The links mentioned in this episode:

• Paul’s Patreon
• Online Tai Chi Chuan My Tai Chi Chuan membership site.

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The post WDP 167 – Paul Silfverstråle appeared first on Wim Demeere's Blog.

The ability to recognize your mistakes and then correct yourself.

By definition, this includes a willingness to receive corrections from others, usually your teacher.

When you start your martial arts training, regardless of the style, it is normal to constantly make mistakes. Your teacher then comes over and corrects you as you learn your basic punches, kicks, and all other new techniques. This is simply a part of the process, and almost every student accepts this without resistance.

Another aspect is how this process never really stops. You learn to accept high levels of skill take a long time to achieve and continuous effort: you don’t instantly become a black belt by attending class once or twice a week for a few months. Black belts or advanced students didn’t get there by accident: it took years of hard training, which included being corrected over and over again. In fact, advanced students are often corrected just as much as beginners, typically every single class. The main difference is that their errors are usually smaller than those of beginners and a lot more nuanced.

Providing you want to get good, you usually progress to where you make self-correction a habit. You become your own critic and adjust when needed. Sometimes that can be frustrating, other times, it gives tremendous joy when you finally get the hang of a technique or drill that gave you trouble.

This dynamic is not limited to martial arts, it exists just as much in combat sports: walk into a boxing, Muay Thai, or MMA gym, and you’ll see students working in the ring or the Octagon while the coach closely monitors their training; he constantly gives feedback:

• He might tell you to stop dropping your rear hand because it leaves you wide open.
• He might remind you to return to a proper fighting stance instead of ending up out of position.
• He might correct how you retract your punches, telling you to pull them straight back to your on‑guard position instead of letting them drop on the return.
• He might point out you’re not exiting the pocket correctly, making you vulnerable to counters.
• Etc.

The feedback is non-stop, a continuous stream of minor and major corrections. That doesn’t mean you’re doing everything wrong; it simply means there is always room for improvement. You can always refine, adjust or correct something you’re doing and that process never truly ends.

Case in point:

Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, one of the all‑time greats of mixed martial arts, once mentioned in an interview that after every single fight he wins, he immediately asks his coach:

What did I do wrong?

Even at his level, there is always something to improve.

If one of the greatest fighters to ever step into the Octagon is humble enough to think like this, then you and I can adopt it as well. That mindset is what this article is really about.

Receiving corrections inevitably becomes completely natural to martial artists and combat sports athletes.

Hold on there…

If you’re a long-time reader of my blog, then you might say “Duh!” because you know this already from your own training.  Understood, but that isn’t my point; this is:

You’d think this would then be easily transferable to other aspects of our lives.

This is where the waters get murky.

There is plenty of scientific evidence suggesting that most practitioners could transfer skills and mental attributes acquired through their training. However, it is not a given or an automatic process:

• These skills need to be taught explicitly and understood, instead of being something you subconsciously pick up over time.
• You have to actively reflect on them to see their value outside of a training context, how they might be useful elsewhere.
• Then comes a phase of trial and error in which you implement the transferal, until you succeed. This might take some time.

This leaves out questions of your individual psychological makeup, as we all know martial artists and sports fighters with massive egos that leave little room for self-reflection.

There is also the reaction from the environment to consider. It can derail the process through a lack of support or even a negative reception.  But the potential is there, only waiting for you to use it.

Conclusion.

After almost 40 years of training, I can honestly say it has given me much more than I ever thought possible. Being open-minded and willing to be wrong and corrected is one of these benefits. It’s embarrassing to say it took me a while to figure it out, though, but I had to accept that too. Mind you, I am still (and likely always will be) rather opinionated and stubborn. But I did learn a few fundamental things along the way and make a continuous effort to apply them:

• It’s OK to be wrong. You can’t be right about everything.
• It’s OK if others know more about something (including your own field of expertise) than you. It doesn’t invalidate you at all.
• More than one thing can be true at the same time. It all depends on perspective or point of view.
• If you get emotional or defensive about being corrected, you have lost control and aren’t thinking clearly.  It’s a human reaction, but one we should try to master. Because it blinds us from reality and truth, making it inevitable that we’ll be wrong some more.
• You, me, and everybody else will fail at this, no matter how hard we try. The goal is to fail less often and never stop trying.

In these polarized times, applying this is challenging, but from where I stand, absolutely worth it.

For more on this:

• How to discuss rationally
• Single variable thinking
• The fracturing of Western societies
• From Polarization to Deradicalization – Pathways Out of Extremism for a Fractured Society

The post The Hidden Benefits of Martial Arts Training appeared first on Wim Demeere's Blog.

Part two of our conversation with supporter Q&A is here.

Enjoy!

The links mentioned in this episode:

• Jamie’s site
• Facebook
• Instagram

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The post WDP 166 – Jamie Clubb appeared first on Wim Demeere's Blog.

I admit that it paints a bleak picture that many find depressing. But despair is not a strategy. Neither is surrendering to fate. You have agency. You can just do things. This includes preparing the best you can for the potential chaos increasingly taking over our societies.

How bad will it get?

Nobody knows.

Things might be mostly fine wherever you live. Other places might get burned to the ground. Still others might have regular flare-ups of violence and mayhem that massively disrupt daily life. It’s impossible to predict the outcome, but it seems clear that we are heading for the proverbial “bad times”. So we adjust accordingly and focus on the goal of this article:

To get you and your loved ones to the other side of the coming transition safe and sound.

Except for a small minority of people, that won’t be by building an underground bunker and not emerging from it for the next ten years. Instead, we focus on building skills and a mindset to not just survive, but become anti-fragile:

The struggles of these chaotic times must make you stronger and more resilient.

If you can do that, the odds of getting to the other side go up dramatically. There are no guarantees; improving our odds is all we can do. It will also take work, perhaps more than you’d like or are used to. That too is inevitable. Radical acceptance of these realities is the best starting position you can assume and I will do my best to give you the resources for that, and more.

Caveat: Just because I share a resource below, doesn’t mean I endorse it or claim it is 100% accurate. It only means I think it might have some value for you. Consider each item carefully, absorb what works for you and your situation, but most certainly feel free to discard the rest.

This article is an ongoing project, and I’ll update it regularly. So bookmark it and check it out from time to time. If you have suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Also, many of these resources are free, but some are not. Some have affiliate links and I get a small commission at no cost to you should you buy them.

Tip for when you check back in a while: Updates will always be made at the bottom of each list and in BOLD.

OK, enough of that, let’s dig in.

Don’t know where to start?

If you are starting from scratch, try this first.

• The 7 Pillars of Urban Preparedness
• The Seven Pillars of Urban Preparedness Podcast
• The Ready Citizen Manual
• Emergency prepping supplies checklist: Beginner basics
• FEMA “Are You Ready?” Guide

Background and context

By understanding the historical cycles of the rise and fall of societies, you can better understand how we got to the current situation and how to deal with it.

• The fracturing of Western societies Podcast
• We’re living in interesting times…
• The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age
• The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy – What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny
• Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
• Fall of Civilizations Podcast
• SHTF Survival Stories: Memories from the Balkan War
• How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle
• Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail
• David Betz: The West on Irreversible Path to Civil War
• End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration

Mindset and psychology

This covers both how to get your own mind right but also understand the mind of those you might come up against.

• The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
• The Gift of Fear
• The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival: The Brutal Truth About Violence, Death, & Mayhem You Must Know to Survive
• Controlling your anger – Practical strategies for everyday life
• From Polarization to Deradicalization – Pathways Out of Extremism for a Fractured Society Podcast
• Single variable thinking Podcast
• Existential fear Podcast

Preparedness and survival.

This covers a lot of ground and different aspects.

• SHTF Survival Boot Camp: A Course for Urban and Wilderness Survival during Violent, Off-Grid, & Worst Case Scenarios
• Surviving an Urban Disaster: The Survival Essentials Made Easy, Small Steps, Big Results
• SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere
• Prepper’s Long-Term Survival Guide: Food, Shelter, Security, Off-the-Grid Power and More Life-Saving Strategies for Self-Sufficient Living

Crowds and mobs

Self-evident

• What to do when you end up in a protest? Podcast
• Avoiding and surviving protesters and mobs
• The other side of protests
• The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movement

Self-defense: general

Important information that is often overlooked in favor of pure physical fighting techniques. But it is just as much, if not more so, important.

• The realization that changed my self-defense training forever
• Everything you know about violence is wrong
• Spotting Danger Before It Spots You

Self-defense: techniques and training

Self-evident

• Boxing for Self-Defense: Taking the Sweet Science from the Ring to the Street
• Basic Self-Defense 1: Controlling Techniques
• The Fighter’s Guide To Hard-Core Heavy Bag Training
• The Fighter’s Video Guide to Hard-Core Heavy Bag Training
• Power/Control: Increasing the Power and Effectiveness of Striking Techniques

Soft skills

A critical element for dealing with tense situations is how you interact with others.

• The Beginner’s Guide to De-Escalating Violence: How to Prevent Violence Before It Starts?
• Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion
• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
• De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less
• Words of Power: A Guide for Ordinary People to Calm and De-Escalate Aggressive Individuals
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It―Unlock Your Persuasion Potential in Professional and Personal Life

Personal and home security

Self-evident.

• How to survive a home invasion: a practical guide
• Prepper’s Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means Necessary

Health and fitness

Staying as healthy and fit as you can goes a long way in becoming more resilient both mentally and physically.

• How to live a long and healthy life: four fundamental tips
• Building a consistent home training routine
• Resistance Band Full-Body Home Workout
• Stretching and Mobility Exercises for Martial Arts and Self-Defense
• The Survival Medicine Handbook: THE essential guide for when medical help is NOT on the way
• You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises

Economy and finance

Self-evident

• Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises
• Broken Money: Why Our Financial System is Failing Us and How We Can Make it Better
• Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World
• Rethinking Emergency Savings In A Time Of Geopolitical Uncertainty
• 7 ways to protect your money from potentially higher inflation and unemployment
• Save Money on Bills: A Practical Guide to Negotiate and Reduce Your Monthly Expenses

Stay safe and good luck.

The post Surviving Societal Chaos: Resources for Making It to the Other Side appeared first on Wim Demeere's Blog.

Part two of our conversation is here.

Enjoy!

The links mentioned in this episode (affiliate link):

• The Matrix movies
• The Blade movies
• Episode 63: Interview with Dan Trailescu
• Virtual Workshop: Training Teen Girls:  Creating Tangible Change
• 500 Rising Women’s Self-Defense Level 1 seminar.
• Animal Instincts
• Athena Karate

Please like, share and leave a review!

You can support the podcast in various ways right here. 

Subscribe to the podcast and automatically get the latest episode:

Spotify

iTunes

The post WDP 165 – Mary Stevens appeared first on Wim Demeere's Blog.