Krav Maga and Self Defense Topics #2

Need to study this hand wrap technique.

Audio Interference: Teaching Self-Defense
“When I first took karate, I was already an activist. And I could see right away what this could do for women in the 70s.” — Annie Ellman

Good reminder of how privilege can be at play when we practice martial arts, with the luxury of multiple memberships (I'm guilty) and extended coursework (also). Great podcast featuring interviews with two groups that teach self-defense skills: Pop Gym and the Center for Anti-Violence Education.

Dealing with Strikes from the Guard
Practical self defense BJJ training. I'm always surpised how much sport jiu jitsu does not reflect the realities of fighting, so this is a refreshing change. Kind of a "no-duh" for Krav people, but good nonetheless.

Why Krav Maga is Different from Martial Arts
"A Krav Maga practitioner is not challenging anyone in their realm, or in any other realm. We are normal people living our lives. We are comfortable in who we are and confident enough to not have to challenge anyone in an ego contest."

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Starting Over

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Since I spend about 75% of my work time either in or thinking about New Orleans but live in Austin, I am often asked to compare the two places. I spent the last five years of my life as a highly visible, highly vocal booster of New Orleans, so many people I meet are surprised when they hear that we have settled, at least for the near term, in Austin. For Cassie and me, the decision to stay in Austin was pretty easy. We didn't have any assets to protect in New Orleans. Our house was pretty thoroughly destroyed so there was no hurry to come back. We also wanted to find some degree of stability for our son; New Orleans is a dynamic place right now and since he had already spent about a fourth of his life in evacuation/gypsy mode, we decided we would try to give him a rest. So we arbitrarily chose Austin off the map. It was a reasonably short drive away from New Orleans. It was the only really progressive city in Texas. Much like New Orleans, it's a blue island in a sea of...

Managing Through Plateaus and Disappointment

This is the hardest thing I struggle with. And I struggle with many things. I'm constantly amazed at how feedback (or the lack of it) drastically impacts me. I'm very motivated by positive feedback in general and very demotivated by a lack of feedback. I’m actually slightly less demotivated by feedback poorly given. So, I take this as a challenge to me. Of course, I can complain about the delivery or quality of the feedback, but it seems more constructive to inoculate myself to it, especially when it comes from those with whom I disagree with or don’t share their perspective. The best feedback comes from those who a) have actually viewed what I've done over time and don't rely on one sample, b) give me meaningful points to build on and finally c) have struggled to build skills themselves versus having some degree of natural aptitude or demonstrating that they indeed need to practice. But the problem is being too driven by feedback, good or bad. That means you are ...

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