The Invisible Range of Combat
Copyright Pete Kautz 2011

Back in the late 80's / early 90's when I would try to get people interested in grappling they would sometimes complain, “What does all this have to do with martial arts?”

In those pre-UFC days, most martial artists had zero interest in rolling around on the floor. Judo and Wrestling didn't get a lot of respect because people in the kick-punch arts didn't understand what it was all about.

What they didn't realize back then was that grappling was a whole RANGE of combat. And as “everyone” knows today it's a range that would be foolish to ignore if you seek to be complete!

In the mid-90's, when I would share firearms and blade tactics it was the same thing as before, “What does all this have to do with martial arts?”

And so again, it was a process of educating people that weapons (especially projectiles) are a RANGE that is vital to understand for real fighting. Ignore them at your peril!

Now, hopefully everyone out there already has something going on in all three of these ranges right now – you can strike, grapple, and use weapons to whatever degree. Probably you're better at one range than another, and that's totally normal.

So, let me ask you, if there was a whole other RANGE of combat that you didn't have knowledge of, would you seek it out? I hope so!

But what if you didn't know that this range of combat even existed???

Or worse yet, what if you thought that there was simply no defense in this range - that you just had to suck it up and take it???

The martial arts are here to equip us with means of defending ourselves, and that is supposed to be “mind, body, and spirit” training, right?

That's what's written on the walls of countless schools and in phone book ads in every town “mind, body, and spirit”! But how many people out there were ever taught formal techniques for how to control their minds and emotions – maybe 2% of you (if you were lucky)! It's just not part of what's passed on today in the arts.

As I look around, everything I see being promoted today is about the purely Physical side of the art – get bigger, pump up, carry the latest weapons, hit harder, be meaner, get tattoos, scowl a lot...

But my friends in the 21st century we're so beyond that. In this era Defending your MIND and SPIRIT are a RANGE that must be understood as well.

Emotions are like a wasp's sting or a jab in the eye – it doesn't matter how big and tough you are, they will go right through your external armor. And how can you defend yourself effectively in a range of combat that you don't know techniques for, or even know exists?

Today more than ever we must know how to stay cool when things are tough. We must have techniques to deal with frustration, fear, anger, and so on in a way that is healthy. To resort to physical violence in the modern world is to invite reprisal, lawsuits, cops, etc. and to allow the violence to turn inward is to destroy ourselves. Not all problems require hands of iron, but instead a mind of steel!

So, when I share these ways of transforming your emotional and mental states please understand “It has EVERYTHING to do with the martial arts!” A cool head will get you further than a clenched fist in 99% of the situations you encounter.

This is why I'm sharing this information on the new DVD “Defeating the Enemy Within: Exercises for Eliminating Negative Emotions & Moving Forward In Life”. These are skills for the new world we find ourselves living in, and the troubles we face today.

Every day we are “attacked” by bad news, negative people, world events beyond our control and so on, but how often are we attacked on the street? Think about that...you might train 40 years for a fight that never happens, and yet leave yourself wide open to attack in the emotional arena.

Physical pain is easy to deal with for many of us in the arts. We're used to getting kicked, punched, flipped and arm-locked – some of us even like it!

But emotional pain is different. We all know guys who can bench a lot, tap you out on the mat or whatever, but who have no control of their emotions at all. They flip out over this and flip out over that and flip out over the other! That's not a “win” in the book of life guys, no matter how many trophies they get. It's not a fun way to live or any fun to be around either.

I'm here to tell you that there are other way to deal with things, and you can learn them fast from this DVD. It's easy, like learning a short kata. If you got your yellow belt, you're smart enough to learn this material and it will help you out *a hell of a lot more* than learning another defense from a lapel grab or whatever.

Big muscles, a powerful handgun, or any other "thing" is meaningless when the man with them is unable to act clearly and in a way that is useful.  You can have a safe place to go, food stored away, water and so on but if you are a mental wreck in crisis how much good does it all do?

One of the best things about learning ways to defend yourself in the Mental / Emotional Range is that you can also share these skills to help your family and friends when they need it. Just like if someone jumped them on the street how you'd know what to do physically, now when they have problems and come to you you'll have new tools to help them through.

(And for those of you who have preparedness plans that include others this is vital - you need every man, woman, and child to be mentally as well as physically healthy and ready to do what they need to do when times are rough.  "Fear is the mind killer" like they said in the novel Dune.)

All my very best to you,

Pete Kautz

PS – For anyone reading who still isn't sure “What does all this have to do with martial arts”, please check out some of Sifu Paul Vunak's latest writings on his website...gosh, the last two are all about EMOTIONAL CONTENT and how we handle anger, fear, etc. How unusual that a Master JKD Streetfighter like him would also be addressing these topics...or is it? Maybe there's more to this RANGE than you think...and more need for people to understand it today than ever before!
 

Defeating The Enemy Within
Exercises For Eliminating Negative Emotions & Moving Ahead In Life
88 Minute DVD Ready NOW
Learn how to control your mind and let go of the anxiety that holds you back.  Simple to do yet with profound results!  Change how you feel and move ahead under stress.  This is like having a psychological "first aid kit" for times of crisis.  Help yourself and those around you quickly and easily.