Raised in the Philippines, I attended judo class at the Polo Club. I was 15. A bully in the class got in my face during a sparring session, so I punched him in the mouth, twice.
This was not a judo move. He backed away, and I thought I might be in trouble with the instructor, but he told me, "Good for you."
A couple of years later, a karate instructor who had lived in Korea spent several sessions talking to us about improvised weapons.
You never see crystal ashtrays in restaurants anymore, and what a shame that is.
I think a lot of clubs have that sort of "sink or swim" culture, where bullying is a part of the game and overcoming that on your own is a part of your martial arts journey. I've tried to create the polar opposite of that experience at our gym, deliberately seeking to root out toxicity and keeping the gym, but it's always an uphill battle, and we intervene more than most gyms.
I've spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time thinking about improvised fighting and self-defense scenarios.
When my brother started needing a cane, he bought a fighting cane. Bent Willow with a pointy hook on the handle. He watched a lot of Le Cane videos, and practiced.
That's 100% something I would do! I used to love all the ninja hidden weapon lore. I would scour Black Belt magazine thinking about which secret doohickeys I'd buy one day.
Raised in the Philippines, I attended judo class at the Polo Club. I was 15. A bully in the class got in my face during a sparring session, so I punched him in the mouth, twice.
This was not a judo move. He backed away, and I thought I might be in trouble with the instructor, but he told me, "Good for you."
A couple of years later, a karate instructor who had lived in Korea spent several sessions talking to us about improvised weapons.
You never see crystal ashtrays in restaurants anymore, and what a shame that is.
I think a lot of clubs have that sort of "sink or swim" culture, where bullying is a part of the game and overcoming that on your own is a part of your martial arts journey. I've tried to create the polar opposite of that experience at our gym, deliberately seeking to root out toxicity and keeping the gym, but it's always an uphill battle, and we intervene more than most gyms.
I've spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time thinking about improvised fighting and self-defense scenarios.
When my brother started needing a cane, he bought a fighting cane. Bent Willow with a pointy hook on the handle. He watched a lot of Le Cane videos, and practiced.
That's 100% something I would do! I used to love all the ninja hidden weapon lore. I would scour Black Belt magazine thinking about which secret doohickeys I'd buy one day.
Nan chaku!
"...and then along came Jones..."
Coasters!
Yes, sir.