Making of a Jedi Warrior

excellent excellent HARA one point center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZawJ675TQs

vanish in plain sight by just not being there anymore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSX0PCQXiO4

practice practice practice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO4MDd23C6M

understanding levels of violence in attack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De7NEg7XzMA

understanding fear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2HQnAO30BM

demonstration of this principle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9AYKXkTFB0

this has some rough language
it is a very good intro to knife reality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37XiSn81oFw

if you are interested in more knife
youtube Knife Fighting Dynamics and The Truth Behind Knife Attack
it has some harsh real life images and you have to sign in to confirm age

Here are some of my favorite techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOIbQ2cXRHU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgjfBnTMn1c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q4BXRIu7zA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_np5ZPTc6aw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jLDxJIgpkM

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

What is Your Best Weapon?
March 5, 2015
By Scott Stewart*

Last week, I was in northern Uganda where I had the opportunity to talk with some people about the security issues they are facing in their country, South Sudan and the surrounding region. As is often the case when people are talking to someone in my line of work and with my background, the conversation shifted to weapons. I am often asked questions such as "what is the best weapon for home defense," or "what is the best weapon for when I am traveling?" Invariably, I always answer them with the same response: Your brain. Now, let me explain why.

First Things First

Before anyone goes off on a rant and accuses me of being anti-gun, let me establish that I am an avid hunter, target shooter and a trained firearms instructor. I have nothing against guns. I own many of them, and now that I am a civilian, I have obtained a concealed carry permit and carry my firearm where and when I can do so legally.

Having said that, I must also point out that merely being armed will not protect a person from a criminal. Being armed may even be the sole reason a person becomes a target in a case where an attacker knows they are armed and wants to steal their weapon. In places like the Philippines, for example, New People's Army "sparrow" units specifically target armed people for murder to steal their guns in what they call "agaw-armas," or "arms grabbing" operations.

Being armed can also provide some people with a false sense of security. They believe that because they are armed, they are invulnerable and do not need to practice good situational awareness. If they are caught off guard by a criminal and cannot get to their weapon, it becomes pretty much worthless to them, and they might as well not have brought it.

Even an armed individual needs to rely primarily on his or her most important weapons system — the brain. If the brain is properly engaged and a person has the proper mindset, practices good situational awareness and recognizes a problem while it is still developing, they put themselves in a much better position to effectively deploy and employ their body, knife, gun or whatever secondary weapon they have access to. If the brain is not effectively engaged, a person is left relying on luck, happenstance and the ineptitude of the criminals — and these are not things prudent people should trust their lives to.

The Brain is an Amazing Thing

The first important function the brain serves is providing a person with the proper mindset. Reaching this mindset begins with realizing there are bad people in the world who want to hurt others. Sadly, there are many people who live in denial of this fact — and denial is deadly.

Second, once individuals accept that the threats are real, they must then come to grips with the fact that they are the primary actors responsible for their own security. Too many people mistakenly believe that security is something for which only police and security forces are responsible. The truth is, governments cannot protect everyone and everything from every potential threat. They simply lack the resources to do so. Even authoritarian regimes have proven incapable of protecting everything. People must take responsibility and do their part to keep themselves, their families and their homes safe. Of course, understanding this fact is a little easier for someone living in a place like South Sudan than it is for someone living in South Beach, but the level of responsibility is the same.

The final element of proper mindset is having the willingness and discipline to employ security techniques such as situational awareness and security tools, including weapons. Remember, common sense security and proper situational awareness are not just things a government agent or a trained security officer can practice — anyone can if they have the discipline. I also strongly believe that a person who is not willing to use a firearm or other weapon should not carry one merely in the hopes of using it to threaten a criminal. In such cases, their weapons are frequently turned against them, essentially arming the criminals.

Once a person has decided they will use a weapon if necessary, their brain can help guide them tactically to know when to engage and when to withdraw. It is also determines how they will employ their weapon — whether they will deliberately aim their fire to make it effective, or if they will just spray and pray. It will even help warn them when they are running low on ammunition, and help them determine what to do next when they have run out of ammunition and their firearm becomes nothing more than a metal cudgel. The brain is the real weapon, and a firearm is merely a tool the brain utilizes in a specific situation.

Another critical function the brain performs is providing a person with the will to fight on and survive, even after they have been wounded. But a person is far better off if they can utilize their brain before a situation gets to the point where deadly force is needed. Thus understanding one's environment and maintaining situational awareness are critical.

By understanding the types of crimes that occur in an area — and how they occur — a person can assess their vulnerability to such threats and will be able to see them developing if they are practicing an appropriate level of situational awareness. Seeing a problem while it is still developing and avoiding it is better than having to react to a problem that comes as a surprise. Action is faster than reaction.

Location, Location, Location

It is also important to recognize that there are simply some places where one cannot carry a firearm, knife or other obvious weapon. Such places include secure areas like government buildings, commercial aircraft, some workplaces and cities or countries with laws restricting the possession of weapons.

In such situations, it is especially important for people to utilize their brain, using it to look for developing problems and to mentally catalog safe places and exit routes as they go about their daily routines. They should take note of things like a bank or government building with heavily armed security officers they can dart into if a criminal is following them. Obviously, people should avoid obsessive paranoia. Moreover, in some situations such as an anti-government protest, seeking refuge in a government building may be a bad idea. Safe places need to be appropriate for the environment and situation.

But even in a restrictive environment, if a person has the proper mindset, their brain can help them find not-so-obvious weapons for use when confronted by an imminent threat. Items like a vehicle, flashlight, pen, hotel room lamp, fire extinguisher or a computer's power supply can serve as improvised weapons. The possibilities are nearly limitless if a person's brain is focused properly and working as their most effective weapon. But even then, it is better if they can utilize their brain to recognize and avoid a dangerous situation before it escalates.

*Copyright © 2015 Stratfor Global Intelligence, All rights reserved.

Scott Stewart is an analyst with Stratfor Global Intelligence (www.stratfor.com). Stratfor provides global awareness and guidance to individuals, governments and businesses around the world. We use a unique, intel-based approach to analyze world affairs.

i couldn't have put it any more eloquent...

every martial arts instructor i've had has said the same thing...we were told this in bootcamp...it was a lesson i learned continuously growing up surrounded by bullies...

a sharp mind beats a sharp knife, quick thinking beats quick shooting...or as mr. miyagi would say "best defense is no be there"...know where trouble could occur, know your surroundings, know the type of people you're dealing with, know yourself (your abilities,strengths,weaknesses)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEDaCIDvj6I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeA__6aVkK0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0hJveJ8Hp0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CzgDX9lGc0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQn5HljpK_A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWH6o3JxdTU

great contributions so far and thanks to everybody!

i think its important
and i think mostly we can agree
that there has to be a sincere drive for excellence in both the physical and the psychological development of a warrior

the tactics techniques and procedures fall apart in the face of the reality if one is not psychologically fortified in advance

conversely, even a person who basically has the right frame of mind- someone who is alert and composed and and is measuring the moment with the determination to act decisively when the opportunity presents itself
and willing to just go for it if the opportunity does NOT present itself, is still not properly equiped to stand up to the realities of violence if there has been no prepararion to instill a doctrinal framework by which to make determinations of appropriate types of response

and the physical repetition necessary to be capable of effective technical execution and adequate level of stamina under duress

stress alone is a major factor in a genuinely dangerous and confrontational situations
and the most effective ways of maintaining proficiencey under high stress levels is through the repetition of training

this gives not only the muscle memory of the correct execution
but it also gives the psychological foundation needed for taking determined responsibility and proactive initiative

i understand this has all been done before
but
im here now and i feel this is an area i can contribute in

i welcome friendly participation and input exchange and i really appreciate the contributions aready made

what id like to achieve with this thread;

obviously no one is really going to learn just by watching videos and reading articles or ebooks
that being said
simply having the information gives us a reference and offers direction regardless of experience level

and i always contribute with the idea that someone totally new to everything is going to come along

and the stuff that i post is some of what they will see and draw from as direction for what they can work for in their own training and development

so the idea here is to work up an accurate and hopefully as complete as possible description or reference guide for both the psychological foundations
as well as the physical and technical abilities
appropriate to the development of the modern Jedi Warrior

what id like to avoid;

contention

usually that happens in the context of competition over the efficiency of styles or the worth of this system over that system

i see it as an obvious conclusion to anyone who really dives in to the material that some things are clearly more "battlefield oriented" than others
and some are more "self defense"
and some obviosly more sport

two months of boxing or brazillian jujitsu, as a general rule, will better equip one to handle a schoolbully than the same amount of time in a more internal art like taiji chuan

and none of them will prepare you for the men with goggles and kevlar

and yet as jedi it is equally relevant to explore the ki or chi or aiki implications of the internal and "soft style" arts as well

so basically i ask that we maintain warrior respect for everybody, and welcome all contributions

if you see something that strikes you as being incomplete or inaccurate
then rather than attack it
simply find something else which would compliment it
and round out whatvever you feel is missing

also i really love this stuff
i am a total ninja nerd and i just really enjoy the whole experience of looking at different styles and doctrines and techniques and learning and exploring martial/warrior arts from as many sources and perspectives as possible

and just for clarity i do not see any distinction between this or that system as being "martial art" vs "martial disciplines" vs "self defense" vs "combat sport" or "military tactics" or "combatatives" or any semantic divisions of this nature

if it involves a sytematic methodology for surviving or engaging in violence then it is a martial art - as far as i am concerned the term is broad enough to encompass it all, though certainly i respect everyone elses right to use whatever terminology you relate to

all this being said, have fun and thanks for playing!

"You cant think in terms of chess", "its a fluid thing". I like this sort of stuff to contemplate energy in conflict. Effective application of a weapon system is one thing and we should be more then competent in whatever is needed, but the theory behind aerial warfare is very apt to fast paced, short decision windows and multiple variables - not in learning how to survive in a fighter jet, but how to process or parse information around threats;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFMX5z-ed4

i havent had a chance to watch the vid yet adder cause i see its like an hour long but its a great example just looking at the scene to remember not to accept the superficial EASY assumptions

what i mean is here we see what could be judged as a guy playing with toy planes

hes just like us as kids with our star wars toys or G.I. Joe or those little tiny green plastic army men

except hes not like that at all

hes an extremely highly trained disciplined motivated intelligent and commited warrior talking about the best way to kill his countries enemies

he is a samurai of the sky

at least thats what it looks like

this guy just impresses the heck outta me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYXtT712zaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3nTw9Ns7dk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqm6kcoKat4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiOsPQjj4mM

these next two somewhat repeat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owXP0eRIID8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPVuC6ugmAw

krav

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQJXYX6FqEA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D2ldyBJGWM