Mike's Mixed Martial Arts / Team Venom

10/14/2024

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10/06/2024

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09/27/2024

Warriors drink from a different cup of tea than the average guy.

Warriors are a different breed of people. Warriors drink from a different cup of tea than the average guy. We see things in a different way and are able to read people better. We are able to look behind the veil and see what is truly happening, people's true intentions, if you will.

The warrior lives life a little more seriously than average people, as we understand that which most people don't realize. We know that not everyone is a good person, just doing the best that they can. We understand that the unexpected happens and that you had better be prepared for it; thus we prepare in every way that we can.

Warriors know that not everyone sees life as we do, that many go through life in an almost semi-hypnotic state, relying on luck to survive day to day. Most people are oblivious to what is happening around them. The warrior doesn't rely on luck; he makes his own luck by training, studying, being aware, and preparing for what may come.

When I used to teach school, I would put some strong kava kava in my green tea, and it would make this strange, suspended smoke in the tea, as well as coming out of the tea cup. My students would ask me what I was drinking, and I told them, "Dragon's smoke." It never came out as an image of a dragon, like this meme, but it was great for contemplating, and helping me relax while dealing with a classroom of gang members.

Warriors like to relax like everyone else, but when we are relaxed, we are still aware of what's going on around us. We see more and understand more than most people. Many times, people think they are pulling the wool over our eyes, but we know more than we let on, and simply watch to see how things play out before we respond.

The warrior's cup of tea is not for everyone. Most people see us as paranoid or uptight, but we know different. But when the s**t hits the fan and everyone else is in a blind panic, we are the ones who are quietly and calmly responding.

That is when the dragon's smoke rises from inside of us and our training and preparation takes over. That is when everyone is happy to have the warrior in their midst! Bohdi Sanders ~ excerpt from the bestselling book, WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood, available from Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ELWCALA
Signed copies are available from The Wisdom Warrior website at:
https://thewisdomwarrior.com

09/27/2024

What is a Fight Gym Like?
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First impressions: it's gritty and rough around the edges. The equipment is well-used, often patched and mismatched. If you don't know what you're looking at or for, it can be a little off-putting, even. Chances are it's held together by folks with long-running untreated ADHD (indeed, this is exactly the type of person that becomes fighters in the first place).

Then you see the training. The energy on the mats is intensely physical. Few, if any, of the students are just along for the ride. Everyone is pushing themselves and each other pretty much all of the time. This isn't to say that it's dour or militant. It's just this focused sort of "comrade-in-arms" expectation that you're there to work and through your work elevate your team.

Drop by on a sparring night and it might look a little scary at a glance. Like you've stumbled into some sort of fight club. You'll hear the periodic slap of shin guard on leg across the room and the whump of gloves connecting in earnest (but not with bad intentions). You might, for instance, see an athlete or two take a knee with the wind knocked out of them, only for their teammate that just dropped them to haul them back up with a quick "y'alright, brother?" and a groaned "yeh, I'm alright," and they get back at it with exactly the same fervor. You'll catch the occasional massive BOOM of two athletes crashing to the mat during a particularly spirited double-leg takedown.

Watch long enough, though, and the chaos resolves into something that makes sense. You see that the coach is not some disconnected overseer. They are in the thick of it as part of the action. Yelling at this fighter to pick up the pace, that fighter to get their ass up, running bear-pits on athletes with fights coming up. More a combination of drill instructor and football coach than a Mr. Miyagi. You'll see the same fighter who double-legged some other meathead through a wall last round carefully half-sparring and half-coaching a clearly much newer aspiring athlete because they are ultimately there to build each other up.

As fighters, there is always an understanding that our sports are more dangerous than most. Traumatic brain injuries can happen in lots of sports, but only in ours is it considered a win condition. This carries with it the expectation that participation at any serious level means an athlete has to be tested in the gym. Like...really tested. They have to be willing and able to pull their own weight, always pushing for that next level. A fight gym is built around the simple premise that no matter how tough a warrior may be, not one of us can achieve our next level alone - and so we pull and push each other up, shedding and sharing in the blood, the sweat, and the tears all along the way.

Blood - I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

Sweat - Side by side. Every day.

Tears - Never met a fighter that hasn't shed a few of these in one arena or another.

You can find the stains of all of these things...down on the canvas...

At your local fight gym.

09/27/2024

09/27/2024

11/06/2022

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You determine what losing means to you. If you lose and you declare defeat, then you are defeated. But if you you lose, learn from what you did wrong, and continue to fight until you win, no matter how long that may be, you are not defeated. Remember, you are only defeated when you declare defeat, everything else is just part of the process.

Think of it this way – a army does not lose the war simply because it loses a battle. Losing one battle does not mean the army is defeated; it simply means that they lost a battle, that’s it. After losing a battle, the army simply regroups and prepares for the next battle; the war is not over until they declare defeat or victory. You should live your life with this same outlook.

When things don’t turn out as you want them to, that doesn’t mean that you give up on your goals and declare defeat; it simply means you adjust your strategy, make the necessary changes, and keep working towards your objectives. No one ever achieved their goals by giving up when things get tough or when they experience a failure.

Think about this, Babe Ruth was known as the King of Strikeouts for many years. He led the American League in strikeouts for five seasons, and actually struck out 1,330 during his career. But he did not let those strikeouts sidetrack him. He also set the single season home run record in four seasons and held the record for the most home runs, 714, until Hank Aaron broke his record many decades later.

Don’t allow your failures to interfere with your successes! You are never defeated unless YOU declare defeat and give up; until then, everything is simply a part of the game. No matter how down and out you may feel, or how impossible things may seem, always remember that once you come back victoriously, you won’t care about those times that you came up short; you will only enjoy your victory. Never give up and never give in! Warrior up and keeping fighting until victory is in your hands! Bohdi Sanders ~ excerpt from, BUSHIDO: The Way of the Warrior, available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884201 or from The Wisdom Warrior website at: https://thewisdomwarrior.com.

06/27/2022

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Laws don’t stop evil men. Good men stop evil men!

So many people are misguided when it comes to how to control or stop evil doers. At least half of the people in our country think that if Congress passes more laws, we can stop crime. I constantly see people on news shows stating how we need more gun laws. It happens every time there is another highly visible shooting. The political hacks come out of the woodwork demanding that we pass stricter gun laws or even ban guns altogether.

(If you enjoy my articles, please help me keep them going and support me by purchasing my books: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884201)

These well-meaning, highly misguided people forget one vital point in their thinking – criminals do not obey the law! We already have laws against shooting people with a gun, or murdering them with any other object as far as that goes. We have background check, finger prints, waiting periods, etc. in order to buy a gun. Do you realize that? We have laws against murder. We have laws about who can get a gun. We have laws about assault and battery. In fact, we have laws about almost everything under the sun in our country.

However, these simple-minded people demand more gun laws every time there is a high profile shooting. Are they really this unintelligent? We have laws against murder, but these same people decided that they also needed laws against hate crimes. What!?! I don’t know about you guys, but when someone takes a gun and murders someone else, THAT IS A HATE CRIME!

Why do we need separate laws to tell people it is not right to shoot someone out of hate or to shoot someone of a certain race or religion? I’m sorry, but people who think that way are mental midgets, at best. I have news for you, murder is not a crime of peace.

The fact is, laws do not stop evil people from doing evil things. They never have and they never will. In order for a law to work, people must have respect for the rule of law. Criminals and evil people do not have respect for the law; that is why we call them criminals!

Criminals are people who commit crimes. They don’t value laws. It doesn’t matter how many laws we have, they will still be criminals. Do you really think that if we make many more laws they will all of a sudden start to value the laws and obey them? Give me a break!

Laws only affect well-meaning, law-abiding people, period. They have no affect on criminals, at least not until after the criminal has broken a law and been caught. Let me repeat, laws do not stop evil people from doing evil deeds. In order to influence the mind of a criminal or evil person, you have to do so by using something that he actually respects.

So what does a criminal or evil doer respect? The answer is strength and power. All criminals respect strength. They don’t want to cross someone who will rip them apart. They never target someone who looks like a cross between a martial artist and a bodybuilder; they target the weak and the vulnerable. They look for easy prey. So don’t look like easy prey when you are out and about.

It is not laws that stop evil men, but good men, that have the skills and the courage to use their skills, that stop evil men. It is beyond me why people can comprehend this fact. That is the real purpose behind true martial arts – being able to defend yourself, and others, from those who would do harm.

As Newton’s first law of physics states, “… an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction UNLESS ACTED UPON by another force.” A criminal will continue to injure others until someone stops him by force.

Don’t buy into today’s political correct notion that you need some corrupt politicians to pass a law to keep you safe. Take responsibility for your own life and your own safety. Learn to defend yourself, both with empty hands and with the weapons of today. And always remember that the law is not going to help you when you are face-to-face with some predator intent on doing you harm; that is your responsibility! In most cases, the law only kicks in after the fact. Warrior up! Bohdi Sanders ~ author of BUSHIDO: The Way of the Warrior, available from Amazon or The Wisdom Warrior website at: Also, check out my #1 Bestsellers, MODERN BUSHIDO and MEN of the CODE!