Native American Combat Methods! part four

Newsletter 836

Neutronic Martial Arts and Indian Stealth Skills!
part four

Good afternoon.
A little wet around here,
not wet enough,
but it’s a start.
And a good, healthy work out
is also a start.

This is the fourth part of a five part series.
Subscribe to the newsletter to read the other parts

In the first three articles
we have discussed how and why the American Indian
was possibly the finest light infantry in the world.
In this article I want to take a look at something that is very spiritual in nature,
not understood,
or even talked about by many,
and yet is easily understood
if you have any idea how Neutronics works.

That the Indians were spiritual is very obvious.
They attributed spirituality to everything.
The wind was a spirit,
the trees,
every animal had a spirit,
there was even a great spirit over all.
This was a very pure look at man’s spirituality,
but without the confusion of books,
and differing points of view arguing arcane points.
It was based on the world as they saw it,
as they felt it,
as they experienced it.

Now,
here is something about Neutronics,
something you will have to come to grips with
if you wish to have a chance in heck
of understanding how the Indian Warrior really worked.

In Neutronics
you are considered the center of the universe.
You can’t prove the universe exists,
all you really have is your awareness of the universe,
whether the universe exists or not,
you exist,
you are your own proof.

Most people are really screwed up.
They think the universe is the cause,
and they are the effect of the universe.
You see this everywhere…
somebody else did it!
(point your finger at somebody else)

But you are not the movie screen,
you are the projector!
No matter what the universe does,
you are the cause.
Whether it rains,
whether there is an accident,
whether you do or do not get up in the morning…
it is your ‘fault.’
You are the cause of the universe.

Okay,
if you are still with me,
if you haven’t run screaming into the wilderness,
then consider this:
the Indians believed that if you looked
at an animal you were stalking,
there would be some kind of ‘light’ (or something)
emanating from your eyes.

In other words:
they believed the animal could feel ‘awareness.’

This is actually very logical,
when you consider,
as earlier parts of this article pointed out,
that the Indian methods built a higher awareness.

So the Indians would never look at their target
when hunting.

THIS DID NOT MEAN THEY RETRACTED THEIR AWARENESS!

It required MORE awareness!

Simply,
they did not shine the ‘flash light’ of their awareness,
rather they controlled that ‘flashlight,’
and the result was a fed family.

I know there are some that are nodding and going,
‘uh huh, that explains it,’
but there are probably more
that are blinking and shaking their heads,
and saying,
that Al guy is freaking NUTS!

So let me just back off here,
except to say one thing,

Check out
The Master Instructor Course

Once you understand the truth
about how the wind blows,
about how the body moves
about the reasons behind motion and the martial arts
you might be able to understand
the concepts I have detailed here,
and will definitely be in a position
to better manifest them yourselves.
Here’s the link…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4-master-instructor-course/

now have a great work out!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4-master-instructor-course/

http://www.amazon.com/Binary-Matrixing-Martial-Arts-Case/dp/1515149501/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437625109&sr=8-1&keywords=binary+matrixing

go to and subscribe to this newsletter:
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You can find all my books here!
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

Matrixing Your Mistakes in the Martial Arts!

Newsletter 814 ~ Sign up!

Making NO Mistakes in the Martial Arts!

Gonna be a 100 degrees this week!
It’s time to really sweat!
So turn off that air conditioner
and get ready to ROCK!

Release of final volume of Matrixing Karate Series! Click on the Cover!

Let’s talk about matrixing.
In fact,
let’s talk about the big bugaboo of the martial arts…
MISTAKES!

Mistakes are not actually mistakes.
If you block something wrong,
for instance,
it’s not because you made a mistake,
it’s because you made a calculation,
a computation,
based on your current data.
When all the input finished,
when you finished calculating
the trajectory of the fist,
the angle of the block,
and so on,
and got hit in the face,
it is because you did what you trained yourself to do.

You didn’t make a mistake,
you responded according to your training.

This is actually true of everything in life,
but since martial arts are a microcosm,
a small classroom,
let’s look at the martial arts potentials here.

A student is trained to do a block.
He practices and practices,
until it is ingrained.
Until it becomes the intuitive response.
Then an attack happens,
and it is the wrong intuitive response.

This,
incidentally,
is why so many arts fail.
Take Kenpo,
for instance,
two arts,
the art of the technique,
and the art of freestyle,
and they have nothing to do with each other.
The training,
you see,
has left reality.
Then it takes twenty years or so
to make the intuitive work.
Maybe.

So here is the question:
How do you create a correct intuitive response…
EVERY TIME!
And that brings us to matrixing.

In matrixing a mistake is never a mistake,
it is an opportunity to learn something.

So consider this.

A right fist to the face can be blocked four ways.
Use your right hand to push it to the right
Use your right hand to push it to the left
Use your left hand to push it to the right
Use your left hand to push it to the left

I know,
there are lots of potentials here,
lots of other blocks.
But we are keeping it simple.
You can apply what I am telling you here
to other techniques and arts later.

So you practice the first one:
Use your right hand to push it to the right

and you practice it because it is the right one.
It is the one that works best.

And you practice and practice,
and then,
one day,
you are attacked,
and it doesn’t work.

WTF!

The reason it didn’t work might be anything,
a slight curve on the punch,
a delay in timing,
a sneaky distraction,
who knows and who cares.

What we care is the solution.

Instead of practicing just one defense,
you have to practice all four.

And practice and practice.

Sometimes,
if one of the potentials almost works,
you have to practice it a lot.

Sometimes,
if the potential is a disaster,
you just have to practice a little,
every once in a while,
just enough so that you realize…
here it comes…
WHAT DOESN’T WORK!

You see
it’s not enough to know what works,
you have to know what doesn’t work.

Not to make what doesn’t work intuitive,
but so that you can see what doesn’t work in the middle of combat.

This is a different level we are talking about.
We are not talking about being cause and effect,
we are talking about causing the cause and effect.
We are talking about a ‘master viewpoint.’

When somebody punches you shouldn’t react,
you should move with them,
in tune with them,
developing the block or counter or whatever
in the middle of the moment.

This is mushin no shin,
or mind of no mind.

This is when your memories
memories that you might have implanted yourself,
don’t distract you.

This is when you do purely and truly.

And it is really amazing
when you find yourself in the middle of one of these moments.

I was working out with a couple of fellows the other day,
using sticks.
These two fellows had worked out for years,
knew each other well,
knew the material well,
but when it came time to demonstrate,
the teacher turned to me,
because he could feel that I was more ‘in the moment,’
and showed the technique on me.

Simply,
I didn’t hesitate,
or make mistakes,
I just stayed with him,
moving in time with him,
moving in tune,
and even when he started deviating the technique,
there I was,
sticking with him,
making it work.

So you see,
you can’t just practice the martial arts,
you have to understand them.

You can’t just practice a technique,
you have to practice ALL of the techniques,
all variations.

You can’t train yourself to just respond,
because then you are training yourself
to be effect to the other guy’s cause.

Instead,
you have to train all the potentials,
even the mistakes,
then mistakes won’t fool you,
or otherwise trip you up.

The best place to do
what I have told you about here
is the Matrix Karate Course.
The Matrix of Blocks,
which is just one small item on this course,
goes directly to the heart of this.
You will then understand how blocks work,
how they work together,
and how to define what mistakes are
so they never trip you up.

Here go.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

HAPPY WORK OUT!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

go to and subscribe to this newsletter:
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so this is the best way to ensure you get them.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

How to Put Zen into the Martial Arts

Newsletter 805
The Promise of a Fight

Beat Google!
Sign up for the newsletter at
https://alcase.wordpress.com

Gorgeous day.
Absolutely gorgeous.
And that means it is an absolutely gorgeous day for a work out.
So get going!

Was teaching this morning.
We were doing Promised Fights,
and my partner was grimacing,
and finally backed off.
“Ow,” he said.
And we got into a long discussion.
Heck,
he was hurting,
I had to let him recover,
give him some data,
and then hurt him some more.
Right?

First,
I started out with the old
‘Do it a form a thousand times and you know it.
Do it ten thousand times and you’ve mastered it.’
My student did exactly the right thing,
he said,
‘So if I do it 20 times a day,
then in fifty days…’
“Yep,” I said.
“You could know it.
You could be expert in 2 months.
But you have to do it right.
You have to understand the alignment,
how the feet work and why,
and you have to know the Promised Fights…
otherwise you could do it forever and not know it.”

Second,
we went into proper body alignment,
which is covered on the Master Instructor Course,
and how the feet must align properly,
and how the particular form we were doing had to be done
to make this all work.
I ended up saying,
“align your body,
make it a single unit,
then he won’t hit your body parts,
he will hit a single, integrated unit,
and it won’t hurt you.
Energy flows through a body that is a single unit,
it doesn’t flow through body parts used in individual fashion.
This is especially important in a Promised Fight.”

And,
came the look I had been waiting for.
I had been using the term Promised Fight,
and I knew he would eventually ask about it.

“What is a Promised Fight?”

A Promised Fight,
or a Promise Fight,
is a piece of the form applied.
A form Application.
It is a self defense movement.
It is bunkai.
It is the working part of the form.
But,
it is more.
In fact,
if a person doesn’t understand what I am about to tell you,
he/she is not doing karate.
They are just fighting themselves.

I asked my instructor what a Promised Fight was,
and he said,
‘The Promise of a Fight.’
And,
while the study of PFs gave great abilities,
and the answer he gave me was correct,
it was terribly incomplete.

To understand what a Promised Fight is
I need you to look up the word ‘Postulate.’

Look it up for yourself,
get all the nuances,
where it came from,
and all that,
but for this newsletter,
the short and inadequate version is this:

suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief

Assume existence,
put forth the truth,
as a basis for belief.

If you understand the hint here,
you should be diving for a big old Oxford Dictionary,
wanting to know why a simple karate move
becomes the basis for truth in this universe.

So let me break it down a bit,
from the viewpoint of 50 years of training.

A postulate is a thought,
which if worked on,
becomes true.

Worked on,
as continually done in a work out.

As in a piece of the form,
practiced again and again and again.

Now,
let me back up a bit,
a form is a circuit,
a pattern of moves that you practice and practice
until you just do it without thinking about it.
You strengthen the body,
you remember the applications,
you get light and quick,
and all those sorts of things.

When you do a piece of the form,
over and over and over,
you condense the circuit,
and you get rid of thought,
and suddenly there is nothing but the move.
Somebody punches,
and you don’t exist,
you just track the incoming,
and the Promise Fight,
the postulate of moves,
pops out of you.
And it works.
You punch him,
and he falls down.
And he doesn’t understand what hit him.
But here is the truth of it all…
a thought hit him.
A Postulate of thought hit him.
A Promise Fight,
clean and simple,
without distractive thoughts,
hit him.
And there is nothing purer in this universe.

Now,
I am always so busy trying to get people to understand,
offering all sorts of methods,
that i sometimes forget to go into this factor.
BUT,
in Matrix Karate there is the Matrix of blocks.
These are like mini-Promise Fights.
Very important to get these,
to understand them,
it is important to learn the small PFs
before you get to the big ones.
The big ones are on Temple Karate.
There isn’t talk of a matrix there,
because it is assumed you have done the groundwork of Matrixing first.
And the form applications are VERY pure Promised Fights.
They REALLY result in a zen frame of mind,
and the ability to hit somebody with a thought.

If you get Temple Karate
and you haven’t done Matrix Karate,
then you are taking the long route.
It will take you years,
and as distractions mount,
you can be knocked off the path
and never get there.

So you should do Matrix Karate,
work on the Matrix of Blocks,
make inroads and discover what a PF is.
And,
you can always take the pieces of the form,
they are pretty obvious,
and work on them to make real Promised Fights.

Then you do Temple Karate,
get into the classical forms,
and really go to town on the Promised Fights.

Matrix Karate is pretty simple,
it presents the movements that are pure karate,
no distractions from other arts.
It aligns you,
and sets you up for the broader moves of Temple Karate.
It is a real Closed Combat System.
You can do it by itself,
or you can do it,
then move into the classical,
and see what kinds of things
the old guys who came before us were into.
Temple Karate is a larger assortment of tricks,
it broadens the education,
and digs you to new depths.

Anyway,
that is the story on Promised Fights.
Dig ‘em…they are the real zen of Martial Arts.

Here’s the link for Temple,
if you have already done Matrix Karate.
You can just go to MonsterMartialArts and find Matrix Karate,
it is one of the first arts presented on the home page.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/temple-karate/

Now,
have a great work out,
and schedule yourself for twenty times a day,
and send me your wins in two months.

Have a great work out!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/temple-karate/

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http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and Reality

Is there a Disconnect in Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts?

Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts? A disconnect? Something tells me I should stop right now, before people get mad at me.

Click on the cover to find the source of the martial arts…

Except, there might actually be something in the question.

When you box, or perform Mixed Martial Arts, you wear gloves. You don’t wear such gloves on the street.

When you do the ‘Sweet Science,’ or battle in the Octagon, there are ‘fences,’ which means a cage, or ropes, to enclose the fight. There are no such barriers in real life.

When you are down, there is a referred to save you. No ref on the streets, bro.

When you fight in a public venue, such as i have mentioned here, the rounds end and you have a chance to recoup in your corner. No end of round, no corner, no recoup on the street.

I know, this is all unfair, I’m picking on your favorite gladiatorial sports.

Except, I’m not.

Look, I’m not saying these things are bad, I’m just saying they are.

The real disconnect is when you train for things that are, and they might not be. If that makes sense.

The real disconnect, when you study boxing or the Mixed Martial Arts, is merely the ability to break away from your training when you have to.

Training is to enhance the martial artist, it is not to imprison him.

So don’t object to what I say, just consider it, and come up with plans for times when you have to defend yourself and you are not in the ring, in the Octagon, doing Mixed Martial Arts or Boxing.

If you want a real slice of reality, check out ‘Binary Matrixing in the Martial Arts.’

And, if you want real training for reality, check out ‘Blinding Steel.’

Al Case has been studying martial arts for 50 years.

A Martial Art Disappears!

Okay,
let’s talk about that great fount of info,
youtube.

I like youtube,
it tells you about lots of arts.
Unfortunately,
it doesn’t teach.
It shows,
but there is no instruction.
This is okay
if you have lots of experience,
but if you don’t
then you are getting,
at best,
what the amateurs think,
at worst,
wrong ideas,
if any ideas at all.

Neutronics,
the most powerful information int he history of the martial arts

I always remember something I read,
so many years ago.
If you want to get excited,
read a headline,
if you want to get educated,
read a book.
Or,
in keeping with this theme,
do a book/video course.

I think the original concept was,
excitable and slanted info from a newspaper,
not much info at all.
A better rounded picture,
but the data is only the surface variety,
not in depth.
Read a book,
get the whole picture.

Interesting,
eh?
Especially in light of this age of information
we are entering.

And,
of course,
(grin)
the best source of martial arts info on the planet
is Monster Martial Arts.
Of course.

And,
I should tell you at this point,
that Blinding Steel is coming down.
I’m taking it off the website.
Don’t know for how long,
maybe for good,
maybe for a while,
but,
if you want the price it is offered at now,
get it quick.

Blinding Steel is my heart,
Monkey Boxing,
it’s goot ALL sorts of data
about who to get faster,
a logical method for weapons,
disarming,
transitioning to throws,
and so on.
Very potent stuff.
I always recommend you get Matrix Karate,
and the Master Instructor Course,
because that is the heart of the matrixing method.
But the end result of the matrixing method
is Blinding Steel.

So pick it up quick,
it won’t be back,
at least not at this price.

The good news,
I’m putting it together with an intro course
that I am referring to as Binary Martial Arts.
I undercut even Matrixing,
I get down to why the martial arts are a fantasy,
for that matter,
why you are a fantasy,
and I tell the truth about the martial arts,
how to make them not a fantasy,
how to make a real art evolve,
which makes yourself evolve.

More on that later.
Probably a week or two before I have that all polished up.
I have it written,
and it is a whammed slammer.
In fact,
it is so powerful,
and it made me realize something:
this stuff that I am doing,
this matrixing and neutronics,
is more powerful than
The Tao (Lao Tsu)
or even zen.

When people look back at this era,
at what happened to the martial arts
at the dawn of the information age,
they will point to Matrixing and Neutronics,
as the single most potent occurrence,
in the history of the martial arts.
I’m not bragging,
it is just is the value of information.
It is the the fat of mysticism
becoming a science,
a logic,
an actual technology.

When you think about it,
The Tao (for instance)
was exiting the stone age,
it was concepts being written down and passed on.
But the concepts weren’t ordered
or even understood.
Matrixing changes that.
Matrixing is the transition from mysticism
into definable knowledge.

Okay,
I’ve talked long enough.
Remember,
Blinding Steel,
last chance to get it,
right here…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

Have a great work out!
Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

Surviving Ten Seconds and Beyond

Surviving Worse than Zombies with Martial Arts!

Want to know one of the best books in the world
for home defense?
For basic strategizing?
For opening up the mind to combat possibilities,
for handling everything from mobs to global conflicts?

The Zombie Survival Guide.

Be silent, my friend, and hear yourself think…

It’s true.
The guy who wrote it
is actually responsible for
‘World War Z’
So you know he’s telling the truth,
right?

Seriously,
the book goes into how to zombie proof your home,
which is good for forestalling mobs,
personal tactics (take off the head)
and generally preparing yourself
for when the world falls apart.

The book is very similar to
The Boy Scout Manual,
or the Army Ranger Handbook.

Got lots of things in it.

The thing that made me think about this
is that a fellow emailed me,
asked my opinion on various things,
such as the end of the world.

The end of the world is an interesting topic.
Volcano?
EMP attack?
California falling into the ocean.
(Not a bad thing)
and so on.

But here’s something I realized,
the world can end at any time,
for anyone,
on a personal level.
Heck,
you don’t have to wait for the government to sell us out,
the dollar to go bad,
the Chinese to buy McDonalds…
it can end tomorrow with a mugging,
a fender bender that escalates,
a cop on the wrong side of bed.

And that’s when that fifteen years of training
turns into 10 seconds of survival.

Now,
most of the guys reading this,
they are active in the martial arts,
but there are a few who aren’t…
and who should be.

You make sure your car is running smooth,
the engine isn’t pinging,
the tires aren’t bald,
because those things can interrupt your life.
Well,
martial arts training can save your life.

And even if you don’t use them,
you will use the health benefits,
the calm of mind benefits,
you will live longer,
just like Mom.

So,
check out the Zombie Survival Guide.
AND,
while you’re at it,
go here…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

This is how to make anything a weapon,
how to translate weapons to empty hands to throws,
how to be the one alive
when somebody as stupid as a zombie
decides he should live and you shouldn’t.

Have yourself a great work out!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

A Very Nice Martial Arts Win

Winning in the Martial Arts!

Hey,
I received the following win from Will S in the email.
Wins like this make my day.
It is just guys like you and me
figuring it out,
living good,
and spreading the energy.
Here go.

Find out the truth about real samurai swordfighting

Hi sensei Al

How are you sir? This time, how unusual…I don’t want anything from you. Just to say thanks for everything and I hope you are in great health and your shoulder has healed up well. Of course I practice and teach my matrixing and  duly read and ponder on the newsletters, most of them indeed are very stimulating to deeper thought and research, others are informative nonetheless. Some grind my gears in the best sense of the word, those that make me think and go aha! or even worse, spark and explosion of sudden realization in body and mind. Usually sits quite deep and ends up as something that becomes part of oneself or ones way and to pass on to the postulants…try to define energy? What is energy? I mean really? So I guess, you sowed very well because it seems there is something growing, that encompasses the realm of physical understanding or trying to make sense of a move.
I think this is why I am at the point where I am now. A work in progress, not there yet, but definitely no longer where I once was either. A lot of it was distorted, wobbly and shaky, but in the end, there was coherence, there was sense and there was logic. There was truth. As we know, for something to be true its opposite must also be true. In this case, you pushed me with my nose onto it, gently yet diligent and patiently. Thank you. You are a hell of a martial artist and an amazing teacher.
I am glad you are around, sensei Al. All the best to you my friend,
happy workout, and new videos are coming soon.

Thank you, Will.
And,

listen to all of you guys and gals out there.
Yes,
I push matrixing,
but as Will says in the first sentence,
you don’t have to want something.
You can chat,
share win,
gripe if you want
(you just need to do more work outs)
or whatever.

But here’s the thing…
you can’t change unless you seek to go outside yourself.
Yes,
change comes from within,
but that change must be prompted by external forces.
But before the external forces can work,
you have to want.
You have to look for those external forces.
They won’t act on you otherwise.

And,
of course,
if the external force is me calling for more work outs,
that is excellent.

A world of happy,
stable,
doing well
martial artists.

That’s the goal here.

Listen,
when I started,
way back in 1967,
I was involved in an art that I thought
WAS THE BEST MARTIAL ART IN THE WORLD!
Heck,
the instructors said so,
my classmates believed it,
so…?

Then one day I met a fellow,
and he showed me something,
and I changed.
I quit the school
(found out it was sort of a McDojo),
gave up being a teacher,
and started over as a white belt.

The point is that no matter how good you are,
there is something more to be learned,
but you have to be willing to let that learning touch you.
You have to open the eyes and ears,
and be willing to redefine your belief system.
You have to go outside yourself.

The point isn’t to have the best system in the world,
the point is to make logic out of the chaos,
and make the best system in the world. for yourself.
Every person’s system will,
in some way,
be different.
But you have to be willing to seek to find it.
You have to be willing to change things,
you have to be willing to make things work.

Okay,
‘nuff preaching.

Check out Blinding Steel

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

Blinding Steel is not just weapons,
it is a complete progression
from weapons to hands to takedowns.
It has eight drills which encompass all motion,
and which can be adjusted to
hands once you have given up the weapon,
to takedowns once you have closed sufficient to negate hands.

So check it out,
works well with any system,
and really opens the eyes.
Provides the external stimulus to change,
if you get what I mean.

Now…
Have yourself a great work out!

Al

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

How to Maim yourself with Bad Martial Arts Practice

Hurting Yourself for Fun with Martial Arts?

Bad Martial Arts practices will probably always be with us. After all, there is always going to be somebody who is just a wee bit not too smart in the martial arts. More gusto than brains.

The first martial arts training that I heard of that was a bit loony tunes was in Karate. This was back in the fifties, and it consisted of smashing your hand into rocks or telephone poles or other non-giving objects. The result was a hand bleeding, maybe even broken, and much too tender to continue karate practice with.

Click here to learn how to Matrix Tai Chi Chuan

Over the years I heard of other things, but the latest and greatest has to do with gangs that administer ‘martial arts beatings’ to make sure you are tough enough.

I think it was the movie ‘colors,’ with Sean Penn, where I first heard of gangsters beating the hell out of recruits before they accepted them into their inner circle. They were supposed to be gauging the recruit’s ability to fight back or something like that.

Just the other day I came across the latest evolution of this bad martial arts practice. It takes place in prison, and it is called ’52 Pick Up.’

A deck of cards is thrown into the air, and the recruit must pick up the deck, in order, while three other cons beat the heck out of him.

Now that is an interesting concept, the ability to play cards while in a gang war.

The interesting thing is that done properly, there actually is reason for these practices. Many schools, for instance, believe that one should be pushed and struck while doing the form Sanchin. The pushing and striking, however, is not to brutalize a fellow and make sure he is reduced to an animal nature, but rather to ensure that he is sinking his weight and aligning his body properly and breathing correctly and so on.

Doing this type of training, correctly and with much awareness can actually lead a person to what the Chinese call ‘Iron shirt’ training. This is a body that is impervious to strikes.

Thus, while there are many bad martial arts practices, training methods that can damage and even maim the body, the good martial artist will search for that training method that will enable him to strengthen his body through cultivated awareness.

About the Author: Al Case began martial arts in 1967. You can check out his method for chi training at MonsterMartialArts.com.

Making a world Class Fist Load, or How I chose the Munio

The Munio Fist Load Keychain Martial Arts Weapon

A Fist load is a Japanese term for a hand held martial arts weapon of the small variety. In this classification you would find brass knuckles, possibly saps, and definitely Kubotans.

Complete art, a pivotal time in matrixing ~ click on the cover!

And, you would definitely find Phil Ventrello’s handy, little keychain called a Munio. You can read about the Munio, and of my test of it, here, (https://alcase.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/munio-self-defense-is-great-martial-arts-equipment/)

What you don’t know is that at one time, a few years ago, I decided to make one of these key chain killer devices myself.

First, I went to the lumber store and bought a six inch dowel.

Then, I went to the hardware store and bought a handful of nasty and sharp, little nails.

Then I measured the spread of my finger in a fist, and pounded the nails through the stick at the measured points.

ZOWIE!

I was holding a gnarly stick that fit perfectly into my hand and projected the points of some very, sharp nails between my fingers.

I had a device that could be adapted to carry keys, would fit in my hands, could be used to pound like a hammer, or flail like a small mace, and I pitied the fool mugger who wanted my skinny, little wallet!

And, here is the thing, I could make these suckers and sell them!

I could see it in my mind’s eye, mass produced by some third world country, recommended by police officers and Navy SEALs everywhere, and people would buy them like hot cakes!

Hot cakes with nails in them, but still hotcakes!

Conjecturing over this massive sales bonanza, adding up zeros in my head, I slid my home made fist load into my pocket and—OW!

The nails ripped apart my pants and scored my skin! And when I tried to take it out of my pocket it hurt even more!

I stared at the nasty, little martial arts tool. It bled at me. Darn. It was so perfect, but you couldn’t carry it. Heck, it would defeat any kind of holster, rip apart clothes, and…and if I was caught carrying one of these I would be guilty of intent to maim and all sorts of other stupid laws!

So I tossed it in the trash.

And, several years later, I carry a Munio. And now you can understand why I was so excited when I came across the Munio.

Munio means ’I defend.’ It can be carried into an airport, it won’t zap some poor fool into a heart attack, it won’t spray you in the face, and the darned thing is really cool looking!

Yet you can flail the keys and use the butt of the thing to pound sense into some poor mugger’s face!

Heck, I showed mine to my wife, and though she has NEVER showed an interest in martial arts weapons, she said, “Can I have one?”

So, check it out here…http://www.munioselfdefense.com/munio-workshops/.

Iron Fist, Iron Body…the Truth

Get Yer Iron Fist Right Here!

We’ve all heard the Kung Fu stories, guy hits the master and hurts his hand. Knives are blunted upon the master’s body.

The Age of Kenpo Karate

And, during the Boxer Rebellion, bullets bounced off bodies. And, over the years, most stories have been proven full of crap.

People died in the Boxer Rebellion, victim to bushwah propaganda and fantasy. And, if there are any fellows out there who would like to blunt the tip of my Cold Steel, send me an e-mail and a release form.

However, bushwah aside, there are very real gains to be made from developing iron bodies, fists of steel, and so on.

We all want more effective blocks and strikes, and some of these methods do have incredible value. The question, of course, is which method works the best?

Chinese Kung Fu preach various iron palm potions, if you soak your hands before and after working out, the tissue remains pliable and yet still retains the value of the work out. Thus, you can pound on beans and sand and pellets of iron until your cup runneth over.

My only problem with this method is that I believe in methods which don’t rely on the body, I prefer methods which use the power of the mind. Tai Chi, for instance, speaks of a pliable body which whipcracks with power, soft on the outside, hard on the inside.

I think this is probably preferable to bruise potions, but one would have to spend a lot of time studying the various Tai Chi arts to attain what one is seeking. Be prepared to study Chen for power, Yang for workable posture, Wu for subtle motions, Sun for twisting effects, and so on.

Now, to be truthful, just doing karate forms is going to give you an ‘iron body.’ The problem is that most people do the forms wrong, the actual technology of doing karate forms the correct way has, for the most part, been lost.

But, if you can find the correct way of doing forms, then you can, within the space of about two years, learn how to maximize energy within your body to withstand a strike, and concentrate energy into your hands for striking.

The best way of developing power, not needing esoteric knowledge or magic potions, is simply to set up a stand which supports a brick, and drop the palm on it.

Place a folded wash cloth over it to protect the palm, and don’t strike too hard, and just drop the palm. The trick is to be willing to do it for an hour at a time.

I know people will have other methods, and I am always fascinated by what people prefer in this matter. The things I have said in this article I have formulated over four decades and through a variety of experiences with a variety of arts. So feel free to respond to this article, or to write your own article and offer your own opinion.

About the author: Al Case has near 50 years experience int he martial arts. Check out his book, ‘Matrixing Chi,’ at MonsterMartialArts.com.