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The Martial Map (Free Audio Book)

I wanted to start the year with something a little special, so here is a free “audio book” (i.e. a long podcast! :-) called “The Martial Map”.

In the audio book I look at martial arts, fighting, self-protection and their relationship to one another. Many martial arts instructors see martial arts, fighting and self-protection as being one and the same with all distinctions between them being completely lost. Personally I think this lack of clarity to be highly problematic and it is arguably the biggest problem we face today.

We train most effectively when we clearly define the objective of that training. However, it is my view that most practitioners and instructors are unclear what they are training for. That uncertainty leads to ineffective and unfocused training.

In the audio book I put forward a simple model to help refocus people on the distinctions and similarities between various areas of study. It is my view that this will lead to more efficient training. As you may have guessed, I call this model “The Martial Map”.

The Martial Map is not the definitive solution to the problem of unfocused training (and there are other solutions too), but I think The Martial Map is a very useful way of framing the question. I firmly believe that those who apply this way of thinking to their training will become better fighters, better martial artists and better able to protect themselves from society’s violent minority.

The Martial Map will also be useful for instructors by helping to ensure their teaching is objective driven, their students remain clear on the purpose of all forms of training, and there is no confusion on when any given method is applicable and when it is not.

The Martial Map is around 1 hour long (10,000 words approx) and I hope you find it a thought provoking and enjoyable listen.

All the best,

Iain

PS Thanks to all on the forum and elsewhere who have helped me to clarify the thinking upon which The Martial Map is based.

The Martial Map
Iain Abernethy