Making of a Jedi Warrior

kote gaeshi

you see this in military combatative systems all over the world, including USA

2 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll1GCzl4Bxg


just over 3 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGH9v6OYa4


4 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-RsQgCjFTE


6 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KULSTMxG5MY


4 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3dxvUaNL6Q

2 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB01hhonf8Q


another interpretation

4 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmyslQZKU0A

Epictetus was born a slave and grew into a philosopher
his work was of influence to marcus aurelius and to stoic philosophy in general

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epictetus

a PDF of his DISCOURSES

https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/Discourses.pdf


chapter xix from the above, entitled: how one should behave towards tyrants

"If a man possesses some advantage, or thinks he does though he does not, he is bound, if he be uneducated, to be puffed up because of it. The tyrant, for instance, says, 'I am mightiest of all men.'

p. 258

Well, and what can you give me? Can you enable me to get what I will to get? How can you? Can you avoid what you will to avoid, independent of circumstances? Is your impulse free from error? How can you claim any such power?

Tell me, on shipboard, do you put confidence in yourself or in the man who knows? And in a chariot? Surely in him who knows. How is it in other arts? Exactly the same. What does your power come to then?

'All men pay me attention.'

Yes, and I pay attention to my platter and work it and polish it and I fix up a peg for my oil-flask. Does that mean that these are superior to me? No, but they do me some service, and for this reason I pay them attention. Again: do I not pay attention to my ass? Do I not wash his feet? Do I not curry him? Do you not know that every man pays regard to himself, and to you only as to his ass? For who pays regard to you as a man? Show me. Who wishes to become like you? Who regards you as one like Socrates to admire and follow?

'But I can behead you.'

Well said. I forgot, of course, one ought to pay you worship as if you were fever or cholera, and raise an altar to you, like the altar to Fever in Rome.

What is it then which disturbs and confounds the multitude? Is it the tyrant and his guards? Nay, God forbid! It is impossible for that which is free by nature to be disturbed or hindered by anything but itself. It is a man's own judgements which disturb him. For when the tyrant says to a man, 'I will chain your leg,' he that values his leg says, 'Nay, have mercy,' but he that values his will says, 'If it seems more profitable to you, chain it.'

'Do you pay no heed?'

No, I pay no heed.

'I will show you that I am master.'

How can you? Zeus gave me my freedom. Or do you think that he was likely to let his own son be enslaved? You are master of my dead body, take it.

'Do you mean that when you approach me, you pay no respect to me?' No, I only pay respect to myself: if you wish me to say that I pay respect to you too, I tell you that I do so, but only as I pay respect to my water-pot.

This is not mere self-love: for it is natural to man, as to other creatures, to do everything for his own sake; for even the sun does everything for its own sake, and in a word so does Zeus himself. But when he would be called 'The Rain-giver' and 'Fruit-giver' and 'Father of men and gods', you see that he cannot win these names or do these works

p. 259

unless he does some good to the world at large: and in general he has so created the nature of the rational animal, that he can attain nothing good for himself, unless he contributes some service to the community. So it turns out that to do everything for his own sake is not unsocial. For what do you expect? Do you expect a man to hold aloof from himself and his own interest? No: we cannot ignore the one principle of action which governs all things—to be at unity with themselves.

What follows? When men's minds harbour wrong opinions on things beyond the will, counting them good and evil, they are bound to pay regard to tyrants. Would that it were only tyrants, and not chamberlains too! How can a man possibly grow wise of a sudden, when Caesar appoints him to the charge of the privy? How is it we straightway say, 'Felicio has spoken wisely to me'? I would fain have him deposed from the dung-heap, that he may seem foolish to you again. Epaphroditus had a shoemaker, whom he sold because he was useless: then by some chance he was bought by one of Caesar's officials, and became Caesar's shoemaker. If you could have seen how Epaphroditus honoured him. 'How is my good Felicio, I pray you?' Then if some one asked us, 'What is your master doing?' the answer was, 'He is consulting Felicio about something.' What, had he not sold him for useless? Who has suddenly made a wise man of him? This is what comes of honouring anything outside one's will.

He has been honoured with a tribuneship. All who meet him congratulate him; one kisses his eyes, another his neck, his slaves kiss his hands. He comes into his house and finds lamps being lighted. He goes up to the Capitol and offers sacrifice. Who, I ask you, ever offered sacrifice in gratitude for right direction of the will or for impulse in accordance with nature? For we give thanks to the gods for what we think our good!

To-day one spoke to me about the priesthood of Augustus. I told him, 'Fellow, leave the thing alone; you will spend a great deal on nothing.'

'Well, but those who draw up contracts will record my name.'

Can you be there when men read it and say to them, 'That is my name,' and even supposing you can be there now, what will you do if you die?

'My name will remain.'

Write it on a stone and it will remain. But who will remember you outside Nicopolis?

'But I shall wear a golden crown.'

If you desire a crown at all, take a crown of roses and wear that: you will look smarter in that."

musashi miyamoto was a japanese swordman who is said to have defeated more than 50 men in duels

at i think around the age of fifty or maybe sixty he reclused himself in the mountains and wrote his BOOK OF FIVE RINGS

here is a link

http://www.uvm.edu/~asnider/IDAS_2011_CD/Teachers/Steve%20Llano%27s%20Materials/Strategy%20Books/Book%20of%20Five%20Rings%20-%20Musashi.pdf


here are some quotes

Just as a horse must have endurance and no defects, so it is with weapons. Horses should walk strongly, and
swords and companion swords should cut strongly. Spears and halberds must stand up to heavy use: bows
and guns must be sturdy. Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative.
You should not have a favorite weapon. To become over−familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not
knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handily properly. It
is bad for commanders and troopers to have likes and dislikes. These are things you must learn thoroughly.


In large−scale strategy, when we see that the enemy has few men, or if he has many men but his spirit is
weak and disordered, we knock the hat over his eyes, crushing him utterly. If we crush lightly, he may
recover. You must learn the spirit of crushing as if with a hand−grip.
In single combat, if the enemy is less skilful than ourselves, if his rhythm is disorganized, or if he has fallen
into evasive or retreating attitudes, we must crush him straightaway, with no concern for his presence and
without allowing him space for breath. It is essential to crush him all at once. The primary thing is not to let
him recover his position even a little. You must research this deeply



When we are fighting with the enemy, even when it can be seen that we can win on the surface with the
benefit of the Way, if his spirit is not extinguished, he may be beaten superficially yet undefeated in spirit
deep inside. With this principle of penetrating the depths we can destroy the enemy's spirit in its depths,
demoralizing him by quickly changing our spirit. This often occurs.
Penetrating the depths means penetrating with the long sword, penetrating with the body, and penetrating
with the spirit. This cannot be understood in a generalization.
Once we have crushed the enemy in the depths, there is no need to remain spirited. But otherwise we must
remain spirited. If the enemy remains spirited it is difficult to crush him. You must train in penetrating the
depths for large−scale strategy and also single combat.


To renew applies when we are fighting with the enemy, and an entangled spirit arises where there is no
possible resolution. We must abandon our efforts, think of the situation in a fresh spirit then win in the new
rhythm. To renew, when we are deadlocked with the enemy, means that without changing our circumstance
we change our spirit and win through a different technique.
It is necessary to consider how to renew also applies in large−scale strategy. Research this diligently.

Reacher wrote: "There is no advanced shooting, only fundamentals applied to a high level of excellence during high-stress encounters."

This is wonderful advice. its all about the foundation. everything comes from the truth of the basics.

internal arts are awesome

10 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MSHOulBZNs


10 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQbfysOBxhI


30 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK8QmMbCpiY

kung fu sweeps, both less than 2 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdJ4R0Q1qp4


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krlYK_2jQgM


for those who doubt, check it out lol
this is a sport fight between a shaolin and a muay thai fighter

15 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-ax3EMsoQ


7 minute shaolin workout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffNRQ-pLqV0


40 minute tutorial which i thought was very very good - imo this video by itself can be used as a daily training regimen for anyone who wants to get good at martial arts but doesnt have a gym or dojo

obviously there are limitations to how good someone can get without training partners but a routine like the one in this video (even when he introduces a partner the exercises can generally still be done) is a huge benefit to anyones development
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ylNz9qLhM

i dont know how historically accurate the information here is but conceptually i found it quite appropriate to the idea of this topic

http://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/others/berserkers-and-other-shamanic-warriors/

at the end of the article in the link above the author cites references and further reading

---

Berserkers and Other Shamanic Warriors


The shamanism of the pre-Christian Norse and other Germanic peoples took several different forms. Among the most common of these forms, especially for men, was the attainment and use of an ecstatic battle-fury closely linked to a particular totem animal, usually a bear or a wolf, and often occurring within the context of certain formal, initiatory military groups.

During the Viking Age, these “warrior-shamans” typically fell into two groups: the berserkers (Old Norse berserkir, “bear-shirts”) and úlfheðnar (pronounced “oolv-HETH-nahr” with a hard “th” as in “the;” Old Norse for “wolf-hides”). These groups were a late development of the earlier Germanic warband,[1] and shared much in common with the warlike shamanism of other circumpolar peoples.[2]

As far as we can tell today, the berserkers and úlfheðnar shared a common set of shamanic practices, with the only substantial difference being that the totem animal of the berserkers was, as the name implies, the bear, while that of the úlfheðnar was the wolf. These names are a reference to the practice of dressing in a ritual costume made from the hide of the totem animal, an outward reminder of the wearer’s having gone beyond the confines of his humanity and become a divine predator.[3] It’s hard to imagine a grislier or more frightening thing to encounter on the late Iron Age battlefield.

One of the defining features of shamanic traditions across the world is an initiation process characterized by a symbolic (and occasionally literal) death and rebirth, whereby the shaman-to-be acquires his or her powers.[4] Candidates for Germanic shamanic military societies underwent such a process before being admitted into the group: they spent a period in the wilderness, living like their totem animal and learning its ways, obtaining their sustenance through hunting, gathering, and raiding the nearest towns. To quote the esteemed archaeologist Dominique Briquel, “Rapto vivere, to live in the manner of wolves, is the beginning of this initiation. The bond with the savage world is indicated not only on the geographic plane – life beyond the limits of the civilized life of the towns… but also on what we would consider a moral plane: their existence is assured by the law of the jungle.”[5] The candidate ceased to be an ordinary human being and became instead a wolf-man or a bear-man, more a part of the forest than of civilization.

Thenceforth, he had the ability to induce a state of possession by his kindred beast, acquiring its strength, fearlessness, and fury. We have only the haziest idea of the techniques used to reach this ecstatic trance state, but we know that fasting, exposure to extreme heat, and ceremonial “weapons dances” were among the shamanic toolkit of the ancient Germanic peoples. It’s extremely likely that warrior-shamans used these techniques, alongside numerous others that have been lost in the centuries of malign neglect that have passed since these were living traditions.[6]

On the battlefield, the berserker or úlfheðinn would often enter the fray naked but for his animal mask and pelts, howling, roaring, and running amok with godly or demonic courage. As the Ynglinga Saga puts it,

Odin’s men [berserkers and úlfheðnar] went armor-less into battle and were as crazed as dogs or wolves and as strong as bears or bulls. They bit their shields and slew men, while they themselves were harmed by neither fire nor iron. This is called “going berserk.”[7]

In the biting or casting away of their shields, we see a reminder that their ultimate identity is no longer their social persona, but rather their “unity with the animal world” that they have achieved through “self-dehumanization.”[8] A warrior’s shield and weapons were the very emblems of his social persona and status; they were given to a young man who had come of age by his father or closest male relative to mark his newfound arrival into the sphere of the rights and responsibilities of his society’s adult men.[9] In biting or discarding the shield, the mythical beast triumphed over the petty man, and “Odin’s men” tore through the battle, psychologically impervious to pain by virtue of their predatory trance.[10]

Like other northern Eurasian shamans, Germanic warrior-shamans are occasionally depicted with “spirit-wives,” in this case from among the valkyries, the female attendant spirits of Odin.[11]

In the polytheistic system of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples, wherein different sorts of people venerated different sorts of deities, the berserkers, úlfheðnar, and other warrior-shamans were exemplary devotees of Odin, the Allfather of the northern gods and the giver of óðr, “ecstasy/fury/inspiration,” the Nietzschean “Will to Power.” Óðr is the source of poetic inspiration and philosophical insight as well as battle frenzy (“going berserk,” Old Norse berserksgangr). Thus, it should come as no surprise that many of “Odin’s men,” such as Egill Skallagrímsson and Starkaðr, were also warrior-poets. These were no ordinary soldiers; their battle frenzy, with all of its grotesqueness and violence, was of a rarefied, even poetic, sort – and, being a gift from Odin, it was inherently sacred.

this is one of the not quite so fun aspects of what it means to be a warrior
im not putting the most graphic stuff in here, but some of the material is not easy to watch
up to a certain point its important to see it and understand it
beyond that point it becomes unhealthy
theres a lot of footage that i am NOT putting in here

2 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILdGGSI0edU

4 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGO8C00FUuo


2 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz7DcNDz8f0


6 minutes or so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBQT08N2bTk


i was surprised how much footage was out there of purely random attacks

the next couple posts will get into solutions to the general issue of knife attacks

4 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNOP3X9OyzM


5 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLRmtTbNWe0

excellent introduction

7 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9so1p8f_XI

5 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E61jnJe_1SI

in an earlier post i mentioned how when i researched knife attacks i was surprised at how the people being stabbed often were able to move just the same as if they had only been punched (in fact thats what people often think - that theyre only being punched)
also i said that a lesson it taught me was to just lock it down and focus on dealing with the person attacking you
here is an example

2 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsSDB3Cwqq0


did the victim survive?
i dont know
but he fought intelligently whether he knew he was being stabbed or not and that is the only chance a person has

all of these videos offer something i think is useful and/or functional in their own rights

what i like about this video is that it presents as much as an exploration as a tutorial
and they touch on a lot of legitimate considerations - such as what i call the "bystander phenomenon" which is well understood by police and paramedics

15 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usnMkEkC0-Y


5 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMB-3x62FIQ


this is a little exaggerated but basically accurate for what it says imo


just over 1 minute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqCFuEJHHLg


3 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CIb7gdshwQ


8 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9pbQclU9JM

2 mins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpUbJGGcYH4

5 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKKuZuTcFio


6 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1XliyQypY

6 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY7Y1JoRnnI


7 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWZaYVUAtE


6 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fV1aLYFt_I

i want to give a quick commentary on some of the material presented as well as mention some ideas that i have not been able to find expressed in videos

in the "myths of knife attack 2" notice that the video gives specific examples of techniques that are no good

then he shows pictures of techniques that were used by the martial artists he (im assuming its a HE) prefers

in at least one instant he actually shows an old school picture of a "good" technique that he had just used as an example of "wrong" techniques being taught by the martial artists he doesnt prefer lol

its a reminder to me to keep my mind for my own and to encourage everyone to do the same

id like to point out that if you feel that some of the joint lock techniques which have been posted previously can work against someone who doesnt have a knife then that ought to suggest they could also work against someone who does

id also point out with a lot of joint lock techniques - if they work at all - they would work just as well regardless of which arm you catch

in several cases you see the attacker using their lead hand to hold on to the victim

from a submissions perspective this provides the solution in and of itself

take that arm and make sure they never missuse against an innocent person again

page ten has a bunch of examples of ways to handle a person with a knife if you think about it like that

in fact, this last krav video actually has a technically inferior demostration of a technique that was presented at least twice on that page, once as a gun disarm

looking at that technique it is easy to understand that if it is effective at all then it would be effective regardless of which arm you got a hold of

id like to add that as a general rule its good to look at every technique you see in every martial art from the perspective of there being a knife in your hand and/or in their hand/s

certain things like "flow drills" of wing chun or kali take on a whole new level of implication and meaning when you add a knife to the picture


i want to add to the idea of taking the fight to the ground

i intend to put some basic groundwork videos in here eventually but its closer to the end of the list imo of whats important and heres why; as a general rule i think youre better off on your feet unless your fighting for a trophy or a title

the ground has all kinds of crap on it
the kind of road rash you get from fighting on the ground can be terrible actually
i know because ive lived and fought on concrete

also, people have friends
and like the old commercial says, friends dont let friends fight fair lol

YOUR friends might, maybe, but not the friends of the kind of people we're talking about here

also on the ground you dont know if theyll suddenly start cutting or stabbing you, and thats a huge reason to avoid any kind of progressive submission scenario (i.e. a scenario where you work step by step towards a submission in a progressive fashion the way it is done in bjj)

ironically enough, once its clear they ARE using a knife it might be much easier to isolate the knife wielding arm by getting them off their feet and limiting their range of mobility

if you personally have the technical ability to force someone to the ground and achieve an armar of any kind, then in this case that could be your smartest option simply because your superior skill on the ground could in fact be something like an equalizer in a functional way

it could also get you killed

its better to think about it before hand

which leads to the final point to bring up

supposing the knife attack doesnt directly involve you?
suppose youre walking along on your merry way and just happen onto the event of someone being stabbed or cut up

its better to work it out as well as you can right now what level of interference you feel responsible for because when its time to make the decision there wont be any time left to make it - the skills and the parameters which surround them need to already be decided to as specific a degree as is realistically achievable

this truism is one of the foundations of warrior discipline

from the fbi's fitness test minimum requirements...

Each of these four exercises must be separated by only a five-minute break.

1. Sit-ups in one minute

This test consists of one minute of continuous sit-ups — no pauses. For a rep to count, you must lift your torso until your back is perpendicular to the floor; at the end of each rep, your shoulder blades have to touch the floor.

Passing for women: 35+ sit-ups
Passing for men: 38+ sit-ups



2. 300-meter sprint

The 300-meter sprint is an all-out run covering ¾ of a lap of a standard track — about 2/10 of a mile. You start the sprint from a standing position (no track-style starts allowed).

Passing for women: 64.9 seconds or faster
Passing for men: 52.4 seconds or faster

3. Push-ups

In this test, you’ll do as many push-ups as you can. The test isn’t timed, but you have to do the push-ups continuously (no breaks). Both men and women must do full push-ups with toes on the floor. You must lower your body down until your upper arms are parallel to the ground for a rep to count.

Passing for women: 14+ pushups
Passing for men: 30+ pushups

4. 1.5-mile run

To assess endurance, the final portion of the test is a 1.5-mile run, or six laps around a standard track.

Passing for women: 13:59 or faster
Passing for men: 12:24 or faster

Note: Each of the passing scores above is the minimum for a score of one on the test. To pass the test, you need a score of one or greater on each individual test and a cumulative score of at least 12. (Better results yield higher scores.) If you’re really curious about how you’d do, check out the full ranking system on the FBI’s website.

i could pass the whole thing minus the 5 minute intervals in my sleep.....and use the spare time to take a nap...the minimums when i was in the navy were higher than these...

maybe i need you to coach me! i dont know what my time would be but i would pass that

i would probably use the intervals, but i would pass

my cardio is getting better

its still not where it needs to be

the push ups wouldnt be a problem at all - i hate situps because my tailbone blisters when i do them but i can do 38 in one go

i usually do crunches, planks, legifts and whatever other core bodyweight exercizes instead

also, thank you for posting that
i think that keeping oneself up to a definite standard is probably more important than any technique

strong healthy people are tough
or at least tougher

I hope I'm not trolling in here, but this is what a "Jedi Warrior" always ment to me



Balance, dignity and internal power.

thats awesome! i enjoyed that a lot; she is elegant to watch and i could almost keep up with her!
i also think that qigong and tai chi are very much a part of being a jedi warrior

"balance, dignity, and internal power"

for sure

really i think that the warrior archetype is one of expansion and inclusiveness
warriors adapt to and integrate all range of experience and achievement, and the idea of being "too warriory" lol for something that has value is just as silly to do as it is to say

imo a large part of becoming a warrior means learning how to face every moment with open eyes and "MUCH GUSTO!"
for the less pleasant moments simply to say we face them directly and energetically

which reminds me...

i have to preface this by saying that i have never been in the military
ive mostly been keeping a respectful distance from that aspect because i dont want to misrepresent myself or to be disrespectful to the military people here at the temple

obviously the nature of the thread is inherently martial so...

this is the U.S. Rangers Creed
i dont guess i need to say much about it really
it speaks for itself

---

Ranger

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.

Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite Soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other Soldier.

Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some.

Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained Soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.

Rangers lead the way!