Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 9, 2013

Here are a few links to articles and videos I found interesting this week. Some are intellectual. Some are informative. Some are just fun. If you have some free time, check them out this weekend.

Best Way to Get Attacked

Marc MacYoung discusses Peyton Quinn’s five rules for preventing an attack. This is important advice.

1) Don’t Insult Him

2) Don’t Challenge Him

3) Don’t Threaten Him

4) Don’t Deny It’s Happening

5) Give Him A Face Saving Exit

“The word ‘Mother****er’ plays no part in de-escalation”

The Evidence Continues to Mount Against Chronic Cardio

“My point, of course, is that the human organism is made for short, intense bursts of activity laid atop a foundation of frequent slow moving. We aren’t “supposed” to run as hard as we can for two or three hours. We’re not supposed to run with the express purpose of “burning calories.” We can certainly choose to do those activities, and we’ll become adapted (or perhaps inured) to them, and they may even make us “fit,” but they’re not the healthiest, most efficient path to fitness. Chronic cardio is the meandering, roundabout trail that will get you there with a ton of bruises, scratches, a tick or two, and a sprained ankle.”

“I am still a big fan of weights, of brief, intermittent interval training and I am all for doing a fair amount of mixed low-level cardio, the kind that doesn’t overstress the heart or involve so much repetitive joint motion that it causes chronic injury. That makes sense in an ancestral context. You’re expending energy at a high rate, but you’re not going long enough that it becomes a liability. Or, if you’re going long, you’re taking it easy enough that you have the energy to make it back home, possibly carrying food.”

“I’m not even against a long training run or ride once in a while, provided you are trained, rested and allow enough recovery afterwards. I’m even OK with running marathons occasionally or jumping into a short triathlon now and then. As a species, we obviously have the capacity to go long and relatively hard every now and again. It’s the chronic, day-in, day-out long, hard stuff that is counter-productive.”

A Primer on Krav Maga: The Combative System of the Israeli Defense Forces

I started studying Krav Maga back in 1999. If you are training with a good instructor, I think it’s one of the quickest ways to pick up excellent street fighting skills. No uniforms, no belts, no forms or katas. Just bring a cup and mouthpiece and get ready to fight! Here’s a good article about the history of the art and its guiding principles.

It’s the memories, not the consequences.

“The purpose of this article is to try to let you guys know that most of the time the consequences of what you want to do in this life aren’t nearly as severe as the regret you’ll feel if you don’t fill this life up with experiences that lead to great memories.”

The Four Pillars: The Foundation of Individual Combat Effectiveness

John Mosby drops a lot of wisdom about having battlefield effective standards in this post. Anyone who is interested in individual combat at any level should read it to dispel some illusions. Would you meet Mosby’s standards?

“…missions require strength, endurance, and movement skills…excelling in only one or two leaves you vulnerable to poor performance and/or injuries.” As we get older, those demands only increase the risks of injury. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re not going to need to move fast and hard, over rough terrain, carrying equipment, because you’re a fucking Appleseed Rifleman by God!”