Thursday, March 31, 2016

Take the Back

This is post 6 in a 6-part series.

For self defense, simplicity is key. You cannot afford to find yourself in a fight and have too many options going through your head. You must be able to react immediately. So that said, this series will attempt to give you a breakdown of what movements you should drill until they are automatic.

Naturally, different people will have different opinions, so the techniques suggested will be drawn from those most often used with success in MMA. Additionally, there are more options from each position than could ever be presented in a single blog post, so major alternatives will be presented in a list immediately following the highlighted techniques.

Also, note that the strategy presented will be from the point of view of a jiu-jitsu fighter. A striking oriented fighter might use the major alternatives presented here as their go-to moves, while using the grappling philosophy as their backup plans. This does not indicate one style as being superior to another. Rather, it is indicative of different fighting strategies, both of which are proven and tested to be effective.

Finishing the Fight
Of course, one can strike from the back - round punches, hammer fists, heel kicks, etc. However, these are best used as setups for finishes. The three main finishes you should focus on -
* Rear naked choke (RNC)  hadaka jime
* Straight arm lock   juji gatame
* Triangle choke (rear variation, or "trash compactor")  sankaku jime


Rear Naked Choke - RNC
You should master "strong side," "weak side," and "short choke" variations.


The short choke.
Often, when people learn the short choke, they wonder why it isn't standard. Simple explanation - with the short choke, it is easy to peel the choking hand off the neck in defense. So, try for the regular RNC, and if it proves difficult to sink in, attack with the short choke. But be wary - when they start defending the short choke, switch back to the RNC.



Strong side.

With the RNC, one always wishes to choke with the arm closest to the ground. This limits the opponent's escape options. Strong side is a way of saying that the seat belt grip high arm (over the shoulder) is closest to the ground. This allows the jiu-jitsu fighter to directly begin the choking sequence.



Weak Side

In this variety of the Back Control or Back Mount, the jiu-jitsu fighter's seat belt grip low arm (under the opponent's shoulder) is closest to the ground. To execute an RNC from here, one must transfer the neck to the bottom arm for choking.

Avoid attempting rear naked chokes with the top arm.

Another option for a good jiu-jitsu fighter from weak side is to attack with the straight arm lock, juji gatame. One already has hooked the bottom arm, so it's just a matter of framing the head away and moving the leg over the head.

With either the strong side or weak side RNC, it's the bottom arm that winds up doing the choking. The difference, therefore, is in the setup. Do you go straight into the choke, or do you have to transfer to the bottom arm?

An additional option is to use the leg to immobilize the top arm via a hooking mechanism.



Rear Triangle

Sometimes, if you've hooked the arm, they dig under it deeper. Sometimes, the opponent inexplicably digs under a leg on their own in a vain effort to escape. If this happens, you have a wonderful opportunity for a rear triangle - ushiro sankaku jime. Sometimes, this move can be called the trash compactor - especially when the jiu-jitsu fighter reaches forward and grabs the opponent's leg to increase choking pressure.

This can also be combined with an arm lock, just pull the arm and straighten the elbow via a juji gatame motion. Keep the triangular leg position, though.




Remount Technique
If the opponent begins squirming out of your Back Control, and you feel they may succeed - remount the opponent. It's best not to lose a dominant position. Don't hang on to the bitter end - you'll wind up in Guard (or worse).



Kyotsuke!  Rei!

Thank you for reading this series. Any quesions, please post or email. Who knows, maybe your question will make for a future blog post!


Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Better First Lady

A few friends were speaking the other day about the role of First Lady. To be fair, most First Ladies are well past The Wall, and so comparing based on looks is not 100% fair... with the notable exception of potential First Lady, Melania Trump. But, if one looks deeper, there is something telling in their looks.

If you've ever noticed, Michelle Obama is almost never smiling in pictures, unless it's a designed photo-shoot. Candid photos of the current First Lady tend to capture scowls, grimaces, and "I-want-to-kill-you-with-lasers-from-my-eyes stares."


Of course, if I was married to Barack Obama, I'd similarly be quite upset.

In another point, Michelle Obama has been more visible than I would have expected, seeing as her daughters are both still fairly young. A woman places great priority on rearing her children, and it would seem quite difficult to do so while being in the public eye so very much.




On the other hand, you have would-be First Lady, Melania Trump. She is rarely in the spotlight, as she raises her 9 year old son. When we do get pictures of her, they tell a different story. She is certainly a happy woman.


Though it is satire,  this link details 16 reasons why Melania Trump would make a good First Lady. Of course, the article is trying to poke fun at the fact that she is and was a model. However, Trump takes her role as a wife, mother, and woman seriously enough to keep in shape and look after herself. This is something everyone should do, regardless of gender.

That's another thing - her role as a mother. In the photo above, holding her son, you can see her contentment and satisfaction. She loves being a mother first and foremost. That's a very noble and feminine calling. And she does so with style and grace. And she keeps out of the spotlight so that she can fulfill that role to her best abilities.



Here's a photo of former First Lady, Laura Bush. I was hard pressed to find many photos of her. None of the photos featured an unpleasant face. Certainly past her prime, but definitely classy at the same time.

We haven't had classy people in the White House for 8 years. It's time we change that. Melania Trump is certainly a classy lady, and would bring class back to the role of First Lady.


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Feminism Kills



100 years ago, this was a freak. Today, you can see someone this size at any Wal Mart.


A growing trend is "fat acceptance." Feminists are pushing it big time. They want you to believe that being morbidly obese is ok.  Here's a hint, 90% of health problems in America are caused by poor diet. And a leading indicator of poor diet is obesity.




Feminists want you to think this is beautiful. But truth is, men don't think that and women don't, either.





And why is it that this is true? Fat animals are as a result of abuse. Fat children are likewise a result of abuse. But fat women? They are inspiring.


Yeah. So inspiring that Paleo diet and intermittent fasting sound better and better every day.

Well, you don't fool me. I think a fat person is a result of abuse. Self-abuse. Get some help, and make a decision to change if that's you. But don't expect the rest of us to lie to you just because you eat too much and too poorly.

So that's a major reason I cannot stand feminism - it's literally killing people.



Posted via Blogaway


Monday, March 28, 2016

Quote of the Day

QOTD:
"I'm not [with] the tinfoil hat crowd. They think Armageddon is imminent. I'm with the tinfoil yarmulke crowd. We don't think it likely, but we also don't consider it impossible. We've read history."

 From this link. 


Friday, March 25, 2016

A Man's Job

A reader emailed a question: what jobs are truly masculine?

The simple answer is this - STEM jobs, manual labor, law enforcement, military, sales, firefighting, and only a handful of others.

For example
A friend is a weatherman. His degree would be in meteorology. That's science, and the job is science related. That's a masculine job.

Another friend is in security (law enforcement) and had served in the US Marine Corps. Both qualify.

Yet another friend is in sales. Certainly does qualify.

The "on the fence"
In doing research for this article, a couple of jobs came up as being touted as masculine by some, while other sources said they were not masculine:

The first was accounting.  60% of accountants are women.
Therefore, accounting and related jobs (auditing, etc.) are not masculine jobs.

Statistician - this is the only math field dominated by women.
Not a masculine job.

Actuary - per the link above, 70% of actuaries are male. Unlike statistics (fundamental mathematics), actuarial studies are heavy math and not very easy.
Definitely a masculine job.

The "nots"
Teachers are overwhelmingly female. Not masculine.
Exception - collegiate level or higher professorships teaching STEM subjects.

Nurses - over 90% of RNs are female.  Not masculine.
Exception: Medical Doctor is certainly masculine.

Secretary / office assistant / administrative assistant - 96% female. Not masculine.


Others
If you have other jobs to question, submit them for review.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Guard Game

This is post 5 in a 6-part series.

For self defense, simplicity is key. You cannot afford to find yourself in a fight and have too many options going through your head. You must be able to react immediately. So that said, this series will attempt to give you a breakdown of what movements you should drill until they are automatic.

Naturally, different people will have different opinions, so the techniques suggested will be drawn from those most often used with success in MMA. Additionally, there are more options from each position than could ever be presented in a single blog post, so major alternatives will be presented in a list immediately following the highlighted techniques.

Also, note that the strategy presented will be from the point of view of a jiu-jitsu fighter. A striking oriented fighter might use the major alternatives presented here as their go-to moves, while using the grappling philosophy as their backup plans. This does not indicate one style as being superior to another. Rather, it is indicative of different fighting strategies, both of which are proven and tested to be effective.

The Guard
If you find yourself on bottom in a fight, you need to utilize the Guard. Having both of your legs around your opponent's trunk allows you to limit his movement and maximize your own movement. The most fundamental thing you can do from the Guard is to prevent and block punches.

As you maintain control and keep safe from strikes, other opportunities will present themselves... based on how your opponent attempts to get past your guard. Generally speaking, you will have opportunities to choke, arm lock, or sweep your opponent.

Sweeps are when you maneuver to the top from the Guard. Common sweeps include:
* Scissor sweep
* Elevator sweep
* Double ankle sweep
* Take the back

Common arm locks from the Guard:
* Straight arm lock  juji gatame
* Kimura arm lock  ude garami 

Common chokes include:
* Guillotine choke  hadaka jime
* Triangle choke  sankaku jime

Additionally, a good fighter knows how to stand up from Guard. All of these methods are derivatives of the basic technical stand up, or are alternatives to same from blocked attempts.

Passing Guard
There are numerous methods to passing the Guard. However, watch any high level fighter and you will see that they primarily use a few basic passes. What's more, they combine just a few Guard Breaks (opening the legs) with Guard Passes (getting past the legs) to create many opportunities to pass from just a few options.

A few common Guard breaks include:
* Punches
* Knee in tailbone
* Ankle unlock
* Standing knee press

A few common passes include:
* Matador (standing)
* Goal Post (standing)
* Knee slide (kneeling)
* Hip out (kneling)

Work these to give yourself options.


Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Yesterday

Yesterday, Trump won Arizona, which mattered in terms of delegates. Cruz won Utah, which didn't matter in terms of delegates.

If Trump wins California, New york, and Connecticut,  he will possess a majority of delegates regardless of the outcomes in other states. Right now, Trump leads by 17% or more in each state.

Yesterday, I learned that Ted Cruz has picked up the endorsement of Jeb Bush. I'm pretty sure he didn't want that.

Yesterday there was a coordinated terrorist attack in Brussels. Dozens are dead and hundreds wounded. Obunghole watched a baseball game in Cuba with a Communist dictator. We need leadership and are only 10 months away from having it.

Of course, it was the "Religion of Peace" that was responsible for the killings. And people wonder why Trump is winning on a platform of eliminating illegal immigration and disallowing Muslim "refugees."

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Fire Team Doctrine

Use of the fire team is common doctrine in the US military. Typically constructed around a four-man team of Leader, Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, and Assistant Automatic Rifleman. The fire team doctrine predicates movement around and for the Automatic Rifleman.

When the concept is broken down, the idea is to bring superior force to bear. That strategy is an effective one for fire superiority and for taking ground. When analyzed, there are a few weaknesses. If the Fire Team is not, in fact, a superior force, it is vulnerable. Also, a superior force can be defeated regularly by an inferior force that picks it's shots well, then moves away.

Like a boxer who only engages for brief exchanges, then skips out of harm's way, a fire team centered around superior marksmanship would have certain advantages over a team built around an automatic rifle.

Obviously, if either team set up a good ambush of its choosing, it would have a significant advantage over the other. However, due to the very nature of the marksmanship based team, there is an inherent advantage in its doctrine of constant ambush opportunity. The marksmanship team knows it's only advantage is the ambush at a distance, and only allows engagement in that criteria.

The Automatic Rifle team is prone to getting into firefights without as much regard for distance, as they feel the automatic weapon can help them fight their way out of it, should a need arise. It's this thinking that can get them overwhelmed, too.

For the American Martial Artist, marksmanship is key. Understand how to hit your target, be on the lookout for targets of opportunity as well as favorable engagement ranges and circumstances, and keep creating distance after engagement.


The marksmanship based fire team can also work from groups of four. But it can be worked easily with just one or two persons. A team of three just might be ideal. Four and five are fine. Six or more and you koneed to see if you can break apart into smaller units.

The marksmanship team needs to know CQB well. Be able to fight up close if needed (it will be needed at some time). But also keep in mind that distance is your friend. Engage and move away with much prejudice.


Monday, March 21, 2016

Red Pill Origins II

A big hurdle for most men to take the red pill is to see women for what they are. Often, this can be the single largest hurdle, depending on the man, of course. Pop culture and media indoctrination holds that women are not only the fairer sex, but that they are not capable of being wrong, sinful, mean, violent, etc. When a man realizes that a woman being an imperfect person is not only possible, but just as likely as a man being imperfect, then the first step of red pill conversion has taken place. Eventually, this leads to a man realizing these things about  his own mother. 

This happened to yours, truly, as well. My mother was not perfect, and my teenage years helped me realize it. My early college years solidified it, and my early career years reinforced it. My mother was bitten by the bug... the  divorce porn  bug. "Divorce porn" is a term which refers to how our society glorifies divorce.

My mother's marriage to my father was her second. She was in her late twenties when they were married. In all my life, she only referenced her previous husband a handful of times... usually with the insertion of the phrase "he was gay" thrown in for good measure. I know nothing of the man, save that his given name was Gary. I don't know his last name. Why they divorced, I can only speculate. But I bet it had to do with the fact that she was crazy.

First Indicator
The first major oddity happened when I was 12. My mother got very interested in politics when I was 10 or so. By the time I was 12, she would leave the house every morning to go "politicking." I was left to care for my younger brother and sister and make sure all three of us completed our home-school assignments. Frequently, when my father would come home from his job at about 5:30 or 6, he would ask where my mother was. I rarely knew.

4 out of 5 weekdays, she would be gone all day, and into the evening. When confronted with this information, she would deny that, and say she was almost never gone that much. Also of note, my mother ran for public office during this time. She did not win election, but placed middle of the pack in a field of 9 candidates. It was during this time that she started accusing my father of cheating on her... without proof, of course.

She renovated our living room to a makeshift bedroom and set it up as her bedroom. We used a side door downstairs 99% of the time, so it didn't hurt anything logistically.  But it was further indicator that she was falling prey to the divorce porn.

My current red pill inclined, 40-year-old mind would say she was likely cheating on my father during much of this time. 

Second Indicator
By the time I was 14, my mom opened "her own business." She had a typing and resume service. Many evenings, she would spend the night at her office. That all changed when I turned 15. My father and I said I should go to a regular high school. I would be entering 10th grade. I was enrolled in a local high school, and my mother had to take me to school every day. Of course, soon she found arrangements to carpool with a nearby family so she would only have to take me every other week.

During this time, my brother and sister were being required to do less and less in their "home-schooling." I turned 16 just prior to my junior year, and with the earning of my driver's license, I would drive myself to school every day. Not just because I wanted to, but also because I had to.

It was at this time that my mother moved out of our house completely. She had been spending days at a time at my dad's farm house on the opposite side of the state. The days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months. To be fair, she did fix the place up a bit.

Eventually, my brother and sister fell way behind in their home schooling and the decision was made to have them join me at school. My senior year, they rode with me to and from school every day. My brother was a Freshman and my sister was in 7th grade. It was much harder on them than it was on me.

Third Indicator
The way things were my junior and senior years was pretty much how things stayed through college. My mother would come back to Chattanooga for a few days or a week at a time every 90 days or so. This was the case from 1991 through 1999. In late 1999, she filed for divorce from my dad. My brother and sister were heartbroken. I couldn't understand why - they had been separated for a decade.

My father, in a stroke of genius, retained an attorney. Not just any attorney, but one who had been at odds with my mother back in her political days. My mother and this attorney had often found themselves on opposite ends of conflicts, and had launched verbal attacks at one another frequently. This attorney was a nasty bitch. And she hated my mom. She damn near worked for free.

Of course, my mom was going after the house, the savings, and asking for alimony and child support: even though we were ages 19, 21, and 24... and even though we had lived with my dad the entire time. The final hearing was set for early 2000. I was asked to come and testify as to what I knew. I told my dad's attorney the honest truth, and that's why they wanted me to testify.

My mom didn't want to negotiate terns, or arbitrate... she wanted it all.

Fourth Indicator
On the day of my parents' divorce, I was in the courtroom. When my mother saw me there, she immediately whispered to her attorney, and they left the room and went to the arbitration room down the hall. Soon, they sent word for my father and his attorney. To the arbitration room they went. I stayed behind.

After watching several fascinating cases, my parents' case was called. I stood and informed the judge that they were in the other room, negotiating. The judge asked me to notify the bailiff when they returned, and their case would slide into the next spot.

Shortly thereafter, they returned. I dutifully notified the bailiff. Their case was called almost immediately. My father's attorney notified the judge that they had reached terms. They would define 1993 as the year my mother vacated the marriage, and my father would give her half of the value of their house as of 1993, and half of the value of his retirement savings as of 1993. The judge verified with my mom and her attorney if they had so agreed, and they indicated that they did agree.

My father wrote the check on the spot. It was worth less than fraction of what his house was worth at that moment. Much less the value of the farm house and his retirement account.

Fifth Indicator
After the divorce, my mother withdrew from us kids even more. But, when she wanted to see us, she would "have a heart attack." She "had 47 heart attacks," by the last count. She would check into the hospitals, short of breath, and be released within a matter of hours. There were a few other, similar shenanigans, too. All cries for attention from a woman who had pushed her family away for years.

Final
My mother moved into a small cabin shortly after the divorce. A few years later, she bought another house not far from there. Later, she purchased the house she would eventually die in. Neither was worth much. She owned two houses at her death - one was foreclosed upon. All the while she "dated" a couple of men. By that time, she wanted little to do with me.

We would occasionally see her when she wanted to see her grandchildren. But, as they grew out of infant hood and into their toddler years, she would start pushing them away, too. My son was old enough to realize this prior to her death.

All the while, she rationalized ("hamster wheel") that everyone was out to get her.


Friday, March 18, 2016

Stupidity Knows No Bounds

Tuesday evening, I was watching a call-in show as analysis of the election results was made. One caller, "Mary" from Glasgow, KY, really didn't help the perception of ignorant southerners.

Mary claimed to be a Republican, and continued to say she was afraid of what Trump might do to the country. So, instead, she had voted for Bernie Sanders.

I wish the above statement was a joke, but Mary stated it with earnestness.


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Side to Win

This is post 4 in a 6-part series.

For self defense, simplicity is key. You cannot afford to find yourself in a fight and have too many options going through your head. You must be able to react immediately. So that said, this series will attempt to give you a breakdown of what movements you should drill until they are automatic.

Naturally, different people will have different opinions, so the techniques suggested will be drawn from those most often used with success in MMA. Additionally, there are more options from each position than could ever be presented in a single blog post, so major alternatives will be presented in a list immediately following the highlighted techniques.

Also, note that the strategy presented will be from the point of view of a jiu-jitsu fighter. A striking oriented fighter might use the major alternatives presented here as their go-to moves, while using the grappling philosophy as their backup plans. This does not indicate one style as being superior to another. Rather, it is indicative of different fighting strategies, both of which are proven and tested to be effective.


The Side

The Side offers a few offensive opportunities. One often finds himself here after passing the Guard, or after a good takedown. A good strategy would be to use the Side to wear down an opponent, then as an opportunity to get to the Mount (or Back), or to catch a submission on an unwary opponent.

Submissions
* Kata gatame - the arm triangle choke
* Ude garami - both the Americana and Kimura variations are available here.
* Also, one can move to the Mount.

Variations
* Scarf holds: the Scarf Hold is easy to transition into from the Side, and it prevents the opponent from putting you in the Guard. The Reverse Scarf Hold is easy to move into, and provides opportunity to Mount the oppoment.
* Wedge (also known as North-South): offers a great juji gatame / ude garami combo, plus the ability to transition to either Side, the Mount, and even the Back.

Escapes
One can escape by shrimping to Guard or by going to the knees. Going to the knees is by far the riskier movement.

Strikes
Mostly knees and elbows are used from the Side. There are a few (weird angle) punches, and shoulder bombs that can be employed.


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Sigma vs. Gamma

A reader wrote in and wanted my take on the differences between a gamma and a sigma. The reader postulated that since both live much of their lives outside the regular social circles, they would be difficult to differentiate. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In popular culture: picture Clint Eastwood and Michael Moore. If you really have to ask which one is which, then just stop reading now, none of the rest will make sense.

But let's put some meat on the topic. Let's examine further. Let's assign tangible, measurable qualities to the differences.

Gamma
Secret King. Somehow, he is better than everybody, but nobody can see it. Delusions of grandeur.
Overly emotional. Let's emotion dictate his actions.
Solipsistic. Things only happen to affect him.
Feminized thinking. Thinks as a woman would on most, if not all, things.
Refusal to accept his role.

Some more from  this link: 
* Gammas will actively pick fights they can’t win against higher-ranking men. This is because the Secret King can’t accept that nobody appreciates his value but being feminised they don’t really understand how men handle conflict. Their risk assessment is faulty, like a belligerent woman screaming “you can’t hit me I’m a girl” before she’s decked on WorldStarHipHop.
* Gammas can’t back down from these fights because that means admitting defeat, which goes against the Secret King belief. Also, everything is too personal, being feminised. So rather than slink away from a beating they have to keep running their mouth and keep getting beaten up.
* Gammas will lie, spin, and employ sophistry to maintain the illusion of winning when obviously losing. The evidence doesn’t actually support the winning, so it’s avoided, but they don’t realise how transparent their defeat is.
* Gammas use the feminised debating tactic of tackle the man not the ball. They will directly insult in order to create badfeelz, because they project their own fear of badfeelz and assume their opponent is similarly wounded by it.


Sigma

The lone wolf.
Reluctant king. People often beg for the sigma's leadership, but the sigma doesn't want to.
Devoid of emotion. Whether by training, scarring, or natural disinclination to be emotional, the sigma doesn't show emotion unless doing so suits his desires.
Manipulative. Not only do others exist, they exist to serve the purpose of the sigma.
Pragmatic thinking. To the point of not taking other people's feelz into consideration.
Able to adopt any role, depending on his objective. But realizing that roles are simplistic games.

And maybe that last one is the chief differentiator. The gamma wishes he were in charge. The sigma realizes that even if he were in charge, there is little worth to being in charge.

* A sigma will not fight unless there's something to be gained by winning and losing. Whether the sigma wins depends on what he wants, and whether winning will provide that. Of note, this is the only heirarchy rank that the alpha will not immediately challenge... as he knows destruction likely will follow.
* A sigma will gladly "back down" or "admit defeat," if that will serve his purposes. Doesn't matter who is right or wrong, it just matters what is gained. If it is a real fight, the sigma will overwhelm and destroy.
* A sigma will employ sophisticated attacks, counters, and such, bred from a sole purpose of self improvement. To watch one fight is to watch poetry in motion. He understands the game so thoroughly that the other party lost the fight before it ever began.
* A sigma attacks only the opponent. However, in true sigma fashion, he does not care one bit about potential collateral damage... unless the appearance of caring for such will gain a strategic advantage.


Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Getting Stronger

Among the activities people should be doing, lifting weights is toward the top of the most desirable. Despite this fact, many people do not lift, and it shows. It shows in popular culture, and it shows in mindsets.

Many people will ask, when they find out you lift, "I bet that makes lifting (insert object here) easy?"

Actually, the painful truth is that lifting and getting stronger doesn't make lifting anything easier. It's still just as hard to lift. It just makes the weightlifter capable of trying that hard (and harder) successfully.


Monday, March 14, 2016

Representative Conservatism

The United States was not founded as a democracy. It was founded as a representative Republic. The founders knew that every democracy will destroy itself once the 51% realize they can take whatever from the 49%. So, they set things up as a representative form of government with layers.

Representative
Property owners could vote. They represented the people they cared for.
Black property owners could vote (though not always).
Women property owners could vote (though not always).
White male property owners could vote (though not always).
Property owners paid property taxes, so they had stake in the game when it came to voting. They looked out for their own interests to be sure, but also the interests of the people for whom they cared, as well as neighbors and others whom they held in high regards. Not always, but often, these factors weighed in on whom the property owner elected.

Layers of Representation
At the Federal level, here's how elections went:
Local voters elected a Congressman.
Local voters elected a state legislature.
State legislatures elected two senators from each state.
Local voters elected delegates... these delegates would vote for a President.
A President would nominate, and the Senate vote on, Supreme Court justices.
A President would nominate, and the House vote on, lower court appointed justices.

Conservatism
These are ideals worth conserving. We have strayed, and our country will self destruct if we do not correct it.


Friday, March 11, 2016

More Practice

During a recent range trip, I decided to try to shoot at an estimated range. The name of the game was simple, walk around for a few minutes and then take a headshot on a far away target of undetermined range.

This game was repeated three times. Once with an ACOG, once with a 3-9x scope, and once with iron sights. Also, shots were taken from a 45-degree angle, not straight-on.


First, I fired a shot using the ACOG. As you can see, the shot was a success.


Next, I put a variable power scope on the rifle. Here is the result of the shot. My forefinger shows the original shot made with the ACOG. My middle finger shows the shot made with the scope. Again, a success!


Finally, I took a shot with iron sights. As you can see, the shop weld up in the neck region. Still, a season-ending injury.


Range Estimation
Just eyeballing the distance, I estimated the range to be approximately 100 yards. When I stepped off the distance, it seem to be about 100 yards, as well. When I used a range finder, the result was 102 yards.

The zombie head in this photograph was approximately 3 inches across. An actual human head is approximately 8 inches across. That gives us a factor of 0.375. This gives us a target that appears to be about 270 yards away.

Further corroboration comes from the fact that the zombie body was slightly wider then the ACOG chevron. The ACOG chevron should be the width of a human torso at approximately 300 meters, or 327 yards. A person standing about 50 yards closer would be slightly larger than the chevron.


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Misleading LaMonte

Saw this posted on Facebook the other day. It certainly warrants a response as it mixes true statements with outright falsehoods and a dash of misleading information, too.

My replies in bold.

I feel the need to drop a little truth on y'all. So buckle up... I'm about to be politically incorrect.

We don't need to take America back. No one stole it. It's right here... you're sitting in it. Chillax.
Intentionally misleading verbage. Traditional American values are under attack.

Mexico isn't going to pay for the wall,
You have never seen a master businessman and alpha male at work, have you?

and we're not going to deport millions of people and break up families. If you think either one is a good idea, you're not smart and probably not a person I want to hang out with.
Well, I am likely more intelligent than you, but the feeling is mutual.

We don't live in a democracy. Technically we are a Federal Republic. But in reality, we are ruled by an oligarchy. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Reading will do you good. You probably need to do more of it.
The USA started as a representative Republic. These days it more closely resembles a democratic socialist republic. And I agree that reading is good. More liberals need to do it.

FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC have an agenda and are not "fair and balanced" or in any way unbiased. I'll reiterate... read more. Read newspapers (even online ones). Read lots of opinions and sources and then (stay with me here), THINK! Form your own opinion based on as many facts as your can brain can tolerate.
Agreed 100%

Speaking of facts... there actually is a difference between facts, opinions and propaganda. You should learn the difference. (Another opportunity to show off your mad reading skills.)
Agreed 100%.

Science is real. We know things because of science. Don't be afraid of it. You have an iPhone and Facebook because of science. It's your friend.
Agreed 100%

Global warming or "climate change" as the cool kids call it IS REAL. Anyone who tells you it's not real is not a smart person and probably should not be dressing themselves or caring for children.
No dispute here. However, man-made climate change is not scientifically backed.

Racism exists. And you are probably a little racist and should work on that. Seriously.
Projection much?

American Christians are not under attack. We are not being persecuted. We wield so much power in this country that politicians pretend to be Christian just so we will vote for them. No one is trying to take your bible away from you. The gay people are not destroying our families -- we don't need any help from them, thank you. We do a fine job of that by ourselves. So stop saying we are persecuted. You sound stupid.
Based on your blog, wherein you claim to be Christian, I cannot outright drop the charge that you might be atheist. But since you sound like one, I'm going to go with liberal privileged. Christians are under attack, as is Christianity.

Poor people need help. If you're not helping them but complaining about how the government helps them with your money you are not a nice person.
Misleading statement. Christ said to give... but He never mentioned the government forcing you to do so.

Be nice to the people who teach your children. Don't send them nasty emails or yell at them. Their job is 10,000 times harder than your stupid job. You are not a professional educator so just shut your mouth and be thankful someone is willing to teach your offspring.
Agreed 100%.

You don't know what Common Core is. You think you do, but you don't unless you're a teacher. So stop complaining about math problem memes on Facebook. You can't do the math anyway.
Actually, I do. My wife is a teacher. I also do this stuff called research. You should try it some time. And the math is easy... but the common core methods are not. Nor are they the best shortcuts.

ISIS is not an existential threat to the United States.
Where is your cave?

We do not need to rebuild our military. Our military is the strongest, scariest, most badass killing machine the world has ever seen.
It was...

So stop being afraid and stop letting politicians and pundits scare you.
Not bad...

Guns do in fact kill people.
Misleading statement. Guns do not kill without a human at the trigger.

That's what they are designed to do.
Nope. They were designed to launch tiny lead projectiles.

If you feel you need a gun to protect yourself in America, you are probably living in the wrong neighborhood and should move before you go out and buy a gun.
Ever hear of random crime?

There are like a billion places to live where you won't need a gun, or even need to lock your front door.
Wow. You really believe this?

If you do own a gun, then make sure you know how to use it really, really, really well. Seriously... get some training because you still don't know how to record stuff with your DVR. Go to the gun range and shoot the thing a lot. Learn how to clean it properly and be able to disassemble it and reassemble it with your eyes closed. It's a freaking gun and it deserves that level of care, proficiency and respect. And for God's sake, keep it locked up and away from your kids.
Agreed 100%. Except my DVR ability is quite good, thank you.

If you are even a little bit unhinged or pissed off... you shouldn't have a gun. And the Founding Fathers would totally agree with me.
Nope and nope.

Stop being suspicious of American Muslims.
Misleading statement. One should be suspicious of Muslims in general.

The guy sitting next to you in the cubicle at work is probably more of a threat to you than any Muslim since he has to listen to your uninformed ranting day after day.
Only if he is a liberal does he pose such a threat. Sounds like projection. Are you that guy? Do you imagine ways to kill your conservative co-workers?


Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and all the rest are ENTERTAINERS! Stop getting your opinions from them. (Here's where that reading thing can really be an advantage.)
Agreed. Need to add Colbert, Shaun King, Huffington Post, Kos, and other such outlets.

Stop sharing Facebook memes that tell me to share or else Jesus won't bless me with a laundry basket full of cash. That's not how prayer works. And I don't want money delivered (even from God) in a laundry basket. Nobody ever washes those things out and they just keep putting nasty dirty clothes in them. Yuck!
Agreed 100%.

We are the United States of America, and we can afford to... house every homeless veteran, feed every child, and take in every refugee and still have money left over for Starbucks and a bucket of KFC.
Misleading statement. We can afford it. We do not need additional taxes to do so. We need to cut spending or reallocate to this project.

Unless you can trace your family line back to someone who made deerskin pants look stylish and could field dress a buffalo, you are a descendent of an immigrant. Please stop saying that immigrants are ruining our country. Such comments are like a giant verbal burrito stuffed with historical ignorance, latent racism and xenophobia, all wrapped in a fascist tortilla.
As a white man, I am intensely aware of what my race did to the American Indians. I don't want that to happen to my kids, so I will be wary of *illegal* (did you intentionally forget to include that word?) immigrants.

That's all for now. I feel better.

LaMonte Fowler




What say you?

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Trump Love, Trump Hate

Facebook is an interesting social media experiment. Recently, I went over 1000 friends, so it's getting to a point where I have some halfway decent data when looking at trends.

Not surprisingly, a number of the people I'm connected to on FB are for Trump, and a number of others are against him. At this point, it is impossible to tell who hates him more - liberals or cuckservatives. No, check that, I know who hates him more: liberal feminists. But, for the sake of a more complete article, here's an all-too-quick list of typical posts and responses from each of these types:

Cuckservative Male
These are almost all gammas who, if married, are married to low SMV women. A very few are deltas leaning gamma. They post or respond with either "Trump is a joke" or "Trump is not really conservative" (as if they'd know...) or "Trump is hateful / bigoted / egotistical."

Cuckservative Female
Sometimes the cuckservative female is married to the cuckservative male. Sometimes they are chronically unmarried. They mostly respond with "Trump is hateful / bigoted / egotistical," and occasionally with "Trump is a joke."

Libtard Male
Gammas and omegas here. These folks most often resort to the "Trump is hateful / bigoted / egotistical."

Liberal Feminist Female
All women of low SMV (surprised? I'm not). The spite toward Trump is the most vengeful... most likely because they yearn to be with a man like him, yet know they would never stand a chance. They mostly respond with "Trump is hateful / bigoted / egotistical," and occasionally with "Trump is a joke."

Feminine Women
Women who have yet to hit The Wall and who haven't been brainwashed by feminism are almost universally for Trump (occasionally Cruz). Women who have hit the "marriage wall" successfully - age 30, and married well before that, and were a SMV of 6+ in their prime - also tend to prefer Trump, with the occasional support for Cruz.

Why the Cruz support here?  Alpha Game suggests Cruz has a streak of Sigma, and I concur. If he is more beta than sigma, he is clearly the top beta, and would have been the alpha had Trump not run. He is not more sigma than beta, because if that were the case, Trump would have  despised him much more than he has.

More On Women
Generally speaking, the closer in proximity to The Wall, the more likely the woman was to be downright spiteful toward Trump. Hmmm...

The exception, as noted above, we're the high SMV women and formerly higher SMVs who were married to high SMV men and had children they were raising (the ultimate in femininity).

Masculine Men
These men favor Trump for varying reasons. A good friend and "wolf alpha" (as I   call him ) put it  this way:
The only two pertinent questions for me are:

1) Does the candidate love America and want what’s best for America?

2) Can the candidate get results?

Trump is the only candidate on either side who gets a definite yes to both questions.

Dear readers, let's make America great again!


Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Right or Privilege?

A conversation overheard recently (emphasis mine):

Handgun Carry Permit Holder: "I believe in the right to keep and bear arms, but, I think you need to pass a class and prove your shooting skills to be able to carry. And I don't think just everyone should have that privilege."


Right?
Privilege?

I think this person did not understand the meaning of either word. Nor did they understand the concepts.


Monday, March 7, 2016

Designated Marksman



Some people actually train and prepare for unfortunate possibilities. SHTF. Localized disasters. Civil unrest. National collapse. Pick your poison. Each has been seen in this generation, save widespread SHTF.

Be prepared.
Buy a rifle, a pistol, and a trainer or two. Buy magazines and ammo. Get a bug out bag, and a tactical loadout.

Training is essential. Build basic skills. Learn your craft. Master your rifle. And your pistol. Shoot straight. Learn to fix them when they malfunction. Learn to transition. Learn to use cover and concealment. Train your body so you can do these things.

Embrace your role, even if it isn't your primary choice. Fulfill it to the best of your ability plus 10%. Learn the basics of other roles on your team. Nobody survives alone. Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. Sometimes, it's you who doesn't see tomorrow; and sometimes it's your brother. Be prepared for both eventualities. Be ready to fill other shoes when the time comes.








Designated Marksman
That's the role I play. That's my role. Need overwatch? That's me. Need another body on patrol? That's me. Gotta make a shot at 600 that nobody else can make? I'm up. Need marksmanship training for the others? I'm at your call.

Need a medic? I'm cross-trained in that. Need a regular rifleman? I can do that, too. I'll kick in a door. I'll stand watch at the LPOP. Need a fire team leader? I'll do it if you ask.

In training, I make sure that my times and physical feats are always at the top. I'm not #1 at everything - nobody can be - but I'm always top 5. Why? Because my team depends on me. My family and friends depend on my team. And also just because I can.


Why?
God
Family
Friends
Country



Posted via Blogaway


Sunday, March 6, 2016

Fight Recap

Wow, what a night of fights!

I totally blew it on my two predictions. Both Holm and McGregor were defeated via rear naked choke (RNC) - hadaka jime

Of the fights, here's how to win:
4 matches were won via KO / TKO.
5 matches were won via decision. Only 1 decision was questionable.
1 match was won via arm triangle choke - kata gatame.
2 matches were won via RNC - hadaka jime.

Of note, the two best strikers were defeated by people with above-average (but not outstanding) grappling skill. That said, knockouts are real and common.

Summary
Jiu-jitsu is best for self defense.
Boxing is second best for self defense. 


Saturday, March 5, 2016

Fight Predictions

The fights are set for tonight. Here are my predictions:

Holm - Tate
Tate is not the striker that Holm is. Tate is not the takedown artist that Rousey was (whom Holm defended 100%). Tate might be better on the ground, we don't know - and we probably won't find out.

Holm by KO / TKO in round 2. Likely via a cross (gyaku-zuki) or roundhouse kick (mawashi-geri). 100% confidence.

McGregor - Diaz
Diaz has the jiu-jitsu to make this interesting. Like Holm, McGregor has the boxing skill to not let it get there. Diaz' prime was some time ago, but McGregor's is now.

McGregor via 1st round KO / TKO. 75% confidence.
Diaz via surprise submission. 25% confidence.

Note
A buddy who is better versed in martial arts than most picks Tate tonight. Let's see if he's right.


Friday, March 4, 2016

One In Four

1 in 4 women experience sexual assault on college campus during their four years of college.

You've heard that line before, but we are going to challenge that today.

First off - if you really thought that was the case, why on earth would you not only permit, but outright encourage, your daughter to go to college??? No amount of education would be worth that. And why aren't there colleges out there advertising that they only have a 10% rape probability?

During the  Vietnam War, approximately 5% of active troops were killed by the enemy. That's 8,744,000 active troops during the War, and 47,359 hostile deaths,  according to the link. So much so that a great number of people actively attempted to avoid being drafted. One of the more notable draft dodgers was the 42nd President, pictured above.

It is fitting that Clinton is pictured in an article about sexual assault statistics, don't you think?

So people flee going to war when there is a 1 in 20 chance of getting killed, yet want free admission to college where there's a "1 in 4" chance of getting raped?

I don't get that... please explain it to me.



Maybe we should just teach men not to rape...










Of course, if we did that, then we need to teach women not to throw their babies in dumpsters:




But enough of all that foolishness, and back to the horrific subject matter at hand, rape.

 The FBI estimates 52.7 rapes are reported per 100,000 women per year. That's 0.0527%.
But wait, over 4 years, and assuming no victims are raped again, that would be 0.21%.

But the claim is 25%! 


From the FBI
The reality is, that not all of those rapes reported are actually rapes. In fact, a link at the bottom of the linked page demonstrates that 41.2% of those accused of rape are cleared. 8% of reported rapes are false, according to the FBI. That means of the 52.7 rapes reported per year,21.7 accused rapists get cleared - meaning only 31 reported rapes out of 100,000 women have a chance of being legitimate. But wait - not all of those not cleared wind up being prosecuted, much less convicted.

From Their Sources
According to  RAINN (not the most credible source, but let's use their numbers), 2 convictions will take place for every 32 accusations - 6.25%. Also, three prosecutions will happen for every 32 accusations - 9.4%. So let's apply this to the facts...

Put Them Together
So, if 6.25% of rape allegations are true (actually convicted), then simple math tells us that:
(0.0625 x 55.7) / 100,000 = 0.00329% of women are actually raped per year. Over four years, that's 0.013%.

And not all of those rapes happen on college campuses.


Conclusion
It is relatively safe to send your daughters to college - at least with regards to the probability she may get raped.


Thursday, March 3, 2016

Conservative Defined

From  Merriam-Webster, the definition of conserve:
: to keep (something) safe from being damaged or destroyed
: to use (something) carefully in order to prevent loss or waste

Conservative:
: believing in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society
: one who makes attempts to conserve



I believe in America as it was founded. I believe in the Constitution. I believe in as few limits to personal liberty as possible. I believe America was once great. I believe America can be great once again.

For years, I've described myself as Libertarian. That description was true, based on current political party definitions. Perhaps I lean to the Constitution Party on certain topics. What has been missing is that I am conservative in nature. Not by what the liberal media wants to paint conservatives as, and certainly not what has been the standard of the Republican party of late.

However, the Republic is what we are. The traditional Republican party is what I believe works best in this imperfect world. Not the "establishment Republican" heresy. Traditional conservatism.

TRADITIONAL

Traditionally American.

It took watching a true leader in Donald Trump for me to see that, but it's true. Sheep need a shepherd. The US is 80%+ sheep. The best shepherd around is Donald Trump. He wants to make America great again. That's what I want.

It's time to be a conservative once more. I'm home. I'm back. Thanks, Donald Trump.


Mount For Success

This is post 3 in a 6-part series.

For self defense, simplicity is key. You cannot afford to find yourself in a fight and have too many options going through your head. You must be able to react immediately. So that said, this series will attempt to give you a breakdown of what movements you should drill until they are automatic.

Naturally, different people will have different opinions, so the techniques suggested will be drawn from those most often used with success in MMA. Additionally, there are more options from each position than could ever be presented in a single blog post, so major alternatives will be presented in a list immediately following the highlighted techniques.

Also, note that the strategy presented will be from the point of view of a jiu-jitsu fighter. A striking oriented fighter might use the major alternatives presented here as their go-to moves, while using the grappling philosophy as their backup plans. This does not indicate one style as being superior to another. Rather, it is indicative of different fighting strategies, both of which are proven and tested to be effective.


Part 3 - the Mount

Fighting from the Mount is crucial. Once you get here, the fight should pretty much be over. The Mount is the most advantageous position in a fight (except, perhaps, the Back). Two common Mount variations you need to know are high mount and low mount.





Now on to offense from the Mount -


From the Mount, your primary offensive option in a self defense situation is to punch your opponent.

Remember the training maxim - punches in bunches.

Vary the angles of your punches to circumnavigate the opponent's defenses. Also throw in some elbow strikes - smashing across and 12-to-6 - and hammer fist strikes for variety. To be fair, hammer fists and elbows can be more powerful than punches.

Remember another training maxim - don't swing for the fence every time.

When striking, deliver strikes at 40% - 60% power and 80% speed. This way, if you miss or the strike is blocked, you can recover and not leave yourself open to counter attack.

Strikes set up submissions.

When you strike your opponent from Mount, he will do one of three things. Please note the three most common reactions, and what they set up for you to use:
* Cover his face/head in defense with his arms. - Use Americana arm lock  ude garami
* Push you away with his hands. - Use straight arm lock   juji gatame
* Roll to avoid being hit. - Take the modified Mount or Back, depending on what he gives up.


The Americana arm lock - ude garami.


The author demonstrating the straight arm lock - juji gatame - in his pre-beard days. 


Modified Mount.




Escaping the Mount

Escaping the Mount is easy... and difficult. The movements are easy, and there are really only two types of escape - bridge & roll (sometimes called hip lift or upa) and shrimp escapes. It is hard because the Mount is a pretty stable place. And anyone who has trained much can keep the position with relatively little energy expenditure.

You need to have two or three bridge & roll escapes and two or three shrimp escapes in your tool box.

Note: some MMA fighters use a tactic to turn to their knees and stand to escape mount. I do not teach this or train this for a few reasons:
1. This is used in a circumstance where the opponent is the same size. Size match ups are not guaranteed for self defense.
2. MMA fighters use Vaseline on their bodies to prevent cuts. Furthermore, they are often coated in sweat. This makes things more slippery. Neither of these is a guarantee in self defense situations.
3. MMA fighters usually train a lot more than the typical martial artist. They specifically train for opponents. They also train well what to do in a multitude of bad spots. For this reason, you should not rely on a more high-risk escape.