Martial Vitality

Do you carry a firearm? Are you prepared to use physical skills to manage and employ that firearm? Prior to last month I had not fired a weapon since Air Force basic training in 1990. Last month, however, my wife and I attended a four hour introduction to handguns class. This started my journey towards increased proficiency with firearms. The intersection with Krav Maga happened shortly afterwards! I started December by taking a 4 1/2 hour seminar on Krav Maga for Concealed Carriers and Handgun Users. Pat Hards from First Defense Krav Maga was the lead instructor, and NoVA MMA  hosted the class. The picture above shows our group, which was a mix of Krav Maga students and civilians simply interested in the material. Pat emphasized three main skills. After warm-ups, Pat first drilled striking without a weapon, i.e., using empty hand techniques, along with kicking. Second, we practiced using a gun as a blunt object, for situations where we cannot use it as a firearm. Third, we traine...

Have you considered the effect of online video on the martial arts? The publication of the newest Krav Maga Global technique Review of the Week and a  recent thread on the /taekwondo Reddit reminded me of how interesting this topic can be. Consider the training environment 400 years ago, when martial arts in China, Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippines were developing into forms we might recognize today. If that is too distant for you to imagine, going back even 100 years is sufficient. In those days, one could not capture motion, or even sound, using anything like a movie camera as easily as we do now. Perhaps 100 years ago one could use an imaging camera to take still pictures, but they would have been largely staged scenes. In such an environment, how could one make a record of the movements, tactics, and philosophies that comprise a martial art? One method was the creation of forms, or patterns. These sets of movements might capture the essence of a martial arts style. Iain Abe...

Would you believe Bruce Lee affected my career in cybersecurity? For several weeks I've been listening to the Bruce Lee Podcast . The "Bruce Lee Moment" is a segment where a listener explains how Bruce Lee's life and/or philosophy affected him or her. In this post I'd like to share my submission to the podcast. Hello Shannon and Sharon, I love your podcast. I want to share how Bruce Lee's philosophy affected my career in cybersecurity. In 2000 I was an officer in an Air Force cybersecurity unit. The previous year my wife and I enjoyed a three-week honeymoon in China, and I was a practicing martial artist. A top-tier book publisher saw me speak at a conference and asked if I would write a book on detecting and stopping hackers. I considered this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I declined. I distinctly remember saying that I wasn't ready to write a book yet. I did not feel that I was prepared to authentically express myself in written form. I spent sev...

Is fighting inner demons the way to greatness? This is a question that has bothered me for years. Steve Jobs is one person who may have achieved greatness by battling inner demons. A review of a Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs notes "[f]rom his childhood, Jobs suffered from the emotional wounds inflicted by his unmarried biological parents, who put him up for adoption." Would Jobs have been so successful creating, and then saving, Apple, without inner demons from his childhood? I was reminded of this question when I listened to another great edition of the Whistlekick podcast, featuring Jose Dimacali . In the episode, Kyoshi Dimacali describes how winning tournaments was a way to seek approval from his father. When he won a local tournament, his father didn't say anything. When he won a state tournament, his father didn't say anything. Even when he won a national tournament, his father remained silent. Kyoshi Dimacali went so far as to win a world title, bu...

There are some great deals happening today, or today through Monday. If you need some martial arts gear, consider these offerings. DiamondMMA is offering a 20% discount through Monday. Check out my July post that explains why I think they make the best male protective gear. Use code GIVETHANKS. The KMG USA store has some Black Friday deals. I picked up another sweatshirt and pair of pants. The Kali Center is offering 25% off their store items, and 20% off their online videos. Did you find any good deals that you want to share? Stay informed of new blog posts by following me on Twitter  @martialvitality . If you like martial arts history, be sure to check out my  Martial History Team  project.

Podcasts keep me sane. If you're at all familiar with the traffic in the northern Virginia area, you know what I mean. I spend hours every week driving, many times slowly and with the company of thousands of my not-so-closest friends and neighbors. Thanks to podcasts, the experience is much more enjoyable. When I returned to martial arts training in January , I switched from listening to courses-on-iPhone-or-iPod to podcasts-on-iPhone-or-iPod. (Yes, my car is old enough to require me to use a 2007-era iPod as my primary digital music player!) In this post I share my favorite seven currently active podcasts. I finish by listing a few that were recently active, and perhaps will make a return in 2017. I am not listing the podcasts in order of preference. Many times whatever podcast I'm listening to at the moment is my "favorite." Each offers something novel. The order below does not reflect any favoritism. 1. Bruce Lee Podcast. The Bruce Lee Podcast is relatively new; i...

Eyal Yanilov addresses the group. Have you ever trained in your martial art for a weekend or more? I just returned from the annual Krav Maga Global (KMG) Practitioner and Graduate ("P&G") camp, hosted by Battle Born Krav Maga . It was my first camp and I'd like to share five reasons you might want to attend similar training, whether in KMG or your own system or style. I finish with two bonus reasons for the KMG family! 1. Instructors everywhere.  I am fortunate to train regularly at First Defense Krav Maga in Herndon, VA. Our lead instructor, Nick Masi, is an E-2, and USA director for the system. As of yesterday's grading (more on that shortly), we also have an E-1 instructor, and multiple G-level instructors. I do not take these instructors for granted! However, at the camp we had access to even more instructors -- and this was an amazing opportunity. At P&G Camp, participants learned from some of the highest ranking people in the system -- starting with th...