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You Gotta Have Faith

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  Just like that old George Michaels song… Or was it Wham?! I forget. I think it was his solo artistry. Anyway, what does that song have to do with your training?! A lot really! You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know. There is risk in any endeavor. New journey’s are thwart with uncertainty. Let’s face it, from the get go, you are taking a leap of faith of varying degrees. It’s no different when it comes to your self defense training either! There are risks, the first being the people and approach you decide to train with/in. Yes sir, you have to trust the people you’re training with. You have to trust the instructor and the approach (aka - System) too, if you’re ever really going to get anywhere. Now I’m not talking blind unabashed loyalty here. Don’t let someone talk you into anything stupid. Don’t go joining some crazy cult or drink the purple kool aid. The difficulty is here though is at the beginning, you don’t know what you don’t know, and often times by the time you figure things...
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There'll Be Days...

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  A Day. A Week. A Month. A Year. You know you’re going to have one… A bad day. Sometimes that bad day turns into a bad week… Or month. Sometimes it’s a really f-d up year. Heck, I know some people who say that they’ve had a bad decade!? Wow! Now that’s a kick in the head! It Doesn’t Stop You ever get this feeling, or is it just me?! My guess is that you get this too. Right!? It happens in training... Like this year, I had a lot of challenges getting out to Jersey to train with Jack. I’ve made it out a few times, but not like usual. I had stuff come up. Getting sick, kid’s graduations, seminar rescheduling, etc. etc. This just was a bit of an “off year” so to speak for getting out to train out there. I’ve had other ‘off years’ training, due to injuries, surgery & rehab, work, family or relationship stuff, and other Life stuff! …Or I hit a plateau, became stagnant, got in a bad headspace. As we both know, in Life as in training. You can have a crap day, or week… I have some frie...
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This is Critical

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  Who’s YOUR Crew?! Who’s your Buyu? Your Crew? Your support system? Who are the people who you are on this path with?! To a certain degree this is. WE ARE! But… I hope this isn’t your only connection to training or people you are travelling this path with. This is Important! It’s important to get and stay connected to people. The most isolated people are often the ones who are the most unhealthy. Look at what Covid did to us! Violence, suicide, depression, anxiety, disfunction of many kinds. Even me who’s two steps off from being a feral cat needs connection (although sometimes at a distance…), people to train with and mentoring. You Can’t Get There From Here Of course many things can be learned from a video… But to learn the intricate subtilizes… To get the feel of something… To get where ever more efficiently and effectively, you have to have a coach of some sort especially when it comes to all of this Protector stuff. You want to learn how to become a tough target?! Pretty simp...
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The Rover

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  I’m not talking about the Zepplin song from Physical Graffiti… I’m talking about an actual dog! So, this past weekend, I was on the front deck writing in my journal and I keep seeing this guy walking his big golden retriever. This dog was the happiest thing ever. It was probably like pretty much any golden retriever, or lab (a lot of dogs really, but those two are what come to mind)… Anyway, they don’t really need much of a reason to be happy with the world. Want to go for a walk!? “Yea, yea, yea!! I LOVE to go for walks!!!!!!!” Wag goes the tail. Want a treat?! “Yea, yea, yea!! I LOVE treats!!!!!!!” Wag goes the tail. Want to take a ride in the car?! “Yea, yea, yea!! I LOVE to go on rides in the car!!!!!!!” Wag goes the tail. Hello rover. I’m home. “You’re HOME!! I LOVE it when you come home!!!” Wag goes the tail. Toy?! “I LOVE toys!!! Wanna play w/me?!” Wag goes the tail. It Doesn’t Take Much Really… Those furry critters almost always have a positive attitude. It doesn’t take m...
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Ebb & Flow

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  Your training and life has an ebb and flow to it. There are times of exertion and times of recovery. Times of activity and times of rest. For instance, at our local Krav academy, we just got finished with a testing rotation. Testing rotations are a couple months of longer, harder training for all of us at the academy. It can get pretty intense for folks. At the end of the training period we have a big 4ish hour test. A gauntlet really that everyone goes through. Afterward we chill things out again. Our training slows down and eases up. We go from exerting a lot of effort. Working on a lot of gross motor skill drills. Lots of PT and higher intensity training. However, most folks, myself included, can’t safely or comfortably keep up that pace. It’s not sustainable. You have to… Chill Out for a While… Your training has seasons to it. You have to learn to ebb and flow. Learning different things at different times. Your life’s that way too. There are times of exertion and times to rec...
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