‘Articles’ Archives
The Hikuta Lie: The Documentary Jack “Savage” Sellner Doesn’t Want You To See
Recently, one The Martialist's "martialmentaries," which are video mini-documentaries originally published on YouTube, was "rejected" due to a copyright infringement claim from Hikuta Enterprises. I briefly considered fighting to have the video reinstated on YouTube... but it occurred to me that the attempt by Jack "Savage" Sellner to silence [...]
Frank Dux Interview (Or, “Get A Word in Edgewise”)
Frank Dux seems to be everywhere these days. He gave a series of interviews recently, both by himself and in the company of Ashida Kim and some fellow travelers, to Bob Carson. After being wherever he was and doing whatever it is he does for the last several years, the "secret man" has resurfaced to address the various criticisms that have dogged [...]
Do I Know What I’m Talking About?
Do I know what I'm talking about? Did I back when The Martialist was founded? Do I now? Do I yet? Stating any opinion on the Internet invites criticism. Stating any opinion on the martial arts or on fighting invites that much more criticism. Ego and the sciences of self defense cannot be separated, for too many people derive [...]
Who Was Count Dante?
The ads in the back of comic books proclaimed him “The Deadliest Man Alive.” In them, for a mere 4 dollars and 98 cents, the reader was promised “the FORBIDDEN and SECRET training manual of the BLACK DRAGON FIGHTING SOCIETY,” the “DEADLIEST and most TERRIFYING fighting art known to man – and WITHOUT EQUAL. Its MAIMING, MUTILATING, [...]
The Myth of “52 Blocks” or “Jailhouse Rock”
52 Blocks. Jailhouse Rock. Known by these and other names, such as Comstock or Closing Gates, 52 Blocks is alleged by those who promulgate its myth to be a prison fighting system -- a martial art practiced in the penal system of the United States, either developed within its walls or brought to them by unjustly imprisoned descendants of [...]
4Sevens RGB, MiNi, and Preon Torches
Recently, the nice folks at 4Sevens submitted their latest pocket torches for review at The Martialist. I've been impressed with 4Sevens' quality and product line since the I first reviewed the Quark AA and Quark 123 "Tactical" models. The AA tactical, in fact, became my pocket light from the day I first got my mitts on it, and it's sitting in my [...]
Gerber 06-FAST
The Gerber 06 "FAST" serrated knife is an assisted-opening version of an automatic knife also available from Gerber. It is an a black-on-black "tactical" knife, obviously intended for self-defense, featuring an Americanized tanto blade with a titanium oxide coating. According to the statistics on Gerber's website, the knife weighs 5.7 ounces [...]
Why the Kerambit?
Why do some knives become fads? There are plenty of reasons. The Rambo movies made hollow-handle survival knives all the rage back in the 1980s. Theorizing over a lockback stiletto supposedly purchased by OJ Simpsons made that knife a best-seller during the publicity surrounding Simpson's murder trial. Any and all forms of "tactical folder" swept [...]
The Difference Between an “AD” and an “ND”
There are a lot of firearms owners out who treat their weapons far too casually, who then make lame excuses when they also make potentially life-threatening mistakes. Such dangerous, reckless, or simply indifferent gun owners have informed me, quite incorrectly, that making a distinction between an Accidental Discharge (AD) and a Negligent [...]
The Power Slap
One of the dangers of striking to the head of a human being is that the skull and jaw (with teeth in it) present some very real dangers to the striking hand. One can easily break a closed fist when hitting the skull. Punching someone in the mouth can cut you badly -- or leave the other party's teeth embedded in your hand. (Nasty infections [...]
