From the Mail Bag:
Q: A VM Blog reader writes and asks what martial arts style is best from a military perspective.
A: If it’s a sport, it’s going to have limited real-world value from a military perspective and for self-defense applications. A brother-in-law of mine is a highly ranked kenpo master, and is in the kenpo hall of fame. We both agree on this point.
If there are referees telling you what you can and can’t do, weight limits are imposed, and you wear gym clothes, the street value rarely plays out. You fight the way you train. If you train not to gouge an eye out, or to not smash a throat or use improvised weapons at hand, or not to put a knife through somebody, it might be effective against a punk – maybe – depending, if the punk isn’t armed or uses their weapon poorly.
Jiujitsu-based arts have very little practical application in the military, especially in Special Operations roles.
A guy I knew who trained a lot in ground fighting, wanted to spar (maybe 5 years ago). He was at least 20 years younger than I was. I kept a sheathed knife in my back pocket where he didn’t see it. He made his move and I put the sheathed knife against his kidney – game over. It was maybe three seconds. You’re not going to ground fight long with a knife through your kidney. Trust the man who has had kidney stones.
SEAL Teams have had numerous contract instructors or courses where people came in and did some training (Paul Vunak did some training in the ’80s), SCARS/CFC was contracted for a while in the ’90s, and Dieter’s CQD was good. SOME Krav Maga principles are worth learning.
In Special Operations (or most military roles in general), your chances of engaging in an unarmed hand-to-hand scenario are extremely low. However, even being low, they are important skills to have in the event you do have to resort to such means.
Apply the (KISS – Keep it simple) method. Simple and low effort is best. Don’t wear yourself out. If I can use 2 fingers into your throat and bring you to your knees causing you to cough excessively and uncontrollably, then why in the hell would I worry about trying to figure out a move where I could “choke you out” with my legs? Shoot them once through the heart. The heart will stop immediately. Holster a loaded weapon and off you go. Use ammunition that will punch through clothing, and bones and penetrate through vital organs.
Question of the day…
Just as a reminder – from Frank Herbert: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
The Night Watch
The Lombards
THE LOMBARDS were a Germanic people of Scandinavian origin who ruled most of Italy. Shortly after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the Ostrogoths, a branch of the Goths, formed their own kingdom in Italy. The Ostrogothic kingdom was destroyed in the 6th century by the Eastern Roman general Belisarius, and Italy became part of the Eastern Roman Empire of emperor Justinian the Great (died in 565). Until then, the Lombards had been living in Pannonia, and in alliance with the Avars, a nomadic people from the Asian steppes, they defeated the Germanic Gepids.
Shortly after Justinian’s death, in the year 568, king Alboin, fleeing from their former Avar allies, led the Lombards across the Alps into Italy, where they were joined by the remaining Ostrogoths and found resistance by the Eastern Romans. The Lombards successfully conquered northern Italy, and shortly after they expanded to central and southern Italy. Only the territories of Ravenna, Rome, and the southernmost part of Italy, remained under Byzantine rule.
The Lombards, whose name literally means “long beards”, were unlike other Germanic peoples such as the Goths, the Franks or the Vandals. While these earlier migrators rapidly became Romanised and Christianised, the Lombards preserved their pagan Scandinavian deities and traditions for much longer, mixed with Arian Christianity, until they gradually converted to Catholicism. A hammer-wielding god in a stone relief from Novara has been interpreted as Thor, and runic inscriptions from the 7th-8th centuries have been found in Apulia. They were also influenced by the nomadic Avars. The Lombard kingdom of northern Italy fell to the Frankish king Charlemagne in 774 and subsequently became part of the rising Carolingian Empire. The Lombards retained control of southern Italy until the Norman conquest in the 11th century.
The Lombards of northern Italy have been credited for the early development of an art style that they exported first to the Catalan Pyrenees, and then to the rest of western Europe, replacing earlier styles. This artistic movement, which combined Late Roman and Germanic art with Christian iconography, is known as Romanesque.
**
Bullet Points:
* Pres. Xi received another five-year term in office. The question of how much freedom he has to rule is still open to many observers as is what he had to give up to other oligarchs.
* I reminisce about the good ole analog era. When [some] car makers purposely built their product line in the spirit of reliably and safely transporting the end user from point A to point B. (think of the Toyota Hi-Lux) Made without regard to the latest high-tech wizardry or more importantly, end -user surveillance and data and meta-data collection. Perhaps someday, buyers will suddenly wake up to the fact that level 1-5 self-driving tech and over-air systems can be and often are monitored by a centralized third party. Was it about “safety?” Some people obsess about trackers that can be attached to an automobile, but modern cars ‘transpond’ and can be monitored without any additional software or hardware involved in the process.
Parting Shot
And here I thought they ousted Xi…guess Ol’ Joe made a phone call to his Chinesium handlers to hold off for two weeks until Dominion and NWO Box Stuffers could complete their mid-term steal.
The “ranch pickup” is an ’88 Commanche…mostly analog, any tracking would be around the property. Pretty sure the 2010 Ram 2500 is being tracked in some fashion. Not sure why they’d care, we’re kinda boring. Just in case they miss my movements I’ll wave at the County Clerk’s “Super Secure” Ballot Box cam, with Walmart bag in hand loaded with our two “Mail-In” ballots…poke the dog when I drop them in. I could use that rustic cool Germanic fashion backward attire to project a certain “leave me the hay alone” persona.
I too like the “Lombard Look,” but having to weave that beard every morning when I haven’t had a pot of coffee would be painstaking and would not look nice… All those wars and conquering going on in the past and we have come to today been ruled over by incompetents and degenerates. I wonder if the had the same problem way back then?
The beard weaving would be a bit cumbersome, but hey, guys (not men) these days use too much “product” and spend an inordinate amount of time primping…a little effort to keep the beard out of the way is okay.
Something to be said for that era’s swift gene pool reduction, only the strong survived. Nowadays the cushy urban life affords every nudge, nincompoop, and weasel to thrive. David Hogg has got to be the premier example in his age bracket..arms so skinny he couldn’t lift the shield, not that he’d try.
The stupid rarely survived long and the weak had better find a skill like sandal making or they wouldn’t survive long either. Even if you were generally healthy there were things that would cull you.
We are all (everyone) people who had all of their ancestors survive long enough to create and bear live children, so we’re success stories. Today society coddles Hog and his cronies. Tomorrow – they had better hope for a kind and gentle tomorrow where the people who carry are conscientious toward their kind.
Eloi
MrsPaulM and I live ‘the strenuous life’ (h/t Brett over at Art of Manliness). We are blessed to continue as such to maintain the homestead and ourselves(albeit slowing down a little after another orbit). Many are not so fortunate yet take steps to be prepared regardless. As the societal cycle suggests, I think times will get harder not easier…and it may sound odd but I’d prefer that.
People who live a lazy or less than intentional life without skills or preparation will find themselves on the short end of the stick.
I should clarify, “prefer harder times”, not so much economically but moreso requiring people to be engaged and not just float along in a daily routine daze.
When times were tougher there were guys at their workbenches doing all sorts of things (like DrJim I’m sure), and America became the top innovator. Now if there isn’t an App people don’t bother, then go back to their distractions.
About beards and long hair. Don’t give your enemies anything to grab in a hand-to-hand battle.
Beards, long hair, loose clothing, all are easy grab points. Make sure if someone grabs you that you cease their life
Good tip.
My dad was the hand-to-hand instructor for AF pilots. He taught a modified version of Judo. The logic of the time was that pilots tended to be smaller and many of the moves used the opponents weight against them. Later in life he said that was the best job a NCO could have as he was being paid to beat up officers.
Judo is also good exercise.
And what NCO wouldn’t want to take a swipe at the officers?
So, speaking of Xi, why did he have Hu escorted out of that congregation in front of the world and what are his plans for him? That whole thing seems very odd to me.
He sent a message that I expect Hu went along with in that Hu wouldn’t be leading any sort of “loyal opposition movement”. You’ll notice that General Li and Zhang Gaoli were not led out. Hu was his predescessor.
Hu? Hu who? the guy has been officially disappeared. If he isn’t dead already, he is in a dark cell awaiting it.
That little demonstration was “What part of ‘President for Life’ did you not understand?” and a message to the other big dogs that they are in the presence of a dragon and better not forget it.
Xi cut his deal, likely also with Hu. The message was clear, the deal was cut, Xi has another 5 years. How he behaves will be telling. He’s despised by MANY Chinese people.
* I reminisce about the good ole analog era. When [some] car makers purposely built their product line in the spirit of reliably and safely transporting the end user from point A to point B.
Ford Tempo, the greatest “no brainer” car. Selling them put a lot of groceries on the family table. Wasn’t sexy enough for the Ford “suits” and they replaced it with a European p.o.s. the mechanics hated.
Track my vehicles? Gives work to people who could never do a real job.
Usually, it’s just metadata, unless you rise to become interesting to somebody.
Ramirez hits it out of the park again. I admire his talent.
China, I also wonder why the public humiliation of Hu, what message was he sending and to whom? What is your take LL?
I would really like to have an older Jeep pickup or Wagoneer. Late 60s would be ideal. No tracking back in those days. Trouble is that when a driveable model goes up for sale the price is astronomical so I will continue to admire from afar. My 2008 Dodge pickup will have to suffice.
Lombards. Interesting history lesson, thank you.
I mentioned Xi and Hu above. The message (likely Hu went along with it because he’s very much a party guy) was that there is no more Hu to look back on fondly. You have to deal with Xi and the Party with Xi as a figurehead. If they’d executed Zhang or General Li (head of the People’s Liberation Army), it would have got my attention.
There was a common call to return to Hu’s leadership, which brought prosperity to China, an openness to the West, more free speech, more freedom of everything. This sent a message that those freedoms are a thing of the past.
Since I always have my phone (I say for “work” and that’s true, but it’s also a talisman/security blanket) I’m less worried about vehicle tracking. Higher on my concerns list is remote shut-off of my vehicle.
Just you watch. Some idiot will conflate Arian with Aryan and claim the Lombards were Nazis. Eckshully, it won’t be by accident (qv my prior comment about how Franz Boas and his shockingly homogeneous group of disciples essentially took over cultural anthropology).
Thinking that one’s Kung fu (or MMA) is going to get you out of trouble is probably optimistic. But the fitness, mental discipline, and self confidence imparted by the practice of these disciplines are all good things.
If you view MMA as an athletic sport that requires good conditioning, it’s a good use of time. The conditioning and discipline and humility that goes into proper martial arts training is very useful in life. My brother-in-law is a very humble man, in control of himself, disciplined in his behavior, and confident in himself – he’s in the Hall of Fame, but he would never tell you nor would he hint at it. He’s married to my youngest sister.
I also mentioned shooting once. Why not a double tap with a failure drill (one through the forehead for good measure)? If you are before a jury it is easier to argue self-defense if you fired once to stop the attacker, than it is a spaced double tap and a headshot.
Wasn’t that called “The Brazillian Combo” or something?
Mozambique drill.
Learned that from a James Belushi movie.
I wonder who is selling after market jammers that kill the transponders?
I saw a Model A cruising down the road the other day with the rest of traffic and realized that the make is almost 100 years old. And functional.
Israel makes the best jammers. They also kill cell phone signals and ALL electronic signals around you for x distance. Some work for a room, some work for a house, some work for a square block, etc. USGOV controls the sales and distribution of such things. DRJIM could make one for you in his basement…seriously, he could.
Depends on what you want to jam. Just put some aluminum foil over the little shark-fin antenna, and you’ll use network access.
Good point.
I meant to type “You’ll LOSE network access”.
Doggone fat fingers….
I’m too old to fight. Shoot and move on is my ‘mantra’ now… Re Hu, I think you’re right. He was removed because he was a ‘reminder’ of a better China.
kill some chickens to scare the monkeys. Not sure I agree Hu knew.
Chinese choreograph situations like that. Sort of like the Beijing Opera (which I don’t recommend unless you’re trying to get into the mindset).