As a slight counterpoint, when I did martial arts in College about twenty years back, every instructor save one was a complete shitlib. This wasn't a full MMA gym, but still a pretty hard contact Tang Soo Do dojo. That being said, leftism twenty years ago is far different than modern leftism.
One of my strongest memories was when we were practicing stick fighting, and one of the black-belts, who was going through a messy divorce, lost his temper and went nuts on his opponent, going so far as braking the stick. The opponent, enraged, walked out of the ring and screamed at his ill-tempered colleague, who could only hang his head in shame. Not only was it dangerous, but it murdered the implicit trust the black-belts had that they could keep their cool when things got messy. It was a betrayal.
A lot has changed in 20 years... digital networks have made fake martial arts a thing of the past for the most-part and the demographic has radically shifted. Martial arts gyms tend to keep up much better than the rest of society because people age out of hard martial arts much more quickly (for the most part, there's a few that are exceptions). Even then, a strong martial tradition and capacity to deliver and receive hits now holds a substantial political component as far as I can see. Some will still mouth the words of the shitlib class because they need to keep their job (or gym space) but you'll almost never encounter an MMA competitor who believes that nonsense.
Nothing reinforces reality like a punch in the face. I’m 56 now and not training or teaching anymore in HTH but I still would be a very serious problem for most 30 year olds fitter than me.
And as I get older I’ll be training my index finger more instead. Good article.
My mother always said, "Never turn your back on a pacifist" meaning, in case it's not clear, to keep your eye on them as they are likely to attack you from behind.
As a judoka I 100% agree, If I'm around a man who cannot fight I see that as a liability, If I'm with a man who cannot fight yet thinks they can, that's even worse.
I heartily concur with your outlook here. I also am a big proponent of physiognomy. The way you look and carry yourself is an accurate depiction of who you are. It's a conglomeration of all of your choices over many years.
I use martial arts training intentionally to bring around guys to our mindset. It works, or I weed out those who are not capable or not willing.
What types of tng or martial arts did/do you train?
I've trained the normal ones: Boxing, BJJ, some Muay Thai, got friends in Catch Wrestling. I think HEMA is damn good if you find a good group because you can do real full-contact when wearing gambesons. Melee weapons to ground-and-pound all in a single go. It's also one of the best at teaching situational awareness.... but again, only if you find a good group. The quality of training is VERY dependent on which group of guys you're playing with. If it's other boxing/BJJ/MMA guys, then it's a blast.
Being involved in HEMA, I can tell you that the politics are extremely divided. Some are extremely right wing and others extremely left. But, the better fighters do seem to be if not right wing totally, they are rarely shitlib. There are exceptions.
As for BJJ and MMA I can’t say as it has been years since I have participated. But, no one was a shitlib when I did then and I doubt there are now
Shitlibs don't tend to last long when asked to put their money where their mouth is. Alternatively, some of them become right-wing after sticking around long enough to get good at receiving and delivering violence. In any case, I've never encountered an individual in combat who I have not resultantly had a very good read on politically. To learn the heart of a man, fight him.
Enjoyed your essay. Back in the day as a kid I was trained in Kempo (now Kenpo I think. Yes I’m old) and we did light sparring. Was a lot of fun and prepared me later for Krav Maga as an adult. Later, I was invited to attended an introductory MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) class, which was being introduced (2001 or 2) which IMHO is a much more practical/ geared for war fighters than Krav Maga (no offense intended to the IDF). MCMAP is something that could be very beneficial in the civilian world. Especially to young men.
I think modern MMA and Jiujitsu are probably the optimal civilian combative. Catch wrestling is great if you can find a group that's doing it. Modern martial arts have done a lot to rediscover and integrate techniques from what are now lost artforms. Hard to perform those when you get older though so it's something to keep in mind.
As a slight counterpoint, when I did martial arts in College about twenty years back, every instructor save one was a complete shitlib. This wasn't a full MMA gym, but still a pretty hard contact Tang Soo Do dojo. That being said, leftism twenty years ago is far different than modern leftism.
One of my strongest memories was when we were practicing stick fighting, and one of the black-belts, who was going through a messy divorce, lost his temper and went nuts on his opponent, going so far as braking the stick. The opponent, enraged, walked out of the ring and screamed at his ill-tempered colleague, who could only hang his head in shame. Not only was it dangerous, but it murdered the implicit trust the black-belts had that they could keep their cool when things got messy. It was a betrayal.
A lot has changed in 20 years... digital networks have made fake martial arts a thing of the past for the most-part and the demographic has radically shifted. Martial arts gyms tend to keep up much better than the rest of society because people age out of hard martial arts much more quickly (for the most part, there's a few that are exceptions). Even then, a strong martial tradition and capacity to deliver and receive hits now holds a substantial political component as far as I can see. Some will still mouth the words of the shitlib class because they need to keep their job (or gym space) but you'll almost never encounter an MMA competitor who believes that nonsense.
Nothing reinforces reality like a punch in the face. I’m 56 now and not training or teaching anymore in HTH but I still would be a very serious problem for most 30 year olds fitter than me.
And as I get older I’ll be training my index finger more instead. Good article.
Thanks! It's important to stay active.
My mother always said, "Never turn your back on a pacifist" meaning, in case it's not clear, to keep your eye on them as they are likely to attack you from behind.
Never trust a pacifist.
As a judoka I 100% agree, If I'm around a man who cannot fight I see that as a liability, If I'm with a man who cannot fight yet thinks they can, that's even worse.
I heartily concur with your outlook here. I also am a big proponent of physiognomy. The way you look and carry yourself is an accurate depiction of who you are. It's a conglomeration of all of your choices over many years.
I use martial arts training intentionally to bring around guys to our mindset. It works, or I weed out those who are not capable or not willing.
What types of tng or martial arts did/do you train?
I've trained the normal ones: Boxing, BJJ, some Muay Thai, got friends in Catch Wrestling. I think HEMA is damn good if you find a good group because you can do real full-contact when wearing gambesons. Melee weapons to ground-and-pound all in a single go. It's also one of the best at teaching situational awareness.... but again, only if you find a good group. The quality of training is VERY dependent on which group of guys you're playing with. If it's other boxing/BJJ/MMA guys, then it's a blast.
Being involved in HEMA, I can tell you that the politics are extremely divided. Some are extremely right wing and others extremely left. But, the better fighters do seem to be if not right wing totally, they are rarely shitlib. There are exceptions.
As for BJJ and MMA I can’t say as it has been years since I have participated. But, no one was a shitlib when I did then and I doubt there are now
Shitlibs don't tend to last long when asked to put their money where their mouth is. Alternatively, some of them become right-wing after sticking around long enough to get good at receiving and delivering violence. In any case, I've never encountered an individual in combat who I have not resultantly had a very good read on politically. To learn the heart of a man, fight him.
Enjoyed your essay. Back in the day as a kid I was trained in Kempo (now Kenpo I think. Yes I’m old) and we did light sparring. Was a lot of fun and prepared me later for Krav Maga as an adult. Later, I was invited to attended an introductory MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) class, which was being introduced (2001 or 2) which IMHO is a much more practical/ geared for war fighters than Krav Maga (no offense intended to the IDF). MCMAP is something that could be very beneficial in the civilian world. Especially to young men.
I think modern MMA and Jiujitsu are probably the optimal civilian combative. Catch wrestling is great if you can find a group that's doing it. Modern martial arts have done a lot to rediscover and integrate techniques from what are now lost artforms. Hard to perform those when you get older though so it's something to keep in mind.