise in humility and is therefore well suited to a 'covered fist' approach to the martial arts. Few would be tempted to brag about how far they crawl per day or how weak they feel when they get done. Consequently, crawling can develop great power without corresponding hubris. The human body, being descendant from quadrupedal relatives, contains many vestigial structural imbalances due to incomplete optimization of the human frame for bipedal motion. Crawling develops and maintains patterns of muscle mass that can prevent structural imbalances and weaknesses caused by bipedal patterns of muscle atrophy.
Progressions: The Soldier Crawl: This initial variant is the first form of locomotion we all learn. It consists of contralaterally (left arm/right leg, right arm/left leg) moving oneself over the ground with opposing elbows and knees.
The Knee Crawl: By extending the contralateral crawl to the hands and knees, the strength demands are increased.
The Bear Crawl: This method consists of crawling contralaterally in the downward dog position on the hands and feet.
The Leopard Crawl: Again, on the hands and feet, this method involves flattening the back and bringing the knees forward between the elbows. The legs are bent and the arms are kept straight.
The Tiger Crawl: Exactly the same as the leopard crawl, except the knees are brought outside the elbows. The legs are bent, the arms are slightly bent.
The Alligator Crawl/Spiderman Crawl: This final progression of crawling consists of remaining in a low plank, or the bottom of a pushup and crawling contralaterally.
In all variations, the greatest benefits are derived from crawling as quietly and quickly as possible for approximately 100 yards, and never to failure.
One modification of the crawl involves crawling isolaterally, or with the same side arm and leg propelling the body. This variant is not recommended due to its inferior coordination, balance, and midsection strengthening benefits. To advance the crawling progressions more beneficially, crawl backwards, sideways, uphill, and downhill.
Likely Results of Crawling:
The results of crawling greatly depend on the physical build of the trainee. Larger trainees will become bear like. Smaller trainees will become cat/monkey like. One's habits of movement will influence which traits one acquires. As such, crawling is in close accord with animal metaphors of martial development.
Muscles Worked: All of them. All joints of the body are used simultaneously with the core stabilizing throughout. The wrists, forearms, shoulders, back, abs, chest, entire arm, entire leg, hips, and even the feet and ankles all increase in strength and flexibility.
Why Crawl?: Crawling is one of the most fundamental human movements. As a result, all of us are primed to crawl and the crawl constitutes a building block of all other movements. Crawling contralaterally (alternating left leg/right arm and right leg/left arm) improves neural strength and endurance as well as coordination and balance. Myofascial release can occur due to a rebalancing of muscle groups and the reclamation of functional movement patterns. Joint injury becomes less likely due to the unpredictable, repetitive pressures encountered during crawling. This competency at absorbing irregular shock is known as reflexive stability. The lack of an eccentric movement means that crawling will not result in excess soreness and will not interfere with any existing routine. Wrestlers and other specialists in ground game can develop sport specific movement skills with little more than crawling as a strength and endurance base. Indeed, learning to crawl as easily as walking can exponentially increase one's wrestling endurance. Those who find direct core work boring can maintain and increase midsection stability through daily practice of crawling progressions alone. Those who wish to maintain or build upper body muscle tone will find crawling thickens up the arms, shoulders, chest, and back just as well as a daily regimen of basic calisthenics with the added advantages already listed. Finally, crawling is an exercise in humility and is therefore well suited to a 'covered fist' approach to the martial arts. Few would be tempted to brag about how far they crawl per day or how weak they feel when they get done. Consequently, crawling can develop great power without corresponding hubris. The human body, being descendant from quadrupedal relatives, contains many vestigial structural imbalances due to incomplete optimization of the human frame for bipedal motion. Crawling develops and maintains patterns of muscle mass that can prevent structural imbalances and weaknesses caused by bipedal patterns of muscle atrophy.
Progressions: The Soldier Crawl: This initial variant is the first form of locomotion we all learn. It consists of contralaterally (left arm/right leg, right arm/left leg) moving oneself over the ground with opposing elbows and knees.
The Knee Crawl: By extending the contralateral crawl to the hands and knees, the strength demands are increased.
The Bear Crawl: This method consists of crawling contralaterally in the downward dog position on the hands and feet.
The Leopard Crawl: Again, on the hands and feet, this method involves flattening the back and bringing the knees forward between the elbows. The legs are bent and the arms are kept straight.
The Tiger Crawl: Exactly the same as the leopard crawl, except the knees are brought outside the elbows. The legs are bent, the arms are slightly bent.
The Alligator Crawl/Spiderman Crawl: This final progression of crawling consists of remaining in a low plank, or the bottom of a pushup and crawling contralaterally.
In all variations, the greatest benefits are derived from crawling as quietly and quickly as possible for approximately 100 yards, and never to failure.
One modification of the crawl involves crawling isolaterally, or with the same side arm and leg propelling the body. This variant is not recommended due to its inferior coordination, balance, and midsection strengthening benefits. To advance the crawling progressions more beneficially, crawl backwards, sideways, uphill, and downhill.
Likely Results of Crawling:
The results of crawling greatly depend on the physical build of the trainee. Larger trainees will become bear like. Smaller trainees will become cat/monkey like. One's habits of movement will influence which traits one acquires. As such, crawling is in close accord with animal metaphors of martial development.
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