Modeling, Observation and Mental Practice

Human beings learn through observation.

When I was a lad, I got hold of the book Combat Judo by Bernard Cosneck. I wanted to be able to defend myself against the bullies who tormented me. 

Most of the techniques in the book made no connection with me, but I found a couple that clicked. I studied the pictures of the rear naked strangle intently and said to myself, "I could do that." 

And, when the opportunity arose, lo and behold, I found that I could do that. My experience illustrates the effectiveness of something I've written about before: mental practice.

An email I received a few days ago from David Morris (Survive in Place and Urban Survival Guide) reminded me of the truth that mental practice can serve you well, even when you cannot practice physically. Here's a quote from that email:

When you watch someone do an activity with the intent to do it yourself, your brain will fire the same neurons that you'll fire as if you were actually doing it yourself!

Put another way, if you watch a firearms instructor perform a drill and you watch them perform it with the intent of immediately doing the same drill and copying their form, you'll actually be developing muscle memory both while you watch and when you do it yourself.

The more you watch perfect technique and copy it, the deeper, stronger, and more ingrained the neural pathways/muscle memory will become.

This can be good, if you're modeling perfect technique, or it can be very bad, if you're modeling Sabrina from "Charlie's Angels", The Lone Ranger, or other TV/Movie representations of gun handling.

If you're just watching passively, like you do with most firearms training videos, or if there's no opportunity to immediately practice the same drill that you're watching the instructor do, you don't get this benefit.  You just get head knowledge.

Weapon Check

Remember this old public service announcement? "It's eleven o'clock; do you know where your child is?" I might ask another relevant question: "If someone broke into your house right now, how close are you to your weapon?"

Over a week ago, I was trimming some branches from a tree that blew over in a storm. Unbeknownst to me, my wife decided to snap a couple of pictures of me on the ladder. 

That's my Ruger SR 1911 in the holster on my left hip. 

(I know the arguments against cross-draw, but the holster ended up there because of comfort and ease of carry. I do not use this holster or position when I'm carrying concealed.)

My point? If you own a handgun, you have no excuse not to be armed in your own home. 

You became a Christian Martialist to defend those whom you care about. This means not only vigilance, but also preparedness, 24/7. 

In case you're thinking of bringing up the shower as an exception (WARNING. ONE USE OF THE "H" WORD):

What the Christian Martialist Can Learn from Batman

I offer this Batman post an example of Providence.

This week I made a couple of posts to this blog that referred to comic books. Then, a couple of days ago, I received an email from Off the Grid News entitled "4 Survival Lessons from Batman".

The lessons listed in the email apply to a far broader group than preppers and survivalists. To see whatI mean, take a look at these excerpts from the letter. My comments are in brackets [-]

Here's a concept of critical importance: Batman actually worked himself "super." He did this not only by hard work, but by keen decision-making, incredible determination, commitment to his cause and the progressive development of his super-survival skills... all the same things you and I have access to right now.

. . . So let's look at 4 ways you can use Batman's hard-core survival skills . . .:

1. Decision Making: You'll need to start thinking right now about making the hard decisions that are coming your way fast. This will be necessary in order to actually stay alive in an increasingly hostile world. Hey, for the most part we are way too soft in our decision making skills. Sharpen your skills by [scenario based practice, which you can do in the real world or by mental imaging.]

2. Determination: Think about the determination it will take to live and thrive in a major melt-down.[Or in a life-or-death confrontation.] It's important to stop and contemplate about how easy life is for us by historical standards.  Consider the early days of our country's existence. Think about the life and death decision making skills the Pioneers possessed that kept them alive.

3. Commitment: Are you sincerely committed to "making it" when things get bad? Are you committed to your God? Your Family? Your Community? Your Church? Your Friends? It's easy to be committed when things are going well. It's much harder when conflict arises and struggles come along. True commitment requires digging deep and staying focused on the most important things in life... commitment to relationships.

4. Skill Development: Start to progressively develop your core survival skills over time. Go camping, hiking, fishing and hunting. Have weekend drills for the whole family. Practice, practice and more practice. There is simply no way to shortcut this part. You have to pay a price. It worked for Batman, it will work for you.

The most important part of this is to understand that you've got the exact same "powers" that Batman had. You have the amazing power of choosing to take action.  Don't pass it up. If all you do is "think" about survival, you'll never be a hero... let alone a super-hero. The one thing that makes a hero a hero is that he or she acts in a heroic manner when their time comes. Your time is coming. Be ready.

One more thing. It's important. Batman may not have had super powers in the sense that other super-heroes had... but he did have a nifty utility belt and a Bat Cave loaded with incredible tools that made Batman much more effective in crunch time. [You must choose your gear carefully, train to use it properly, maintain it, and make sure you will have it where and when you need it.]

New Page on WARSKYL

I hate flies. I hate their filth and their peskiness.

My favorite superhero when I was a youngster? The FLY! Go figure.

(Actually, in my mind, The Fly and The Phantom were tied for first place.)

Maybe you've never heard of The Fly. He never made it big like Superman or even Captain Marvel. But he had two things going for him:

1. His other identity was a kid -- Tommy Troy (for the first few issues, at least);
2. Early issues each contained a page that taught some sort of self defense move.

Lately, I have located some other comics from an earlier era that taught some form of self defense of martial arts. I have decided to open a new WARSKYL page dedicated to comic book self defense instruction.

Some of the techniques on the pages will prove less effective than others, and I won't suggest that you use these as a primary source of training. Nevertheless, they represent a singular way of teaching self defense: through the heroes from the comic book stories.

I will post another comic page from time to time. The first one features the Shield's sidekick, Bobby Bell. What? You never heard of The Shield? Consider it a gap in your education.

You can either click the link in the "pages" bar above or this link: Comic Book Self Defense.

Battle Cries Revisited

I have written previously about using a battle cry to help channel adrenaline stress. (See here.) Here's a little different view of the same subject.

The following panels come from a comic book which lies -- as I understand -- in the public domain. Judomaster, Feb 1967 (v6, #93)

Breaking Obama's Choke Hold, 2

In the previous post, I revealed how the Obama administration's Operation Chokepoint labels sales of guns and ammunition as a "high risk" activity comparable to prostitution and pornography. Now, I want to show you some legal ways around these roadblocks that may actually make things better for you who need to purchase firearms.

1. Pay cash rather than charge your purchases. Yes, you may have to save up to buy the krunchenticker you've always wanted, but eliminating the credit card also greatly reduces the paper trail. You can't eliminate it altogether, but it's much more private if you pay cash.
2. See if your gun shop will put the weapon on layaway for you. With a minimal down payment, you can lock in the price until you pay it off.
3. Buy your weapon piece by piece, as you can afford it. I did this back in the '90's when M1 Garands were plentiful. I bought a receiver in pristine condition, then I scoured shotgun news every month for new/unissued parts. In the end, I had what amounted to a brand new rifle for a thousand dollars, including the gunsmith's fee for installing the barrel. Except that I did not shell out the whole grand at one time.
4. Roll your own. If you're handy with tools, you might consider buying an 80% receiver and finishing it. Then, purchase a parts kit and assemble your 100% off-the-books firearm. As of this writing, this is still legal in the United States. (Check state and local laws. You know I would NEVER recommend that you exercise your God-given rights in violation of mere human law.)

There you go. Four ways around the administration's attempts to choke off your access to the tools of self defense. There may be others.If you can think of one, I'd like to hear about it in the comments section.

Breaking Obama's Choke Hold

Recently, I received a newsletter from Gun Owners of America that outlined Operation Choke Point, an Obama administration attempt to curtail activities that might in any way give you the slightest sense of independence from the Establishment. It seems that the feds want to pressure banks into cutting off credit to "high risk" activities.

An online search led me to a Wikipedia article that identifies only some of these "high risk" activities.

Some merchant categories that the FDIC has listed as being associated with high-risk activity include, but are not limited to:

• Ammunition Sales

• Cable Box De-scramblers

• Coin Dealers

• Credit Card Schemes

• Credit Repair Services

• Dating Services

• Debt Consolidation Scams

• Drug Paraphernalia

• Escort Services

• Firearms Sales

• Fireworks Sales

• Get Rich Products

• Government Grants

• Home-Based Charities

• Life-Time Guarantees

• Life-Time Memberships

• Lottery Sales

• Mailing Lists/Personal Info

• Money Transfer Networks

• On-line Gambling

• Payday Loans

• Pharmaceutical Sales

• Ponzi Schemes

• Pornography

• Pyramid-Type Sales

• Racist Materials

• Surveillance Equipment

• Telemarketing

• Tobacco Sales

• Travel Clubs

Notice that the feds have lumped sale of guns and ammunition together with pornography, prostitution, ponzi schemes and drug paraphernalia as "high risk" activities. But also note that this policy puts more than your right to keep and bear arms at risk.

The nabobs in Washington have determined coin dealers to constitute "high risk" activities as well. So, if you think that gold and silver represent a more secure store of value than fiat currency, your visit to a coin dealer -- in person or online -- constitutes an activity they consider high risk. 

At this juncture, I would like to point out to whom these activities present a risk. The activities of free men to protect themselves, their families and their assets represent a high degree of risk to the safety and security of the petty tyrants, entrenched bureaucrats and Establishment lackies. In other words their chokepoint policy seeks to choke off your freedom which they see as a threat.

How do we counter this and even use it against them? That's the subject of another post. (CLICK HERE to see the second post.)

Never Get Outta the Car

If you've ever seen the movie Apocalypse Now, you may remember the encounter with the tiger that has two G.I.s running for their lives back to their river boat. One of them is yelling, "Never get outta the boat. Never get outta the boat."

I once had a job in a toxic work environment, and a co-worker -- who is now my barber -- took a cue from that film. He always warned me: "Never leave the office." And when I did, sooner or later some co-worker would try to count coup on my soul.

Maybe your work environment is happy and fulfilling, and probably you'll never run into a tiger on the prowl. However, you may someday find yourself driving through an area of social unrest.

If that happens, let me give you a little advice. NEVER GET OUTTA THE CAR.

Shooting with Just One Hand

There is a time and place for using both hands to aim and fire your handgun. There's also a time and place for shooting with just one hand.

I have found that women, especially mothers grasp this concept more readily than many men. All I have to say is, "Suppose you're holding a baby . . . . "

Right away, mom gets it. She would never drop the child in order to assume an isosceles or weaver stance. She just won't, and she knows it.

Since you may, someday, have to shoot one-handed, when selecting a handgun, you'll want to consider how well it will lend itself to single handed use.

Here's an article that may help:

The Importance of Shooting One-Handed

Advertising Your Vulnerabilities

Gary North once wrote, "Keep your convictions visible and your assets hidden." Wise words in a society polluted with covetousness and envy.

Your family, moreover, represents a precious asset into which you've poured your time and treasure. Putting too much information about them on display could just leave them vulnerable to the orcs out there.

Consider the following excerpt from WNCT9 of Greenville, NC:

Family stick figure decals are on the backs of thousands of car windows representing the parents, children and even the family pets. 

While they may seem harmless, police across the country send a warning message to those who have a series of stickers on their vehicles.

They say thieves and predators are now using bumper stickers and decals to track their next victims. . . .  

Police say if you have your family decal up on your window along with a school bumper sticker or team mascot magnet, you are now displaying how many children you have, where they go to school, and what sports they play.

What's that? Your PROUD of your family and want everyone to know it?

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

Taking More Bites out of Crime

Last time, I presented you with some material about using your teeth in a close encounter of the violent kind. Today, assuming you've had your rabies and distemper shots, I just want to list some points to consider before you add your teeth to your arsenal.

• Your attacker may have poor hygiene, which may put you off the idea of bringing your mouth into contact with his flesh. Also, he may have an STD (or an array of them), to which you would expose yourself if you draw blood by biting him.
• Therefore, you must make up your mind beforehand whether to add this mode of counterattack to your repertoire. In other words, you must decide just how desperate you are willing to become to defend yourself or others. Death by a filthy orc now, or the possibility of a lifetime of debilitation with hepatitis, or a lingering death by an antibiotic resistant venereal disease later? 
• If you find yourself willing to give your life in such a way for those in your care, you will want to consider the following detail Paul Vunak gives in his book Anatomy of a Streetfight: "The actual motion of the bite is a repeated circular ripping of the flesh, which results in numerous smaller bites. When applied cumulatively, unimaginable damage is inflicted." (p. 54)
• Vunak recommends that you train by putting a piece of beef into a T-shirt, then experimenting to develop your technique until you can completely sever the chunk of meat.

Take a Bite out of Crime . . . er, the Criminal

Sometimes, vendors give away really good information in order to induce people to buy their products. I received the following in an email sales letter from Jeff Anderson of Modern Combat & Survival Magazine. You will see his material in italics and my comments below it in non-italic script.

This technique is NOT on most people's "top 10 list" of fight moves and frankly, most people wouldn't even think it's effective... unless you spent your life growing up in an urban jungle of thugs, gang-bangers and street fighters.

If you did, you'd realize that this one technique is brutally effective at helping you escape an attacker even if he's twice your size and is manhandling you like a rag doll.

This is going to surprise you, but this barbaric fight tactic is actually "biting"!

Now, before you reject this as "girly" or a waste of time, remember that Mike Tyson used this technique against Evander Holyfield when he bit his ear during a boxing match and big, bad Evander ripped away from Tyson as fast as he could!

        (True story... Mike Gillette once saw a prisoner use this tactic against 4
      officers that gave them the fight of their life!)

And when you think of it from a tactical standpoint, you can see its effectiveness in self-defense because...

        ... your teeth are a "weapon" you always have with you...

        ... it takes no practice (only a few key points I'm about to share with you)

        ... it inflicts massive force no matter how big your attacker is or how
            small you are! (The average person's bite is 250lbs of pressure!)

Now this "technique" might seem simple, but there's a wrong way and a tactically superior way to bite your way out of the losing end of a violent attack. . . . 

• Use your incisors - your front corner teeth

• Smaller amounts of flesh are better. Instead of a big wide bite on an arm for example, bite a small area VERY HARD. You can bite any area within your reach, and even the neck, ears, ribs, or skin of the back of the head!

• Bite and "rip" at the same time.  This delivers maximum pain and brutality.  Don't stop until you get the response you want - which is them releasing you.

Of course, biting isn't a "knockout blow" and it may not stop the fight completely (though it could completely destroy their will to attack you).

[End of excerpt]

I will have further comments on this in a day or two. In the meantime, I'd like to hear from you. In the comments, please tell me your reaction to this material. Would you ever feel desperate enough to chomp on an orc? Any ideas, cautions or corrections to what you've read? If so, share them with me and your fellow readers.

The M-14

I've wanted one for a loooong time. Here's a link to an article about their continued tactical utility. (Click Here)