RECCE ROOM

It's one thing to lose a contest. Anybody who has competed in any shape or form has lost. In the martial arts, one signifies defeat by tapping the mat or the opponent twice. There is no disgrace in tapping - it is a show of respect for properly applied technique. Alternately, a referee can step in and call the match for KO or TKO.  Suppose one starts an argument with a person, and loses. That would be an example of losing. Suppose one gets that debate mediated, and still loses. That would be another example. Or, one could start a blog war, and lose pitifully. A man who grows accustomed to losing will never become a winner.  There are two main ways of losing: getting beat, and quitting. Of the two, there is no inherent dishonor in being defeated by another competitor. Though not pleasant, it is an eventuality of competition. There is, however, total disgrace in quitting a competition. It is a sign of flawed character. How would this happen? I suppose there are hun...

Over the years, when one is teaching martial arts, some young students manage to stay with the art as they grow up. This leads to funny situations... especially among artists where there is a formal relationship as opposed to a closer personal relationship. I, for one, prefer to be addressed by first name. My karate instructor, John Suarez , is this way as well. When I reconnected with him thanks to the internet back in 2005, and he insisted I call him John. That was weird for a while. As a youth, I'd referred to him as " Sensei " or "Mr. Suarez," and I found I was used to those terms. It was difficult to change. I insist that others, when they are either A) black belts and/or B) age 18 or over, must call me by my first name. Especially when we are away from the dojo . It is more weird to be called Sensei by a grown adult out in a mall or something. A former student of mine turned 18 last October. She had a bit of difficulty switching over, as had her two...

From a reader: "Recce Rifleman, you give all these hints that seem to be geared toward the guys. What are your suggestions for the ladies getting a divorce?" Answer - Have a naturally occurring vagina. The US court system is so heavily slanted in favor of the woman (as opposed to fair and equal) that simply showing up and being female will give you a greater advantage than any legal advice I can give you, or pretty much anyone can give you. .

In July, I went on vacation to the Orlando area. Whilst there, I visited my good friends, Bill Holland and Jimmy Jackson. Link to their dojo here . They asked me to teach jiu-jitsu to their kids and adults classes, and I obliged. On Monday evening, we went out to dinner after class. Bill introduced me to the wait staff at the local dive where he is a regular. Upon introduction, he referred to me as "Master Recce Rifleman." I cannot stand the use of Japanese rank terms outside the dojo. The only thing worse is to call me (or another person) "master" or the like. "Mr. or Mrs./Miss [XYZ]" is always preferable, if one is not on a first name basis. My friends know they can introduce me on a first name basis. I do not take myself that seriously. The reason they did this, though, is that there are some martial arts "masters" that would get quite offended if not referred to "properly." Funny thing, we are all in America. To introduce...

Observing my brother's divorce happen firsthand was a real eye opener. As things went along, it became clear that certain strategies and tactics are more effective than others. Combine that with the martial arts knowledge I've been accumulating for 30+ years, and I formulated some simple tips for someone facing a divorce. First, let's get some facts straight, so the rest of it makes sense: Attorneys are not necessarily very intelligent people. Because judges are largely former attorneys, judges are not necessarily very intelligent people. To argue one's point effectively, use facts, logic, and plenty of emotion (specifically care for people). Hire an attorney who is ready and willing for a fight. Court is all about the money and the visitation rights to the minor child(ren). Once the divorce has been filed it is no longer time to reconcile. It is time to FIGHT! Yes, you did some things wrong. Your spouse will bring them up in court. Yes, your spouse did ...

Observing my brother's divorce happen firsthand was a real eye opener. As things went along, it became clear that certain strategies and tactics are more effective than others. Combine that with the martial arts knowledge I've been accumulating for 30+ years, and I formulated some simple tips for someone facing a divorce. First, let's get some facts straight, so the rest of it makes sense: Attorneys are not necessarily very intelligent people. Because judges are largely former attorneys, judges are not necessarily very intelligent people. To argue one's point effectively, use facts, logic, and plenty of emotion (specifically care for people). Hire an attorney who is ready and willing for a fight. Court is all about the money and the visitation rights to the minor child(ren). Once the divorce has been filed it is no longer time to reconcile. It is time to FIGHT! Yes, you did some things wrong. Your spouse will bring them up in court. Yes, your spouse did ...

This past weekend, I decided to change the name of this blog. The primary reason is to differentiate from my dojo which, while small, needs to be completely separate in Google searches. I have also changed my screen handle, but either name will work for me. - RR .

Observing my brother's divorce happen firsthand was a real eye opener. As things went along, it became clear that certain strategies and tactics are more effective than others. Combine that with the martial arts knowledge I've been accumulating for 30+ years, and I formulated some simple tips for someone facing a divorce. First, let's get some facts straight, so the rest of it makes sense: Attorneys are not necessarily very intelligent people. Because judges are largely former attorneys, judges are not necessarily very intelligent people. To argue one's point effectively, use facts, logic, and plenty of emotion (specifically care for people). Hire an attorney who is ready and willing for a fight. Court is all about the money and the visitation rights to the minor child(ren). Once the divorce has been filed it is no longer time to reconcile. It is time to FIGHT! Yes, you did some things wrong. Your spouse will bring them up in court. Yes, your spouse did some...

Last weekend, I attended a martial arts seminar hosted by MAUSA. We covered some Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, free-fighting concepts, and I had the privilege of being the uke (throwing partner) for Mr. Andy Stolarik as he tested for 4th Dan Black Belt (he passed!). Here is a picture of afterwards: Yes, that's my son in the middle (red uniform), cutting up with Mary (white uniform, yellow belt, three people to his right) - who, at 23, was a full 15 years his elder. Doesn't stop him from flirting! Mr. Stolarik is in the blue gi immediately behind my son. He is a tough one! By week's end, I can count on one hand the number of people in this photo who are not my friend on Facebook - and most of those because they do not have a Facebook account! .

From a reader: Hey, thought you'd want to see this. Some guy on Twitter gets all bent out of shape because he thinks a tweet is about him (it wasn't). The tweet: * #ironyis... a man tweeting often about being anti-abortion, then having his wife have an abortion... then calling it a miscarriage.* Guy goes on to get all bent out of shape. Says he never tweeted about his wife having a miscarriage. But he did - three times. Once each in April, May, and June. I'm thinking the tweet that wasn't originally intended for him hit a nerve. Probably did hit a nerve.  .

There has been a Dependopotamus sighting in the wild! It has also come to my attention that she is dressing lavishly with a hat! .

One year ago to this moment, I got the call my mother had passed. She is in a better place, this I know. .

This past weekend, I was an attendee at a martial arts seminar hosted by Martial Arts USA . As part of the formalities at the opening ceremony, several awards were given out. My student, Sarah, was awarded "Martial Artist of the Year." Here is a link to Sarah's blog post about same. I suggest adding her blog to your reading list, really enlightening and entertaining stuff! When the call went out back in March, soliciting MAUSA Instructors for input on Martial Artist of the Year (as well as some other awards), this was my reply: "From the Usagi Dojo,   I’d like to nominate for Martial Artist of the Year, our own Sarah Caum. Sarah started training jiu-jitsu in spring of 2011. She subsequently was forced to take a 4-month hiatus for the 3rd trimester of her pregnancy and the birth of her son, James. She returned in fall of 2011.   2012 was her breakout year. Sarah competed in 4 tournaments and won a collective 6 medals - 2 Gold...

My Uncle   passed away  recently.

We evolved for hundreds of thousands of years to hunt and eat and live a certain way and now we are forced to live in cement buildings and sit at a job from 9-5. And some people wonder why everyone seems to have a psychological disorder. LIVE PRIMAL! .

This topic keeps approaching me from different angles. A few months ago, Mr. Smith at Spirit Martial Arts was discussing with me his idea to bring back a Poom Belt. The Poom Belt is the Black Belt for children under age 16. The belt is half red and half black, lengthwise. Mr. Smith stated his reasoning: he had several kids that had black belt skill, but not black belt mindsets or attitudes. Their bodies were ready, but not their minds. Also, recently, I was on vacation in Florida, and was at a friend's dojo. We were discussing the same issue. They had several youth ready for black belt, or who would be soon, who did not possess the mental discipline for one reason or another. This school, like Spirit Martial Arts, did not at the time employ a Jr. Black Belt of any sort. They are thinking of going to a Jr. Black Belt that has a white stripe through the middle: Why the fuss? The problem comes mainly from parents. They pay the tuition, and they expect rank after a cert...

Ude Garami - often known by the terms "Americana" and "Kimura," is one of the more popular techniques in Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA. Because it is easy to apply, it is often taught to beginners. When it is taught to beginners, a common description is to hold one's partner's arm in an L-shape, and then rotate the wrist one way or the other to apply pressure. While the L-shape of the opponent's arm is not technically incorrect, there is a way to tighten up your ude garami so that you can apply pressure and get your opponent to tap, while using far less strength. Here are three of the more common applications, and ways to tighten up each of them - Ude Garami (upwards version - Americana) Ude Garami can be applied from tateshiho gatame (the mount) and from yokoshiho gatame (the side). To get even more leverage on ude garami when you have your opponent's arm in the upwards position, one should simply bring the opponent's elbow closer to the o...

Many times, as the teacher of a martial arts studio, people want to test their skill. Often, they will say they want to test *your* skill ("you" being the instructor). Heck, I've even been threatened via email from a blog reader: "anytime your b***h a** gets to feeling froggy, jump the f**k over." One problem with all that: I have thousands of hours on the mat, sparring against all sorts of people of all sorts of skill levels. I've been beaten 15 ways from Sunday by skilled practitioners, and I've returned the favor to others. There is no substitute for experience, and even though in a real fight anything *can* happen, 99.87% of the time, the better trained person emerges victorious. And when an untrained person is involved, it is most often VERY one-sided.  Here is a video of some "self taught" fighters sparring an actual black belt in jiu-jitsu.Observe how one-sided it is: Click to watch video . There is one main difference between m...

Zimmerman Lesson 4: Handgun Calibers This week, we have studied several self defense lessons from the recent Zimmerman verdict. The final lesson in this series is on handgun calibers. If you know there will be trouble, stay away. If you cannot stay away, or if trouble finds you regardless, bring a long gun (preferably a rifle). If you do not have a rifle, use a shotgun. Slugs and/or buckshot are the only two options worth considering. If you have no long gun, a handgun of at least .38 or 9mm caliber is a minimum. The only handguns you should own, whose caliber is less than .38 or 9mm are: A) a .22LR caliber target / training pistol B) guns used for fun or collection only. Don't Use Put another way: a .22LR, .25, .32, or .380 are wholly inadequate for self defense. Yes, I am aware that there are some .380 loads (FMJ particularly) that have marginal effectiveness. But do not stake your life on marginal effectiveness. Do Use The other side of the coin is this: with mo...

Calvinism is not Biblical Doctrine. It's a human philosophy that appeals to proud-minded individuals. Author's note: Though you the reader see these posts every month on the 15th, it has actually been quite a while since I wrote one. Most of them were written in early 2012. This was written in early 2013. It is good to be back in the saddle. Why do I write these?  Because so very many Calvinists are militant in nature. They seek confrontation. They attempt to bully others into yielding to their ways. They do not act as Christians should. Strictly speaking, Calvinism is not Christianity. It does not promote Christianity. But why is that? Origins Every cult is destined to be like its founder. Why? Simple human psychology. A group attracts like members. Those who are proud, but have no accomplishments of their own accord, seek other reasons to be proud. Especially, they will seek intangible reasons. But what about the foundations of Calvinism? Why does their founder attra...

From a reader: [RECCERifleman], I've got one here for you! I was on Twitter and saw a guy who put up that he had been interviewed "a couple of weeks ago" by the IRS  because of comments he made about President Obama.  This looked familiar, and I thought he had said the same thing before. So I checked. He had said the same thing in February, March, April, May, took June off, then again in July and August. Oh, sometimes it was the IRS, and sometimes it was the Secret Service.  I guess the poor guy couldn't make up his mind what he was going to lie about. Anyways, thought you would get a kick out of it. Feel free to post this, if you want! Thank you, sir. And yes, I would like to post it! -RR .

When I was a boy, my brother and I had a friend named Daniel*. Daniel was a decent kid, except he had a penchant for lying. For example, one time, Daniel told us that his father had built a marble launcher out of PVC pipe and they used a Black Cat firecracker to launch the marble over 100 yards. As much as the idea was cool, for some reason, we were never able to duplicate that feat... or even come close. I think we got 35-40 feet out of it once. Daniel would often tell a different lie about the same thing at different times. So bad was the habit of lying, that my brother and I would chide Daniel, saying he should make up his mind what he was going to lie about, and then tell us the lie. *Name changed.

A train wreck of a person once read a phrase and completely missed the point. Of course, it was funny to watch in action. And since I have a self-directed duty to report lunacy in action, here goes: Quote: "It's arrogance to ask God for more opportunities to serve Him when there are opportunities all around us now." Passive aggressive response: "Is it arrogance to ask God for more opportunities to serve Him? Paul sure didn't think so. II Thes 3:1, Romans 1:10-12, Col 4:3 # projection" Analysis - Let's get to it. There are some Bible verses here. Let's examine... II Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us so that the Lord’s message will spread quickly and be honored, just like it happened with you. This statement answers several potential questions. Pray for whom?  "Us." - Paul, Timothy, Silvanus Pray for what? "... that the Lord's message will spread quickly and be honored..." Ce...

Zimmerman Lesson 3: Grappling Range is Essential! George Zimmerman was at one point knocked down by Martin and Martin rained strikes to Zimmerman's face during this time. It is essential to master punch blocks from bottom, as well as basic positional escapes. It is essential that a person have not only grappling knowledge, but a certain level of proficiency. Learning the Gracie Combatives would be a good start. One would not even have to have many submissions in the tool box... provided you can defend the most common submissions (Arm bar, Americana, Kimura, RNC, Guillotine, Triangle). But positional knowledge, the ability to escape a bad position, and defending against strikes and headlocks are among the most fundamental grappling techniques out there. LEARN THEM! .

Zimmerman Lesson 2: Striking is Essential You must learn how to fight in every range: Rifle range (25 yards +) Pistol / shotgun range (25 yards -) Blunt / sharp weapon range (just out of reach) Striking range (just within reach) Grappling range (well within reach) Failure to master one of these ranges is to invite destruction. For your opponent to defeat you, he must simply figure out which range is your deficiency, and attack you there. Notice that there is overlap in ranges: one could engage an enemy with a rifle at 5 yards, for example. Or one could step in from just out of reach to deliver a strike. This is not a weakness in the ranging system listed here (or any theory of ranges given by other sources). This is a reason to have an acceptable level of proficiency in all ranges. It is my opinion that a person serious about training in his/her spare time could, in 5 years' time, improve to being in the 95th percentile of people in fighting from each range. That'...

Judges frequently overstep their authority when ruling. Sad, but true. In east Tennessee, a judge was asked to determine the last name of a child. The judge did that, but extended her decision to include a change of the child's first name, as well. The child's first name was "Messiah." The judge ordered that changed to "Martin." On the good side, the child's last name was set. I am really not sure who was more brainless in this case: the child's parents in naming the child "Messiah," or the judge, who completely overstepped her authority. .

Going to take a break from recounting all of Dependopotamus' weird antics and courtroom lies to talk for a moment about a lesson learned from the Zimmerman case. Lesson 1: Avoid / De-escalate Those familiar with actual combat know the importance of avoidance. Even the most highly trained individuals can be beaten... because so many factors exist in real life. The best tactic to learn after situational awareness is what I call "verbal Judo." The idea of being able to speak and communicate with a person in a non-threatening way. Zimmerman should never have confronted Martin verbally. If a situation existed wherein Zimmerman thought speaking with Martin had to be done, then a better tactic would have been to introduce oneself and state one's business. "Hi, I am George Zimmerman and I am out here on neighborhood watch. Are you lost? Can I help you?" Asking for assistance / offering assistance are the best ways to control a conversation that has even the...

I came across this article on Calvinism on Twitter this week. It was retweeted by a handful of people, so I figured I'd read it. Here is my point-by-point analysis. The article's points are in bold , and my responses are below the respective point. 1. Calvinism is not system of theology that denies God’s universal love. Yes and no. Calvinism claims that God loves the world (probably because this concept is listed in the Bible many times). However, a god who would choose to predestine some to Hell is not a loving god at all. The actions do not match the words (get ready for a running theme, here). 2. Calvinism is not a belief where God creates people in order to send them to hell.  Again, Calvinists claim this. But the fact is that if God predestines some for Heaven, then He (by default, if nothing else) predestines some for Hell. This concept is often referred to as "double-predestination." While most Calvinists claim double-predestination is not Biblical, they...

So, several months ago, my brother was told by his son that his son is seeing a therapist, "to make him behave and act better." (words of a 5-year-old) So, in other words, Dependopotamus' attachment parenting method is failing at providing enough security for the boy, and she must enlist the assistance of a therapist before the child is even in Kindergarten. How is that attachment parenting BS working for you? (rhetorical question is rhetorical - attachment parenting does not work) By the way, Dependopotamus, your son (my nephew) NEVER has behavior problems at my place. Why do you think that is??? .

Want to lose weight without strenuous exercise? Want to kick Type 2 diabetes? Want to improve blood work results? Step 1: Follow the advice in this article . Very simple. Step 2: First, see Step 1.  .

Dependopotamus actually testified in court that one of the reasons she was seeking a divorce is because my brother lasted too long in bed. She went on to state that a "quickie with him takes 25 minutes!" Folks, it is public record. .

GLOCK 19 - 9mm handgun 15-round magazine .

Here is a video from the Valente brothers (instructors of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Miami, FL) in which they discuss "Stand Your Ground" laws. Very good commentary here. I like how they start by explaining the contrast between the concepts of "stand your ground" vs. "duty to retreat." Some quotes/concepts I heard that are very important: Retreating from an attacker can be more dangerous than fighting back. SYG laws also enable an unarmed person to defend herself, should they need to. Avoid the physical confrontation. "When attacked, many times, the safest action is to engage." "SYG laws protect people who are attacked, and this is a human right." We cannot abolish legitimate self defense because a few criminals might misuse SYG (or any) laws. SYG laws are NOT the same as gun control - the two are completely separate issues. The MAJORITY of states have "Stand Your Ground" laws. The vast MINORITY of states have "...

4/1/2013 RIP LOL Really - you could just call it what it really was: an abortion. No judgment here. But calling it a miscarriage so you can retain your online persona is really quite laughable. .

Sometime back, I was conversing with a friend about the situation of a mutual acquaintance. My friend stated: "that must be a horribly unfulfilling way to live." That statement gave me pause, and has caused me to reflect over the past few weeks. Sometimes we get so bogged down in our day-to-day lives that we forget to lead a fulfilling life. And sometimes, we might consider our life unfulfilling, when we have had, in fact, great success. It is all about points of view. So today, on my 38th birthday, I will reflect: Family My son and daughter have started back to school. My son is in third grade. His teacher came with a warning from a friend: "she doesn't like boys!" Nevertheless, my son has found great favor with his teacher. Manners and good discipline are the keys. More on the discipline - my son examines for his black belt in Taekwondo next month. I am excited that he gets to join our ranks! My daughter is immensely happy to begin Kindergarten. She has...

The Sumner County (TN) courthouse has a metal detector through which one must walk to enter. One takes one's belongings out of one's pockets and places them into a tray to enter. A Sheriff's officer observes this, and helps if you unintentionally set off the alarm. I had a funny conversation with the officer when I entered the court building to view my brother's divorce. Officer: "You don't got any guns on ya?" (in jest... if he only knew) Usagi: "Nope. Left them in the car." Officer: "What kind of guns?" Usagi: "My carry pistol is a Ruger LC9. I also have an AR15 in the trunk." Officer: "You're better armed than I am!" I smiled and walked up the stairs. .

Bipolar disorder has several known symptoms. Bully behavior, delusions of persecution, and cognitive dissonance are among the more common. Lets focus on the last one - cognitive dissonance. Technically speaking, this type of dissonance is the holding of conflicting beliefs. Another manifestation is when a person states they believe one thing, but their actions conflict. Another definition is the intentional misinterpretation of facts or words (also known as distortion). Lets take, for example, a specific Calvinist of whom I am aware. This individual expresses online several instances of cognitive dissonance, and combines them with delusions of persecution, psychological projection, defensiveness, manipulation, and rationalization. I handed some statements this individual made online to a professional in the psychological sciences, and requested a brief analysis - based on facts as proven independently. (Broadly speaking, these concepts are Freudian in nature, and do not necessari...

I know, I know - redundant title is redundant. In this series, I will not debate Calvinism vs. Arminianism. After all, the majority of the people who use the term "Arminian" are Calvinists - a very small micro-sect of Christianity. The other 6-billion people on the planet refer to "Arminians" as Christians. I also like the term "Biblicist," when it comes to matters of doctrine. Arminian Heresy Calvinists claim that All non-Calvinists are Arminian. They continue to claim that Arminian churches teach something other than Eternal Security (also called Once Saved, Always Saved - OSAS). At this point, Calvinists will start reaching and twisting words (they always do). "Arminians teach that works get you into Heaven and can keep you from it." "Arminians teach that one can lose one's salvation." Funny thing... Christian (Arminian, for you Calvinists) churches correctly teach that no one sin can undo your salvation. Chris...