It is a really simple concept in Zen, but it is terribly difficult for most people to pull off in reality. Be here now. I had a class working on a series of kicks using kicking shields. As I counted and the kiddos were “working”, they started talking about nonsense while kicking. There is a…
Category: personal safety
Old Dog, New Tricks
If you ever reach a point where you think there is nothing left to learn in your chosen field, you are only fooling yourself. I have spent decades in the study of self-defense/self-protection and this week I had an eye-opening moment during a presentation from a young instructor named Mike Pana, an instructor from the…
Review: Martial Arts and Your Life
The following is a review of Martial Arts and Your Life, a new book by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder. Condensed version: I loved and believe you will too. Longer version: Last summer I got an email asking if I would be interested in participating in a survey for a Martial Arts book. I…
Review: Colt 1911 Combat Commander
Being a revolver guy, I never thought I could be turned into a 1911 guy. And, here we are. Today I will review the Colt Combat Commander in 45 ACP, first impressions, first 100 rounds, the Urban Carry Lock Leather IWB holster, and the Underwood Ammo .45 ACP +P 230gr. Jacketed Hollow Point Hunting &…
Kane and Wilder: 10 Rules of Karate
I wanted to give a quick review of the latest from Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder called 10 Rules of Karate, the immutable path to victory. Here is what I wrote for the authors: “In your hands is a book that cuts straight through the chatter and gets straight to the point of unarmed self-defense….
AR-15’s, Home Defense, and Politics
By now, everyone has an opinion on the AR-15 and whether or not civilians have any “need” for owning one. In this offering, I will be making my stance clear, and offering my reasons for taking said stance. But I will also take a look at how this has become a political issue and how…
Not Quite End of the Year Updates
Well, for having so much free time this year, I have not really done a lot of writing here on my beloved blog. In the words from an email from a longtime reader, “What gives?” I would like to say that the reason was the enormous interest in the Stand and Fight seminars, but the…
Home Defense Against a Mob
Since posting this, I have read more information on the events that occurred. I was unaware that the number of protesters was over 200 people, or that the sidewalk in a gated community is private property. I was also unaware that the protesters tore the gate down. I am leaving the post up because, regardless…
What Unites Us
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking. Stressing too! I managed to get my blood pressure all out of whack again, so there’s that. I don’t intend to get political here, no matter what I say in that realm, I will lose half of my audience. And people are on edge these days too. But…
Wallace Smedley 