‘Articles’ Archives
Guns, Gun Control, and “Martial” Artists
“Most systems taught today could not meet even basic combat training needs,” wrote Richard Loewenhagen in Mastering Kung Fu, “because they are more artistic expressions than scientific achievements of maximum efficiencies in a life-and-death reality. The real danger in this type of training is that it leads to the illusion of [...]
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics (Again)
I listened to an interesting argument on the radio recently. It emphasized the understanding of statistics most people lack. This issue is important because statistics are used, misused, abused, and prostituted to justify and garner support for political causes. Among those are laws and bills pertaining to self-defense, such as "gun control" [...]
Finding Yourself on the Outside
Ayn Rand once said that what "objectivity and the study of philosophy require is not an 'open mind', but an active mind – a mind able and eagerly willing to examine ideas, but to examine them critically." Exercising your active mind is the most critical component of living as a martialist, of being prepared for life's challenges and for [...]
Who Are the Armchair Martial Artists?
Not too long ago I got into a mild debate with some instructor or other – his name escapes me – at an online discussion forum. Reading too much into a single photo that was part of an article here at The Martialist, the instructor made what I thought were vague and condescending comments. He capped these with the delightful assertion that, [...]
Politics as Personal Security Risk
It was a cold, dreary day, with temperatures hovering around a finger-numbing 37° Fahrenheit. Wracked with a terrible cold and more than a little feverish, I nonetheless dragged myself out of bed for twenty minutes to take photos of an event worthy of note. Vice President Dick Cheney was to speak at a fundraising breakfast at the Holiday Inn [...]
Enemy, Thy Name is Complacency
When I was in college, I witnessed something that would change my outlook on awareness and self-defense forever. I was leaving a four-story residence hall in which one of the university's dining halls was located. I had just come from dinner and was feeling relaxed and untroubled. As I exited the building I stopped to see what was going on [...]
Sportfighting is the Problem
Well, it wouldn't really be fair to say that sportfighting is the problem. More accurately, sportfighting is part of the problem and contributes to it. By "the problem," I mean that of the countless training opportunities and curricula available, too many consider themselves the answer to the question, "How do I prepare myself for success in [...]
On the Word, “Warrior”
What is a warrior? There's no doubt that the word "warrior" is overused in today's marketing and popular culture. Those ranging from sports figures to social crusaders to political activists have been called "warriors," often inappropriately or with exaggerated awe. If we look past this overuse of the term, however, we can still find both [...]
Traditionalist Cliquery and Self-Defense
It is a curious sensation to enjoy immensely the work of an author with whom you often disagree. This is the emotion I experience most frequently when reading anything by Dave Lowry, whose columns for Black Belt magazine have been collected in multiple bound volumes. Lowry is a traditionalist. Lowry is, in fact, an unabashed, avowed traditionalist [...]
Self-Defense: The Individual Right
For the self-defense exponent, few things are as immediately irritating, illogical, exasperating, and enervating as an argument about self-defense. Martialists, who understand the realities of force and self-preservation, rightly believe there should be no argument. An aggressor who seeks to harm you without provocation and without justification [...]
