PeaceWalker Blog

I was thinking about one of the stories Jack Hoban told this past weekend when he was here teaching a seminar at our Grand Rapids Krav academy... If you were there you might remember him telling the story where 20 or so years ago he and his teacher Dr. Hatsumi, were eating w/Jack's wife and (then) young son talking and Hatsumi yells at Jack...   "Idiot! You don't know who you are... You must choose..." "...Who Are You?!" He went on to say,  "You do a lot of things, you're a..." Husband Father Son Brother Marine Businessman Musician Martial artist Landlord Etc.. "Are you a Businessman doing martial arts?" "A martial artist who works a day job?" "A musician who practices martial arts?" "A martial artist who plays music?!" "WHO ARE YOU?!?" What's Your Deepest Identity?!? Let's Clarify... I don't...

I got home Saturday afternoon, and I had the chance to catch up w/an old friend of mine... We ended up sitting around the camp fire, had a few adult beverages and shot the sh*t for a few hours... It was just what the doctor ordered! We talked about everything! No Political Correctness here! Nothing was off the table. And it got me to thinking... Take a Seat... Yes, we have our differences and NO we may not always agree or accept some of the things each other does or says... I don't really care about your gender, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, political views, profession, how much money you make (or don't), where you live, what you drive or wear, your background or affiliations... Just don't be an A$$ Hole! ...And leave your drama at home! We don't insult one another with being 'Politically Correct'... Because we see one another beyond our relative differences, so we can be REA...

I see it all the time, people are excited to begin something new. They are all gung ho and enthusiastic... Until they hit their first obstacle... It seems that when people even get a whiff of a challenge or... Heaven forbid something that resembles FAILURE... They take the path of least resistance faster than you can say "Shiny Object!" No, this isn't something new... AND it's not necessarily the end of the world as we know it either... We just have to change our mindset, manage our expectation and (you got it...) KEEP GOING! Failing Forward!? If you want to get down to the 'brass tax' (whatever the hell that means!)... If you're not failing, you're not progressing! You see, we HAVE TO FAIL to succeed at the things that are out of our reach! If you aren't willing to fail multiple times, you aren't really investing in your success! But HERE'S the Catch... (Yes, there's...

A great question came up last night after a student realized that she held her breath during one of the physical defense drills we were doing. Afterward she asked. "How do I remember to breathe?" As usual, my answer was simple... Yet, not easy! You just train and when you notice you're holding your breath... Breathe! Keep doing this until you train yourself out of holding your breath during exertion and stress! It can also help if your training partner (and coach) reminds you too, when they see you holding your breath. How Important Is It Anyway!? As you know, breathing is essential for our survival... AND... It makes a huge difference in your performance of everything from controlling stress, verbal communication, coordination, physical exertion, even cognitive functions. Once you stop controlling your breath everything else suffers as well! Breathing Basics... There are many many ways to breath, Compr...

What I want to share today has to do with limits of perspective when it comes to having an open mind about different ways of doing things... When I'm training people to deal with conflict or violence, I sometime hear them say... "I'd never do THAT!" ...or "We/I do it THIS way..." When the hard chargers see a way of dealing w/conflict or violence that is a bit of a 'softer' approach they often think, "I'd never do THAT!" and then proceed to create a worse case, no win scenario that is typically void of any of the aftermath ethically, emotionally or legally. Conversely... When the gun shy crew (who aren't so much into the physical nature of protecting) are introduced to a physically 'assertive' tactic, they believe "I'd never do THAT!" and then shut down or white wash the situation, trying to keep it in the area that they are comfortable with... Which may be anything but phy...

Every superhero has an Origin Story. Their 'Why'... Although I'm no superhero, I DO have my own Origin story as to why I started this journey, why I teach Krav Maga and why I created the PeaceWalker  approach. For me, it started as a kid with my older brother.... Like many siblings, I loved my brother, but let's just say that because of his largely un-diagnosed psychological conditions, alcohol and drug abuse problem and uncontrollable anger issues, they made him an 'Overachiever' in the physical and emotional violence department. (He was probably bipolar and had impulse control issues w/fits of rage... both of which went largely undiagnosed at the time in the 70's.) This resulted in more than one visit to the hospital for me and a distrust in people that I managed with what I'll call 'creative independence'... others might say that although I was social, I was emotionally distant. No, I don't cry myself to s...

The other day I was reading yet another post of someone who was telling a story about their 'people'. Before you think I'm some bigoted racist, let me explain what I mean when I say 'Their People?' When I say that, I mean any group that someone sees themselves as being a part of. It could be: Man - Woman - Black - White - Hispanic - Asian - American - Conservative Liberal - Republican - Democrat - LGBT - Straight - Jewish - Christian - Buddhist - Atheist - Old - Young - Millennial - Non-Millennial - Gen X - Baby Boomers - Rich - Poor - Middle Class - Pro-Life - Pro-Choice - For Guns - Against Guns -Geek - Gamer - Kravist -   Martial Artist - Survivalist - Environmentalist - Vegan - Capitalist - Cop - Teacher - Mother - Father - Single... We have no shortage of groups to identify with, but that's NOT the problem. It's when we begin to disrespect others value as human beings outside of our group...or when we judge, devalue and disre...