A Bigger Picture. In the martial arts world, stick fighting is most closely associated with the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). A huge chunk of many FMA systems is indeed about the stick-versus-stick duel and closer-in stick versus stick events. (Using a stick as an easy and fast target, as with developing the smart fanning … Continue reading The Quandary of Training Stick vs. Stick, versus Combatives
Palace Intrigue Report #87: Taproots in Martial Arts Business (This essay causes me trouble, even among friends) Is your instructor, system, art, tribe, etc. a negative taproot? Are you a negative taproot for your people? No one ever said that all martial artists people were good business people. Usually they are not. … Continue reading Martial Art Taproots Taking Your Money
I was doing a seminar in early 1990s and an attendee approached me during a break and said, “I see you’ve studied NLP.” “No,” I said. “Oh, you use NLP methods. I thought you did.” In England years later, another guy said the same thing. I said no again. And then a host there said … Continue reading NLP in Martial Arts and Shooting – A Brief History
In the last decades or so, numerous self-defense people have been going around, reading off ”Pre-Assault Tips” lists, and been considered such “inventive geniuses” by virgin listeners. I first saw such a list in the early 1970s in the military police academy. This list, this idea, “ain’t new, it’s just new to you,” to paraphrase … Continue reading The Smiling Criminal
Late last year I was interviewed for a martial arts book, and they asked opinion questions to a series of traveling martial-seminar guys like me. There was a series of standard ones and then some “different” kinds of questions that we were asked. And one question was (and I can’t remember the wording exactly) what … Continue reading Worst USA Catastrophe Question? MLK Assassination!
MMA – Mixed Martial Arts? Or MMA – Mixed-up Martial Arts? The tabulators tell me that 2021 this will be my 51st year doing martial arts – having started in Parker Kenpo in late 1972. I’ve always been looking for the best most realistic arts and systems through those decades, hunting for the next … Continue reading Mixed Martial Arts? Or, Mixed-Up Martial Arts?
A lot of American football coaches and players watch game films. I instead, have watched hours of football “how-to” training films to see how these players TRAIN. If you have ever spent time with me, you’ve heard me brag for years, decades even, on how American football training methods can be diced and altered to … Continue reading Football “Hand-Fight” Exercises and Drills for the Martialist
Growth. Finding new information and ideas is a never-ending, quest-job. Makes me think of the old line I never liked, “Keep it simple, stupid.” It’s a shallow line. Stupid really. (Usually known as the K.I.S.S. method) Simple and stupid are not synonymous. To me, that means “I am stupid, you are stupid and … Continue reading KISSING OFF THE K.I.S.S. METHOD
I tell everyone that when I am evaluating a martial move for myself or others, in one filter I consider a two prong question. Have I seen it done in the UFC? (or similar venue) Should I even consider the UFC with this move? Which leads me to the blocking naysayers. Once in a while … Continue reading The Silly “You Can’t Block” Advice
The “corporate” name for what I’ve been doing for 26 years this 2022, the big umbrella name is the “Scientific Fighting Congress.” Under that umbrella are the 7 martial courses. 1-Force Necessary: Hand 2-Force Necessary: Stick 3-Force Necessary: Knife 4-Force Necessary: Gun 5-Close Quarter Concepts group (the above 4 combined) 6-Defender: Police Judo … Continue reading “INSPIRE NOT CONFINE”