Showing posts with label My Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Blog. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 02, 2018

Happy New Year 2018! 2017 Most Popular/Most Shared/My Favorite & All-Time Popular - Posts

1/02/2018 11:00:00 AM  , , , , , , ,  No comments




Happy New Year to the readers of my blog!

May 2018 bring Health, Happiness and Wealth to you and your loved ones!


I had 258 total posts in 2017... coming off of burnout, I started off slow and picked up steam in October with the Inktober project in which I draw a picture a day, in November, looking to post 50,000 words for the month inspired by NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month), and then December, archiving the books and DVDs of Paladin Press' website as they shut down their business after 47 years of operation.

I will tally up and present to you the Top 10 Popular Posts of 2017, Top 10 Most Shared Posts, My 10 Favorite Posts, as well as an update on the All-Time Popular Posts.


OK, are you ready? Let's get it on!

(EDIT:  *red-faced with embarassment* My sincerest apologies, my header pic says 25 posts, however, my lists below is only Top 10. Sorry for the mixup)


Top 10 Popular Posts of 2017
(in descending order)


10. The 19 Rules of Jason Bourne

A Jason Bourne fan compiled a list of ROE (Rules of Engagement) that Bourne operates from from the first 3 books written by Robert Ludlum.


9. The 40 Moscow Rules

The CIA formulated some tradecraft/spycraft rules for their field operatives


8. Summary of The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene

Robert Greene compiled 33 Strategies of War from sources such as Sun Tzu's Art of War and Carl Von Clausewitz's On War and published a bestseller.


7. Mark Tripp's Combat Judo basic course

Archived Mark Tripp's, a Judo/Combatives instructor, Combat Judo syllabus/curriculum.


6. 14 GIFs of Gracie Jiujitsu's United Airlines Arm Drag Defenses

The news of United Airlines dragging a passenger forcibly against his will off of a flight went viral. I've made some animated GIFs of the Gracies teaching a few defenses vs the arm drag.


5. The 36 Stratagems (三十六計/三十六计) - ancient Chinese military classic

The 36 Stratagems is similar to #8's most popular post of 2017, the 33 Strategies of War.


4. John Styers By Carl Cestari

Profile and explanation of John Styers combatives teachings written by the late Carl Cestari.


3. The Four Basic Truths of Violent Assault by Rory A Miller

An excerpt from Rory Miller's ground-breaking book,"Meditations on Violence", on the realities of dojo training and real-world self-defense.


2. Top 8 Bruce Lee Kicks in The Way of the Dragon (1972)

As tribute to Bruce Lee on what would've been his 77th birthday, I made animated GIFs of his kicks from The Way of the Dragon aka The Return of the Dragon.


and the #1 most popular post of 2017:


1. The founders of Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do - crazy coincidence or conspiracy?

This post's popularity surprised me! It's mind-boggling the coincidences between the founders of Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do ... or is it a conspiracy?



Top 10 Most Shared Posts of 2017
(in descending order - no surprise there are 6 repeats from the above list)


10. GIF/Video of Gilligan's Island S01E31:  "Diogenes, Won't You Please Go Home?" (May 1, 1965)

52 years after the episode aired on TV, I posted an animated GIF set of the Judo used in a Gilligan's Island episode.


9.  Top 8 Bruce Lee Kicks in The Way of the Dragon (1972)


8. The founders of Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do - crazy coincidence or conspiracy?


7. Exposing "Exposure" (aka "High Art" (1991) - A look at the knifework - Part I

When you ask a martial artist who trains knifework what their favorite movie depicting knifework is, they would almost always say "Exposure". Made 3 animated GIF sets from that movie with the first set being the most popular.


6. Chow Yun-fat - Hard Boiled - 辣手神探 (1992) (Full movie)

In honor of Chow Yun-fat's birthday, I posted the full movie "Hard Boiled", one of his most popular collaborations with director John Woo.


5. The Universe is speaking to me! Time to reread Trevanian's "Shibumi"!!

You know how some things happen to you and how you think it's more than a coincidence? You think that the Universe is speaking to you? Yeah, that's what happened to me with "Shibumi".


4. My blog and it's Facebook page hit 2 milestones

Am deeply humbled that both my blog and its Facebook page reached 2 milestones that I didn't expect to attain.


3.  14 GIFs of Gracie Jiujitsu's United Airlines Arm Drag Defenses


2. The 36 Stratagems (三十六計/三十六计) - ancient Chinese military classic


and the #1 most shared post of 2017 (mental drumroll please :):


1. The 19 Rules of Jason Bourne
 


My 11 Favorite Posts of 2017
(i.e., posts not part of the Top 10 most popular or most shared, in ascending order)


1. Seven Signposts along my Sojourn of Septillion Steps ...

I reflect on my journey in Life, Self-Defense and the Martial Arts. Taking realistic self-assessment periodically is key in one's growth. Self-deception is one of the worst deceptions. Be honest with oneself.


2. Color Codes, Environmental/Situational Awareness on NYC's Canal Street

I recount a story that happened to me in which the Color Codes and Awareness were prevalent factors.


3. SCAM ALERT: Deliveries and Social Engineering

A self-defense story about a friend highlighting social engineering being used and how easy it is to elicit intel.


4. Inktober Day #19 - Beware the hidden knife!


One of 31 pictures I drew in October for the Inktober project. This post has some key information IMO for one's self-defense.


5. A few aspects of self-defense training by Badger Johnson

My good buddy Badger wrote quite a few essays on various aspects of the martial arts, training, self-defense, etc. and with his gracious consent, I've archived them to my blog. I admire his discipline, anlaytical mind and critical thinking. Here is one favorite from 2017.


6. Some lessons to be learned from the Mandalay Bay mass shooting by Terry Trahan

My friend Terry Trahan is one of a handful of friends that has changed my view on "self-defense"... this post is a great example on why I've expanded my definition of self-defense from just martial arts moves vs muggers to a broader definition to include trauma care and survival.


7. Exposing "Exposure" (aka "High Art" (1991) - A look at the knifework - Part III

This animated GIF set highlights one of the core training methods in the Filipino martial arts - familiarizing the student with the angles of attack.


8. 8 GIFs of Kneepicks aka Knee taps

I enjoy making animated GIFs. One reason is that it allows me to analyze a specific technique. I made a GIF set focusing on  the 'knee-pick'.


9. Yagyu Munenori's "Heihō kadensho" translation (aka The Book of Family Traditions)

Yagyu Munenori, a contemporary of Miyamoto Musashi's, wrote a treatise/manual on his family's swordsmanship style.


10. THE WISDOM OF ... Mr. Miyagi

On the anniversary of beloved Pat Morita's passing, I compiled a list of quotes from Karate Kid I as tribute.


11. Happy ThanksGIFing/Thanksgiving! (2017 edition)

I love making animated GIFs, this post contains some other GIF sets I've made. Enjoy!



2017 is over, here are an updated rankings of the All-Time Popular posts:



10. I'm going to post Paul Vunak's Top 50 Combat Secrets

9. MOVIES: Once Upon a Time In China 1 (Full movie)

8. Shoulder Crank GIFs from Jon Jones X Glover Teixeira - UFC 172

7. Happy ThanksGIFing/Thanksgiving! (2014 edition)

6. Steven Seagal - Fire Down Below (1997) (Full movie)

5. LINKS:  Integrated Close Combat Forum (ICCF)

4. SELF-DEFENSE: Southnarc (aka Craig Douglas) - Managing Unknown Contacts

3. LINKS:  Battlefield forum aka Close-Combat forum

2. Phil Simms - World's Greatest Knifethrower!! (Elementary S03E03 GIF Set)

1. SUBMISSIONS:  Fashioning your own sticks from Rattan by Army Maguire



OK, there you have it! Hope you enjoy revisiting some of the most popular & shared and my favorite posts of 2017, as well as the all-time popular posts!


Please allow me to close out this blog with the following from Goran Persson:

“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.”

CHEERS!

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Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Housekeeping: Embedding videos to GIFs posts

11/08/2017 11:00:00 AM  ,  No comments

I had been meaning to embed videos to a few posts, especially some of the posts with animated GIFs I've made. Just a heads-up, I've embedded videos to the following posts:







Thank you for your patience!



WORDCOUNT

(This housekeeping post - I will not add towards November's tally for NaNoWriMo

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Wednesday, November 01, 2017

Seven Signposts along my Sojourn of Septillion Steps ...

11/01/2017 12:00:00 PM  , , , , , ,  No comments






"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
~Ferris Beuller


As the year is nearing its close, I'm getting reflective and decided to take stock of where I am at in my sojourn of septillion steps. For any new readers, I named my blog "Sojourn of Septillion Steps" due to my cheesy alliterative schtick applied to 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." LOL at me!! It is also my label of my Life...

This cheesy alliterative schtick is also the reason for today's entry's title :) I ended with "signposts", but was deciding if it should be "spots" or "stops" LOL

Below are some of my reflections and signposts/spots/stops ...


1. "Self-defense"


My "self-defense" expanded from strictly martial arts to include Survival (specifically Urban Survival as I live in NYC), Trauma Care, and Firearms.

Current events of natural disasters (2014's Superstorm Sandy, the 2017 hurricanes in Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico, etc), riots from civil unrest (Freddie Gray, Dixie Flag, etc) or terrorist acts (9/11/2001) has made me rethink what 'self-defense' means to me.

I predominately train with sticks and impact weapons. Too many stories of bad guys with knives lately. Slowly but surely, I have started some knifework training.  To learn how to defend vs a knife, one should learn how to use a knife. If I am dealing with blades, I should also be learning Trauma Care. Actually I take that back, even if I don't train with blades, I should be learning trauma care.

I am also seriously mulling over acquiring a shotgun for home defense. Should I have to protect my castle from intruders, one of the best home defense tools is a shotgun.

I credit the broadening of my definition of the term 'self-defense' to 3 Friends/Instructors (listed in alphabetical order):
  • Marc Denny via the members-only Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association private forum and private video lessons
  • Don Rearic - his site is one of the earliest sites on the Internet back in the mid-to late 1990's that taught Survival as well as Self-Defense and related Tools
  • Terry Trahan - his teachings has also helped me broaden my definition of self-defense

In the future, I intend to write an article or a few on Urban Survival. Perhaps your 'self-defense' is only limited to anti-muggings, anti-raping, etc. It is not too late to broaden your definition of self-defense like I have.


ADDENDUM:  I pretty much finished writing up this post on Oct 30th and had it scheduled to post tomorrow Nov 1. Today, Oct 31, a terrorist act happened in lower Manhattan. I'm 30 mins away by train and am safe but both Stickgrappler Jr and Princess Stickgrappler #2 go to a high school where the terrorist incident happened right in front of the school! Stickgrappler Jr luckily was home already and Princess Stickgrappler #2 informed me that the school was on lock down via texting. The school also disseminated the news via email to the parents' distrbution list efficiently and rapidly. About to meet her on the train at 7pm and go home together. Crazy thing is that the DBMA NYC Training Group meets at a park a few blocks from the incident. Due to Halloween, our regular Tuesday training was rescheduled last night for Thursday.

Briefly, the terrorist drove a Home Depot rental truck plowed into people on the bicycle lanes as well as pedestrian lane. Killed 8 people with 13 injured, some in critical condition. Suspect was shot but alive and apprehended.


"Tomorrow is promised to no one."


Stay aware and safe my Friends!


2. Stickfighting


My stickfighting improved. I would be disingenous to myself and cannot deny that to myself. The worst kind of deception is Self-Deceit. I always think of myself as a beginner because I know what 'very good', 'good' or 'good enough' is. I truly don't think I'm 'good enough' yet. But I will say, after watching videos of my stick sparring, I have noticed improvement.


"Progress not perfection."
~Denzel Washington (as Robert McCall in The Equalizer)


I don't quite move like a pregnant yak anymore. (Anyone know that reference? :)

Ages ago I had a dream of perhaps pursuing full Dog Brothers status. But Real Life was a challenge and I ended concentrating on college, career, marriage and family. 2 years ago, Steve Sachs (Candidate Defender Dog) reached out to me via the Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association (BTW, if you are interested in Dog Brothers Martial Arts (DBMA), and do not live near a qualified instructor, the DBMAA is an excellent resource!). Knowing I lived in NYC and of my DBMA interests, he informed me that he was starting up a training group and if I would be interested in joining. Despite various Real Life scheduling conflicts, where I was prevented to attend every session (sometimes with long absences), I am happy to report I have noticed some improvement under the guidance/teachings of C-Defender Dog!

At 52 years of age, I am seriously thinking of revisiting my dream of full Dog Brothers status. "Real Contact Stickfighting" is stickfighting with minimal protection, usually just a fencing mask, and gloves ... compare that to WEKAF's "Full Contact Stickfighting" which is usually fully protected with kendo-styled armor. Realizing that real contact stickfighting is for the younger, I am mulling over my dream of ages ago.


3. Zen/Mushin


I do meditation but I am the first to admit that it is not enough to say "I meditate". I also have read up on Zen especially as related to the ancient Samurai and how they embraced Zen Buddhism and added it into their swordsmanship training. I don't know if I truly can call myself a Zen Buddhist based on readings.

At the recent Terry Trahan knifefighting seminar I attended, during a drill, I noticed how focused I was. I noticed I didn't panic and I remained calm throughout the drill. I don't know if I can honestly say my meditation and/or Zen readings helped me. I don't know if I was calm because I was cognizant that I was in a safe seminar format and that it was not 'The Street'. Thinking about it that night when I got home, another possible factor that helped:  the open-field DBMA training/stick sparring. Perhaps it was the combination of all the factors mentioned (or not). Be that as it may, I had focus, remain calmed and achieved my objective.


4. Stickgrappler Jr.'s Sojourn of  Septillion Steps


Stickgrappler Jr. started wrestling as a freshman in high school!! WOOHOO! A few years ago, we had him enrolled in a neighborhood karate dojo. Signed up for the month which consisted of 4 lessons, 1x a week. He was adamant and didn't like it. He dropped out after 2 classes. So imagine my surprise that he signed up for Wrestling at my suggestion and likes it. Ecstatic that he has embraced wrestling as I feel it will help in all aspects of Life!


5. Burnt-out from blogging


"Absorb what is useful; reject what is useless; add what is specifically your own."
~Bruce Lee


From January through September 2017, I had 48 entries which already surpassed 2016's 31 blogs!

However, prior in 2015, I had 106 posts which dwindled from 2014's 383 total entries and that was eclipsed by the 1.5+ avg posts a day for a grand total of 555 in 2013. The numbers speak for themselves. Burnt out from blogging - I joined my artist friends in Inktober as an impetus to get up off my butt! Burnout is burnout so action is the prescription! If you missed some or all of my Inktober posts, please check out my first Inktober Day #1" ... there are links to the rest of my drawings for the Inktober project. Due to the knifefighting seminar I attended, after the first few pictures, I focused exclusively on various aspects of knifefighting.

Acknowledging my blogging burnout (the first step to overcoming a challenge is to acknowledge the challenge), and having concluded my form of participation in Inktober... I will join some friends who are real writers (as well as published writers) in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I am not a novelist nor a writer proper, I'm not even a legit blogger. I'm an information junkie and a martial arts geek. I got 'famous' (if you can call it that) in the past when I collected what I thought to be useful martial arts/self-defense information and centralized it to my old site. I'm an archivist, a librarian if you will and if you have a loose definition, I'm an amateur historian with my focus on the martial arts and self-defense.

I may continue to draw a few pictures here and there and not daily like I did for Inktober. My friend Maija Soderholm mentioned on Rory Miller's NaNoWriMo Facebook post that a picture is worth a thousand words.   *LIGHTBULB MOMENT*

So I'm absorbing the idea of writing 50,000 words in the month of November. I'm rejecting the novel stipulation/prerequisite. And I'm adding specifically my own by blogging perhaps everyday and drawing a few pix here and there :) If I don't blog daily, then I will strive to get 50,000 words in via text and/or pictures. Let's do some math, 50,000 words in 30 days averages 1,666.67 words day. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, I should draw a picture, and write 667 words to accompany the picture.

As always, I have many ideas to blog about, but the hardest challenge to overcome is what Steven Pressfield calls "Resistance" in his great book, "The War of Art". Resistance is the Enemy. I must persevere and overcome Resistance! As the cliched Nike logo espouses, "Just do it!"

I would be honored if you followed along my progress in writing 50,000 words in the month of November!


6. Animated GIFs

I've slacked off from making animated GIFs :( The GIFs are one of the popular features of my blog.

I love making GIFs... I get into a Zen state when I'm in the GIF-making process. Upon reflection, I realize I didn't watch movies and TV like I used to and more importantly, my interest in MMA has waned. Some of my favorite MMA fighters are older and either retired, or fighting past their prime. An aside, I feel some of the PRIDE and UFC veterans should retire. So I wasn't as prolific as I used to be in making GIFs.

Instead of watching movies/tv, I was reading and watching instructionals and looking towards my "Self-Perfection". I derive much pleasure from making GIFs and miss the process. I will be making GIFs here and there and getting back into that Zen state I love to be in!


7. Email subscription

I had forgotten that I had set up an email subscription to this blog option ages ago. It turns out that a Facebook Friend is a longtime subscriber to my blog via email (Thank you Michael "R" K.!!!). He mentioned that he liked the email subscription option I offered.

If you are like me, an info junkie, and you surf various websites to copy and paste the content into a MS Word document, or a note-taking app/program like Evernote/Google Keep/MS OneNote, you may be pleased to find out about the option to subscribe to this site via email. Content is delivered straight to your inbox!

More info here:



Wish me Luck! Thank you in joining me on my Sojourn of Septillion Steps!

I remain very truly yours in the Martial Arts and Self-Defense,

~Stickgrappler



WORDCOUNT
(This section I will not add towards November's tally as well as the header picture I used above... I will only use hand-drawn pictures or animated GIFs I've created towards Nov's totals):

This post:  1,936 words
November running tally:  1,936 words
Words left:  48,064


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Friday, May 26, 2017

My blog and it's Facebook page hit 2 milestones

5/26/2017 11:00:00 AM  , ,  No comments




It truly humbles me that this blog and its Facebook Page hit 2 milestones.


My deepest gratitude to you, the readers of this blog and to the Facebook users!! THANK YOU!!!


Here are 2 links that gives you a flavor of this blog ... the "Stickgrappler Experience" if you will:


I've slowed down to a snail's crawl in 2015 and 2016 and my deepest apologies on that. 2017 is picking up steam again though! Please continue to join me in my Sojourn of Septillion Steps!


Here's to the next milestones!  Cheers!


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Sunday, January 01, 2017

Happy New Year 2017! 2016 Most Popular/Most Shared/My Favorite - Posts

1/01/2017 11:00:00 AM  ,  No comments




Happy New Year to the readers of my blog!

May the New Year bring Health, Happiness and Prosperity to you and your loved ones!


First a note though... probably due to burnout from active blogging the past few years, 2016 was a subpar year for me... I had only a meager 31 posts total for 2016. I am looking to pick up the pace again for 2017!!


OK, are you ready? Here we go!


Top 10 Popular Posts of 2016 (in descending order)

NOTE: #'s 10-6 most popular posts were select episodes of Raven... for the purposes of this list, I have not included the Raven episodes.

10. THE WISDOM OF ... Bruce Lee (Nov 27, 1940 - Jul 20, 1973) ("Striking Thoughts")

9. RIP Kevin Randleman (Aug 10, 1971 - Feb 11, 2016)

8. REVIEW: Greg Jahiel - "Smile at Strangers" by Susan Schorn

7. Today would've been the 59th Birthday of PG Edgar Sulite & 35th Anniversary of the founding of Lameco Eskrima

6. 3 Styles of Hung School's Kung Fu (1973)

5. Happy 80th Birthday Manong Dan Inosanto!!

4. IN MEMORY OF: Herman Suwanda (Feb 10, 1955 - March 21, 2000)

3. Happy 60th Birthday Arjarn Arlan Sanford!!

2. IN MEMORY OF: SGM Ciriaco "Cacoy" Cañete (Aug 8, 1919-Feb 5, 2016)


and the #1 most popular post of 2016:


1. The Final Master GIF Set 1



Top 5 Most Shared Posts of 2016
(in descending order - no surprise it's similar to the above list)


5. 3 Styles of Hung School's Kung Fu (1973)

4. IN MEMORY OF: Herman Suwanda (Feb 10, 1955 - March 21, 2000)

3. Happy 60th Birthday Arjarn Arlan Sanford!!

2. IN MEMORY OF: SGM Ciriaco "Cacoy" Cañete (Aug 8, 1919-Feb 5, 2016)


and the #1 most shared post of 2016:

1. The Final Master GIF Set 1



My 6 Favorite Posts of 2016
(that is, posts not part of the Top 10 most popular, in ascending order)


1. Miyamoto Musashi's The "Way of Walking Alone" (aka 'Dokkodo')

2. Bruce Lee: The Daniel Lee Interview

3. VIDEO: Bruce Lee's "Be Water & The Art of Dying" scene in Longstreet

4. VIDEO: Bruce Lee's "The Cause of My Ignorance" scene in Longstreet

5. VIDEO: Bruce Lee's "Jeet Kune Do - The Way of the Intercepting Fist" scene in Longstreet

6. VIDEO: Bruce Lee's "The Art of Fighting Without Fighting" scene in Enter the Dragon


OK, there you have it! Hope you enjoy revisiting some of the most popular & shared and my favorite posts of 2016!


Here's to 2017!! CHEERS!!

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Thursday, January 01, 2015

Happy New Year 2015! 2014 Popular/Most Shared/My Favorite Posts

1/01/2015 11:00:00 AM  , , ,  No comments



Happy New Year to the readers of this site! 


First off, let's kick off 2015 with a haiku from Kobayashi Issa! This haiku is not about the New Year but about the last day of the Old Year, after all without the Old Year, there would be no New Year :)


paying no mind
to the year’s last day…
a floating bird, asleep
~Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

Secondly, may the New Year bring Health, Happiness and Prosperity to you and your loved ones!



OK, are you ready for the most popular posts of 2014 as well as the most shared and my favorites? Here we go!





Top 25 Popular Posts of 2014


  1. Phil Simms - World's Greatest Knifethrower!! (Elementary S03E03 GIF Set)

    This was posted in November 14 and was my most viral post. In 2 months, it has become not only my most popular post of 2014 but it skyrocketed into my Top Ten all-time most popular posts! Who would've thought that the Internet was interested in finding out if Phil Simms really is the World's Greatest Knifethrower?

  2. Sun Lu-tang: My Personal Experience (translated by Scott Meredith)

    Posted on Dec 16 in memory of one of China's greatest martial artists, this post in the period of 15 days should be considered the most viral post as it was the 2nd most popular of 2014 as well as also breaking into my Top Ten all-time most popular posts!

  3. Steven Seagal - Fire Down Below (1997) (Full movie)

    Posted Apr 15, do not underestimate the popularity of Steven Seagal! For an unfathomable reason to me, this was the most popular of his movies which I posted.

  4. 11 GIFs of Ronda Rousey's More Nage Komi video

    Ronda Rousey is very very popular as evidenced by this GIF set I've made of her facebook video. Posted Sep 19, you love to see her Judo in action!

  5. 12 of Bruce Lee's personal items and equipment up for auction!

    Posted Apr 23, Bruce Lee has shown why he is one of the most popular martial arts movie stars who ever lived, as you the reader was interested in checking out the items up for auction!

  6. Antonio Ilustrisimo - Orascion/Anting-anting on Good Friday

    Posted Apr 18 on Good Friday this tidbit about the late GM Ilustrisimo and his practice on Good Friday.

  7. Sammo Hung in Eastern Condors (1987) (Full movie)

    Posted last year Jan 7 in celebration of Sammo Hung's birthday, this was one of his best-known movies.

  8. UFC 175 - Ronda Rousey X Alexis Davis 

    Jul 8, I posted my animated GIF highlights of the ever-popular Ronda Rousey and her fight against Alexis Davis.

  9. Shoulder Crank GIFs from Jon Jones X Glover Teixeira - UFC 172

    Back in May, this animated GIF set of Jon Jones' nasty shoulder cranks defending his belt vs challenger Glover Teixeira was very popular. Many felt this move should be illegal? What do you say?

  10. Special ID - GIF Set 3 (Donnie vs Ken Lo)

    A year ago in Jan, I posted some animated GIF sets of Donnie Yen in Special ID. This set was very popular with you!

  11. Kushti: Physical Body Outtakes Part 3

    Back in Mar, this was one of 3 most popular outtakes from The Physical Body DVD. There were a total of 7 outtakes.

  12. Bruce Lee vs Dan Inosanto!! and it's not the Game of Death!! (Green Hornet S01E10 GIF Set)

    Posted in honor of Bruce Lee's birthdate of Nov 27, this animated GIF set once again shows the enduring popularity of Bruce Lee!

  13. Kushti (Indian Wrestling) - The Physical Body DVD outtakes Part 7 (Warmups)

    The second most popular outtake from The Physical Body of 7 total outtakes.

  14. Happy 60th Birthday Jackie Chan!! / Jackie Chan's new movie, Police Story (2013) (Full movie)

    My tribute to the 60th birthday of Jackie Chan ranks as the 14th most popular post of 2014.

  15. Happy 68th Birthday Joanna Lumley!! (Purdey - New Avengers GIF Set 1)

    Joanna Lumley proves she still has got IT!

  16. Happy 45th Birthday Shannon Lee!! (Enter the Eagles GIF Set 1)

    Posted an animated GIF set I made of the Daughter of the Dragon in honor of her birthday that proved Shannon Lee is as charismatic and beloved as her father, Bruce Lee.

  17. The Vanishing Flame: Born Warriors (Myanmar/Burma) Promo Trailer and Outtakes 1-5

    Another project of my friend Vincent Giordano's that was popular amongst the readers of this site.

  18. Manong Dan Inosanto - Malong/Stickgrappling GIFs

    Back in July, I shared a GIF set I've made in honor of the birthday of one of the World's most popular martial arts instructors demonstrating amd you love him too!

  19. UFC 172 - Jon Jones X Glover Teixeira Round 1 GIF Highlights

    Jon Jones showed his popularity coming in #19.

  20. Happy 90th Birthday Taky Kimura sifu!!

    Of the students certified to teach Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee, Taky Kimura sifu is the most senior. Martial Arts Legend!

  21. Steven Seagal - Hard to Kill GIF Set 1

    Back in the 1980's, Seagal was one of the most popular action movie stars. His aikido looked awesome onscreen and was a change of pace from the standard kickboxing prevalent during that period.

  22. Kushti (Indian Wrestling) - The Physical Body DVD outtakes Part 6 (Yoga's Sun Salutation)

    The relationship between yoga and wrestling proved interesting for the readers.

  23. Metamoris 3 - Eddie Bravo X Royler Gracie (full fight)

    The long awaited rematch!

  24. Donnie Yen's Special ID - GIF Set 1 (Donnie vs Ken Lo)

    Donnie is always popular!

  25. IN MEMORY OF:  Cheng Tin Hung (鄭天熊) (1930 - May 7, 2005)

    *puts left palm to right fist and bows deeply* 

    RESPECT!



Top 25 Most Shared Posts of 2014



  1. Steven Seagal - Fire Down Below (1997) (Full movie)

    Comment above

  2. Phil Simms - World's Greatest Knifethrower!! (Elementary S03E03 GIF Set)

    Comment above

  3. 11 GIFs of Ronda Rousey's More Nage Komi video

    Comment above

  4. Sammo Hung in Eastern Condors (1987) (Full movie)

    Comment above

  5. Antonio Ilustrisimo - Orascion/Anting-anting on Good Friday

    Comment above

  6. Shoulder Crank GIFs from Jon Jones X Glover Teixeira - UFC 172

    Comment above

  7. 12 of Bruce Lee's personal items and equipment up for auction!

    Comment above

  8. Top 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Sir Run Run Shaw (November 23, 1907 – January 7, 2014)

    Sir Run Run Shaw passed away last year in Jan, this movie mogul garnered respect not only for his Shaw Brothers movie studio which made many oldschool classic movies, but also for his philanthropy and humanitarian efforts.

  9. Happy 56th Birthday Eric "Top Dog" Knaus!!

    One of the modern era's most popular Eskrimadors!

  10. UFC 172 - Jon Jones X Glover Teixeira Round 1 GIF Highlights

    Comment above

  11. Manong Dan Inosanto - Malong/Stickgrappling GIFs

    Comment above

  12. Happy 59th Birthday Chow Yun-fat!! City on Fire (龍虎風雲) (1987) (Full movie)

    One of Hong Kong's best actors! One of his best movies. Quentin Tarantino drew inspiration from this movie when he made Reservoir Dogs.

  13. Happy 60th Birthday Jackie Chan!! / Jackie Chan's new movie, Police Story (2013) (Full movie)

    Comment above

  14. 4 GIF's of Damacio Page's vicious KO of Brian Hall at Legacy FC 36

    This 14th most shared post is of the vicious KO of Damacio Page GIF Set

  15. Ross Enamait's new ebook - Untapped Strength

    Popular Boxing/Conditioning Coach's new book!

  16. UFC 175 - Ronda Rousey X Alexis Davis 

    Comment above

  17. Happy 68th Birthday Joanna Lumley!! (Purdey - New Avengers GIF Set 1)

    Comment above

  18. Steven Seagal - Hard to Kill GIF Set 1

    Comment above

  19. Steven Seagal - Out For A Kill (2003) (Full movie)

    A mystery to me why this movie of Seagal's was popular enough to share.

  20. Donnie Yen's Dragon (Wu Xia) (武俠) (2011 ) (Full movie)

    Donnie's popularity as the #1 Asian action movies star coupled with this being one of his newest movies proved shareworthy.

  21. Fist of Legend (精武英雄) (1994) (Full movie)

    Jet Li, yet another very popular action star, in one of his best movies.

  22. Today would've been Donn Draeger's 92nd birthday!

    Martial Arts Legend and Pioneer remembered.

  23. Maija Soderholm's interview and upcoming book (“The Liar, the Cheat, and the Thief – Deception and the Art of Sword Play”)

    My friend Guro Maija Soderholm had a great interview and news of her then upcoming book and now published.

  24. Metamoris 3 - Eddie Bravo X Royler Gracie (full fight)

    Comment above

  25. Donnie Yen's Special ID - GIF Set 1 (Donnie vs Ken Lo)

    Comment above 





My 25 Favorite Posts of 2014

2014 was a year of 400+ entries ... above were 35 individual entries that showed its popularity with you the readers.

It's hard to choose from the rest of the 400+ posts, in no real order and no comment by me on why these were my favorite posts - you should be able to figure it out :)

Enjoy!

  1. THE WISDOM OF ... Kyuzo Mifune (Apr. 21, 1883 - Jan. 27, 1965)
  2. THE WISDOM OF ... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar II
  3. THE WISDOM OF ... BKS Iyengar (Dec 14, 1918 - Aug 20, 2014)
  4. THE WISDOM OF ... Renzo Gracie
  5. THE WISDOM OF ... Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
  6. Ip Man's Wing Chun Code of Conduct
  7. Aubrey Marcus' What is a Warrior?
  8. "Fearless" - a poem by Renzo Gracie
  9. "For I Have Strayed From the Path..." - a poem by Stickgrappler
  10. Today, would've been Maestro Sonny Umpad's 66th birthday! (Jeff Finder on Sonny's Stuff)
  11. Focus on training: Edgar G. Sulite (1993)
  12. SELF-DEFENSE:  Sanford Strong's 4 Survival Rules to Live By
  13. Michael Blackgrave - The Knife (Practical & Tactical)
  14. Surviving Edged Weapons (1988) (Full video)
  15. Joe Silvia - "Every throw has specific fundamentals." 
  16. "To be a master is very different from being an expert." by Badger Johnson
  17.  Happy 67th Birthday Tan Tao Liang! [The Leg Fighters (1980) (Full Movie)]
  18. Happy 31st Birthday Ben Saunders!!
  19. The Yakuza (1974) Animated GIF Set 1
  20. 6 GIFs of Automne Pavia's Ippon Counterthrow of Nae Udaka from the 2014 Judo World Championships
  21. Ronda Rousey - No Gi Judo (video and GIF's)
  22. UFC 171 GIF Highlights - Jake Shields X Hector Lombard
  23. Gina Carano - Haywire GIF Set 1
  24. THIS DATE IN HISTORY:  Muhammad Ali vs Brian London (Aug 6, 1966)
  25. "John Wick" Bar Shootout Trailer GIF Set




 Here are the most popular posts of 2013,  my favorite posts of 2013, and 2013's popular GIF sets in case you missed them:






My best wishes for the coming New Year to you and your loved ones! May your resolutions come true!



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Thursday, January 09, 2014

My Favorite Posts of 2013 (also it's my 1,000th post!)

1/09/2014 10:54:00 PM  , ,  No comments



Hard to believe this milestone finally happened ... it's my 1,000th post!


The timing is just right as I was planning on posting my favorite posts of 2013. It was hard to choose given the 555 entries in 2013. However, the Top 25 Popular Posts can be found here:


Next up are 25 of my favorite posts from 2013 (in no real order). Hope you like them too:



1. My friend Joe Silvia is a mixed martial arts coach who also teaches martial arts and weapons in New Bedford, MA. He wrote some articles for his gym, Hematoma Fight Club (what a name, right!?!?!?!), and with his kind permission, I've reposted some here. Here is one that I find informative and useful:




2 - 3.  Both my friends Craig Gemeiner and Armando Basulto are martial arts instructors who teach Savate and La Canne in addition to other arts. I'm primarily into Filipino Martial Arts, especially the stickfighting methods so these were great for me to see/learn a different approach:



4. Two friends collaborated on an article, Mark Jacobs, columnist for Black Belt magazine and Phil Dunlap, a New Jersey-based MMA coach as well as a Kachin Bando instructor:




5. My friend Greg Jahiel contributed a book review to my site. I wanted to post some of my reviews and his review is in a style I aspire my writing to be. Check it out here:


 
6. Manong Ron Saturno, student of Angel Cabales the late Grandmaster of Serrada Escrima, has graciously allowed me to repost many of his writings. He is a great storyteller as well as a great Escrimador. This piece he wrote is especially awesome for any Filipino Martial Arts students. He wrote about the one time GM Cabales went to challenge Manong John Lacoste (one of the primary FMA instructors to the legendary Dan Inosanto). Read on about the challenge - be warned, this may bring a tear to your eye:




7. I posted a series of Coach Tony Blauer's videos and there is some good material that can aid in your Sojourn of Septillion Steps. Please check out the Cycle of Behavior series starting with:

 

8 - 9. I've posted some entries on Learning, they are all good, after all it's about Learning. These 2 top my list:




10 - 11. I'm interested in Self-Defense and many instructors/students have a fantasy of what a 'knife fight' looks like which generally is unlike Reality. These 2 posts are graphic and should not be viewed with minors or if you have a weak stomach for these matters. Both vidclips will show you how vicious and ugly a 'knife fight' really is. Totally unlike TV/Movies portrayals:



12 - 14. Sometimes one can get into a situation that need not be resolved with physical violence. Sometimes you can talk your way out of it. It can be a self-defense situation, or it can be an argument with a loved one or co-worker. But do you know what to look for when it comes to verbal skills? Do you know what to say and how to say it? Check these out as start:


15 - 18. Wisdom is all around. If you just look and listen, you will find it sometimes from unlikely sources or sources you would not have thought of. Some advice in this "thing" we call Life:




19. I posted quite a few stories of courage, bravery and derring-do with my Gurkha Spotlight series. This is my favorite:



20. Great interview with famed Shaw Brothers director Lau Kar Leung. He passed away June 25, 2013 :(



21. A friend of noted Women's Self-Defense Instructor, Melissa Soalt aka Dr. Ruthless, composed this great song for Christmas:



22 - 25. I made quite a few animated GIFs in 2013, some from UFC fights and some from movies. Here are some of my favorites:




 There you have it! My 25 Favorite Entries of 2013. Hope you liked them as much as I did. 

Did you have a favorite that didn't make it to this list and not amongst the Top 25 Popular Posts of 2013?


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Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Happy New Year 2014 & 2013 Popular Posts

1/01/2014 10:54:00 AM  , , ,  No comments




Happy New Year to the readers of this site! 


First off, let's start the New Year with a haiku from Kobayashi Issa!

New Year's Day

New Year's Day-- 
everything is in blossom! 
I feel about average.

~Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)


May all your resolutions come true! May the New Year be better than the last for you and your loved ones! And hoping your New Year will not be average like Kobayashi Issa's LOL



I wanted to post the Popular Posts of 2013 for your edification. So let's take a gander, shall we?


Top 25 Popular Posts of 2013


  1. SELF-DEFENSE: Lee Aldridge - Eye Jabs, Telegraphing, and Pre-Fight Movement (Not sure why this article is #1 yet Lee Aldridge's others didn't crack the Top 25?!)
  2. TRENDING NOW: The Jabbing File by Rastus (this doesn't make sense as this entry linked to The Jabbing File by Rastus which didn't make the Top 25)
  3. THE WISDOM OF ... Rickson Gracie (I'm so embarrassed by this one - I misattributed a blog by Dan Lukehart to Rickson - Oh well, Live and Learn!)
  4. I'm going to post Paul Vunak's Top 50 Combat Secrets (Popular instructor)
  5. Tony Blauer - Ten Commandments of Street Survival (Popular instructor)
  6. IN MEMORY OF: Tom "Billy Jack" Laughlin (Aug 10, 1931 – Dec 12, 2013) (Popular actor and movie)
  7. Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist graphic (although I thought the graphic was cool, some of it was wrong though)
  8. James Coburn would've been 85 yrs old today! (Popular actor)
  9. Tomahawk-throwing champ scares off burglar in her home (great feel-good self-defense story)
  10. Tomahawk in Mel Gibson's The Patriot (2000) GIF set 1 (I love making GIFs, this was a popular movie as well as a popular actor)
  11. IN MEMORY OF: Wong Shun Leung (May 8, 1935 – January 28, 1997) (Popular instructor)
  12. IN MEMORY OF: Pendekar Paul De Thouars (1930 - Sept 11, 2013) (Popular instructor)
  13. MOVIES: Once Upon a Time In China 1 (Full movie)(Popular actor as well as classic movie)
  14. What Happened to MARTIAL LAW? By Dr. Craig Reid(Popular TV show)
  15. “Six Inches of Steel”: Bowie knife fighting instruction by Louis Ohnimus (1890) (Great that a period source for the knife shrouded in mystery)
  16. Randy Couture's Takedowns Animated GIF's Set 1 (My favorite MMA fighter proves he's still popular even after retirement)
  17. IN MEMORY OF: Chris Kyle (April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013) (That day was sad when America lost one of its heroes)
  18. Randy Couture's Dirty Boxing animated GIF's (Randy doing what he does best!)
  19. I met Donnie Yen at the 4th Annual New York Chinese Film Festival (Magical day for me!)
  20. Jet Li’s The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (Full movie) (it looks like I wasn't the only one who liked this movie despite the reviews!)
  21. IN MEMORY OF: Remy Presas (Dec 19, 1936 - Aug 28, 2001)(Popular instructor)
  22. Dr. George Thompson - 7 Things Never to Say to Anyone, and Why Part 1 (Great article on tactical communication by the founder of Verbal Judo))
  23. IN MEMORY OF: Great Grandmaster Antonio E. Somera (1957 - Oct. 28, 203 5:19AM) (Sad that both GME Leo Giron and GGM Tony Somera are not with us)
  24. Krabi Krabong's Mae Sawks (Arjarn Arlan "Salty Dog" Sanford doing what he does best - using the Mae Sawks!)
  25. ARTICLES: Personal Protection: Concepts for survival in the street (Great article by Andrew Williams, Rolf Clausnitzer and David Peterson)


There you have it! The Top 25 Most Popular Posts of 2013. In a separate entry, I will post my Favorites as well as the most Shared posts.


What's a New Year without resolutions?

My resolution:

This year I'm aiming to post much more of my own writing. My hangup is that I'm not a writer nor am I wordsmith. The words doesn't come easily, but 2014 I resolve to be writing more. Last year, I wanted to post at least once a day and it looks like I missed posting on March 19-20, March 24 - I don't even remember why! But I made up for that by posting 555 times, which averages out to 1.52 posts a day.

This year I probably won't be posting every day, but still will updating the site often.

My best wishes for the coming New Year to you and your loved ones! May it bring health, wealth and happiness (not necessarily in that order)!!



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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

My 600th post! Some recent Mirrored Posts from my Old Archives

5/28/2013 11:00:00 AM  ,  No comments



600 posts already? It seemed like yesterday that it was my 500th post (which included the Top 25 Most Popular Posts), well OK, about 2.5 months ago LOL.

The Reality is that while I slowly mirror my old archives and copy posts over to this site, this 600th post will not be #600 and instead some earlier post will be 600th.

Some recent entries I copied from my old archives and backdated to this site for mirroring purposes:



Here are some older posts I mirrored that you may have missed:



Both Frank Benn and Rastus know their Boxing and wrote extensively on it. My deepest gratitude for their sharing of the wealth of knowledge they possess.



Some reminders:


  • Should you need to Contact me, you can click the Contact button located on the Top Menubar. You can use the Contact form there or find my email address. On the Sidebar, there's an Email icon with a White envelope and green background - that may be a faster way if you only want to email me.
  • Also, should you want to Subscribe to my site and be informed of new updates/posts without having to surf to my site, there are two methods:  1) RSS feeds and 2) Email subscription. Check my Subscribe page for information.
  • back to top ... Sometimes the posts can be long. Instead of scrolling back via the scrollbar, check this out. Through the "magic" of Javascript, this button located in the lower right corner of the page when clicked will send you back To The Top. Speedy!
  • In the lower left corner of the page, there is a Green Circle. Please click that and check out its function. It facilitates sharing to the various Social Media if you've found an entry Share-worthy. I thank you in advance should you share!
  • Lastly, don't be a Stranger! Please feel free to leave Comments in posts if you desire. It is Moderated, therefore, after I check it out, I will post the Comment. Just making sure that your comment is not Spamming my site.


My deepest gratitude for your support/readership! You honor me with your visits and my sincerest appreciation on your joining me on my Sojourn of Septillion Steps in these "things" we call the Martial Arts and Life!! Hoping that in my posts you will find useful & interesting information that will help you in your Sojourn of Septillion Steps!


Very truly yours in the Martial Arts & Self-Defense,

~sg


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Thursday, March 21, 2013

500 Posts!! & Top 25 Popular Posts

3/21/2013 11:54:00 PM  ,  No comments



Dear Readers/Visitors:


*Bows deeply*


I never thought I would reach this milestone! I sincerely thank the readers/visitors as well as the various authors/instructors whose material I've archived!!


Of the 500 posts, only 25 or so are popular with over 500 views. In other words, only 5% of my 500 posts have 500+ views and 95% are, well, not popular LOL. There are a few with 100+ views but mostly the less-than-popular posts average 25 views. Although, it still baffles me to this day how two posts that were Links to a Forum could be so popular?!?! I haven't actively tried to promote my site/posts because I feel the layout is still not up to par yet. Still working on it. I imagine once I start actively pimping posts, the word will spread.

Well, here's to my next 500 posts... hopefully all quality and content-rich. Also, hoping that you will find useful and help you in your Sojourn of Septillion Steps!


Some reminders:

  • Should you need to Contact me, you can click the Contact button located on the Top Menubar. You can use the Contact form there or find my email address. On the Sidebar, there's an Email icon with a White envelope and green background - that may be a faster way if you only want to email me.
  • Also, should you want to Subscribe to my site and be informed of new updates/posts without having to surf to my site, there are two methods:  1) RSS feeds and 2) Email subscription. Check my Subscribe page for information.
  • back to top ... Sometimes the posts can be long. Instead of scrolling back via the scrollbar, check this out. This button located in the lower right corner of the page when clicked will send you back to the top. Very fast!
  • In the lower left corner of the page, there is a green circle. Please click that and check out its function. Pretty nifty!
  • Lastly, please feel free to leave Comments in posts if you desire. It is Moderated, therefore, after I check it out, I will post the Comment. Just making sure it's not Spam. For a spell, I didn't select the Moderated Comments and my site's comments was spammed by Asian Pr0n sites and sites selling counterfeit handbags!!


My sincerest thanks for your support and joining me on my Sojourn of Septillion Steps in these "things" we call Martial Arts and Life!!


Very truly yours in the Martial Arts & Self-Defense,

~sg



Top 25 Popular Posts

I've noticed the Popular Posts widget located in my Sidebar to the right is not reflecting correctly the true Popular Posts. Not sure why. Tried to figure it out with no headway for now. May take down that part of my Sidebar. *shrugs*

Below are the true Popular Posts... instead of 10, I went to 25 though which coincided with the 500+ views cutoff boundary I arbitrarily picked.

Without further ado, I present to you the Top 25 Popular Posts (as of this writing March 20, 2013):


18. LINKS: Dog Brothers Martial Arts forums
Dog Brothers Martial Arts Logo used with permission

.









Photobucket





NOTE:  ACK! I didn't remember about this project. Gotta start it up soon!




NOTE:  This entry shows up as #10 on my Sidebar from the automated Popular Posts widget when in fact it's #14.




NOTE:  This thread amassed extensive views in a brief period which I've noted in the following entry:

TRENDING NOW: The Jabbing File by Rastus

Since then it dropped down a few spots.


12. SELF-DEFENSE: Lee Aldridge - Rear Bear Hug Escape



NOTE: This entry shows up as #9 on my Sidebar from the automated Popular Posts widget when in fact it's #12 as of this postiing 3/21/13.


11. MOVIES: Donnie Yen's Ip Man (Chain Punches)





NOTE:  2 more GIF's in the above link.


10. MMA:  Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida 1 - Background and Takedowns




9. TV: The Return of American Gladiators to TV





8th Popular Post all the way to #1 are the same as the Sidebar's Widget.



Thank you one and all!! Enjoy!!!

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