Meditations on Violence

A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real-World Violence.

Experienced martial artist and veteran correction officer Sgt. Rory Miller distills what he has learned from jailhouse brawls, tactical operations and ambushes to explore the differences between martial arts and the subject martial arts were designed to deal with: Violence.

Sgt. Miller introduces the myths, metaphors and expectations that most martial artists have about what they will ultimately learn in their dojo. This is then compared with the complexity of the reality of violence. Complexity is one of the recurring themes throughout this work.

Section Two examines

• how to think critically about violence;
• how to evaluate sources of knowledge and clearly explains the concepts of strategy and tactics.

Sections Three and Four focus on

• the dynamics of violence itself and;
• the predators who perpetuate it.

Drawing on hun