Don't Just Quote & Like the Words

LIVE EM!

Where You At?

Ronin Nomad Dimitri Says

YO!....

 

Word....

POWERFUL

We can change.... if we want too.

Making Distance...Why?

From Senshido Connecticut's Rick Capozzi (www.senshidoct.com): 

  I was adding a new video to my YouTube channel (Senshido CT YouTube Channel ) and while reviewing it some interesting clips showed up on the sidebar.  Being the curious type, I watched a few.  What I saw left me shaking my head and wondering 'why'? It appears there are many 'self defense instructors' who place a high priority on making distance during an attack.  Big mistake. No, it's worse than big.  It's a tactical error of Biblical proportions!  Let me explain........

    Being at kissing distance to your attacker offers several important advantages to you.  For starters, it allows maximum use of Tactile Sensitivity and Opportunity Striking ( two of the five principles of Senshido ).  Tactile Sensitivity is enhanced at this range due to the increase in body contact, so you're not just relying on the input from your hands.  You Judo, Ju Jitsu and Greco-Roman wrestlers know what I mean.  Being close enough to have hip or leg contact will help you feel which way your opponent  is going to step ( or fall ).  Opportunity Striking is enhanced by the increase in tools you can utilize.  At extreme close quarters one can use elbows, knees, head butts and bites.  These tools are simply not available in punching range.

    Another advantage of staying in close to our attacker is the psychological impact of the invasiveness  felt at this range.  Most people ( not all, as nothing is 100% in combat ) are between uncomfortable and flat out terrified of being intimately close to a stranger.  It's a survival mechanism humans have developed over the years.  Don't believe me?  Slowly make your way into kissing distance with a stranger the next time you're in line at Starbucks.  Watch what happens.....    If they freak out, make a scene, or call the police I'll deny any involvement.  The invasion of personal space in combat will hasten the Predator / Prey shift and intensify their  Condition Black experience ( See post above on Condition Black ) . Personal space in combat?  Really Rick?  Yes.  The attacker wanted to keep you in a certain range ( most likely 'punching' range ) for a reason.  They're confident and comfortable there ( perhaps they have a reach advantage as well ).  Anything closer is scary to them.  It becomes personal space because they suddenly feel vulnerable, and I assure you they ARE vulnerable.  Unless they have trained to fight at this range, and in my experience 90% of people have NOT, they can't deliver powerful strikes here.  Why?  Because 'distance' ( one of the three elements for effective striking, along with 'grounding' and 'torque' ) has been taken away and the attacker will instinctively know it.  Also, any reach advantage he might have had and depended on just disappeared. Once you're in close and utilizing a shred you attacker will be the one wanting to make distance.  Don't let him.  Keep your anchor and let the shred roll!

    To quote Senshido's founder Rich Dimitri: " distance creates opportunity, for your opponent ".  My street experience has shown this to be true.  I will add to that: close proximity denies opportunity to your opponent, while providing you with the tactical advantage.  So, why would you want to make distance?  You wouldn't.  Why is making distance being taught?  I don't know...........

We Are All ONE

Wrap your mind's around the following, try and grasp the essence of these words:

If anything, this is the stuff that religions of the world should be based on instead of a mythical invisible judge in the sky..... I believe it unifies people as opposed to religions that segregate and separate. It still maintains spirituality within the realm of science instead of pure fabrications, myths and legends.

Resonating...

"What seems to infuriate people who have never done psychedelics most of all is that people who have done psychedelics often find people who have never tripped to be extremely funny. Stoners and trippers commonly laugh at the unquestioned rituals of conventional, materialistic, consumer society, and they tend to mock straight society’s serious, consumer-driven attitudes toward money, greed, and power.

I suspect that this humorous attitude toward conventional customs is, again, a genetically-wired response from activating our higher brain circuits, although it sure can upset some people. But this may be because the controversy and attention is actually necessary to spread the word about cannabis and psychedelics around the globe.

It may be that cannabis and psychedelics are illegal because genetic intelligence recognizes that this is simply the best way to inform people about them. Nonetheless, as Timothy Leary once said, “LSD can cause psychotic reactions in people who haven’t taken it.” --from my new book, Over the Edge of the Mind: Exploring the Interface of Psychedelics, Culture and Consciousness (Inner Traditions, 2012)

- David Jay Brown.

YWCA Alaska and Senshido Alaska - Helping to Empower Kids!

SENSHIDO SELF-DEFENSE FOR CHILDREN AGES 6-13, FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

Greetings! In response to community requests the YWCA Alaska is offering a Senshido Self Defense class for younger aged children. Come learn a self-defense tool that could save your life! Please pass this on to anyone who might benefit from these tools.  ** Children must be accompanied by an adult. Empower Your Kids TO BE SAFE...FOR LIFE   All children deserve to live safe, confident and empowered lives free from unnecessary fear and worry. This course shares what parents need to know to teach their kids how to be safe from predatory violence. It dispels the most common myths and beliefs around self-protection for kids and delivers relevant, updated, highly effective information and strategies which are easy to understand, learn and remember. Most importantly, it does so without the fear mongering and scare tactics which do nothing to improve children's safety and quality of life. This course will empower kids with the skills and confidence to stay safe, as well as give parents a greater peace of mind. The YWCA offers a safe place to learn and practice self-defense, so grab your friends, your mom, or your neighbor and come get stronger at the YWCA -- Because you are worth it.Worth It - YWCA Alaska   Senshido Self Defense Course  Featuring The REACT technique  Join us to learn Senshido, or The REACT technique. Are you worried that you couldn't defend yourself if you needed to? Maybe you think you are too short, too little, too round, too thin, too slow, too old? Think again. REACT is a self-defense strategy that can be used by anyone, regardless of age, gender, size or athletic ability. According to Senshido Alaska, "the advantage of REACT is that it is a concept and tool that can be used by one and all. It is 'user friendly' and requires no memorization of techniques, no repetitive training, and no need for high levels of athleticism." UPCOMING SENSHIDO CLASSES ·         APRIL 19 - Senshido Self-Defense for the Physically Disabled and Medically Fragile; 6-8pm @ YWCA Alaska

DATE: Friday, April 6, 2012 TIME: 5:30pm - 7:30pm LOCATION: YWCA Alaska 324 East 5th Ave. Anchorage, AK  99501 907-644-9600 AGES: 6 - 13 years old  COST:  $15 YWCA non-member $10 YWCA member   Youth Class Only: $30 YWCA non-member Family Rate $25 YWCA member Family Rate WHY: BECAUSE YOUR CHILDREN ARE WORTH IT!!  RSVP: Eryn Kahler ekahler@ywcaak.org (limited to 40 participants) ** Children must be accompanied by an adult. REVIEWS FOR SENSHIDO Did the seminar meet your expectations?  "BEYOND! Excellent. Am going to recommend to everyone."  "YES! Exceeded my expectations."  "Yes; a lot of very good, useful information"  "Exceeded my expectation" What components did you find useful or beneficial?  "Hands-on"  "The actual exercises"  "Role-playing with partners"  "Practice" What did you like and/or find most useful with the information presented in the seminar?  "That it was so basic and doable"    "Demonstration. Hands on/practice"  "The shredding method. Thanks - this is needed!"  "Everything was doable - it was like we were empowered" Check out an example of shredding online: shredding techniques

Hilary A. Morgan / 324 E. 5th Avenue / ANCHORAGE, Alaska 99501 / 907-644-9600

Stop Pissing In Your Fuel Tanks

STOP MAKING PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU SICK, FAT, LAZY SEDENTARY AND UNHEALTHY RICH. THE TRADE ISN'T A FAIR ONE.

Greed n Hypocrisy

And the reality and truth behind that goes further, marijuana in its 10,000 yrs plus of known use to man has absolutely NO, none, ZERO, zilch, nada not a single attributed death to it in its 10000+ years of known use; Marinol since its inception: 4 direct attributed deaths.

DO SOME RESEARCH!

Humanity: An Evolutionary Mistake?

An organism constantly at war with itself will inevitably self annihilate.

TOGETHER WE STAND.

Remember This....

bitch, DO SOME! :`)

Wake Up..... Please.

Great Little Jingle

In sane or out sane, WE GET SHIT DONE!

You Are What YOU EAT:

Real Organically Grown Food VS conventional GMO

Legalize It.

Reduce world hunger and poverty, industrialize HEMP WORLDWIDE:

ONE

Be Accountable.

Laughter and Evolution

We all know the studies that suggest/prove laughter is healthy for the soul and the body (such as the University of Maryland Medical Center, for example), that it is better than any fucking pill the pharmaceutical companies’ pimp out to doctors who strive to pass it on to us, etc. However, I have noticed that every single "funny" thing is in some way, shape or form designed to belittle, make fun of, and emotionally hurt another person/animal. The “medicine of the soul” is the result of the misfortune and emotional/physical pain of someone else. We can’t deny the studies, but I can’t wrap my brain around how the pain of another individual emotionally, psychologically and physically aids another human.  

Seriously think about it...can you think of something "funny" that does not involve the belittling of someone/thing else in some way, shape or form (yourself included)? Perhaps I am very ignorant or biased...but I'd like to hear your thoughts. We know that laughter releases stress, etc. and is very good for us...but what elicits the laughter is often the expense of someone else? Is this the way it is supposed to be? Or have we devolved so much as a species that this is the only way we can stimulate laughter?

Look at infant and toddlers for example. Their laughter is genuine, sincere, heart-felt – and not at the expense of others misfortune. Is it a mind fuck to say/think that an infant is more evolved than an adult? In this regard, I’d have to say “yes”. When we grow into adulthood, we may find ourselves offering very small laughs when we’re excited, extremely happy, etc. but when you truly take account for all the times you’ve laughed this past week, I bet you’re like me and laughed at the misfortune of others – even if it was staged, etc.

You may be of the frame of mind that laughing and/or making fun of the misfortune/pain of someone else is acceptable, expected and “human” and you’re more than welcome to. For those who strive for the unification and betterment of all of humanity, I offer a challenge: Take account for the next week of everything you think/thought is funny…from the little snicker to the “laughing my ass off” and everything in-between. See if I’m right, see if the majority of the time you laughed or thought something was funny was at the expense of another living creature. Once you got your stats, Part B begins: Be like the infant. Reacquire and rediscover true, honest, sincere, and innocent laughter and embrace the hell out of it. Love it, feel it, live it and put to rest the laughter at the expense of someone else.

It’s your life…become an active participant!

Malachi Bond

Senshido Alaska

senshidoalaska@yahoo.com

Parking Lot Shredder 101 with Senshido CT crew

Senshido CT Crew demonstrating Shredding in a Parking Lot Scenario. www.senshidoct.com

Evolution - & On FOX NEWS No Less.

Researchers study neuroprotective properties in cannabis:

From the article: Melanie Dreher, who is the dean of nursing at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, did a study in Jamaica. It was actually published in the American Journal of Pediatrics in 1994, but now it's re-circulating because of all the interest in the neuroprotective properties.

Basically, she studied women during their entire pregnancy, and then studied the babies about a year after birth. And what she studied was a group of women who did smoke cannabis during pregnancy and those who didn't. She expected to see a difference in the babies as far as birth weight and neuro tests, but there was no difference whatsoever. The differences that the researchers did notice, that are unexplained and kind of curious are that the babies of the women who had smoked cannabis -- and we're talking about daily use during their pregnancy -- socialized more quickly, made eye contact more quickly and were easier to engage.

We don't know why this is so, but all the old saws of smoking during pregnancy will result in low birth weight did not show up --

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/20/researchers-study-neuroprotective-properties-in-cannabis/#ixzz1psfbP5oZ 

Hell Yeah.

Of course he later kissed ass as Da Guvernator but still doesn't take away his previous accomplishments or the brilliant quote.  What? Do some.

NO $$$, No Greed/Know $$$, Know Greed

One human being having to pay another human being to depend on their very survival on a planet they were born "free and equal" on is illogical, disgusting and beyond fucked.  Every HUMAN BEING on earth has the GOD GIVEN RIGHT to Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Food, Proper Shelter, LOVE and Freedom of Movement! Every single one of us.... these 6 Human Rights are the fundamental Start to a  more peaceful and co-existing world social system. Without these 6 basic HUMAN NEEDS met for every human being on earth, well.... look around.... now go

The "Crazy" Ones

Here... Hear.

Spartan Gear & Senshido International in MTL

Click to ENLARGE

Wise Words, Can We Live Em?

PHOTO AND DESIGN BY SHARIF HAQUE RBSD - FB PROFILE:  https://www.facebook.com/tacticalprotection     

Regrets SUCK!!!!

Injecting Realism into Traditional Martial Arts by Joe Saunders

As a long term traditional martial artist, as well as a fierce proponent of reality-based self-defence (RBSD), I am often asked how I can seemingly play for both teams. Unfortunately, these days it seems that you are either one or the other. Some traditional martial artists scoff at the idea of running around in street clothes and role-playing in what they see as more of a bad acting class than a martial arts class. However, there are many open minded instructors that are curious about what RBSD may offer, but reluctant to abandon what they currently teach. The good news is you don’t have to. Read on to find five ways to incorporate some reality into your classes without pretending to be an Israeli commando.

Time to get “live”

The concept of “aliveness” has been popularised in recent years by Matt Thornton of Straight Blast Gym International. However, it is nothing new. Aliveness simply refers to practising techniques with energy, timing and motion. That means making your uke or training partner less cooperative. Have them fight back. Have them move. Make sure that the tori (attacker) has to use good footwork, timing and correct bio-mechanics to make the technique work.

Of course, some traditional styles already incorporate this as a standard part of their training. Kyokushin Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, San Shou and others all use free sparring (alive training) to polish the sporting aspects of their art. This is great, but it should be applied to self defence sessions as well. Why do we acknowledge that you need to spar to fight a trained opponent, but static practise is fine to prepare for an untrained opponent?

Many instructors will make note that when you make training “live” you also increase the risk of injury. This is true. However, like anything, the intensity in live drills is scalable. As students manage to perform the technique against 20% resistance, it can be increased to 50%, 70% and so on until eventually students are performing self defence techniques against 100% resistance. The benefits for the student with this style of training are far superior to those achieved through static, “dead” training. In Senshido seminars and classes, students will always practise new concepts and tools at a sometimes frustrating tempo whilst learning, but real energy will always be created by the attacking partner. As competence increases, so does the level of energy. At full speed it can be difficult to distinguish one of our training drills from a real fight.

Practise defences against realistic attacks

So now that you’ve got your students moving at a realistic pace against realistic resistance, it’s time we look at what sort of attacks they’re actually defending themselves against. You only need look at any martial arts magazine in the Technique Demonstration pages to see the kind of fantasy world many martial artists live in. No one walks up to you in a park and attacks with a spinning moon kick. And while they may attack with a straight right punch, it won’t be delivered from a perfect long stance with a loud kiai!

If you’ve ever been in a real fight (not a dojo fight, and not a sport fight) think back to what that was like and how chaotic the movements were. If you’ve never been in a fight, that’s okay too. Contrary to what some in the RBSD field would have you believe, you don’t need to have been a special forces commando or life-long bouncer to teach realistic self-defence. Does experience with violence help? Yes it does, but it’s not absolutely necessary. You can make up the experience deficit by being an avid student of violence. Nearly every night on the news you will see CCTV footage of fights. Watch it, pay attention to the details, and mimic it in class.

If you’re going to do punch defence, practise against a wild haymaker, or the common ‘grab and strike’ blitz attack. If you’re going to practise knife defence, then attack for real! Your students have the right to know what they’re actually preparing for.

Try training in regular clothes

It is amusing to me that one of the things that both camps (traditionalists and RBSD’ers) pick on each other about is choice of clothing. Both seem to think the other is playing dress up, and sometimes they’re spot on. After all, for many, martial arts are as much about image as they are about art or self defence.

While I do agree that dressing in camouflage and combat boots is silly if you’re not actually in the military, there is something to be said for occasionally wearing your civvies to training. This doesn’t mean you have to throw away your traditional outfit. To be honest, I still quite enjoy putting on my best white judogi, and there’s something special about snapping out a gedan barai wearing my finely pressed kyokushin dogi. However, wearing a pair of leather shoes, jeans and a t-shirt can dramatically alter the effectiveness of certain techniques. It doesn’t have to be an every class thing, but once in a while training in different attire can be very beneficial for identifying holes in your real world self defence strategy.

Polish up the bad acting

For those who have spent decades dedicated to the three K’s of Kihon, Kata and Kumite, I’d like to introduce the fourth K: Krappy acting. Okay, I kid. Sort of.

Role-playing or scenario training is a vital component of what makes reality-based self-defence unique. Once you’ve practised techniques against alive resistance, ensured the attacks are realistic, and tested your defences in regular clothing, the last step is to give the situation context. Here is where your acting skills need to come out.

Importantly, violence is not just physical. Most violence has a verbal beginning, either with a challenge, a taunt or a set up question. Training your students how to respond to these tactics is just as vital as teaching them how to respond to the bottle hurtling towards their head. If you don’t know how they should respond, that’s fine, tell them that and get someone who does know to come in and teach a workshop. Your local Senshido Instructor will certainly be able to provide coaching on this.

While you may never win an Oscar for your performance, role playing common conflicts will greatly assist your students in contextualising the physical responses they have trained. It will also show them that most situations can be handled verbally, before the need for physical intervention. Furthermore, it’s fun, forces personal growth, and is a great ego killer for the class.

Be honest

The number one thing you can do to make your training more realistic for self defence is to simply be honest with yourself and your class. What if a technique that you’ve believed in for twenty years just doesn’t work when tested under pressure against a realistic attack? This can be confronting for many instructors, and is a major reason why many will never introduce these kinds of training methods. Be grateful that you found it doesn’t work in class and not when you were relying on it to save you on the street. Admit to your students that it may not be the best option and resolve to find something better.

If you do happen to find elements from another style, or simply a new training methodology that works better than what you’re currently doing, have the integrity to share that with your students. Many of the greatest martial artists that I know achieved high dan grades in their first style before finding a hole in their training. Rather than close their eyes and put their fingers in their ears, they sought further training to plug the hole. For many, this has resulted in a life time of study. For their students, it has resulted in the best possible self-defence tuition.

Conclusion

Despite these days being mostly considered an RBSD practitioner, I do see great value in traditional martial arts training. There is nothing wrong with training in a dogi, bowing, lining up before class, using foreign terminology for the sake of tradition or even practising traditional kata or forms. All of those things make up the unique spirit of your art. You do not need to sacrifice any of that to add some realism to your training and give your students the best bang for their self-defence buck. Who knows, it may save someone’s life. It may even be fun.



Joe Saunders is the regional coordinator for Senshido Australia. He is a lifelong martial artist and advocate for reality-based training. He is a full-time defensive tactics instructor and author and can be contacted through his website http://www.joe-saunders.com or http://www.senshidoaustralia.com