N.B. Just after finishing this article, which contained a generally optimistic message concerning English football hooliganism at the upcoming world cup, I went to check the status of the “Old Firm Clash” between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic concerning a Scottish Cup Semi-final fixture (8th March 2026) at Ibrox, to see that it ended with a pitch invasion by both sets of fans, with an “appearance” by the Ranger’s Ultras. Whilst it was a brief confrontation between both sets of fans, and not...(Click Here To Read The Article)
I’ve been a fan of boxing for a long time. There was a time when my interest in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) eclipsed it, but I quickly came back to the sport. In the 1990’s I held a professional license (UK) for a couple of years (something I gave up because the pay was practically non-existent and the training conflicted with my Judo, which was my real passion/love) and had six professional fights (won four, drew two) – how that all happened is a long and unimportant story e.g., you meet certain p...(Click Here To Read The Article)
Despite having lived in the US for over seventeen years UK prison system is one I have more familiarity with; that doesn’t make me an “expert” on it, and I’m not trying to proclaim myself as one, however it is worth a look, because if the current cutting of expenditure in the US continues, then the US system will be deprived of resources, regardless of whether the prisons are federally, state or privately run etc. From an economic perspective, prisons are a funny business e.g., someone commits a...(Click Here To Read The Article)
I grew up in the martial arts. I can analyze and rationalize a lot of reasons as to why fighting systems and philosophies intrigued and resonated with me, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter; this is where I am fifty-four years later, still teaching Krav Maga and self-defense. That’s perhaps the pertinent and relevant point, not just for me but for anyone who is teaching self-defense i.e., we may not be able to fully articulate what drew us and continues to draw us, but we can see that ...(Click Here To Read The Article)
When I was a kid starting out in martial arts I was of a generation where kids were generally seen and not heard, adults were to – by default - be respected, and physical discipline of kids was largely acceptable etc. Whilst some adults today may have a certain nostalgia for parenting in the 1970’s and 1980’s, the messaging of kids should do what adults – especially those in positions of “power” such as teachers and religious leaders - tell them, allowed many predatory adults to get away with ph...(Click Here To Read The Article)
When the sociologist Stanley Cohen began his research into folk devils and moral panics he primarily looked at how the public created and fueled – with the assistance of the media - these things; he looked at how a small number of fights between “mods” and “rockers”, two opposing youth cultures in the 1960’s, was blown up by the media to create a national panic and the vilification of anyone who rode a scooter or a motorbike, and/or listened to a particular type of music etc. However, moral pani...(Click Here To Read The Article)
The belt system in martial arts is a relatively modern creation. Before belts, Japanese martial arts used what was known as a menkyo system with licenses or scrolls that signified levels of ability and mastery etc. These weren’t visible in training; they were documents awarded privately by the teacher to their students. This “invisibility” of rank meant that a student was judged by others on their ability, rather than on their instructor’s recognition of their skills and abilities etc. It was Ji...(Click Here To Read The Article)
When I used to compete in Judo, I knew what to expect e.g., I knew how to win the fight, what the rules were, how long the “fight” would last for, and if I was competing locally/regionally I often knew the people I’d be competing against. All of these things allowed me to make “trained” responses i.e., I could set up throws, work towards submissions on the ground etc. However, real life violence is very different; there is no referee to stop, start and adjudicate the fight, there are no rules th...(Click Here To Read The Article)
In last week’s article I looked at the need to commit to violence when dealing with physical confrontations, i.e., you need to be 100% committed to the task at hand and that means committing to violence. It would be nice to think that you could “safely” throw people away from you, without causing them any harm, such as in an aikido demonstration, whilst failing to acknowledge if the person hadn’t “rolled” away they’d be suffering a broken wrist/limb i.e., as “soft” as a particular martial art ma...(Click Here To Read The Article)
Conan O’Brien recalls the time (he was still a student at Harvard) when he met John Candy and told him that he wanted to “try” comedy. Candy’s response – which was not disparaging – was that you don’t try comedy, you either do it, or you don’t. It convinced O’Brien that if he wanted to become a comedian he had to effectively “burn the boats” i.e., not have a contingency plan but to commit this path/route. We don’t know if John Candy gave this piece of advice to other aspiring comics, who didn’t ...(Click Here To Read The Article)