Meet The Martialist
By Eric Dean, 12 February 2008, reprinted with permission
Bullshido.net is, according
to the “About” section of the website, “…a
virtual meeting place and sounding board for a grass roots movement to
restore ethics and realism to systems shrouded in misinformation and
irrational mysticism.” They are, “…devoted to one
goal: improving the standards in the Martial Arts…”
Bullshido is the second most trafficked martial arts website on the
internet, and the first category under their F.A.Q. [frequently asked
questions] is about a man named Phil Elmore.
Elmore is a loved and hated controversial internet celebrity, a 35 year
old freelance writer from Syracuse, and a family man. He is the writer
of the online magazine The Martialist
[themartialist.com], and one of the administrators of an online
martialist community called Pax Baculum [paxbaculum.com] which roughly
translates to, “Peace through force.” Elmore is the author
of such books as Flashlight Fighting and Street Sword,
whose titles are self-explanatory. He is a lot of things to a lot of
people, but most importantly, Phil Elmore is a martialist.
According to the Bullshido.net FAQ on Elmore, “…[Elmore]
is claiming to be an expert in the field of self-defense, training,
scholarly pursuits of fighting, and general warrior bad-assness despite
his statements to the contrary. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable
to assess his credentials as you would anyone who presents themselves
as an authority… He claims to have trained since 1990 but it
appears he has never held a senior rank in any style (black belt or
equivalent experience) nor has he ever been an instructor. He also has
no amateur or professional fight record.”
It seems Bullshido’s beef with Elmore, though a long-standing and
pervasive feud, is based mostly on his credentials, rather than his
ideas themselves. “[The idea of] Martialism is the recognition of
reality…” according to Elmore’s booklet on the
topic, Be A Martialist,
“ -– the reality of our dangerous world and the measures
that best help you prepare for and achieve success in
self-defense.” The rift seems to stem from the fact that many at
Bullshido believe that preparation should include training in
sport-fighting, or MMA [mixed martial arts].
According to Elmore, “Sport fighting is not a fight, it’s a duel
-- and in a duel, two people square off under a set of rules and try to
be the toughest guy in the room. I don’t want or need to be the
toughest guy in the room. I just want to be safe. Fighting unfairly
means taking every advantage possible to ensure that you survive and go
home to your family intact.”
In fact, the motto of Elmore’s The Martialist publication is, “For Those Who Fight Unfairly.”
Elmore believes that the bad blood is based on misunderstandings and
misinformation perpetuated by ill-informed parties. Elmore, speaking
without hesitation as though having spoken on the subject many times,
said, “I wish that they would argue with me about my actual
opinions. I am prepared for that, but most of my critics have issues
not with what I’ve said and what I do, or don’t do, but
with what they think I've said and what they think
I do…or don't.” He added, “I'm continually accused
of either not training, or not training hard enough to meet some
standard of pressure testing. This accusation is made blindly and
repeatedly despite the fact that I continue to train. For example, I
have attended, for two years running, a class run by a narcotics
officer and SWAT [special weapons and tactics] trainer who trains
citizens and LEOs [law enforcement officers] alike in close-quarters
combat methods… At the culmination of one of the drills, I was
pinned by not one but two individuals, one of whom I was beating in the
helmet with my empty gun until the instructor called a halt. These
things are done full-contact with appropriate protection. That is impact training. That
is pressure testing. If it's not, I cannot imagine what could possibly
rise to this standard the Bullshido people do not themselves meet, but
which they use as an excuse to vilify anyone who does not toe their
sport-fighting line.”
Alexander Thompson, an outdoorsman, martial artist, self-proclaimed
“gun nut,” and moderator at the Pax Baculum online
martialism community said, while driving to pick up his new Irish
Wolfhound pup, “[Bullshido’s] arguments that Phil doesn't
train are based on bullshit. Far as anyone I know can verify is that
Phil trains in at least two systems along with many, many seminars with
cutting edge pioneers in modern weaponry ... gun fighting. What Phil
doesn't train in is BJJ and Muay Thai. Therefore he is not cool [to]
them.”
Regarding Bullshido’s claims that Elmore considers himself an
authority, Elmore said, “I don’t consider myself an
authority, but rather an influence.
If you go out on the internet and state your opinions, you will cause
controversy. Controversy brings attention, and attention brings
influence.” Thus, it seems that though Elmore and Bullshido may
be less at odds than they realize, the perceived bad blood and
controversy actually benefit both sides more than would a peaceful
resolution, because they channel traffic in both directions.
Thompson said, “Bullshido's opinion and criticism of Phil is not
a unified voice, but it is majority negative. I think it has something
to do with the zero attention span of today’s younger
generations. They will post a self-mocking photo Phil produced himself,
and take it seriously, or just out of context, and run with it in a
spree of mockery, but no one will have read the article that
accompanied the photo…and of course Phil deliberately agitates
these people to generate traffic and publicity.”
Visitors to Elmore’s sites may also find humor in the many photos
Elmore has taken of himself in martial arts poses and holding various
firearms and martial arts weapons. Elmore insists, however, that it is
all in jest. “The reason I appear in so many pictures on the site
is because I think it’s funny to have a doughy white guy as the
face of an online magazine. I thought I made it obvious by raising my
eyebrow in every picture, but some people still don't get the
joke.”
Many might be turned off by the perceived aggressiveness of
Elmore’s site and philosophies. As Elmore put it, “The idea
[of martialism] is criticized as too aggressive or combative, but
it’s not simply aggression. That's an oversimplification. At its
core is the idea of assertive living. It’s the opposite of
pacifism. It’s not a new idea. This is how men used to be men,
how citizens used to function through common sense and ordinary drive.
This is the way people used
to be!” He added, “Martialism is about everything you do in
your daily life. It’s not a competition or a duel. It’s not
about who’s tougher. It’s about getting home. [Martialism]
is about knowing that your family will be safe between work and home
and the grocery store.”
Regardless of his critics, Elmore will continue to write about self-defense, martialism, and assertive living on The Martialist and
Pax Baculum. Elmore said, “To see people, and sometimes entire
forums, arguing about things you’ve said, or even just hating
you, can really do things to your ego. You have to remember that
you’re really not that important. By the same token, when someone
writes to you and says that something you wrote made them change the
way they lived, and you realize that what you write can and does affect
people’s lives, it really puts a lot of responsibility on
you.”
Thompson, with a laugh, said, “Is Phil any good at what he does?
Who knows? He doesn't brag about his skills, or seek trophies.”
Love him or hate him, agree or disagree, Elmore’s supporters and
critics definitely seem to agree on one thing: Elmore generates
discussion, and according to Elmore, “Fair discussion is always
good, and it’s all I ask.”