Any idea what these snapshots of my training log clipboard reveal? Any clue there as to what I’m working on?
Are you engaged in my work, or just a tourist?
First person to correctly guess what I’m working on, post in the comments and I’ll ship you a free t-shirt.
TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
Always wanted to ask me questions about Cabal Fang, Bobcat Martial arts, Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble, etc.? Join me this Sat. 5/1/21 at 2 PM EST for a zoom call — ask me anything!
TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
I am a Deacon in Ekklesia Epignostika Church and Seminary, and the Host I am consuming in the Communion video below has been Consecrated by my Bishop for this purpose. This is the Body of Christ, and must be given the Sacred Reverence due the Son of God.
Those desiring to follow along and partake of Communion at home should first consider carefully. If you are also a Sacramental Christian, you should observe the guidance of your Bishop, as to whether, and in what manner, you may partake of Communion at home. Other Baptized Christians should observe the guidance of their Pastor or, if unchurched, discern with the help of the Holy Spirit. Persons who have not yet been Baptized into the Christian Church should not take Communion.
Can you believe it? Today is the 8th anniversary of the weekly mettle maker — time flies when you’re having fun!
Over the years the frequency has changed, the name has changed, and the format has changed. Which format do you like? Did you prefer the experimental formats of last week and week before? Do you like the format below? Or is one of the old styles more to your liking? Please post in the comments and let me know.
The goal of these mettle makers is to inspire you to take charge of your life — your education, your strength and fitness, your attitude, and your relationship with God. Whatever you do, don’t live your life in service of fashion, entertainment, food, comfort, or anything like that.
The things that you think make you unique — your likes and dislikes, your favorite food, favorite movies, etc. — might actually be the things that prove you’re just like everyone else. What might make you truly unique?
Think about it.
Eighth Anniversary: Mettle Maker #257
Loosen up your shackles. Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. Do 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope or footwork (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, light heavy bag work, or 8 minutes of MBF.
Seize hold of your fitness. If you do MBF every day (or close to it) you can afford to dial back the intensity as compared to training martial fitness once or twice-per-week. If you’re not using the MBF program several times a week, you have to a little harder. Try a 15-minute half-pyramid of Rope Climbs, Sit-outs, Bag Lifts, and Leg Triangles. Do 1 of each, then 2 of each, then 3, 4, etc. until the timer beeps.
Break free of the ordinary. Go for a P.O.W. run. Interlace your fingers behind your head and run 1 mile as fast as you can. This arm position (a) makes it impossible to fully fill your lungs and (b) wrecks pelvic rotation, eliminates arm lift energy, and removes your arms’ ability to counterbalance the legs. 1 mile will feel like 3.
Tackle the tough questions.Take the self-defense quiz below and see how you do.
Liberate your taste buds with some maple seeds. Maple seeds are an edible, high protein food — great for a fun snack or as a survival food. Catch some maple keys or “helicopters” before they get too dry. Split the casing at the spine to liberate a smallish green seed (technically a fruit I think). Eat them raw or toast them at 350F for 10 minutes as a snack, salad addition, topping for cereal or granola, etc. When toasted they remind me of a cross between a sunflower seed and a soybean (complete with the bitter finish of the latter). Pics below.
My little harvest of maple seeds (from an Acer Rubrum or Red Maple)
Split the casing at the spine while the casing is still soft
Close-up of a raw maple seed
Toasted maple seeds right out of the toaster oven
Close-up of toasted maple seeds
Charge up your batteries. Assume posture of choice and regulate breathing to a slow and steady rhythm. Keep your eyes open and fixed. Do not fidget, wiggle or scratch. Allow your thoughts to dissipate like ripples on a pond and your mind to approach a state of calm and relaxed awareness. Do not think at all, but especially not in words — do not evaluate, judge, make lists, fixate on emotions, let your mind wander, or any of that. Just breathe and be. This is called “contemplation” and practicing it regularly is associated with improved emotional resilience, increased patience reserves, and more. Add prayer and it works even better.
Self-Defense Quiz
Question
Column 1
Column 2
1. Can you safely change a flat tire on your car?
Yes
No
2. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. How many friends do you have in your circle who have been involved in violent altercations?
None
1 or more
3. Do you wear earbuds or headphones in public places – while shopping, running, walking, at the gym, etc.?
Yes
No
4. How do you pass the time while waiting – in a supermarket line, in a waiting room for a doctor’s appointment, etc.
People watching, chatting w/ a friend, flipping through a magazine
Watching videos, engrossed in your phone, reading a book
5. Can you picture at least two exits from your place of employment – one front and one rear?
No
Yes
6. When you park, do you pull in or back in?
Pull in
Back in
7. By what criteria do you choose your seat in a restaurant?
Noise, view of entrance, proximity to exit
Proximity to kitchen, décor, comfort of seating, or at random
8. When was the last time you had the oil changed in your car?
More than 6 months ago
Less than 6 months ago
9. What’s the last thing you do before you leave on a trip?
Go the bathroom
Inform 2 or more people where you’re going and when to expect you home
10. How many of the following do you have in your pockets or purse right now? Lighter, flashlight, knife, $20 cash
2 or less
3 or 4
11. How much gas in your car’s gas tank right now?
More than a 1/4 tank
1/4 tank or less
12. How many of these do you have in your car right now? Blanket, stocking cap, water, snacks, lighter, tow rope or chain, first aid kit
4 or less
5 or more
13. How much food do you have in your home pantry (dry goods, such as rice, cereal,
<1 month
1 month or more
Answers: Preferred answers to questions 1, 2, 4, 7, and 11 are in Column A. The rest are in Column B.
TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
I’ve found that you’ve given me
Give to me, give to me
Much more than I meant to give
Give to me, give to me
You came from the killing tree
And I from the bull and bee
But I gave and you gave to me
I called and you came to me
Hear my plea, hear my plea
If I lost what you gave to me
Give to me, give to me
Four locks and trilling three
Hear my plea, hear my plea
I’d hunt for the world to see
I’d run to the rocks and sea
I’d dig for the golden key
I’d wait in the broken lee
Hear my plea, hear my plea
One source and it’s you for me
One thing and it’s meant to be
One step and it’s meant to be
Give to me, hear my plea
“Hey Mitch, what’s this poetry thing all about?” I want to collaborate with Blue Öyster Cult and I’m hoping the Öyster Boys will think this would make a good lyric.
Did you know I wrote a paranormal/mystery/romance book inspired by Blue Öyster Cult’s lyrical themes?Click here to download it here for free!
The cover to my book “Chatters on the Tide” inspired by the music of Blue Öyster Cult
I have to fill in for my bishop online today so, in lieu of the usual Holy Communion video, I’m just providing a rough draft of my homily. I should be back to the usual routine soon. Thanks and God Bless!
Inspired by recent discoveries and realizations, and catalyzed by last week’s conversation with Mark Hatmaker, the mettle maker takes a different form for the second week in a row. Rather than a list of dos and don’ts, prescriptions, and so forth, this week I’m going to simply give you a grab bag of material that I hope you will find inspiring, enlightening, and fun — something that will get you out from behind the laptop and out into the world to breathe, train, live, and find your own innovations and realizations.
Which format do you prefer? The experimental, or the traditional?
Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow: Mettle Maker #256
Which one of these pictures depicts the tool or behavior most likely to preserve your safety and prevent personal harm? Answer at bottom.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” ~Matthew 10:29-31
A recent observation using BirdNET — a free app that lets you record, ID, save and map observations so that you can learn birds and their songs.
“The monthly attribute associated with the Hourglass is justice…The lower half of the Hourglass mirrors the upper. Only if we are able to sincerely mirror the Divine Will can we have any hope of bringing justice into the world…Justice is almost always personified as a lovely woman wearing a blindfold and holding a set of scales — blind to her own passions and the winds of fashion and public sentiment, she weighs the facts with maturity and judges fairly.” [from the forthcoming Cabal Fang: Complete Martial Arts Study Course from Querent to Elder, 2nd Edition]
“Do resolutely what is just: defend the poor, the widows, the orphans and the churches.” ~Rule #47 of the Latin Rule (the code of the Knights Templar)
Answer: The oil change. Breaking down by the side of the road is one of the most dangerous situations you can find yourself in, and it’s a hundred times more likely than being attacked. Service your vehicle and don’t operate it with less than 1/4 tank of gas, just in case you get lost or you get stuck in your vehicle during cold weather.
TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
I have to fill in for my bishop online today so, in lieu of the usual Holy Communion video, I’m just providing a rough draft of my homily. I should be back to the usual routine soon. Thanks and God Bless!
Inspired by recent discoveries and realizations, and catalyzed by this week’s conversation with Mark Hatmaker, this week’s mettle maker is taking an entirely different form. Rather than a list of dos and don’ts, prescriptions, and so forth, this week I’m going to simply give you a grab bag of material that I hope you will find inspiring, enlightening, and fun — something that will get you out from behind the laptop and out into the world to breathe, train, live, and find your own innovations and realizations.
Regular followers of the mettle maker chime in. Perhaps you’ll actually prefer this format over the traditional.
Fulgurite: Mettle Maker #255
ful·gur·ite \’ful-g(y)ə-,rit\ n [Latin fulgur] : 1. glass formed by a lightning strike melting sand or other material. 2. a physical representation of a transitory event or experience.
“Art is actually a process rather than an end product…with any luck the process is embedded in the byproduct…it’s a crystallized act of exploration.”~Jordan B. Peterson
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance
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TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
It was supreme pleasure and privilege to have enticed the immortal Mark Hatmaker into sitting down for an hour of conversation. If you know Mark, getting him to stop reading, practicing, training, and exploring is not easy.
We talked about Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts, solo training, our research methods, the power of ritual, and the importance of engagement. Really fun — perhaps we’ll do another one if I can get him to sit still!
Who is Mark Hatmaker? He is an author, a martial arts coach, and relentless autodidact who has written dozens of books on martial arts, fitness, and self-defense selling over 175,000 copies. He has produced over 40 instructional videos and has been described as “a walking encyclopedia of wrestling holds.” Training with Mark will change your life.
Go getcha some.
TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
I teach free of charge through Heritage Arts , a 501(c)(3) educational charity offering free or donation-only classes related to martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development. Distance learning programs available. Visit the Heritage Arts website to find out more, or click here to join the Heritage Self-Defense group on Facebook.
What is Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble? It’s mind-body-spirit form of American Rough ‘n’ Tumble, which began as a manner of no-holds-barred fighting in the Southern Virginia backcountry during the Colonial Era and has since grown, evolved, and adapted to the realities of modern self-defense. An amalgam of the varying techniques brought to America by colonists from all over the world, blended with the fighting methods of the over 900 distinct indigenous tribes, American Rough ‘n’ Tumble is perhaps the world’s most fearsome martial art.
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TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!
ful·gur·ite \’ful-g(y)ə-,rit\ n [Latin fulgur] : 1. glass formed by a lightning strike melting sand or other material. 2. a physical representation of a transitory event or experience.
Robert Mitchell Jr. 