Some Thoughts on Self-Defense
by John McSweeney originally published 1996 Unlike sport competition, skill in self-defense is a lifelong endeavor requiring regular training throughout your entire life. With this in mind, you should create a training regimen which will maintain your fighting skills without harming your body as it ages. It should be simple and short so as not to [...]
Dit Da Jow – The Magical Healer
by John McSweeney originally published in 1999 In the summer of 1960, I was training with the U.S. Army at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. Evenings, I was also teaching a class of kenpo karate students, all of whom were army personnel. One night, some kung-fu friends of Ed Parker’s came to observe my [...]
Difference Between Sport and Self-Defense
by John McSweeney With all of the emphasis these days on the competitive aspects of the martial arts, it’s appropriate to bring a realistic perspective to the situation. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship and similar full-contact sporting events, wrestlers have consistently had the edge on boxers whenever they’ve been paired in competition. In self-defense, however, [...]
Handgun Basics
by John McSweeney In this article, I’ll cover some of the basics of gun ownership. First and foremost, of course, is that anyone who would own a gun must learn how to use it safely, effectively and responsibly. The only way to do this is to seek out a qualified expert in the field and [...]
Solo Training
by John McSweeney At some point in your life, you may no longer be training in a class or even with a partner. Training on your own will then become your only way to maintain your self-defense ability. For such solo training, you must create your own daily training routine, one that you will stick [...]
