~ Inspiration ~
Essential Reading
English Martial Arts - Terry Brown
The essential starting place for any serious student of English Martial Arts. Structured in two parts, the first part investigates the history and development of the English fighting system and looks at some of the attitudes, beliefs and social factors that influenced its development. The second part of the book, details various English fighting techniques and Principles which have been drawn from historical sources and manuscripts. All of the techniques presented in the book are illustrated with photographs and accompanied by instructions. Techniques covered in this book include bare-fist fighting, broadsword, quarterstaff, bill, sword and buckler, sword and dagger.
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"English Martial Arts" : Paperback (Amazon.co.uk)
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"English Martial Arts" : Hardcover (Amazon.co.uk)
Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence - Rory Miller
Experienced martial artist and veteran correction officer Sgt. Rory Miller distills what he has learned from jailhouse brawls, tactical operations and ambushes to explore the differences between martial arts and the subject martial arts were designed to deal with: Violence.
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Book (Amazon.co.uk)
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Book (Amazon.com)
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Blog
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Website
Quotes, Articles & Essays
"Trust but verify"
"Believe in what you are capable of and fight for it till you get there. "
"We either create, support or destroy our future ..... this depends solely on our present actions. "
'He who knows does not speak, he who speaks does not know'
- Lao Tzu
"People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned."
- James Arthur Baldwin
"We do not attract what we want, But what we are."
- James Lane Allen
"It is better to avoid than to run; better to run than to de-escalate; better to de-escalate than to fight; better to fight than to die. the very essence of self-defense is a thin list of things that might get you out alive when you are already screwed."
- Rory Miller, From 'Meditations on Violence'
Miscellaneous
Skepticism
A degree of skepticism is healthy and essential for any martial art - you shouldnt
take anything for granted without appropriate questioning and proving,
especially when learning a martial art. In the martial arts there is
often a great degree of both the 'what if...'
mentality as well as the opposite extreme of just believing everything
your teacher tells you. Skepticism and an open mind can therefore be
your best middle ground and allow you to be sure that what you are
being taught will work when it needs to. If it doesnt seem to then
question, ask for proof and if proof isn't forthcoming then discard it.
When your life may depend on your art then the last thing you need is
smoke and mirrors. This is what English Martial Arts is all about - no mysticism, just science.
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skepticism
The Gladiator
A gladiator (Latin: gladiator, "swordsman", from gladius, "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Hard training, hard fighting - a brutal inspiration for hard work in any Martial Art.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator
More coming soon...