Everyone loves to share a favorite read, so when Sifu Jack and Sifu Shannon recommended “Meditations on Violence” by Sgt. Rory Miller, I picked up a copy.  I’m not quite done yet, but I can say with only one chapter left to go, it’s a great read for any martial artist who is serious about training for a self defense situation.

Sgt. Miller has been studying martial arts since 1981 and has been a corrections officer (jail guard) since 1991.  This unique combination of experiences gives him a great perspective on the differences and similarities between training in the Dojo and dealing with violent people.  He spends the first part of the book talking about what real violence is like, all while making some heavy disclaimers that he’s only seen a small slice of the pie.  It’s a convincing argument.  Violence is messy business.  Fights don’t play out in real life like they do in the movies.  People cheat – even the good guys cheat – because the stakes (survival) are high.

For the remainder of the book he talks about what kinds of lessons he’s taken from his experience in the world of corrections and brought to bear on his martial training.  He talks about what kind of training drills have helped him most in preparing for actual threats and what he thinks will help other martial artists.

Great read.  Check it out… and who knows?  Maybe we’ll be seeing more of Sgt. Rory Miller soon…