Heads up folks — watch this space! When Mettle Maker #271 drops on Sat. 8/7 it will reveal the new brand name for Cabal Fang Temple, Inc.! Once my friends, fellow board-members, and I decide and make the switch, the dominoes start to fall:

The new brand’s martial arts track will absorb all of the material from Bobcat Martial Arts, which will be shut down.
All of my classes and projects will roll up under the new brand, including St. Barachiel’s of Richmond.
There will be four learning tracks — self-defense, fitness, bushcraft, and online church.
Everything I do and teach will be supporting the non-profit under it’s new brand.
Mitch’s General Store will have a fire sale and be closed down.
And finally, my Patreon will be closed and donors redirected to the non-profit.

Onward and upward!

COUNTDOWN! Mettle Maker #267

Warm-up before training. To avoid injuries, warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes before you train. Do about 4 minutes each of (a) jogging, jumping rope, or similar activity, and (b) light calisthenics. Martial artists should do 8 minutes of MBF.
Self-Defense: Practice your chokes. Chokes cut even the largest aggressors down to size. You and your partner put on your paintin’ clothes in case something gets ripped and spend 10 minutes practicing your garment chokes. If you don’t have a partner, put a shirt on your grappling dummy and go to town. If you don’t have a partner or training dummy, that calls into question whether you’re a martial artist or not. The chokes I’m most partial to are: Old #7, Bracing Choke, Loop Choke, X Choke, Jersey Choke, Guillotine Choke, Double Lapel Choke, and Ezekiel Choke. What are your favorites? For extra credit, practice using material from the environment as subs for the shirt itself, things such as drapes, sheets, towels, sleeves, etc. Be careful with your partner and apply chokes with care — they are for real.
Fitness: Back Squats, Chins, Half Mile run. Back Squats: 2 x 5 at 50% of 1RM, followed by 2 x 1 of 1RM. Chin-ups: 4 sets to failure. If you can do more than 5 at one go, add weight such that no set exceeds a rep count of 5. Run: Cover 1/2 mile as fast as you can.
Bushcraft: Identify this plant. If you gather some of this and add it to your salad, or toss some of them into a pot of greens, it might be your last meal. Answer at the bottom of the page.
Spirit: Learn the difference between icons, idols and symbols. Confusion on this score causes argument, lack of discernment, and failure to avoid the suffering associated with idolatry. An idol is that which points to a finite object or idea and is treated as if God. An icon is that which points to God and is treated as if finite. A symbol is a finite representation of an idea, concept or quality. “Symbol” is an umbrella term encompassing icons, idols, and any shorthand representation of something larger. Stars of David, peace signs, swastikas and the little trashcan on your laptop representing the recycle bin are all symbols. A symbol can stand for something positive, negative, or neutral. To a non-believer, a crucifix is just a symbol. To a believer, it is an icon — as long as it points to God and is treated like a mere object. A crucifix becomes an idol when its owner points it away from God to his or her own desires, treats the object like a magic charm to get what he or she wants, etc. An American flag or a poster of a hammer and sickle is just a symbol. But either becomes an idol if we treat it as if it is God. Many people, atheists, agnostics and religious alike, decry idols and idolatry, not realizing that they are treating pastors, politicians, nations, science, and other finite objects or ideas as if they are God. We know where idolatry leads — to extremism, totalitarianism, anarchy, disorder, and the bad old days of the ancient past. Learn these distinctions. Hunt down the little idolatries in your life and banish them. You’ll be happier and more fulfilled, I guarantee.