Category Archives: Martial arts

Book Update, Writer Advice and a Friendly Request

Posted on May 18, 2016 | 15 comments

 

coverBook Update (11/13/16):  [PRE-ORDER LINKS BELOW!] We finished taking the last of the photos yesterday!  All I have to do now is crop, edit and add them to the manuscript, do another  quick re-read and a final spellcheck before sending the file to the formatter.  I’ll have that done by 12/1.  Allowing time for cover creation, formatting and holiday delays, the eBook should be available  no later than 2/1/17.   Hardcopies should be available shortly thereafter!

Here are some pics from the photo shoot yesterday.  Wicked eh?

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Book Update (5/18/16): Draft copies of Cabal Fang: The Complete Study Course from Querent to Elder are now in the hands of my editorial team (a.k.a. the three people I could talk into critiquing it).

Writers Advice: Below find the instructions I gave my editors.  If your editor isn’t as compassionate as a meat cleaver and if you don’t have the courage of a .357 magnum, you need a new plan.  You can’t create art if you’re afraid of what people will think, and puerile criticism is a waste of time.  Smile at the executioner and put your neck in the rope.  It’s the only way to go.

A Friendly Request to my Friendly Friends and Devoted Readers: This book is going to be epic.  When you read it, you’re going to weep magical tears of joy that cause flowers to sprout up from the earth wherever they land.   So you should pre-order it immediately.  Here are the links:

Pre-order my the Cabal Fang Book on iTunes

Pre-order at Barnes & Noble

Pre-order it on from KOBO

This is the back cover of one of my favorite books. Check out the cool blurbs at the top.

This is the back cover of one of my favorite books. Check out the cool blurbs at the top.

And if you know of anyone notable in the martial arts or esoteric fields whom you think would be willing to read an advance copy and give me a book blurb, something like “If this book was a movie, it would be It’s a Wonderful Life – starring Steven Seagal!” please hook me up in the comments.

Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to go convince my wife to take a couple of hundred pictures of martial arts techniques and persuade my daughter to create fifteen gorgeous illustrations — all in time to get this thing to the formatter by July 15th so I can hit the Sept 1st. release date.

Adieu!

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Dear Editor:

I’m not looking for criticism of grammar and spelling and such.  What I’m looking for is insight into how to make this book as inspiring as possible.  I want this to be the most original, groundbreaking, and compelling martial arts book since Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do in 1973.  It needs to launch a movement to put spirituality back into Western martial arts for the first time since chivalry died.  I don’t need notes about verb agreement. 

So I need you to be BRUTAL AS @*#! and circle paragraphs and make notes like, “This is boring” or “This is the most pompous bat piss I’ve ever sniffed in my entire life” or “This made me want to Mike Tyson the Hermetic Quaternary on my face!”  

Thanks for your help,

~Mitch

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Cabal Fang WOOTW #4: Static Slow Kicks

Posted on May 14, 2016 | Leave a comment

Nobody kicks slowly in place any more, but they should.  These really help improve your kicking form.  Cabal Fang Workout of the Week #4 is as follows: 50 to 100 static slow kicks per leg.  Video below!

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Again, Again, Begin Again

Posted on May 10, 2016 | Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine pointed me to a great article about how all training is not created equal.  The gist of the article is that that mindless repetitive practice without specific goals, metrics and feedback doesn’t guarantee improvement — it might even make you worse.

And then last Thursday, during martial arts practice, something…”broke.”  That may not be the right word.  I don’t know how to explain it.  I didn’t snap, but it was close.  My temper flared and fire flew into me.  I suppose I contained it well enough — nobody hurt, no harm, no foul, apologies accepted — but I was very upset and disappointed in myself.

Had I been a beginner I would say my control was good.  Had I been merely an advanced student of five or ten years, I’d say my control was mediocre.  But for a martial arts master who’s celebrating his 30-year anniversary in the martial arts this year, my performance was unacceptable.

I know that I can never achieve perfection.  But I also know that if I don’t continuously strive for perfection I won’t even get close.  I must complete as many cycles as possible of the “practice, test, and grade” cycle.  The usual sort of bad grade requires a run-of-the-mill correction.  But a catastrophic failure requires a more drastic correction, perhaps even a punishment.

In Cabal Fang we don’t wear uniforms and we are skeptical of belts, certificates, certifications, and other outward signs of achievement.  Elders like myself are forbidden from advertising unless club membership is less than 12.  We’re only at 7 active members at the moment, so technically I’m allowed to advertise.

But after my loss of control last week, I felt it necessary to drain away some ego fuel by confessing my mistake on this blog and by stripping away a badge of pride.  So I took the window decal off my truck.  For good.

Try again, again and again — and if you fail, begin again.

“Seek not to blindly follow in the footsteps of the men of old, but rather continue to seek out what they sought.” – Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694)

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Cabal Fang WOOTW #3

Posted on May 7, 2016 | Leave a comment

The Cabal Fang martial arts workout of the week is brought to you by Horse Riding Fitness Ace Power, the world’s third most ridiculous piece of fitness equipment, second only to the Thighmaster and the Shakeweight!  Video below.

All joking aside, today’s little slice of heaven is a two-parter as follows.

  1. Evasion.  Shadowbox  for 3 x 5:00/1:00 with plenty of bobs, slips, weaves, and shoulder pops.  Round 1 — no feet.  Round 2 — add feet.  Round 3 — all strikes in very short range facing a wall and moving laterally (knees, uppercuts, hooks, shovel hooks, and elbows).
  2. As many 10-count Bodybuilders as you can in 20 minutes.  Do more than 115 and you’ve got me beat.

 

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Hermetic Vision in the Martial Arts

Posted on May 5, 2016 | Leave a comment

This morning I had an email conversation with my friend John (name changed to protect anonymity).  If you have any interest at all in Hermeticism or the martial arts I think you’ll find it interesting.

If you fell into my rabbit hole and have no idea what the Hermetic Quaternary is (a.k.a. “the Powers of the Sphinx” which I reference in the exchange) I have pasted in a handy table of correspondences at the very bottom of this post.  That should help you better understand my point.

And if you don’t have the slightest idea what Hermeticism is, you can read what I have to say on the subject or you can dive headfirst into the relevant Wikipedia article.)

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From: Mitch <12thkey@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, May 5, 2016 at 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: Martial arts
To: John Citizen <j_citizen@totallymakebelieve.com>

Yes, I agree with him about the nuts and bolts.  He’s a smart and experienced Navy Seal, and he seems to have honed his scientific and gnostic vision to a razor’s edge.  His logical and intuitional grasp of things is very strong.

I hope he would also admit the need for magical vision to tap into the ego and mystical vision to destroy it.

Because without all four forms of vision — “To Know, To Will, To Dare; To Keep Silent” —  where is the wisdom that makes us worthy of being trusted with our weapons?  How can we ever hope to reconcile the Above and the Below?  How can we ever realize our ultimate selves?

Have a fun day, and see you tonight!

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On Wed, May 4, 2016 at 10:22 PM, John Citizen <j_citizen@totallymakebelieve.com>  wrote:

Very much like the stuff you say…

 

 A FOUR-BY-FOUR TABLE OF HERMETIC CORRESPONDENCES

The Gnostic Hermetic Quaternary Evangelist Holy Animal Archangel
To Know Matthew Lion Raphael
To Will Mark Ox Michael
To Dare John Eagle Gabriel
To Keep Silent Luke Man Uriel
The Magic Hermetic Quaternary Element Alchemy Tarot Suit
To Know Air Azoth Swords
To Will Fire Sulphur Wands
To Dare Water Mercury Cups
To Keep Silent Earth Salt Pentacles
The Scientific Hermetic Quaternary Forms of Matter Season Astrology
To Know Gas Fall Equinox Leo
To Will Plasma Summer Solstice Taurus
To Dare Liquid Winter Solstice Scorpio
To Keep Silent Solid Spring Equinox Aquarius
The Mystic Hermetic Quaternary Mode of Vision Direction Qabalah Worlds
To Know Gnostically (“I AM THAT”) East Yetzirah
To Will Magically (“I”) South Azitluth
To Dare Scientifically (“I AM”) West Briah
To Keep Silent Mystically (“I AM THAT I AM”) North Assiah

 

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Purring, Shinning, Hacking and Coup de Pied Bas

Posted on April 25, 2016 | Leave a comment

A great picture from one of my favorite blogs. Click to go read!

I’m a big fan of the low kick, specifically the kick that savateurs call the coup de pied bas.  I use it often, and it has a prominent place in Cabal Fang.

There are a number of names for shin kicking, such as purring, shinning, and hacking.  But because of it’s association with boxe française, I was kind of surprised that thwacking people in the shins has a long and beloved history in Britain.

As a sport.

Oh yes, you read that right.  Shin-kicking is a 400 year-old British sport.  Thos limeys are ruttin’ crazy, and I must be too, because this yank has to admit that I so want to do this!  Check this out:

Want to train up and take a run at the title?  According to this article, the rules of Shin Kicking are as follows:

  • Competitors must wear long trousers or tracksuits and may cushion their shins by using straw (provided).
  • They will be provided with white coats, representing the traditional shepherd’s smock.
  • Footwear may be trainers, shoes, or soft-toed (i.e. un-reinforced) boots. Any form of metal-reinforced toe on footwear is expressly forbidden. This will now be checked both before and after your bouts! Failure to comply will result in instant exclusion, and barring from future events!
  • Stance. A competitor begins by holding his or her opponent by the shoulders (or lapels) with arms straight.
  • The contest will be started, finished (if necessary) and judged, by an arbiter, known as a Stickler. The Stickler decides the fairness of a contest.
  • A contest is decided on the best of three throws – i.e. two successful throws results in a win.
  • The aim is to weaken an opponent by kicking his or her shins and then throw him to the ground.
  • A successful throw involves unbalancing the opponent, in the course of a kick. It does NOT involve kicking the opponent to the ground, NOR pushing the opponent to the ground.
  • Shins must be kicked before a throw can be achieved. Contact must be made.
  • A throw is not valid unless the thrower is in the process of kicking and has one foot off the ground.
  • If the stickler deems that the kicker has made an intentional trip, the throw goes to the opponent.
  • If a kick is above the knee, the throw goes to the opponent.
  • The first person to hit the ground loses the throw.
  • The Stickler’s decision is final!

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WOOTW Replacing WOD

Posted on April 22, 2016 | Leave a comment

For the last three years or so I’ve been using randomization tools to arrive at my daily workouts.  That was great for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was that my body and mind were always guessing.  A martial artist should be ready for anything, right?

Linear_Random

The problem is, some things that require a careful plan in order to make progress.  One of those things is strength.  And since I want to get stronger, I’ve had to change how I work out  (more details here).

What this means to you, gentle reader, is that you’re no longer going to be seeing WODs (“Workouts of the Day”) three or four days a week.

Since the only day I’m going to be doing something creative and random is Saturdays, you’re going to start seeing a weekly WOOTW (“Work Out Of The Week”) instead.  Last week’s WOOTW was pretty frickin’ heinous.  Check it out here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Preparing for Initiation

Posted on April 18, 2016 | Leave a comment

Update 7/18/19:  My club still uses the flag but we’re now called Cabal Fang Temple, and we’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational charity.  Visit our website or purchase our 12-week personal growth program at Smashwords, Amazon, B&N, or wherever fine e-books are sold.

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Original post:

MiltonThere are four initiations in the martial art of Cabal Fang.  We call them trials.  The first one comes about 90 days after starting.  The fourth and final one, our equivalent to the Black Belt exam, comes after about 3 or 4 years of practice.

I always find myself gathering together the same basic tools at the last minute.  We have someone facing a trial tomorrow evening and, in rather atypical fashion, I decided on Saturday to go ahead and put everything together.   Then it hit me — why not make a little kit and have it ready to go?

I took an old suitcase that I inherited from my paternal grandmother and used Dupli-Color vinyl paint to change it from powder blue to black.    Call me self-conscious if you must, but the idea of strutting into a martial arts club meeting with a ladies’ powder blue, 1960s-era suitcase straight out of Breakfast at Tiffany’s didn’t appeal to me in the slightest.

The kit contains:

  • Gold altar cloth with green fringe (green, gold, and brown are the colors of our order)
  • Three green altar candles
  • Seven tea light candles with copper pots to mark off the initiate’s circle
  • Pitcher for dousing the initiate
  • Green towel to dry initiate
  • Anointing oil
  • Brass dish and incense cones
  • Multi-purpose lighter

This isn’t everything we need for every trial, just the core items that are used most often.  What a load off my mind not having to worry about doing something stupid like forgetting the anointing oil like I did last time.

 

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Are You “Tired?” Try This Cabal Fang WOD

Posted on April 16, 2016 | 1 comment

20160305_153900.jpgAt Cabal Fang we like our tires.  Big ones, small ones, they’re all fun in their own way.

Here’s your Cabal Fang WOD.  See if you can get it done faster than I did this morning — 46:33.

Shoulder an auto tire and cover 2 miles as fast as you can (walk, jog, run, or walk/run, doesn’t matter).   Then complete 100 each of One-arm Tire Presses (50 ea side), Tire Squats, Tire Slams, and Tire V-ups  (tire exercises explained here).

 

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Command & Mastery

Posted on April 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Warning Meta ContentSometimes I don’t feel very much like a martial arts master.  Like when I’m wrestling a guy who outweighs me by 80 pounds, or when I wake up in the morning to find that my back has gone out, or when I’m trying a new technique and I can’t seem to make it work.

But then I focus on the fact that I’m a master not a champion, and it all becomes clear.

The champion is warrior or competitor who is in search of the trophy, the accolades, the purse, the measurable reward or the attainable victory.  Once the goal or the peak has been reached, champions often destroy themselves with continued attempts to achieve former glory, or give up and fade away into dissipation and sloth.

One of Morgan's recent works

The master is the experimenter, the innovator, the teacher, the one whose goal is to fully explore and experience the art form.  Masters are searching for new discoveries and a fuller experiences.   Recognition comes to them late in life, sometimes even posthumously, if it ever comes at all.  Though both are the stuff of legend, few are the masters who become champions and the champions who realize mastery.

It’s important to stake stock of your path.  To self-evaluate, to analyze, to think about what you’re doing.  To have goals.

Ask yourself what it is exactly that you’re trying to do.

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Cabal Fang WOD: 

Command & Mastery Drill.  Lay a heavy bag on the floor, set timer to beep every 1:00, and pick up your dull wooden training weapon.  Switching hands/grips each cycle, complete 4 cycles of 1:00 ea. of  (a) Mount heavy bag and strike, (b) Sit-ups w/ strike at the top, (c)  Shadowboxing w/ weapon (d) 10-count Bodybuilders w/ weapon in hand.  16 mins total.   Count number of times live end of weapon touches your body (should be -0-).  When all 4 cycles are done, complete 12 Push-ups per touch.

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