protectivearts

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Recursive attention: we pay attention to what others pay attention to. Think of any accident. Crowds form in part because when one person stops to watch, that attracts more people – the size of the group paying attention to the event increases the percentage that others will also pay attention. Inextricably related to what attracts our attentionContinue reading “SITUATIONAL AWARENESS”

RYOTEDORI – KIHON

At first glance ryotedori is an inane attack. Two hands on two hands: Who does that?[1] Contextually I have presented it as an means of controlling an opponent’s un-drawn sword. Uke approaches the pin nage’s hands to his hips to prevent deployment. Nage learns weapon-retention and countering. This post is a focused exploration but review the broaderContinue reading “RYOTEDORI – KIHON”

CLOSING SKILLS

The following is a re-post from the Art of Manliness: Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote that a people “that shortens its weapons lengthens its boundaries.” By this he meant that men who were capable of fighting fiercely at close quarters also possessed the essential courage, the thumos, that ultimately won battles, turned the tide of war — protectedContinue reading “CLOSING SKILLS”