I promised the new brand would drop on 8/7 and here it is:

The non-profit has been renamed Heritage Arts, Inc. And as of today, all of my projects are being run for free under the Heritage Arts banner.
Cabal Fang is now Heritage Self-Defense. The program has been streamlined, improved, and is better than ever! Any and all fitness content that wasn’t martial-arts-relevant has been moved into the new Heritage Fitness program.
Bobcat Martial Arts has been dissolved. The martial arts material has been folded into to the Heritage Self-Defense program, and the outdoor skills material has been spun off into a dedicated nature appreciation and survival program called Heritage Wildwood.
The old temple space has been renamed St. Barachiel Chapel. Starting soon, church services will be broadcast online from the Chapel.
My YouTube channel has been renamed Heritage Arts, I’ll be getting a new “@heritageartsinc.com” email address, this blog will eventually be moved to the Heritage Arts website, and I’m sure there will be more cascading affects that I haven’t even realized yet.
Onward and upward!
Heritage: Mettle Maker #271
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.
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Self-Defense: A grappling fitness constitutional, pyramid-style. Set timer for 8 mins. Climb the pyramid until it timer beeps (1 of each, 2 of each, 3 of each, etc.). Finish the set you’re on and then descend. We did this one at the club Thursday night and it took us about 15 minutes. Exercises as follows: Russian Squats, Hip Throws (w/ heavy bag), Shots, Crunch ‘n’ Punch, Push-ups, Prisoner Get-ups, and Shoulder Roll.

Showing Vinny a Drop Duck-under
- Fitness: The 100 Bodybuilder challenge. Complete 100 10-count Bodybuilders in under 20 minutes. My record is 13:15. What’s a 10-count Bodybuilder? Jumping Jack (1,2), squat down (3), shoot feet back to plank position (4), Push-up (5,6), feet apart (7), feet together (8), hop feet back to squat position (9) and stand up (10).
Wildwood: Tracking exercise. Find or clear a patch of dirt at least a couple of feet across. Put a piece of fruit — a grape, slice of apple, etc. — in the center and leave it. Come back tomorrow and examine the area. What took it? Pro-tips: choose muddy ground or moisten it with a hose if its in your yard. And if you can make it back at sunrise you might be able to get more information by getting to the west of the location and looking at the surrounding area with the light reflecting off the dew by the light of the sun. - Spirit: Write a prayer and say it every hour. When you’re faced with a trouble or difficulty — a work goal, a personal challenge, an addiction, a stressful situation, an unfolding calamity, a death in the family, etc. — an hourly prayer will help. It doesn’t have to be fancy, lengthy, or poetic. When I was struggling with how to solve all of the issues, goals and stressors surrounding the Heritage program, I said the following prayer every hour for a couple of days straight: “Heavenly Father, help me to remember that every human activity is an opportunity to usher Christ into the world, that I might bring forth Christ in my every thought, word, desire and deed. Through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.”
Self-Defense: Weapon Capture and Retention. Today’s the last day of weapons training this month, so let’s really work. Get out your wooden or rubber mock-up weapon of choice and go out on the grass. Set timer for repeating 1 min. rounds. Toss mock weapon over your shoulder, then turn and pounce on it with your right hand using a belly slide. Cut one “X” in the air against the imaginary enemy next to you on the ground. Do a commando-style Get-up, and repeat until the bell rings. Do a second round with baseball slides and a third round with shoulder roll pick-ups. Cycle through 3 more rounds with left hand for a total of 6 1-minute rounds. Be sure to wield your weapon with whatever grip to get — you need to be able to use your weapons with either hand in any grip!
Survival & Spirit Combo: Sit down and shut up. Go out into your backyard in the half-light of either early morning or evening. This will ensure that the bugs are swarming and you can’t see your surroundings optimally. Set a timer for 5 – 10 mins, sit down in your posture of choice, and practice contemplation. Regulate your breathing to a slow and regular pattern. Keep your eyes open. Do not fidget, wiggle, scratch, move or speak (not even to swat or swear at that mosquito whining in your ear). Like ripples on a pond, allow your thoughts to dissipate toward thoughtlessness — just sit and look out at the world without evaluating. The four great spiritual disciplines — contemplation, meditation, prayer and sacred reading — are as much adventures in stoicism and survival as they are quests for enlightenment, atonement, and fulfillment. If you can’t even sit quietly under any conditions, without moving or making a sound, to avoid capture, observe an enemy, or land a meal, how are you going to have any hope of making contact with God, your Higher Power, or Ultimate Reality? Get there.
Fitness: Farmer Walks, Farmer Walks, Farmer Walks. Most of the credit for my 60+ strength I give to heavy carries. I recommend 2 heavy carries a week for functional strength, and 1 of them has to be Farmer Walks. Don’t do tons of sets with low weight — push the weight up such that you can only do 3 sets of about 25 yards/meters each. Set a goal of body weight per hand. Here’s how to progress: Start with a weight you can manage with relative ease, say 1/2 your 1 RM Bench Press per hand. Walk 25 yds/m, rest 1 min., walk 25 yds/m, then walk until failure. Next time add weight. When you can’t get 3 reps of 25 yds/m each, reduce weight by %5 – 10% and restart your progression.
Survival: Sheet Bend or Weaver’s Knot. A few months back I got stuck in kind of a tough spot and needed to be able to join two different diameters of cordage together. Fortunately I knew the Sheet Bend or Weaver’s knot. Learn this knot and thank me later. Want a free knot book? Check out





