The Senshido International Team Blog

Breaking Point....

2012-01-25T19:20:00.002-05:00

I was born and basically raised in Montreal, lived and worked a good portion of my life in the city particularly. Much to be said about Montreal as it is indeed a gorgeous city with much culture and things to offer, but it's a city none the less. Though beautiful in its own right, it is man made. It is concrete, steel, metal and glass.

I now live here, below - Jasper Alberta. The pics you will see below I just took while walking my dog on a 90 minute hike starting right behind my home.

This is one of the few trails I take as often as I can when it isn't ridiculously cold outside.

On any given day, I sit in front of my computer replying to countless emails and messages. Since I have sold the Senshido Tactical Urban Combat school in Montreal back in early 2006, I no longer have nor need a 'staff' per say; and so I am basically a one man show running my company with of course, the help of my international team out there doing their thing.

Dealing with self defense for self development, human evolution and betterment in general; we tend to come across much of the 'darker' aspects of life. From dealing with victims of violence of every possible kind to abuse, bullying and health issues, we tend to be exposed often and much to the uglier side of life, the more corrupt side.

For me, breaking away daily has become imperative. Besides a workout which is fantastic for clearing the cobwebs, a walk through nature to clear and gather one's thoughts is unbelievably invigorating.

There's something to be said about being alone in nature with your own thoughts. Unplugged, disconnected from technology and reconnected with the magnificent energy of life. These daily breaks allow me to regain my focus, strength and motivation otherwise, I'd fuckin kill someone lolol..... twice a day at that :`)

"I could leave so easily

My friends are calling back to me -

I said yeah...

They're leaving it all up to me when
All I needed was clarity

And...
Someone to tell me WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!?!? GODDAMNIT!"

"Slippin' farther and farther away
It's a miracle how long we can stay
In a world our minds created
In a world that's full of shit!!!!"

"Please understand me;

I'm climbing through the wreckage
Of all my twisted dreams
And this cheap investigation
Just can't stifle all my screams;
And I'm waiting
At the crossroads
Waiting for you...
Waiting for you...
Where are you?!?!?"

"I can't understand what all the fighting's for?

But it's so nice here down off the shore...

I wish you could see this

Cause there's nothing to see
It's peaceful here and its fine with me
Not like the world where I used to live"

"There were always ample warnings
There were always subtle signs;
And you would have seen them coming
But we gave you too much time...
And when you said that no one's listening
Why'd your best friend drop a dime?
Sometimes we get so tired of waiting for a
Way to spend our time"

"And it's so easy to be social
It's so easy to be cool
Yeah, its easy to get hungry
When you ain't got shit to lose...

"And I wish that I could help you
With what you hope to find
But I'm still out here waiting
Watching reruns of my life"

"When you reach the point of breaking

Know it's gonna take some time;
To heal those broken memories
That another man would need
Just to survive..........................."

COMA - Guns n Roses - Use Your Illusions 1

Contest For 13 to 18 Year Old's

2012-01-23T19:10:00.001-05:00

Attention all 13 to 18 year old's out there, wanna win the entire collection of Senshido International instructional DVDs and Books? Participate in the following contest:

Write, in as great detail as possible, what you believe the world today would have been like without war and poverty had 60 years ago; the world's populations, governments and leaders all mutually and collectively agreed to world wide peace & end of poverty/hunger and literally banned wars of any and all kinds making them a part of human history.

Criteria: Your description must include the methods you imagine/foresee that lead up to world peace and end of poverty and the social/governmental system (excluding any past and present system in existence) that you believe would sustain such a world.

The most descriptive, imaginative yet grounded in possibility piece will win our entire collection of DVDs and books and have his or her story posted here, on the Senshido International Blog. Please send your entries to info@Senshido.com with the title "World Peace" by Valentine's Day, February 14th 2012 and the winner will be posted on the Senshido International Blog by February 20th 2012

Thank you, and please share this with anyone you feel may be interested in participating.

Thank You All and Best of Luck!

Attention US citizens,

2012-01-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

please sign and share for the little of what is left of your liberties....

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

CLICK TO SIGN AND PLEASE SHARE: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

If only we could.....

2012-01-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

Oh Canada.... Fucked Up.

2012-01-16T19:24:00.000-05:00

All Canadians need to watch this:

The Reality Behind It Is......

2012-01-09T17:10:00.003-05:00

So This.....

Is not only safer, but much, much healthier than this:

Which causes all of this:

So you're much better off to....

But because of this....

You can't and instead get all kinds of This....

Factored in with This...

Leading to all kinds of This...

And This...

Instead of This....

This....

AND THIS!!!! LOLOLOL

DO SOME SHIT!!!!!!!

For those who wonder what my diet is like:

2012-01-08T19:09:00.001-05:00

I don't have a diet. To diet means to eat a certain way for a certain period of time to look and feel a certain way for a very limited period of time. Diet is for egos and come with a time limit. Food is a necessary source of fuel to humanity for survival and humanity turned it into an egocentric substance via greed, gluttony and profit. Food is also preventative medicine, in its most natural and rawest forms, it provides nutrients that strengthens both the immune system and mind allowing our bodies to work optimally and at its peak.

Deterioration has very little to do with ageing, piss poor diets and sedentary lifestyles do. The human body and mind have limitless capabilities and the majority of us are feeding it shit. It's like urinating in a Lamborghini for fuel yet most do it daily.

The human body was designed to move and be physically active for most of every given day yet we created societies and technologies that puts us in a chair 8+ hours a day only to come home and sit on a fuckin couch for another 2 to 7 hours before going to lie down for another 5 to 12 hours while feeding ourselves processed, hormone & antibiotic filled, microwaved, genetically modified sugar infested foods. WILLINGLY!!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?

To those who think they aren't brainwashed, hate to tell ya, you are and by far, not just that, you're also addicted and made purposefully so from a very young age. I know this cause for 29 years of my life I basically ate fast food and drank soft drinks (both regular and diet) and didn't have a fuckin clue what real food was. I dismissed it entirely. I thought and truly believed food was food, and that the whole "organic" thing was just a hippy bullshit thing. I never looked at ingredients, just calories, proteins, carbs and fats not having a fucking clue how to distinguish between good and bad fats, proteins and carbs. Think about it, how many television commercials do you see for organically grown red peppers or farm raised, free range chickens? Now how many television commercials do you see for pharmaceuticals or McDonalds??? TELEVISON ROTS THE BRAIN. Period.

I believed what the television told me. Fuck was I stupid. I believed what the FDA approved and promoted. Fuck was I even stupider. Then... as I finally began to awaken from my hypnotized slumber and began actually researching things, discovering the reality behind the televised matrix web of lies, deceit and consumerism; everything improved.

For starters, I used to catch a cold a minimum of 2 to 3 times per year that would last anywhere between 5 days to 3 weeks depending on the severity. That stopped. If I get a cold now it lasts about 2 days and consist of annoying sniffles and perhaps, a light irritating cough. My energy levels today are greater at the age of 42 than n my 20's and so is my health by ten fold. I can sit here and preach about how much greater I feel since I've been eating real food over man made food, but this clip here illustrates it much better than I ever could:

That's it in a nutshell folks.... of course, there are personal adjustments to be made as each individual is different, but these are the basics.

Rich

Toxic Free Make Your Own Deodorant

2012-01-02T14:48:00.001-05:00

Considering the amount of toxins in deodorants today linked to diseases like breast cancer and more, even the "aluminum free - all natural" ones aren't as toxic free as we may like to think.

The skin is the single largest living organ on the human body and absorbs everything directly topically put on it into the bloodstream therefor it would be wiser not to topically put anything on your skin you wouldn't ingest orally.

Making your own deodorant is simple, easy and takes no longer than 20 minutes including prep time. It will cost you one quarter the price of any commercial deodorant and last you twice as long with absolutely NONE OF THE HEALTH RISKS involved. Simple mathematics and logic states, this is the much better, easier, more economical and healthier way to go:

What you need:

1/4 cup of baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
10 to 20 drops of any essential oil fragrance you enjoy
2 table spoons full of coconut oil (preferably organic and virgin)

Mix it all together into a stiff paste, pack into an old deodorant container and apply a thin layer to underarm.

Presto.... 4 ingredients, all natural, no toxins, works and lasts twice as long and is one quarter of the cost of any chemical based underarm deodorant on the market.

Word. Do some....

Happiest of New Years to 1 and All

2011-12-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

Santa Claus is shredding you Down

2011-12-26T02:13:00.000-05:00

Santa Claus is Shredding You Down

By Georges Z. Fahmy – Senshido International

www.senshido.net - +961 3 499 712

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas :D Here’s a funny replacement of the “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” Christmas Carol starring Senshido Santa. Enjoy :)

You better watch out

You better go hide

He knows you fucked up and you’re going to die

Santa Claus is shredding you down

He knows if you're stealing

He knows if you're raping

He knows if you are dealing

Or have been shanking

Santa Claus is shredding you down

He watches you when you’re sleeping

He stalks you when you’re awake

He knows if you are packing

Fighting him back is a huge mistake

He's breaking your fingers and raking your eyes

He's crushing your throat and muffling your cries

Santa Claus is shredding you down

He's grabbing your ear

He's shredding you twice

He's already decided you're naughty not nice

Santa Claus is shredding you down

O! You better man up!

You better not cry

Better not run

He’ll hunt you down

Santa Claus is shredding you down

The Real Spiderman!!!!

2011-12-14T20:47:00.000-05:00

Mind blowing athletics.... if I could redo my athletic life over, I'd have devoted all of my athleticism to developing this kind of strength and agility. Inspirational to say the least. Well done brother!

A New Holiday Giving Tradition

2011-12-13T22:41:00.003-05:00

Attention all Shit Doers;

This year for the holidays, do as Tania and I are doing....

Instead of purchasing gifts for friends and family...

Use that money to help those in need...

And PLEASE ask anyone thinking of getting you anything to please do the same instead as we all already have more shit than we all need...

Thank you & this holiday season... PLEASE help us DO SOME SHIT!!!!!!

Happy Holidays to one and all!

Rich Dimitri & Tania Garby

Marijuana Kills Cancer Cells:

2011-12-12T02:58:00.000-05:00

Truth finally beginning to hit the mainstream. This illogical law simply cannot sustain itself the more people inform themselves, there's no need for the staggering amounts of cancer related deaths... simply no need. And the cure is illegal while cigarettes are perfectly legal.

Don't Just Dream em... Live Your Dreams.

2011-12-11T17:41:00.000-05:00

NO EXCUSE!!!!!

2011-12-10T14:15:00.000-05:00

Hmmpfff. Nuff said. Now go DO SOME SHIT!!!!!

Hammer Time.... uh oh oh oh uh oh oh uh oh oh uh oh....

2011-12-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

The sledgehammer is an excellent training tool for building core strength. The following are a few pics from my sledgehammer training day working my core swinging the 12 pound hammer around for four 2 minute sets:

How “moderation” isn’t as safe as you may think.

2011-12-08T14:03:00.005-05:00

We’ve all said or heard someone say at one point or another, “Everything gives cancer these days!” as an excuse to indulge in unhealthy eating habits. Ever have someone say to you after handing you some type of junk food "Don't read the ingredients or you won't eat it." as they are consuming the very thing they handed you? Then they justify their unhealthiness by saying things like “Live a little” or “Moderation is the key.” As my bro and good friend Scott Sonnon said "No thank you, I'd rather live ALLOT!"

The thing is, since birth we are 'moderately; ingesting, breathing and pumping toxins into our bodies.

In the 60’s and 70’s, cancer wasn’t as rampant as it is today. Back then, you’d be hard pressed to find 20 people who personally knew someone who died of cancer. Today, hardly anyone can say they haven’t personally been affected by cancer either themselves or via a loved one.

Sure, a few toxins here and there in “moderation” won’t kill anyone or cause sufficient damage to the human body however, we are pumped and pumping enormous amounts of toxins into our bodies under the guise of ‘moderation’ but the reality is, we are being much, much more moderate about the healthy substances we are breathing, ingesting and consuming than the toxins.

It starts when we’re born. We’re pumped with over 30 different kinds of vaccinations which contains amongst several other toxins Mercury, Aluminum Hydroxide, Formaldehyde, Thimerosol, Polysorbate 80 to name a few.

Then, as soon as we exit the womb, we are exposed to thousands of common sources of toxicity in the air alone; Fumes and carcinogens from factories and automobile exhaust, and tons of other harmful gases are flying around. These are dangerous molecules to be inhaling, to be certain, and they also decrease the actual amount of oxygen in the air. Now, consider this: most of our airborne toxins are inhaled while we're inside because we spend most of our lives indoors whether it's in offices, homes, schools, restaurants, bars pubs, gyms, etc.

And since that's where most of our time is spent - at home, in stores, restaurants and more, it's important to be aware of what's in that air you breathe most often: pollution, pet dander, paint fumes, mold, mildew and billions of micro-organisms including heavy metals, in addition to industrial sources, lead from pesticide sprays, cooking utensils, the solder in tin cans, cadmium and lead from cigarette smoke; mercury from dental fillings, contaminated meat products, cosmetics, aluminum and Teflon from cookware, microwaves, motor vehicle exhaust. People still don’t grasp that anything put on one’s skin is directly absorbed into the blood stream, so make sure to add cosmetics, skin creams, sun screens, shampoos, dyes, treatments, etc. to the mix of toxins as well. Again... all in small amounts... all in 'moderation'... but take a look at how much we are moderately yet consistently and continually, willingly, slowly poisoning ourselves on a daily basis.

Like that isn’t enough, we then go on to create foods that are processed, unnatural, full of sugars, chemicals, preservatives, GMO’s, artificial colors, artificial flavors, etc. We consume alcohol, smoke cigarettes, eat fast foods and we add more toxins to our drinking water including fluoride (which is also in our toothpastes), chlorine and arsenic as well as 80 "regulated" contaminants and more unregulated toxins, like the rocket fuel component perchlorate which is present in most tap waters. This also doesn’t include the miniscule traces of human feces, urine and pharmaceuticals. BUT... marijuana is illegal... rotflmfao at the hypocrisy and sheer stupidity of our species.

We then moderately continue to poison ourselves with additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, recreational hard drugs, cell phones, microwaves, vaccinations, alcohol, cigarettes, Teflon, antibiotic hormone infested grain fed meats, pesticide and chemical infested genetically modified fruits and vegetables, carbon monoxide from all motor vehicles, processed and fast foods etc.

Add to that a sedentary lifestyle directly affected by one's dietary and recreational choices and presto… you’ve got what we have today: Sheeple with obesity, lazyiness, lack of motivation, massive mediocrity and disease plaguing most of our species. Sure we live much longer, we're meant too so they can continue to profit off us, the longer we are alive and sick and fat and lazy, the more money they make off our stupidities and self destructive natures to prolong our lives. Not to mention..... what of the quality of that life?

The majority of people over 40 are on a minimum of 3 or more prescription drugs. By the time general population hits 60 (I know some in their 30's go figure), they can barely make it up a flight of steps without pausing, getting tired, out of breath or wishing there were an elevator for fucks sakes.

In essence, yes, it is true, everything is indeed designed to give us cancer as cancer is a highly lucrative business and industry making lots of people very rich and countless millions dead and that is highly based on our egocentricities as opposed to our higher selves. None of these things mentioned here on their own, or in moderation will necessarily kill you or give you cancer… combine a few or more of the above in “moderation” however….and our chances exponentially increase.

And when you think about it… the more sick, tired, lazy, un-motivated, complacent, fat, sedentary, myopic, blind we are… the easier we are to control.

The most pathetic thing out of all of this is that we are doing it to ourselves and even worst, we’re not only fighting to be fat, lazy, unhealthy fucks, we’re arguing for it. We’re the only species on this planet that will gladly pay other people and make them rich to make us fat, sedentary and sick and we do it willingly and with a smile on our faces.

Everytime we purchase a pack of cigarettes, a microwave oven, a cheeseburger, a coke, a beer, lipstick, a bag of chips, etc. we are literally and willingly paying someone else our hard earned money to make us fat, sick and unhealthy. Feel like a blithering idiot yet? I sure did. I felt like the world's biggest fucking moron for purposefully making myself sick and unhealthy while making those who sold me the shit wealthy. The fuck was I thinking?!?!? I wasn't. I was brainwashed like the vast majority.

Start owning your lives, your bodies and your health. Start to detox your body, mind and soul today. Don’t wait until the fucking New Year with your stupid resolutions that last 3 weeks into January only to miserably fail and succumb to your lack of personal strength then repeat themselves the year after.

Research, learn, evolve, grow beyond what you are sold on your televisions. Eat organic, free range, clean, natural foods. Don't EVER listen to the FDA on anything health or nutrition related, their bottom line is the almighty dollar, NOT YOUR HEALTH. Several of the FDA's approved products have killed more people than illegal drugs and alcohol combined on a yearly basis, do your research on this, actually here, let me help you: http://www.healthe-livingnews.com/articles/fda_approved_pharmaceutical_drugs_cause_death_.html

Do not consume anything man made that comes out of a cardboard box, plastic container, microwave or tin can. Get water filtration systems for your homes. Get rid of your microwave ovens and Teflons as they kill food and add toxins to them. Learn to read and understand the damn ingredients before you put it in your or your child’s mouth and make sure you know what they are. Do not ever consume anything with artificial anything especially sweeteners and for fucks sakes, STOP GIVING THAT SHIT TO YOUR CHILDREN at the very least. You won’t give your 6 year old a cigarette yet processed sugar is just as bad if not worst than smoking in the long run but its accepted cause your TV tells you so. Do Some Shit!!!!

Or don’t. Your choice really. Frankly, there are 7 billion of us on earth and few less will do us good… especially the fucking stupid ones.

Rich

Run From the Cure

2011-12-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

Great and informative clip:

Bullshit, illogical laws have to be abolished. Fight illogical laws!!!

2 Hour Intro for Jasper's Community Outreach Services

2011-12-03T16:10:00.002-05:00

Giving a 2 hour Safe for Life demo at Jasper's Community Outreach Services November 30th 2011 featuring one of the few, one of the great.... Spartan Men played by none other than Senshido up and coming instructor Ryan Lackey!

One of the participants volunteers to preempt off an encroachment during an attempt to deescalate the situation.

Demonstrating the strength of the Shredder concept.

Demonstrating a defense against a spontaneous attack after only 1.5 hours of instruction.

Another one of the participants gives preemptive striking off a defusing strategy a shot (no pun intended.)

A defense against a rear attack, still only after 1.5 hours of instruction and no previous self defense training.

The Illusion of the Street Fight

2011-12-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

Through the years I have grown a disdain of the use of the term “street fight” when specifically referring to actual personal protection. This is not to say that criminal acts (assaults, batteries, muggings, ambushes, pick-pocketing, murders, etc.) do not occur on the actual streets of your respective locale, but too often people envision “street fight” as personal protection outside of their comfort zones (i.e. the term “street fight” often does not give allowances to violent crimes that happen inside the home/apartment, the workplace, the daycare center, the grocery store, the movie theater, a friend’s home, doctors office, etc.) and in some seedy part of town.

When I use the term “street fight”, typically I am referring to the ego-based fights and scuffles people actively and willfully engage in. Typically, you will find “street fights” in a populated environment (bar, on the actual street, etc.) due to the ego boost and false sense of respect and street credentials. Using this basic definition, almost all “street fights” can be avoided through intuition, awareness, verbal defusing, and letting go of your ego. In Senshido you will often hear the phrase “Self-Defense begins with the Self” and that “We are our own worst enemies.” These statements are not to be taken as simple philosophical clichés. The approach of a “street fight” will challenge us to deal with our inner demons, emotional baggage, past experiences and potentially open wounded doors without allowing them to be shut. Our egos can cause us to destroy ourselves more often and more severely than any “bad-guy” can. That is why we stress personal evolution, honest introspection and evaluation. If you don’t like it, change it. Simply put.

Some proposed “self-defense” instructors use the term “street fight” in order to elicit the ego of young males. They teach “in a street-fight, you want to do…” when the real message ought to be “use your intuition and awareness to avoid ego-based conflicts”. However, this message is sorely lacking in many RBSD systems, traditional/modern martial arts and MMA systems. It’s simply a marketing ploy used to stroke the egos of the customers (i.e. you). Don’t allow your ego to make your choice for personal protection training…it can have drastically negative effects.

Violence has no home. It knows no one gender, ethnic, culture, socio-economic, or social group. It knows no one location or genre. It is a plague that can and does infect every avenue of our lives. Our homes, our work, our religious institutions, our educational institutions, our political and law enforcement institutions, our stores, etc. Albeit this may seem to be “common sense”, understand that using the phrase “street fight” may paint an unrealistic picture of the location of violence and you may let your guard down.

In Senshido, we teach 3 basic levels of awareness in a color-code system: Code Green (in your safe home, with family and friends that you are safe around), Code Yellow (typically out and about during daylight hours, shopping, at work, etc.) and Code Red (in unfamiliar areas, at night, around people who set off your intuition with negative vibes, hostile physical/verbal behaviors, etc.). You will fluctuate in and out of these different stages of awareness depending on a multiple of variables. For example, if you are in an abusive relationship, you might be in Code Red (hyper aware) in your own home, because your significant other is having a violent episode, etc. This is where real personal protection training should be focusing on, the normal person in their everyday circumstances. You can learn techniques until Jesus comes back, but if it is not holistic training and does not speak directly to you and your emotional/psychological makeup, then you are shortchanging yourself.

Instead of preparing for a “street fight”, I encourage you to become an active member in your own life. Learn personal protection skills, by all means, but let them be used as a vehicle to better you internally. Love yourself and love life. One of the mantras for Senshido Alaska is train realistically to survive reality – and that includes all the areas of one’s life.

Much love and respect,

Malachi

I Don't Care! But I do respect...

2011-11-27T22:53:00.002-05:00

I Don't Care! But I do respect...

Ok, so let's get this out in the open right from the get go, stay with me on this one. I do not care about which God you believe in or what religious beliefs you have, I do not care about your political preferences, or if you are of dark skin, light skin, or if you eat meat or don't eat meat. Hell, I don't care if you are a man or a woman, girl or a boy. Regardless of what you believe in or where you come from, I choose to respect every person and their beliefs based on them as an individual, how they act and how they treat others. So why the rant, well without going into the particulars at great length, recently I was asked a question which I found rather pathetic and ignorant.

Before I reveal the question here is the background for why it was asked. I have recently been receiving a fair bit of positive exposure locally, and have been approached by various organisations to teach Women's Self Protection and Violence Prevention seminars. In light of this I was asked the following by a person that will remain anonymous, " What would I do if the seminar was for a group of Muslim women or even a bunch of feminists", it was a slightly tongue in cheek comment but one in which I feel necessary to explore further.

Well firstly I thought it was laughable that someone would be surprised that a feminist group would want to learn how to protect themselves, after all Im sure they fit the requirement for a Women's only seminar quite nicely. And why the hell shouldn't they want to gain the necessary education, knowledge and physical skills to protect themselves and their loved ones, don't they have every right to.
So what about the group of Muslim women? Exactly, what about it! At no stage would it ever cross my mind that this could be a problem, why the friggin hell would it. People, wake the fark up, we live in the year 2011!!! Get this fact in your heads if it is a problem for you, WE LIVE IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY, embrace it and be glad for it.

My best friend is a Muslim, and at times I am asked if my views would be different on these such matters if this were not the case, and I always remind these ignorant people that it is I who choose to be friends with this person, because on the inside he is an honest, caring human being and a bloody awesome bloke. His colour and religious beliefs play no part in our relationship. So long as society continues to be fed these ridiculous statements things will not change, but the same people will on the other hand say they want their children to grow up in a safe, and happy world free of hate and violence. If we want to see these wishes come true, change needs to start with ourselves, be the change you want to see.

So once again I don't care for any of the above personal individual beliefs. A person's beliefs should be respected, just as you and I wish our beliefs to be respected. If this is a problem for you, then maybe it is time you looked at yourself, and challenge your own insecurities. So long as an individual wants to learn self protection for the right reasons, regardless of colour, race, religion etc, I will provide them with the same passion and determination I show any other person.

I am often asked why I enjoy teaching self protection so much, and I can give many reasons, but the most rewarding thing is I get to do what I love whilst making a difference to the lives of others for the better along the way, using self defence as the vehicle. Senshido affiliates all over the world are helping improve lives daily, SELF DEFENCE THROUGH SELF DEVELOPMENT.

Through teaching self protection we are constantly able to meet and create friendships with people from all walks of life, and we are afforded the opportunity to do what we love, I mean what could possibly be more fun than getting to apply the Shredder on a different person on a regular basis!

DO SOME SHIT.....

Corey 'creamy pawes' Hawes
Advanced Self Defence Newcastle
Senshido Australia

Absolutely Brilliant:

2011-11-24T15:13:00.000-05:00

Couldn't agree more.
Listen with your heart and not your Asshole.

Got KIDS?!?! Wanna protect 'em some?

2011-11-19T16:41:00.001-05:00

A must see for any parent and parent to be in order to make an educated, researched based decision as opposed to a LAZY ASS MYOPIC SHEEP FOLLOWING ONE. Up to you though...

Thriving is the Natural Flow of Life

2011-11-18T16:19:00.002-05:00

New, re-uploaded version:

Hitler was Time magazine's man of the year 1938. Stalin twice.

2011-11-17T14:59:00.003-05:00

Over 2,665,184 views to date.

We THE People...not the Sheeple...

2011-11-15T12:43:00.000-05:00

A new Life Philosophy...

2011-11-13T18:39:00.000-05:00

There's sometimes truth in humor lol....

Pure Brilliance:

2011-11-13T14:41:00.002-05:00

To All Canucks...

2011-11-11T00:16:00.000-05:00

Please.... stop the stupidity and sign the petition:

To Canada’s Provincial Premiers:

As concerned citizens we urge you to immediately declare your opposition to Conservative Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s backwards crime bill that will cost Provinces and taxpayers many millions of tax dollars -- wasting our money on a law that isn't needed and that won't make Canada safer.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_harpers_cruel_crime_bill/?fnTXjcb&pv=16

Thank you.

Senshido Canada

The new kid in town...

2011-11-08T09:10:00.003-05:00

Greetings, my Senshido brothers and sisters;

I am new in town, STOKED to be here, and anxious to start doing sh*t as a member of Team Senshido!

I am borderline-retarded on matters of blogging and such, so if anyone out there has any advice to help me get up-to-speed, it will be well-received and appreciated.

Cheers!

Brian

Health? Moderation? Get informed!

2011-11-05T14:52:00.002-04:00

Too brilliant not to share. From my bro Scott Sonnon off his Facebook Wall:

“Whenever I post strong proof not to consume man made ingestibles vs real FOOD, inevitably someone visiting our discussion posts, "All things in moderation," as a defense for consuming unhealthy substances.

The ancient Greek imperative scrawled over Apollo's temple at Delphi was actually: "Nothing in Excess" (and "Know Thyself.")

Consider the formula of the logical fallacy: “Nothing excessively” does not equal “Everything moderately. Things which are healthy for you can become unhealthy if done excessively, but things which are unhealthy for you cannot become healthy if done in moderation.”

Scott Sonnon

Some Very Valuable Information:

Research, learn, grow, evolve.... stop following, start leading your lives. Self defense BEGINS WITH THE SELF!!!!!

The Greater Good Movie

2011-11-04T16:38:00.003-04:00

An absolute must see.

The most revealing documentary on vaccines today showing both sides of the coin allowing the viewer to make the educated decision, a must for any parent to watch:

The Greater Good Movie

Hemp, Cannabis oil Cures Cancer again:

2011-11-04T13:33:00.001-04:00

Hemp oil kills cancer once again: DO YOUR RESEARCH FOLKS! Stop being sheep and believing everything you are told and RESEARCH SHIT!!!!!!

http://dotsub.com/media/fc4e051a-1709-4e63-8a2c-912b09486c9f/e/m

FACT: There has never been a documented human fatality from overdosing on cannabis in recorded history. However, the synthetic THC pill Marinol produced by Big Pharma as a substitute for marijuana was cited by the FDA as being responsible for 4 of the 11,687 deaths from 17 different FDA approved drugs between January 1, 1997 to June 30, 2005.

As per Paul Zenchuk: "We have an endocannabinoid system which is part of our immune system. Our cannabinoids protect us from strokes, traumas and tumors, the cannabinoids in THC bind and fit perfect in our cannabinoid receptor sites. THC gives us more cannabinoids supercharging our immune systems and rejuvinating organs, they bring the body back into homeostasis. Cannabinoids kill cancer by autophagy and apoptosis. Most cancers are reversed by cannabis oil, the governments and pharmacies know this and that is why cannabis is illegal."

Reality Check

2011-10-28T15:25:00.002-04:00

So there we were, all gathered around in a circle at the end of class, nothing unusual, just a good way to finish up and debrief what we had been working on. Now is a good chance for students to ask questions and an opportunity for all to express their thoughts.

"When can I actually hit someone?", asks one of the students. Hmm, this will be interesting, and so it was......

Let me elaborate further on the details relating to this question. The student works at a night club as a doorman / bouncer / security guard, call it what you like,. He went on to explain an incident (if you can call it that), which he was involved in during the weekend, your typical run of the mill scenario that nearly every doorman confronts across the country over a typical weekend, which went something like this:

Student: Whilst at work, he was outside after having just helped evict a club patron. The evicted man becomes slightly aggressive and confrontational, and starts to verbally abuse and berate the workers from a distance of no immediate threat. Now at this point Im thinking so far so good, typical behavior with no immediate threat or danger to be overly concerned about, but the student insisted that he did in fact feel threatened, and wanted to know at what stage could he legally hit someone, in this case the evicted man. For the record, I asked how close was the man when he was being aggressive to which he replied, " Oh, he was on the road and I was on the footpath outside the club"

Immediately the comments flowed from other students, and instructor, something along the lines of this: "As soon as you feel threatened", "If he get's to close" , "if he clenches his fists" or this is a good one, " Just direct him away from the camera's and then deal with it", blah blah blah.

Holy shit what the hell am I hearing!!! These types of comments were baffling to me, and this coming from students of a reality based system. Now if you are continuing to read this you would no doubt have gathered that my thoughts on the matter differed somewhat to the ignorant black and white comments and statements mentioned. When it comes to real life confrontation there are so many shades of grey it's not funny.

Let's look at a couple of scenario's here, both with very different outcomes using hypothetical action's for the sake of this exercise:

Scenario 1: Let's say that after the man had been ejected, he did in fact choose to confront our doorman getting right up in his face using aggressive language and posturing. Now lets imagine that given the circumstances the doorman, (going by the advice of the fellow students) strikes the man causing him to back up and think twice about continuing his rant. So he decides to leave, bruised ego in check, the doorman is satisfied with his action's and he is looking pretty good to his mates and the onlookers. Conclusion: No damage done, everyone goes home with nothing more than a black eye/cut lip, whatever. So has he handles the situation effectively in this scenario? Given the minimal details outlined above it is really hard to say, only he can honestly know if at that moment in time there was no other option due to the perceived threat.

Mmm, no other option??? We will come back to this shortly.

Scenario 2: As above, the difference now being the end result. So the man is up in the doorman's face and blah blah you get the point, he is struck and on this occasion he falls back, and his head strikes the concrete as he falls to the ground. This scenario is all too familiar. There are people everywhere, plenty of onlookers and all they seen was two guys at close quarters, one is struck and next thing you know he is on the ground and not moving. They didn't see any attempt to avoid the situation any further, there was no signs of verbal de-escalation and for those not in range to hear what was being said at no time did at appear apparent that the doorman was trying to defuse the situation. (Evident through body language)

Conclusion: The aggressor is taken to hospital, he is now in a coma and sadly he dies. His families life is turned upside down in an instant, his children have no father, his wife lost a husband, so on and so on.... The doorman is now the subject of a manslaughter case that could drag on for a very long time. His family is also devastated by the event, you can see the point. The ripple effect from the above is immense, all because of one small incident.

"Mr Keohane, who remained unconscious for 218 days after the attack, needs 24-hour supervision and will be dependent on anti-convulsive medication for the foreseeable future." (Sydney Morning Herald).

So now is the point where I have heard many people will say, " Well he friggin deserved it", " He shouldn't have been acting like a dick", typical ego related responses. But hey, it's easy to make these statements when you're not involved. And yes the above is only a hypothetical, but it is one that occurs so often it can be found in any newspaper quite regularly.

So my point is, well let's get back to the original question, "When can I actually hit someone"?

I am of the belief that in the eyes of most legal systems, it is only acceptable to use physical force to defend yourself or another, only when the person being defended can not escape. (ie: All avenues for prevention have been exhausted)

Now that you have read the above does your opinion differ? First and foremost we teach and educate our students on Avoidance, through awareness, target hardening and intuition. At no stage in the above did it appear avoidance was even considered. Secondly, we teach, educate and drill our students on de-escalation and diffusion. We want to give the aggressor an outlet, presenting him/her every possible chance to walk away.

It is only if this fails, that we consider a physical response. By doing the above diligently, we essentially roll the dice in our favor, the benefits of this approach are massive, not just to allow for an effective physical response, but also on a psychological, moral, and legal level.

What about considering the variables, which are plentiful. The threat could be directed at you from a friend, who may be drunk and being aggressive. Or what about a young lady , or an elderly person. How do you react if you feel threatened in theses situations? As I stated previously, real life confrontations have many shades of grey, the dynamics are changing constantly. If your current training does not cover these many different scenarios and you don't train for avoidance and de-escalation, you are not even scratching the surface for what REAL self protection is about.

So taking into consideration what has been discussed above, have you changed your views or opinions on how you would approach a potential threatening situation, given the variables and potential outcomes? Or does it challenge you to raise questions about your own training?

Is this a reality check for you?

Note: This article may have started with reference to a bouncer/doorman, but is in no way directed at those who do this type of work. Thank you.

Corey 'Creamy Pawes' Hawes

Senshido International Team Member

Senshido Australia

The Effects of TV on the Human Brain:

2011-10-27T23:42:00.001-04:00

An excellent but long, yet worth 'absorbing what is useful...' piece along with references:

How Television Effects the Human Brain and Mind

References for the Article above

"Absorb what is useful, apply specifically what is of your own and disregard the rest." - Bruce Lee

Top 10 Countries Today:

2011-10-27T15:16:00.001-04:00

The following are today's top 10 countries visiting our blog:

1. Canada

2. United States

3. Australia

4. Netherlands

5. Russia

6. Germany

7. Finland

8. Slovenia

9. Taiwan

10. Brazil

Thank you all for your continued support, we very much appreciate the positive wave...

The Senshido International Team

Remember Carla:

2011-10-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

Remembering Carla, one of our Senshido family members, we miss you:

Listen...

2011-10-26T20:07:00.000-04:00

Personal Test For Personal Development

2011-10-25T16:19:00.001-04:00

Do you have the strength to sit by yourself for 4 or more days without any kind of technology or distractions whatsoever? Without anything to read or write or watch or do? Without anything to listen to but the sounds of your own thoughts and voice?

Do you have the strength to be alone with yourself for 4 full days and see what you discover about yourself?

Take the test and challenge yourself by following these 9 "easy" steps....

Step 1: Plan for 4 full days in a row where you know you won't have to work, go to school, or be distracted or bothered by anyone.

Step 2: Find a location where you can be alone for 4 full days and nights by yourself, much preferably sound proof. Home alone if you live alone or can manage to get the home to yourself for 4 full days, a retreat, a cabin in the woods or camping in a tent for that matter. Make sure loved ones know where you are but let them know not to come for you other than an emergency.

Step 3: Make certain you have enough healthy food and drink to last you the 4 days without the need to ever exit the premises. Use the normal time you would to cook/prepare and eat your daily meals as you would or as the hunger arises.

Step 4: No technology (ie. tv, radio, computer, etc.) No books. No paper, no pen, no company, no contact with any other human being - NOTHING but you, comfortable seating of your choice in a room/environment of choice, the 4 walls that surround you AND YOUR THOUGHTS. Feel free to move around, walk, pace, etc.

Step 5: No alcohol, or mind/mood altering drugs (legal or illegal) of any kind during the 4 days or excess of caffeine; other than necessary health related medications you maybe on.

Step 6: Sleep when the need arises but do not exceed 7-8 hours of sleep within a 24-hour period during the 4 days. Do not sleep less than 7 hours per 24 hour period either if you can. If you experience insomnia, continue your self examination and introspection as you would during your normal waking hours until you eventually do fall asleep. Preferably, go to sleep with sundown and wake up with the sunrise.

Step 7: Without any judgment whatsoever; Observe, analyse, dissect, examine and feel out every single random thoughts that enter your head and emotions you feel during your every waking moment be they positive, negative or neutral. Cry, laugh, scream, etc. when you feel the need as it comes naturally.

Step 8: Question what needs questioning as it arises, question especially all dark emotions and decipher the origin of their roots: emotions like hate, rage, envy, greed, fear, insecurity, depression, sadness, judgment, resentment, etc. Identify the positive emotions and thoughts, familiarize yourself with their roots and origins, compare the energies of the dark vs lighter thoughts and emotions and their spirals.

Step 9: Don't shy away from yourself, learn, grow, evolve from your discoveries.

This is a beginning to your personal development and betterment.... Self Actualization, introspection and analysis is crucial to personal evolution and growth.

Please, do feel free to post and share your experiences after the 4th day....

Do Some!!!!

Rich Dimitri

Awaken the sheeple inside....

2011-10-23T15:12:00.000-04:00

Research, learn, grow, evolve, DO SOME SHIT!!!!

2011-10-22T19:22:00.000-04:00

A very revealing documentary:

INFORMATION. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!

Anonymous Takes Down Child Porn:

2011-10-21T14:11:00.000-04:00

BEAUTIFUL:

http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/anonymous-hackers-child-porn-sites-1260/

Members of the Anonymous hacktivist movement are claiming responsibility for taking down more than 40 secret child-pornography websites and leaking the names of more than 1,500 members of one of the illegal sites.

The Anonymous campaign began Oct. 14, when members of the hacktivist group found a cache of child-pornography websites while browsing a secret website called the Hidden Wiki, a guidebook to hundreds of underground websites invisible to search engines and regular Internet users. The hackers singled out Lolita City, a file-sharing site used by pedophiles, and leaked the names of the site's 1,589 active members to Pastebin on Tuesday (Oct. 18), the Examiner reported.

Member of Anonymous deciding to hack a website whose stance they don't agree with is by no means shocking news. In the past year, Anonymous-affiliated hackers have gone after the New York Stock Exchange, the Westboro Baptist Church, the Recording Industry Association of America and government sites in Malaysia, Egypt, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

However, in targeting child pornography sites, and in explaining its methods of attack, these Anonymous-affiliated hackers have revealed a deeply disturbing side of the Internet unknown to most people.

The so-called "darknet," from which this "Operation Darknet" hacking campaign takes its name, is any part of the Internet that is hidden from view — not just hard to reach, but deliberately concealed. In this instance, a darknet appears to have grown out of the free TOR routing service, which offers anonymous, encrypted Web browsing to any user.

The TOR-based darknet has reportedly grown into a private, encrypted constellation of websites offering a variety of shady and illegal services, from fake IDs and steroids to email hacking and tip on how to call in police raids as pranks. There's even a hidden site called "The Last Box" that bills itself as an "Assassination Market."

Only computers that have installed TOR browser plug-ins can access the TOR-based darknet, including its guidebook the Hidden Wiki, the security site Infosec Island reported.

In another Pastebin posting, the hackers explained that their campaign against the child pornography sites took root when they found a site listed on the Hidden Wiki called "Hard Candy," which "was dedicated to links to child pornography." The group delved deeper and discovered that nearly all of the pornography sites listed on the Hidden Wiki "shared a digital fingerprint with the shared hosting server at Freedom Hosting."

The Anonymous-affiliated hackers then issued a warning to Freedom Hosting asking it to remove the child pornography links from its server. Freedom Hosting did not comply, so the group, at approximately 11:30 p.m. (CST) on Oct. 14 shutdown Freedom Hosting's server. Freedom Hosting restored service the following day, but it was attacked and taken down again that night.

In its statement, the Anonymous members explained their goals and how they aim to achieve them through repeated pressure and consistent online attacks.

"The owners and operators at Freedom Hosting are openly supporting child pornography and enabling pedophiles to view innocent children, fueling their issues and putting children at risk of abduction, molestation, rape and death," the message said. "For this, Freedom Hosting has been declared #OpDarknet Enemy Number One. By taking down Freedom Hosting, we are eliminating 40+ child pornography websites, among these is Lolita City, one of the largest child pornography websites to date containing more than 100 GB of child pornography. We will continue to not only crash Freedom Hosting's server, but any other server we find to contain, promote, or support child pornography."

The statement added a demand to Freedom Hosting and other Web servers hosting child pornography.

"Remove all child pornography content from your servers. Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography. This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the Internet. It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target."

The trail goes cold in looking for whoever is behind Freedom Hosting. The domain is currently offline; WHOIS domain-name lookups show that the registration for freedom-hosting.com expired on Aug. 7, and the registrar is holding the URL pending renewal.

2 Year Old uses Cannabis Oil to cure Stage 4 Brain Tumor

2011-10-21T13:01:00.001-04:00

"100 years from now, we will look at chemotherapy just like we now look at blood-letting and leaches as medical treatments." - Kerry Morrison

A couple of Interesting Blogs...

2011-10-17T15:30:00.001-04:00

http://www.collapsenet.com/

http://www.tatumba.com/blog/

If it it aint broke, don't fix it?!?!?

2011-10-15T13:54:00.002-04:00

There aint nothing new under the sun?

How many times have we heard these quotes? In my opinion if we were to listen to these quotes, we'd be sitting on our laurels and progress would cease to exist. I believe that these types of quotes are made by people who are either threatened by change or to lazy to work at evolving beyond the status quo.

As an example, I'd like to refer to our controversial yet revolutionary (as labeled by most who have experienced it) Shredder concept and tool. Are the tools within the Shredder new? No. Has it ever been performed before? Probably but not knowingly and definitely without the fundamental understanding of the abiding principles that rendered what they did functional. In crystallizing the concepts and identifying its underlying scientific principles then putting it together as we did, we created a new methodology to deal with extreme close quarter situations where none prior existed. This evolutionary path is a critical one for further development of functional training or else thousands upon thousands of martial artists today would still only be practicing chi sao, hubud and other dead pattern oriented methods of close quarter combat.

Not to state that these more traditional methods have nothing to offer but there certainly was room for major improvement in terms of performance enhancement and tactile sensitivity development. More modern and scientific approaches like the development drills for the Shredder not only enhance the same attributes but does it in a much quicker and realistic (in terms of replicating a real fight) than any of the more traditional and even modern day methods for that matter.

Although Musashi, Sun Tzu and Machiavelli were brilliant strategists, we don't still train sword fighting (in terms of survival enhancement) due to the fact that not many people in today's modern societies walk around with Katana's on their backs or sides. The foundational principles behind their strategic endeavors are still applicable today but the vehicle in which they applied the strategies are now outdated.

As violence in societies evolved and as the tactics, methods and even weaponry evolved, it becomes necessary to provide evolutionary solutions to the problems which violence presents us with, and more efficient ways of handling such circumstances that replicate the realities of today's needs. Since necessity is the mother of invention we must therefore evolve to acclimatize to the realities of today's world.

Evolution is paramount therefore variables must always change and history must always be taken into consideration as the building blocks. Change over time through what Darwin called 'descent with modification' is a necessity. If we don't take evolution into account, our solutions to today's violence are likely to fail. The instrument of evolution is based on can be found in these four fundamentals:

1. Necessity
2. Variation
3. Optimum Selection
4. The Relevance of Time

However, always keep in mind the nature of science and evidential truth; how do we know what we know? Concepts must guide your planning to the ideas that are central to the understanding of evolution and without science and its governing rules, though inconclusive due to its own evolving nature; we are left with speculation and theory.

Take a look at history and the expansion and contraction of systems and styles as natural progression occurred, for example what Bruce Lee did with the traditional martial arts and the development of Jeet Kune Do. The guiding principle in this case is survival and so we must eliminate what does not directly ensure it and see what remains.

If modifications are necessary then so be it and for the most part modifications will become necessary in order to maintain improvement. Simply put, 'to simplify'. One of our guiding principles at Senshido is to remain open and responsive while maintaining structural integrity in replicating real world attacks as closely as possible in the development of such drills.

This movement is natural thus we must retain that, inevitably, simple truth will be diluted in order to crystallize, and commercialize for ego, money, fame, etc. this is predicated on people's natural fears of evolution and change. That is how the Shredder is an example of this funnel effect, the pieces were already there and I just put them together and pointed it out.

The system must remain open and permeable, it is more of a vehicle to a truth rather than the truth itself but if it crystallizes and/or solidifies, than evolution ceases. In regards to the aforementioned Shredder, although the elements already existed, the method in which it was juxtaposed is what makes it unique or 'new' so to speak. As the majority of the martial arts industry focused primarily on grappling and striking and abandoned most close quarter systems due to the lack of reality and dead pattern oriented drills that were only applicable for the extremely gifted and those who were willing to put in the decades worth of training to make these attributes functional, we researched and analyzed the missing link between the old and the more modern methods of training and found the missing pieces and continue to do so.

So in the end, even if it aint broke, still seek improvement. Both interiorly and exteriorly. There may not be any 1 thing new under the sun but the formulas in which things are presented in order to help achieve better results sure are.

Sincerely,
Richard Dimitri

Clearing the Smoke

2011-10-14T19:53:00.000-04:00

Information is invaluable and helps breaks bullshit myths and propaganda, inform yourselves, learn, grow, evolve:

Expressionless Striking Drill

2011-10-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

I just got back in from hitting the heavy bag and thought I would pin this little solo-drill.

Many times when I’m striking the heavy bag or a strike pad, (punching mitts, kick shield, etc.) I tend to put in a lot of emotion into my strikes. When I’m working the front (“This is Sparta!”) kick for example, I am envisioning kicking down a door where some psychopath has my children. I often find (and feel) my facial expressions and other body language quirks working overtime, showing my intent to tear into someone. Not to say this is “always bad”, but I noticed I, at times, show these same expressions when working off of the passive stance and pre-emptive work; which would undermine the behavioral manipulation we’re striving for (i.e. using a passive stance and congruous body language and choice words allows the attacker’s ego to rise while lowering their guard…slight shifts in body language that deny the behavioral manipulation will alert the attacker with your own intentions).

I decided to begin working on remaining expressionless (at least, striving to hide the anger/rage/fear) when I started hitting the bag. It can be harder than what it seems on paper, let me tell you.

It might seem simple, but when you truly and honestly evaluate yourself, you may catch yourself beginning to smirk, your jaw tighten up, your eyes squint, your upper lip beginning to snarl, your teeth gritting together – all before you actually let loose with your strike.

Why the importance of such a drill? Within the framework of Senshido, we strive to understand Aggressive Body Language (ABL) as a means to pick up on intent to act. Many times people will say Senshido practitioners move “faster” than others – when in actuality we train ourselves to move “sooner” than others, because we can pick up on the bad guy’s intent to act via having a comprehensive understanding of common ABL. Knowing this, isn’t the reverse true as well? If body language is between 60-80% of communication (depending on which study you subscribe to), even the slightest aggressive body language can drastically change the altercation, allowing the attacker’s guard to rise up and mentally prepare for your physical retaliation.

This drill is outlined for striking, but it can also be done with clinch work, ground work, etc. Your imagination is the limits.

How to internalize the drill:

With the daily struggles in life, the workload, family problems, people who don't know how to drive, etc. we often will exhibt various facial expressions and body language that shows how we truly feel in that moment. Sometimes, we are not aware of how others may perceive us - especially those closest to us. So, begin taking inventory of what your body language and facial expressions are at any given time of the day (in particular, pay special attention to these things during stressful moments with family, friends and co-workers). When you honestly begin to internalize the drill, you will become more aware of your body language and will have the tools to begin changing them and having a more proactive approach to the situation, instead of compounding it by any negativity you may exhibit.

Regards,

Malachi Bond
Senshido International Team Member - Senshido Alaska

The Venus Project.

2011-10-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

If only we as a human race would listen to this man. Do yourself a favour, read the article, and watch the video. This is amazing!

The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life.

We operate out of a 21.5-acre Research Center located in Venus, Florida.

When one considers the enormity of the challenges facing society today, we can safely conclude that the time is long overdue for us to re-examine our values and to reflect upon and evaluate some of the underlying issues and assumptions we have as a society. This self-analysis calls into question the very nature of what it means to be human, what it means to be a member of a "civilization," and what choices we can make today to ensure a prosperous future for all the world's people.

At present we are left with very few alternatives. The answers of yesterday are no longer relevant. Either we continue as we have been with our outmoded social customs and habits of thought, in which case our future will be threatened, or we can apply a more appropriate set of values that are relevant to an emergent society.

Experience tells us that human behavior can be modified, either toward constructive or destructive activity. This is what The Venus Project is all about - directing our technology and resources toward the positive, for the maximum benefit of people and planet, and seeking out new ways of thinking and living that emphasize and celebrate the vast potential of the human spirit. We have the tools at hand to design and build a future that is worthy of the human potential. The Venus Project presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. What follows is not an attempt to predict what will be done, only what could be done. The responsibility for our future is in our hands, and depends on the decisions that we make today. The greatest resource that is available today is our own ingenuity.

While social reformers and think tanks formulate strategies that treat only superficial symptoms, without touching the basic social operation, The Venus Project approaches these problems somewhat differently. We feel we cannot eliminate these problems within the framework of the present political and monetary establishment. It would take too many years to accomplish any significant change. Most likely they would be watered down and thinned out to such an extent that the changes would be indistinguishable.

The Venus Project advocates an alternative vision for a sustainable new world civilization unlike any social system that has gone before. Although this description is highly condensed, it is based upon years of study and experimental research by many, many people from many scientific disciplines.

We proposes a fresh, hollistic approach - one that is dedicated to human and environmental concerns. It is an attainable vision of a bright and better future, one that is appropriate to the times in which we live, and both practical and feasible for a positive future for all the world's people.

The Venus Project calls for a straightforward approach to the redesign of a culture, in which the age-old inadequacies of war, poverty, hunger, debt, environmental degradation and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but totally unacceptable.

One of the basic premises of The Venus Project is that we work towards having all of the Earth's resources as the common heritage of all the world's people. Anything less will simply result in a continuation of the same catalog of problems inherent in the present system.

Throughout history, change has been slow. Successive groups of incompetent leaders have replaced those that preceded them, but the underlying social and economic problems remain because the basic value systems have gone unaltered. The problems we are faced with today cannot be solved politically or financially because they are highly technical in nature. There may not even be enough money available to pay for the required changes, but there are more than enough resources. This is why The Venus Project advocates the transition from a monetary-based society to the eventual realization of a resource-based global economy.

We realize to make the transition from our present culture, which is politically incompetent, scarcity-oriented and obsolete, to this new, more humane society will require a quantum leap in both thought and action.

An Obsolete Monetary System

The money-based system evolved centuries ago. All of the world's economic systems - socialism, communism, fascism, and even the vaunted free enterprise system - perpetuate social stratification, elitism, nationalism, and racism, primarily based on economic disparity. As long as a social system uses money or barter, people and nations will seek to maintain the economic competitive edge or, if they cannot do so by means of commerce they will by military intervention. We still utilize these same outmoded methods.

Our current monetary system is not capable of providing a high standard of living for everyone, nor can it ensure the protection of the environment because the major motive is profit. Strategies such as downsizing and toxic dumping increase the profit margin. With the advent of automation, cybernation, artificial intelligence and out sourcing, there will be an ever-increasing replacement of people by machines. As a result, fewer people will be able to purchase goods and services even though our capability to produce an abundance will continue to exist.

Our present, outmoded political and economic systems are unable to apply the real benefits of today's innovative technology to achieve the greatest good for all people, and to overcome the inequities imposed upon so many. Our technology is racing forward yet our social designs have remained relatively static. In other words cultural change has not kept pace with technological change. We now have the means to produce goods and services in abundance for everyone.

Unfortunately, today science and technology have been diverted from achieving the greatest good for reasons of self-interest and monetary gain through planned obsolescence sometimes referred to as the conscious withdrawal of efficiency. For example, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, whose function is presumed to be conducting research into ways of achieving higher crop yields per acre, actually pays farmers not to produce at full-capacity. The monetary system tends to hold back the application of these methods that we know would best serve the interests of people and the environment.

In a monetary system purchasing power is not related to our capacity to produce goods and services. For example, during a depression, there are computers and DVD's on store shelves and automobiles in car lots, but most people do not have the purchasing power to buy them. The earth is still the same place; it is just the rules of the game that are obsolete and create strife, deprivation and unnecessary human suffering.

A monetary system developed years ago as a device to control human behavior in an environment with limited resources. Today money is used to regulate the economy not for the benefit of the general populace, but for those who control the financial wealth of nations.

Resource Based Economy

All socio-economic systems, regardless of political philosophy, religious beliefs, or social customs, ultimately depend upon natural resources, i.e. clean air and water, arable land and the necessary technology and personnel to maintain a high standard of living.

Simply stated, a resource-based economy utilizes existing resources rather than money and provides an equitable method of distributing these resources in the most efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude.

Earth is abundant with plentiful resources; today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival. Modern society has access to highly advanced technologies and can make available food, clothing, housing, medical care, a relevant educational system, and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy such as geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, etc. It is now possible to have everyone enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities that a prosperous civilization can provide. This can be accomplished through the intelligent and humane application of science and technology.

To better understand the meaning of a resource-based economy consider this: if all the money in the world were destroyed, as long as topsoil, factories, and other resources were left intact, we could build anything we choose to build and fulfill any human need. It is not money that people need; rather, it is free access to the necessities of life. In a resource-based economy , money would be irrelevant. All that would be required are the resources and the manufacturing and distribution of the products.

When education and resources are made available to all people without a price tag, there would be no limit to the human potential. Although this is difficult to imagine, even the wealthiest person today would be far better off in a resource based society as proposed by The Venus Project. Today the middle classes live better than kings of times past. In a resource based economy everyone would live better than the wealthiest of today.

In a resource based society, the measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one's individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power.

The Choice Is Ours To Make

Human behavior is subject to the same laws as any other natural phenomenon. Our customs, behaviors, and values are byproducts of our culture. No one is born with greed, prejudice, bigotry, patriotism and hatred; these are all learned behavior patterns. If the environment is unaltered, similar behavior will reoccur.

Today, much of the technology needed to bring about a global Resource Based Economy exists. If we choose to conform to the limitations of our present monetary-based economy, then it is likely that we will continue to live with its inevitable results: war, poverty, hunger, deprivation, crime, ignorance, stress, fear, and inequity. On the other hand, if we embrace the concept of a global resource-based economy , learn more about it, and share our understanding with our friends, this will help humanity evolve out of its present state.

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Hope you enjoyed this!

- Jeff "Stinge" Liboiron

2011-10-10T00:35:00.002-04:00

The DO SOME SHIT list.

2011-10-05T21:59:00.003-04:00

On October 3^rd, 2011, a dream of mine came true. I saw my favourite band, Evergrey, live in concert. I had to wait 9 years to see them, as they are from Sweden, and never come to Canada. It was the single greatest moment of my life thus far, aside from hanging with Richard Dimitri, and telling fart jokes of course….but seriously, it made me think about how we live our lives afterwards. We work, and slave at jobs we hate (most of us. Not me, anymore) 40+ hours a week per year just to have a measly fucking 2 weeks off so we can enjoy our lives. Even then, I know many people that don’t do a single fucking thing but sit at home, and think about going back to work. This is not how we are meant to live, people. Forget all that “nice” shit you can buy if you work 60 hours a week. It will end up owning YOU one day, so instead, make a fucking DO SOME SHIT list. Put everything you want to do on there, and start. Doesn't matter how big or how small. A concert like I went to can seem like a small thing to some people, but to me, it was priceless. I would have sacrificed millions of dollars, and a career to see it.

When it comes down to it, you need passion in life. You need a reason to get up in the morning. For me it’s training Senshido, working out and writing/recording music. It can be knitting…. whatever! If you don’t have one, you WILL find yourself wasting your time and energy on complete shit like TV, and buying shit from Ikea to make your apartment “perfect.” You will simply “exist” without accomplishing much of anything at all. You will not be bettering yourself. You only have one life, and you should do and see everything you can. Speaking of “seeing” my next dream is to leave Canada next year for an extended period of time, and become an “explorer” of sorts. I want to climb mountains, and volcanoes, explore jungles, and sit under palm trees while drinking a coconut. I want to live in a bamboo hut with NOTHING except maybe a book. I want to train outdoors everyday, all year round in a climate that doesn’t suck! Maybe tourists will want to train with me on the beach, and maybe the locals will think I’m insane, but I don’t care what people think anymore, and haven’t for a long time. I think everyone should explore the world, and see its beauty. There is so much beauty in this world, and we don’t realize it because we are busy sitting in our offices, or watching the fucking news, which broadcasts nothing but death 90% of the time. Fuck the news. Instead of spending an hour watching that shit, spend it with a friend, or your family. They won’t be around forever.

Go do some shit on your DO SOME SHIT list. I want everyone who reads this to make one, and post it on their facebook page under “notes,” and tag me, Jeff Liboiron, or Senshido International in it so we can all see and share our do some shit lists in order to inspire one another. It won’t take long before we are all doing some shit!! Now, I gotta go do my second training session of the day. Peace!

Keeping It Real

2011-09-22T20:49:00.000-04:00

Yeah....KEEP IT REAL

My name is Jeff Liboiron and I am a Senshido Instructor in Nanaimo, BC, Canada. I wanted to write this short article to bring awareness to the integrity of the Senshido team and the organization.

I had a job interview recently where a guy was looking for instructors to help out with running a new school he wanted to open up in my city. I, of course, responded with some level of interest and decided to meet this individual and see what he had to offer since I love training all the time, and love teaching as well when I get the opportunity to do so. It seemed like a good idea right? WRONG….

He has successfully opened up a few martial art schools across Canada, all of which are doing very well, I believe. I found out his curriculum is based off of kung fu, and he focuses only on bringing in families and children. While there is nothing wrong with this, I found that there was something very wrong with him advertising that he teaches “self defense.” His self-defense highlight video had absolutely no self defense training in it whatsoever. It was just a bunch of people hitting bags and pads. That’s great for developing attributes, and should be done, but…. where’s the self defense?

His debate was that most people are not willing to defend themselves psychologically. While this can be true, I have found that I have been able to get rid of this belief in every single one of my students if they did indeed have it at the start. All it takes is proper training, and primarily psychological training. He argued that the enemy is not the guy with the knife, but it is obesity in children, and not taking care of your body. This is also true, but at the same time, can these families and children NOT learn about diet, health, fitness, AND self defense that works.

I know that Senshido and other Combative training methods are not the norm or what’s popular. I don’t plan to make a living off of it, but people…wake the fuck up and think for yourselves. Don’t be sheep. This guy told me he pays one of his students 60 grand a year, and bought him a car to run a school for him. I didn’t even flinch. I am not going to, not even for a million bucks a year, teach people things that will get them killed. My goal is not a black belt. It’s getting home at the end of the day should I need to use my training. Speaking of which, I have had to do so many times, including saving my life two or three times aside from the attempted beatings or muggings. I know what real violence is like, I know how awful it is to hear a guys jaw break when you palm strike it, or hear someone try to breath after you punch them in the neck. It’s not pleasant, and it has affected me negatively, but at the same time positively as well in that I can pass on my knowledge to others should fate put them in a self defense situation.

All I can do, or any of us can do is keep fighting the good fight. Provide good training to yourselves, and to your loved ones. Workout a lot, eat right, get off the computer and off the couch, travel, explore your mind, introspect. Fuck, take two days in a row and do NOTHING but ask YOU who YOU are. That’s not much is it? When you find answers, stick to your morals, beliefs. KEEP IT REAL, and DO SOME SHIT!

100 BEST MOVIE INSULTS!!!!

2011-09-01T14:08:00.000-04:00

LOL.

FREEEDOM!!!!! ROTFLMFAO at the illusions of freedom we have.... LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-08-29T13:31:00.001-04:00

Feel free to smoke, drink and eat processed poison and stuff your face with McDonald's BUT DON'T YOU DARE drink raw milk!!!!

How long will society accept RETARDED BULLSHIT?!?!?!??!???

The War Machine!!! (no, not that one lol)

2011-08-28T16:44:00.000-04:00

Know where your money is going.

Ron Paul...

2011-08-27T16:29:00.000-04:00

If he actually wins and actually does one one hundredth of what he prophesies, how long before he is assassinated do you think?

END IGNORANCE! It's 2011; for FUCK'S SAKES!!!!! Wake up!!!

2011-08-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

Truth's a BITCH...

2011-08-27T15:46:00.001-04:00

Truth is the greatest bitch facing the greatest resistance by the greatest of egos.

Top 10 Countries Who Visit our Blog

2011-08-26T15:23:00.001-04:00

The following are the present (at this time, August 2011) top 10 countries of readers who visit our blog:

1. Canada

2. USA

3. Australia

4. Finland

5. UK

6. Germany

7. France

8. Belgium

9. Egypt

10. Netherlands

Thank you all.... we appreciate your support and hope you enjoy all we bring you.

Much peace,
Rich

Keeping the Senshido Spirit Alive in Montreal Canada

2011-08-26T14:31:00.001-04:00

Senshido was born and raised in Montreal Canada and has since travelled the world and moved a couple of times from Montreal to Cairo Egypt and back to Canada in stunning Jasper Alberta and my bro Senshido International Team member Wesley Derequito and his team of Ara Academy has kept the Senshido old school feeling & spirit very much alive where it all began in Montreal Canada.

The brutal truth and reality of a knife attack....

2011-08-25T23:52:00.003-04:00

Laying down some truth on knife assaults..... and somehow reminding myself of Count Dante from back when....

Fuck the box think outside your perceived reality!

2011-08-25T17:28:00.002-04:00

From the Manifesto of Growth, principle number 2 states:

"Forget about just good. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth, evolution, is not necessarily rooted in good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you only stick to 'good' you will never have real growth."

Bruce Lee prophetically stated in the legendary movie Enter the Dragon, "Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory." He also said, which millions quote, "Absorb what is useful, add what is specifically of your own and disregard the rest." along with " Using no way as way, having no limitations as limitations."

Brilliant words. Brilliant quotes. Brilliant ideology. To live by these words, one would have to greatly reduce the levels of judgement we possess as a species. Judgement tends to lead to subjectivism via pre-conceived notions therefore not allowing one to explore "all the heavenly glory" as judgment fixates one on the proverbial finger regardless of what it may be.

It would require not to be bound by former truths, to literally "empty one's cup" in order to expand our conscious horizons beyond what we presently believe to be set in stone, and perceived of as real... it would require the ability to explore all facets good and bad as no growth happens strictly in the good of things.

The most challenging moments in life, the most painful ones, the one's that permanently scar the soul to its core... these are the moments fighters call "Baptism Under Fire". These are the moments that lead the human being to the crossroads of growth & evolution OR regression & self destruction. These are the defining moments in a human being's life that either make or break em. No two ways about that, growth, evolution occurs when our beliefs are challenged, our core foundations are dissed on, pissed on and beat down and it takes more than rising from up off the ground to define getting back on the saddle as most get back on the exact same saddle they fell off of.

Getting back up is not the tough part nor is it the goal, that is but the subservient beginning.... learning from the hells we endure, put ourselves through and choose based on our core beliefs.... growing from the understanding of what went wrong and evolving into a better human being while moving on fighting the good fight, being accountable for all things in our lives.

Every great achiever, every extra ordinary human being that ever lived; be they world changers, entertainers, politicians, activists, performer, teacher or religious guru all followed very similar paths, they all, if you will, swam in the same sea of subconsciousness regardless of differing paths or choices made - seemingly out of reach to the average folk. So much so… some of these extra ordinary human beings were murdered, condemned, chastised, ridiculed, defamed, imprisoned etc. out of great fear they would change the ever so precious status quo… the sea they swam in was the sea of unwaivered redefined beliefs.

From healing diseases to how long we live, from success in careers and relationships, from making to breaking it, everything that we experience as and in our “life” is directly linked to our core beliefs. To change our lives, relationships and even the world, to bring peace to our families, nations and even the world requires a precise shift in the way we think and process information outside of the status quo and general acceptance of societal and general thought processes.

I believe why we, the human race, are here is simply to evolve as a collective organism. Continuously evolve as a specie, never, ever cease to evolve for the potentials, the possibilities are truly as limitless as we believe them to be. I believe humanity has the potential of one day reaching the very status of being we gave and call "God".

Evolution folks…. Human evolution. If every free thinker outside the proverbial societal, religious, cultured, race based, political and deemed “normal” box in the world did indeed listen to the majority of the status quo mother fuckers out there…. We’d still all be living in caves and Butt Scratchers wouldn't exist…. We live our lives based on what we believe about our world, ourselves, our capabilities and our limits. Choose freely I say as beliefs are the programs that create the patterns of human reality.

Do some shit!

Rich Dimitri

August 2011 Vancouver Shredder Seminar Pics...

2011-08-24T19:57:00.003-04:00

Just returned from a gorgeous road trip from Jasper Alberta to Vancouver BC for a 1 day Shredder work shop at Senshido Vancouver.

All photos by David Rice

No one is absolved of questioning

2011-08-18T01:58:00.000-04:00

Lmfao... he may have had some great and powerful questions and as valid as they still are and need some serious answering, this brother isn't above being questioned himself on some bullshit as well:

Peaceful Imagery...

2011-08-16T22:29:00.000-04:00

Some Strong Words & Powerful Questions:

2011-08-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

Powerful words and questions from this brother... please do feel free to comment.

Passion, Heart and Truth.... Wicked Combo....

2011-08-15T14:32:00.000-04:00

I love this brother's passion.....

A Sister with Heart, Passion and Balls of Steal!!!!!!!!

2011-08-15T14:29:00.001-04:00

Telling it like it is.... brilliant.... CHANGE IS IMMINENT.... EVOLUTION IS IMPERATIVE.....

Along with several other similar clips of sisters taking and making a stand!

I wonder what Christ would say?

2011-08-12T18:12:00.000-04:00

Wonder how much the good ol' pope in all his spiritual and Christ like grandeur could get for his gold ring? I also wonder just how many homeless and starving around the world could be fed from the sale of that ring? I wonder what Christ thinks of this? I question the kissing of this gold piece of metal on this old bastards finger? I question the Vatican's wealth while 75% of the world's population live in misery and famine? I question the marble, the gold and the jewels.... this is Christianity? Really?

WHAT THE FUCK???

Think, Ask, Question, Research, ACT:

2011-08-12T16:53:00.002-04:00

How... as a species... are we not doing anything about this?!?!?!

The real face of war.

And if this was YOUR child???

How in this day and age can we allow this to happen when 1 Blockbuster movie weekend gross can feed a nation? When one star athlete's monthly salary can feed a village? The fuck are we doing???

Let alone a quarter of what these 2 royal fucks are sitting on.... the Christian pope's ring alone could feed a small country for fuck's sakes.

Some harsh reality for you.... now imagine seeing this in front of your face daily. Out of sight, out of mind.... so here ya go.

Things starting to add up yet???

With every penny YOU spend on the majority of the brand names YOU PURCHASE, YOU directly encourage the majority of what you see in these pictures here. DO SOME SHIT!!!!

Welcome to DEMOCRACY brothers and sisters. Welcome to war. Welcome to the rich getting richer and ... well....

I personally know several people who lost their jobs, had been threatened to have their children removed in a custody battle, were refused jobs for their political beliefs and voicing of their opinions on Facebook, and this in 4 differing countries, not just the good ol' US of A.

Consume, Consume, Consume.... now you can do it while you watch TV, on your couch sitting on your fat fuckin lazy ass while purchasing shit you don't need online!
YAY! WAKE THE FUCK UP.

Hmmmm.....

Baffling isn't it???

Because even foreign animals are considered "the Enemy"... this dog was probably a terrorist , I mean, it is black isn't it?

Yeah? well fuck you. :`)

DO SOME SHIT!!!

It Depends....

2011-08-10T17:30:00.003-04:00

Drilling how to take shoves, familiarizing one's self with the energy behind aggressive shoving, developing awareness and evasive footwork.

This was our primary reply to almost every question technical in nature since the very first Senshido class taught back in April of 1994. "It Depends". It frustrated most who were looking for absolutes and black and white answers.... sadly, there aren't many if any at all really...

The following article first appeared on The Senshido International Forum as I was inspired to write it after reading several threads which were very specific in nature.

It is critical to understand that there are no absolutes. There is no black and white in combat or defense, there rarely is ever an 'always' or 'never', there is nothing but an infinite amount of shades of grey, speculations, maybes and IT DEPENDS.

Getting smacked across the face as a humiliation tactic by Dom O'Neil playing the role of the bad guy.

How long does a street fight or violent confrontation last? 10 sec.? 25 sec.? A minute? A minute an a half? Honestly...? Who gives a shit? It will last as long as it will last... the question is, will you? How conditioned are you? Do you understand the effects of emotional and psychological stress and how it affects your performance and physical energy levels? What are you prepared to do?

Besides first and foremost offering a proper nutrition, not "diet" but a healthy all around nutritive lifestyle, I train my students to overkill. They are prepared to go 5 minutes straight if they have to, 10 minutes or half an hour if that is what it takes. They don't care if the average is 10 seconds or 3 minutes. That is a concern they don't have to even think about because they are prepared to go on and on until they are safe, whatever it takes.

I am often asked why our warm ups & workouts in our classes are so grueling, why I allow the fights to go on for 20 minutes non stop sometimes, why the overkill if a street fight only lasts X amount of seconds... because you simply never know. Prepare for the worst, prepare for the Terminator so everyone and everything else will literally pale in comparison.

Working on the familiarization of aggressive body language and closest weapon to closest target interpretation on both the good guy and bad guy's part.

"When you throw a kick (or punch or strike or whatever you wish to insert here) where do you land after?"

It depends. What was your opponent’s reaction? Did your strike have the desired effect? What was the result of your choice? Di your opponent block the strike, did it land? Did he clinch afterwards? Did he defensively move away? Did he shake it off and pull a knife out?

Improvising the Shred moment to moment as my opponent reacts realistically to my every move and vice versa.

"When someone throws a straight punch, I was told to always move to the out-side and never to the in-side of my attacker, is this correct?"

It depends. Does your opponent have a friend standing on his out-side? Are you leaning against a wall which is 'his out-side'? Is the hand or arm you are 'supposes to' block, parry, jam whatever with functional that day? (I.e., is it in a sling, broken wrist maybe, sprained, tendonitis in the shoulder?) Is there a 25 foot drop on his out'side? What's the environment like?

Alive drilling allows spontaneous improvisation.

"When defending against a knife ALWAYS stabilize the weapon hand before attacking." - When defending against the knife, NEVER stabilize the weapon hand just attack, attack, attack!"

It depends. Where's the knife? Close, far, stabbing you? What is your opponent doing? Is it a static attack? Is it dynamic? Is he leading with the knife or coming at you Folsom prison style? Does he have a friend? Is his friend armed? How's your footwork today?

Do you see what I am getting at here? There are no absolutes.

Maintaining facial targets while striking the lower line creates more sensory overload in the opponent.

"DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE WHEN IT IS CALLED UPON." - Senshido Adage - This philosophy will help create clarity in the moment. Fixation on this or that may get you killed. There are no black and white answers. Defining the conceptual formula to each possibility is critical, the mind then creates the proper mental blueprints necessary to spontaneously improvise moment to moment.

Train your defenses in various scenarios to find out what you will do. Meaning: You want to work on defense against a static knife attack at the throat? Good. First work the principles and concepts, then the physical defenses until you are comfortable with them.

Next. Take that situation, the static knife attack, and do it under the following conditions:

1. You're alone.
2. A loved one is with you when it is occurring. (This one alone can be done in various ways, your loved one can become hysterical, cooperative, none cooperative, faint, scream, cry, grab your arm, hug you, threaten the mugger, etc.) each of these will require a different tactical solution.
3. Your attacker has a friend. (Again, you can play with this one, his friend is armed as well, his friend is passive, aggressive, drunk, hyperactive, trying to convince the mugger to just kill you and take your stuff, trying to convince the mugger to forget about it and just leave etc.)
4. Your good arm is an a sling. Your bad arm is in a sling.
5. Your left ankle is badly sprained (put thumb tacks in your shoes to simulate a sprain, see if you feel like putting weight on your ankle then )

The list can go and on and on... see if your "techniques" remains the same through out. See if the results are the same every time...

There are no absolutes.

Basic tool and target development, my opponent always dictates my response by his reactions.

This is why we do not teach techniques but conceptual guidelines and formulas, tool and target development, strategies and tactics. rather than provide people with technical skills to use in particular situations, we provide analytical skills that are useful in any situation.

Much peace,

Rich

Senshido’s 5 Principles of Physical Retaliation

2011-08-07T19:02:00.000-04:00

Applying the 5 principles of Physical Retaliation in close quarter equals SHREDDING!

Once struck, there are generally 5 different reactions a human being will have after getting struck. The individual who has been struck can react in one or more of these ways. In no particular order they are:

1. To create distance. The individual hit will back up and move away to regroup or protect themselves.

2. To clinch. The individual will close the distance and latch on defensively to the other who hit him.

3. To counter strike. The individual struck strikes back immediately (with or without a weapon), no quarter given on the counter.

4. Drops semi or fully unconscious. The individual struck is put out of commission.

5. Takes the shot, looks at you dead in the eye and replies: “That all you’ve got?”

Knowing and understanding these reactions are imperative in order to have a contingency plan for each and every one of them. If your mind is trained to be prepared for any or a combination of any of these reactions, it will be extremely difficult to be caught off guard and one’s recovery time and natural flow are much quicker and with no hesitation.

Your mind will be ready for whatever outcome and won’t go into the dreaded assumption frame. One of the worst things one can do is assume. The only 2 safe assumptions anyone can make in the face of potential violence is that 1. Your opponent is carrying a concealed weapon and 2. He’s not alone and he’s got friends. That’s it, that’s all. Anything else can potentially get one killed.

The key in physical retaliation is your ability to spontaneously improvise your next move based on your attacker’s reaction. Your attacker will always dictate what your next move is going to be based on the 5 possible reactions they will have after you landed your first strike.

The following are Senshido’s 5 principles of physical retaliation and they are always applicable regardless of what style or system one practices or what the scenario or situation may be. You will even find them applicable in the MMA arena.

Principle # 1. Economy of motion.

Musashi said, “Do nothing which is of no use”. Basically, do not waste energy on unnecessary movement. There are 2 ways of doing this. 1: Your intended natural weapon, whatever it may be whether it is a jab, kick or submission application should be the initial point of movement prior to any other part of the human body. If your intended strike is a left jab then the left fist should be the very first thing to move followed by the rest of the body. 2: It’s important for you to have a mental and philosophical reason for everything that you do. Don’t just throw a kick or punch for the sake of throwing it. Many fighters as they circle each other feeling each other out will unnecessarily throw ‘something’ because nothing has happened yet. If it is done with reason backed by strategy, then it is fine but a lot of times fighter’s just kick or punch for the sake of it.

When my students spar, I will randomly stop them and ask them why they did what they did in terms of strike or combination, for the most part; they don’t have an answer. It’s important for the student to understand and know why they are doing what they are doing. This will economize on wasted motion and help the student strategize consistently while maintaining energy.

In the street, economy of motion also economizes on both mental and physical energy. Energy is a key factor in survival. For the most part, stress, fear and the adrenaline dump will cause a mental energy drain which in turn will deplete one of physical energy rather quickly.

Principle # 2. Non Telegraphic Movement.

Non telegraphic movement ties in directly with economy of motion. This principle basically states not to telegraph your intention to your attacker by making any unnecessary movements prior to your initial attack. This includes facial expressions, shift of body weight, shift of eyesight, idiosyncratic movements prior to striking and winding up.

Your attack should be explosive and sudden preferably from a verbal defusing stage where the body language is natural and non-threatening. If you’re already engaged in the fight and your opponent is still ‘active’ your attack should still be explosive and sudden without any prior movement to initialize it except the intended weapon of choice (whether natural or weapon or actual weapon) and the ‘beat’ and ‘rhythm’ should be broken and erratic in nature.

Principle # 3. Opportunity Striking VIA Closest weapon to closest target.

This principle dictates you striking without giving your opponent the opportunity to negate, block, jam, parry or counter your strike. In order to do this you need to strike with (as Bruce Lee prophetically stated in an episode of long street) your nearest natural weapon to your opponent’s nearest open or available target.

While doing this, repeat the word “Opportunity” to yourself as you begin your strike to the time you land your strike. If you can say the word ‘opportunity’ more than once, chances are your opponent would have had the opportunity to react instinctively in negating your attempt to strike him and you did not use your closest natural weapon to their closest available target. You should only be able to say the word ‘opportunity’ once at the most by the time you reach your intended target.

This doesn’t mean that your initial strike should be the knock out blow or strike that ends the fight, although that would be ideal, it isn’t always probable. For the most part, on the street, your first strike is a distraction or flinch instigator which will allow you to follow through with a more powerful or terminal (fight ender) strike. Sometimes, a bite, pinch or spitting in the opponent’s face will cause a momentary distraction, which will allow you to capitalize on. It’s important however, that when you follow up after your initial strike, you do so on the half beat so that your opponent doesn’t have the time to react and negate your follow up strike.

(This principle is demonstrated and instructed in full detail in our Surviving the Streets & Tool and Target DVDs available for purchase via orders@senshido.com)

Principle # 4. Primary Targets.

In a real fight, you need to end it as quickly as possible. In order to do that, you have to debilitate your opponent. However, it is necessary to judge whether the situation is a maximum potential for violence (life or death situation) or minimum potential of violence and weather or not your opponent is a good guy having a bad day or genuinely “bad guy”.

A maximum potential for violence situation requires use of extreme force. The primary targets on the human body that will debilitate them are the eyes and throat. As human beings, we have the innate instinct to protect our eyes and windpipe. If your opponent can’t see, he can’t fight, if he can’t breathe, he can’t fight. The rest of the human body is secondary. There are no other specific targets as there are nerve clusters everywhere on the human body. Striking the groin, the sides of the biceps or the shin will all cause a flinch response creating another opening allowing for an immediate follow up strike. Strike as many places and as often as necessary in order to reach the eyes and throat and debilitate your opponent.

If your opponent has been debilitated without having struck his eyes and throat then all the more power to you. However, if your opponent is drug or alcohol induced or if he has a high threshold of pain, if he’s emotionally disturbed then chances are, if you haven’t struck his eyes or throat in order to reflexively protect himself, he’ll most probably keep coming at you.

Principle # 5. Tactile Sensitivity.

Tactile sensitivity is the ability to interpret your opponent’s energy through the sense of touch. The majority of fights will start at the close quarter range also referred to as the trapping range. Dialogue and communication will allow for an attacker to get in the close quarter range without necessarily having to strike you yet. This is where the assailant has access to lapel grabs, strangulations, shoves, tackles, headlocks, static knife threats and attacks, intimidation tactics and more. If the fight is not dealt with at this range it might well lead to the ground.

Tactile sensitivity is applied the second you and your opponent have come into physical contact together. At the close quarter, ground fighting and in close body to body boxing range the hand is much, much quicker than the eye. If your opponent decides to pull a knife out of his belt or back pocket while in the clinch, you will not be able to see it but you will be able to feel and read his body language through the sense of touch. There are countless drills that help develop the tactile senses and freestyle grappling on its own is a phenomenal way of doing so as you are constantly trying to interpret your opponent’s next move through the body to body contact. However pure grappling doesn’t offer the benefits of defending against strikes and weapons which should be added into all tactile sensitivity drilling.

A good tactile sense will allow one to defend oneself better at the close quarter and ground fighting ranges. You’ll be able to feel and intercept an oncoming attack as it develops.

There’s a story of a Tai Chi master whose tactile sensitivity was so developed that he had a butterfly in his hand try and fly away and he followed it with his hand until his arm could no longer extend upwards as the butterfly flew off.

Senshido’s 5 principles of physical retaliation are always applicable regardless of the situation or scenario once things have gotten physical. They require proper training and mental blueprinting. Once they are acquired however, they become unforgettable and imperishable skills, like riding a bike and applicable to all martial arts styles or systems.

Train intelligently and diligently.

Rich Dimitri

Brilliant kid

2011-07-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

Wow. This 11 year old kid is more informed and intelligent than most adults I personally know. How fuckin sad is that? The information is out there folks, the truth is most definitely out there if you get off your lazy asses and take the time to research the things you put into your body.
DO SOME SHIT!!!!

A Shredder Drill

2011-07-29T15:47:00.002-04:00

As described on the vid by Joe Saunders, Senshido International Team members Joe and Dom O'Neil demonstrate the face grappling drill at a Sydney seminar this past May 2011. The goal of the drill is to achieve dominant position and "Shred" your partner without being in a position to be Shredded yourself. It combines greco-roman positioning with an awareness of vital and vulnerable targets. This is but phase 1 to a multi phase drill. Though it is an isolation drill (working mainly the Shred in the clinch), it is still very much alive and dynamic: