Who's driving your bus?

The language is a bit crude but it's well done. There is a guy who was not going to let the monkey take over. 
I love it

Modesty

Ladies out there... don't set yourself up for failure!
And gentlemen... don't be afraid to tell all the ladies that this statement is true. A lot of women only see that you are paying attention the skimpy clothing. They don't see what kind of attention you are giving it.

Landrum woman fights back after attack - FOX Carolina 21

Make yourself expensive!!!!
Most predators do not want to get caught or get hurt. If you are not worth the risk, they will leave you alone

Landrum woman fights back after attack - FOX Carolina 21

Follow the steps… don’t forget the music

Do you remember dance steps diagrams? Learning how to dance by following footprints on the floor? So easy…just follow the steps…. Right foot, left foot, slide. Step back. Makes sense, especially for the visual learners (like me!). But could you imagine learning this way without having any music to go along with it?  The music brings sense and meaning to the steps. Without a good beat you have no way of knowing how fast to go, where to pause, where to slow down, where to put emphasis. There is no rhythm. So while you have all the right steps, you completely miss the essence and the meaning of the dance. Dancing is all about rhythm. It’s about expressing the music in a physical way.

Those thoughts came to me after watching a sandan testing (3td black belt) in a martial arts that shall remained unnamed. You’d think at this level you would see some great martial arts performances. Well I did not. Frankly I found it pretty appalling. If those people would have been testing in our dojo, they would not have made it pass a yellow belt.

But I started looking closer at the participants and all the steps were there but the way the techniques were performed made no sense. The emphasis was put on the wrong part, the rhythm was missing, and the technique lost its meaning, its efficacy.  There is no way this would have worked against any sort of resistance. And against a real attack, they would have gotten killed. If their partner was not taking a fall for them, they would have never been thrown. They made it all look so very magical…. here I am holding your wrist so very delicately and you will go flying across the mats…. I can throw you with my mind…. I have news for you,,, you are NOT River (from Firefly). Frankly it would have taken magic to throw me this way… or a miracle.

Similarly to learning to dance without music, those students had learned the steps of the techniques without having learned good sound basic principles. Good fundamentals bring sense and function to techniques. With good biomechanics you can sneeze and put a guy through a wall. Without it, you sneeze on a guy and you just might get yourself put through a wall.

Truly I cannot entirely blame those students. It is the teacher’s fault to have failed to instill the true essence of the techniques, failed to teach principles. They are teaching techniques that have never been tested in the field. They really have no way of knowing if they work or not, and most importantly why the techniques will fail them at a crucial time.

Students your responsibility is to find a teacher that will not teach you to dance without music.

Be smart, stay safe.

Secure yourself

You know that feeling you get from sleeping in a brand new house? You hear all the little noises, see all the weird shadows. And until you get totally used to all those noises and shadows, you really are never totally at rest. You will wake up startled and ready to pounce.. .. .. Well I know I do anyway. When you get used to it all, it gives you that feeling of security.

But what did it take for you to get that feeling of security? Did you just get used to the same noises and shadows day after day? Did you have to meet face to face all those new sounds, those new shapes? Did you have to search every nook and crevices? Did you just have to lock the doors and windows? Did you have to get a security system, or a dog?

And what would it take for you to break that newly acquired sense of security? Hearing a window break? Unusual noises? The dog starting to randomly growl? News about multiple break-ins in your neighborhood? Coming home to a busted door/window? Screaming, yelling? Too quiet?

Whatever it is that gives the feeling of security or takes it away, do not leave it to chance. You need to know. You need to understand what makes this tick. What works and why does it work. You need to consciously make your home secure and keep it so.

The same goes for your well-being in general. You need to know what keeps you reasonably safe. Where is that line in the sand that brings me to a danger zone? What can I do to prevent damage to my physical and emotional wellbeing?  And if for some reason I do cross that line, am I ready to deal with the consequences. What does it take for me to cross that line: Ego? Carelessness? Bravado? Perceived feeling of superiority?  Perceived hurt feelings?

It is YOUR responsibility to make yourself and your surrounding as safe as you can possibly make them. Be conscious of where you are, who you are with, what the possibilities are.

Be smart, stay safe

Being small is not all that bad

Being small does not have to be a curse when it comes to protecting yourself. Know what you are capable of, know what are not capable of, know the laws of physics, bio-mechanics, nature and the country in which you live in. Then use what you have the best you can. 
Of course it never hurts to surround yourself with big guys :-)

Obstacles

Hurdles, barriers in your path are just that… stepping stones, obstacles. What they are is not nearly as important as how you face and overcome them. It does not matter if you go under, over, around or through them, the only thing that really matters is your attitude, your determination. This defines you.

Just like the knife get sharpen by the friction of a wet stone, our character gets sharpen by overcoming obstacles. You need them. So be grateful when you encounter obstacles. Instead of being discouraged, be happy that you are given an opportunity.

Wisdom or self defense

Wisdom is also knowing when to keep your mouth shut and when to walk away. Many proclaim they were using self defense when all they really needed was "wisdom".