So in the unarmed combatives system that I am currently practicing/teaching there is a shortage of throws and takedowns. I feel that this is something that the system should be addressed because quickly and efficiently dropping people has some significant tactical advantages in some situations. My question is that given a seminar format program, rather than a dedicated school, what throwing techniques would you include into the system?

Because of the format of the training course we must recognize that we cannot depend upon strength, speed, timing, or finesse. Additionally we need something that is semi-safe to practice when the participants are not particularly good or familiar with (Ukemi) Break Falls.

The (Kazushi) breaking of the opponents balance needs to be the rear or rear obliques, and cannot include any (Sutemi) Sacrafice throws as primary technique, in fact I am biased against most the sweeps, reaps, and hooks because of the compromise of balance.

I read Bearing Arms in the Workplace written by an employment law specialist. We have gone back and forth in the comments for a few exchanges and I am posting the latest round here.

I do not believe that Mr. Phillips is anything other than ignorant. I don't believe that he fully understands the issue from the practical side, and while I am not a lawyer, I think some his legal reasoning is faulty. This is exactly the sort of person that the firearms community should be engaging with, as we all have the same goals of personal safety and security - but we differ on the implementation. I am ignorant of the legal liability of allowing employees to be armed, or simply not having a weapons policy. I would like to see some common ground and improvements that will actually keep people safer.

I talked about psychological stopping in this post: The Stop. In a recent discussion with a close friend we came to agree that wars are won in the will. The military talks about "imposing your will on the battlefield" but I don't know that most people really get it. You have to deprive the enemy of the will to fight. This fundamental truth is applied in all forms of human conflict. It is a matter of dissuading participation, and raising the cost of failure.

I have been distracted by some other issues at the moment and haven't had much time or focus for blogging.

Update:
So I came back from two months overseas to needing to move and to a blown power supply in my main machine. Most of the moving is finished and the computer is in the shop.

I have a few new products to review, and some other items to discuss as I find time between packing and/or unpacking. It is odd that I spend much of the year living out of a duffel bag and I still seem to have acres of stuff at home.

Jed has a post about the Reset Button and while I don't really have a lot in the way of answers I do have some expansion of the question.

First, without organization any sort of reset will be a cascade of individual actions, snowballing into anarchy. Simply look to other countries in the world that are teetering on the edge of 'revolution.' Unless there is some kind of leadership that is compiling a laundry list of grievances against the current government, people act when they feel like they must or when they think they can get away with it.

Over at Hell In A Handbasket Cautionary Tales: Home Invasions

James suggests key-opening deadbolt locks and I agree. There is nothing that says you can't hang the key near the door either. While this might violate fire codes, it is a good way to prevent people from breaking a window and simply unlocking a door.

NRA Smears Obama's Stance on Gun Ownership.

Barack Obama is trying to walk a fine line between protecting the right to bear arms guaranteed under the Second Amendment and clamping down on more than 30,000 deaths from firearms that happen every year in the United States.

...

The laws Barack Obama supports that the NRA are vehemently against include sensible acts like:

* Mandatory waiting periods to purchase a gun

* Requiring citizens to actually register their firearms

* Mandatory micro stamping of guns to aid tracing weapons

* Banning inexpensive handguns that make it easier for criminals to acquire

* Limit gun purchases to one gun a month

* Require training for gun owners

* Restrict gun ownership to citizens 21 and older

* Eliminate right to carry concealed weapons

Emergency Lifehacks:Plan Ahead

I am all for people making any level of preparation for emergencies.
This is kind of a brief, novice level kind of disaster kit. The problem is that the thinking is kind of shallow.

As an example CPR is good training if you can get the person to medical attention. The people that are 'saved' by CPR don't jump to their feet and live long happy lives, they are carried by ambulance to the ER. There isn't much value in have a giant first aid kit that you don't know how to use.

It would be better to have a number of first aid kits full of stuff that you can actually operate.