‘Articles’ Archives
Street People: Human Filth and Real Threat
"Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir! Change? Change? Sir?" The barking continued unabated for half an hour. The disheveled black man, shambling about in front of a shopping facility downtown, accosted each person who passed him on the street entering or leaving the building. He was wearing one sneaker and carrying the other. Literally barking at the top [...]
Martialist Affirmations Waiting for Coffee
I was standing by my car, which was parked in front of a heavily trafficked coffeehouse in an area near a local University. I was standing outside the car rather than sitting in it because there was an attempted carjacking at that very spot only a week previously. As I do whenever I wait in less than pastoral public places, I passed the time [...]
Offramp Follies and other Tales of the Obvious
There are some common confrontations with which you should be familiar when you are out and about. These are a few of the simple pieces of advice I offer to anyone relatively ignorant of self-defense and awareness, when the topic comes up in conversation. Often these are things people simply don't consider. If you're a regular reader of The [...]
Identifying Common Beggar Ploys
If you operate or travel in any urban or suburban area, you will encounter street beggars. Street beggars are a security threat because, more often than not, the average panhandler has mental problems, chemical abuse issues, or both. This makes the average panhandler erratic, unpredictable, and potentially violent. Combine this with the nature of [...]
Understanding Chi Sao
Chi sao is a sensitivity exercise done prominently in Wing Chun Kung Fu, though similar exercises are found in other Kung Fu styles. Chi sao is often misunderstood when appropriated by those of other martial art styles, however. The term means "sticky hands," and a typical chi sao drill involves two people whose hands and arms are in contact [...]
Lui Lao Hui Soong; Lut sao jik chung.
You really shouldn’t fight force with force. I can hear the incredulous gasps now. “What?” some readers may be asking. “Has The Martialist adopted the self-destructive philosophy of pacifism?” Rest easy, friends. While the initial reaction to such a statement is, quite rightly, scorn and skepticism, I don’t mean that assertion the [...]
Wing Chun Kung Fu: No Respect
Wing Chun Kung Fu is one of those martial arts that constantly seems to get crapped on constantly, particularly by the MMA crowd. They'll trot out a few videos of some very poor Kung Fu practitioners who were stupid enough to enter full-contact tournaments, point to those practitioners' cringe-inducing failures, and then pronounce that Wing Chun [...]
AK Stock Upgrade: Lose the Plain Brown Wrapper
The debate continues to rage among martialists and armed citizens who retain the tenuous hold on their firearms rights: AK, or AR? Many of us solve this dilemma by owning one (or more) of each. While the AR-pattern rifles exhibit superior ergonomics and accuracy, the rough-and-ready AK variants on the market offer arguably better reliability, a [...]
Basic Gun Disarms and Carjack Counters
Let's be honest: When someone points a gun at you, the chances that you will be shot no matter what you do are very high. You must decide, when facing a firearm, if you should comply or if you must resist. Know that any time you attempt a firearm counter you are risking grave personal injury or death. Proceed accordingly. Your only [...]
The Koppo Wrap
A koppo is a pocket stick bearing a finger loop for your middle and ring fingers. When your fingers are threaded through the loop, you can open your hand without dropping the stick. This is an extremely useful feature in a handheld tool, as it aids in retention while facilitating digital manipulation for grabs and such. The pocket stick [...]
