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Monday May 12 2008

Two Letters Re: Physical Preparation--How to Survive When Your Gear Doesn't, by T. Davies

Mr. Rawles:
T. Davies' letter begins with the proper assumption, that most people reading it will be suffering from hardening arteries and softening backsides, and NOW is the time to reverse the trend. Swimming, walking (especially), and running are all good exercises and abilities to possess and cultivate.

Beyond that, his comments range from dangerous (foot conditioning) to the plainly fallacious and silly (Tae Kwon Doe Masters kick harder than any others!). Where to begin?

Firstly, as to foot conditioning: yes, most of us could use some foot toughening, but the author ignores the fact that the African Bushman, as well as any other barefoot Aboriginal type he'd care to mention, is a tiny grasile creature, with very little extra weight (muscle or fat) on his bones. Therefore his body density to total body mass is much greater than his Northern European counterpart. Humans have become much larger, particularly in the past fifty years in this country. Why? ask your local anthropologist...diet, genetics, it's really just a guess, but the Aboriginal is small because a small man requires less food to sustain himself. Thus, diminutive size is a survival advantage on a daily basis. Also, the Aborigine, when on walkabout, isn't carrying a pack, rifle, ammo, and water, along with assorted medical supplies and munitions. He has, at most, a bow and a few arrows, and maybe some sort of water carrier. That's it. Walking around barefoot while burdened is asking for permanent foot injury, unless you are a Sherpa by birth. Limping and gimping about is the quickest surest route to becoming every MZBs first and favorite target. Modern boots are a bargain. Buy the best you can afford that fit you well, then buy two more pair and rotate them! Survival is dependent on one's ability to MOVE (Motionless Operators Ventilate Easily). The first thing one does when in a fight with a stronger adversary is to degrade his ability to move. (Read: chase you.)

Which brings us to the Martial Arts section:
Karate is highly focused on repetition, not kata, and makes greatest use of powerful linear attacks.
Tae Kwon Do masters kick no harder than any other masters. (I have been kicked by, and kicked, masters in almost every Martial Art taught in North America, and I have come out on the winning end of most of the exchanges. The hardest kicks weren't by Tae Kwon Do masters, and I don't practice Tae Kwon Do.) Backup mass is one of for Major components in generating power in all motion: Backup mass, timing, balance, and speed. There are many others, and these apply to ALL motion, fighting or otherwise. Notice, the term used is Backup, not body mass. without alignment with the direction of one's attack, the size of the body doesn't matter. Imagine me swinging a wooden arrow at you, arm fully extended. Now, imagine the same effort being exerted, but this time I am thrusting the arrow ...get the point?

Tai Chi is the root form (or the closest living relative) of all Chinese, and therefore by default Japanese, Okinawan and Korean martial Arts. The deadly fighters mentioned are master fighters, schooled in many styles and systems not just Tai Chi masters,

Kung Fu is a generic term applied to Chinese Martial Arts (as opposed to karate for Japanese/ Okinawan). I have never seen a generic "Kung Fu" school in this country. Most honor their distinct heritage proudly (wing chun, qi gong, jeet kun do, kempo, kenpo etc. Ed Parker's American Kenpo karate is considered kung fu by many, due to its origins in China) It is no harder to learn than any other form of fighting art.

Ninjitsu is an art I have no personal experience in, so my only comment would be that time spent practicing with arcane weaponry would be better spent practicing firearms proficiency. One may be able to disguise a sword as a walking cane (I do it all the time) but a Glock tucks right into the trousers as easily. Efficiency first, esoteric later...
Aikido is based on two principles, both using an opponent's energy (their attack) against him. First is evacuating the line of attack; second is turning big circles into smaller circles (a declining radius/apex arc, in engineering terms). Judo is not a sport form of Aikido. Aikido is a "sporting" version of Aikijuitsu, the Martial Art practiced in the Japanese Imperial Court. Judo is a "sporting" version of jujitsu.

Jujitsu is a grappling art, not just focused on grappling. Brazilian jujitsu is a "ring" oriented style. The greatest weakness with any style of "-jitsu" is that it is singular combat, and bad guys come in bunches, and it is becoming more ring-oriented (i.e., more "rules", ala boxing). I had a kid try an arm bar on me the other day. He caught me by surprise, got the legs around my arm and neck, but before he could straighten it , I locked my hands together, put a foot on his throat, and began to lift. I may be old, but I'm still plenty mean, quick, and crafty, and if you want to cheap-shot me in my own school, I'm more than happy to play rough! Needless to say, as my weight and his and my pulling all became directed on his neck via my foot, his efforts ceased precipitously, and he tapped out immediately and vigorously!

Please do not misunderstand my comments, but [Mr. Davies'] misinformation must be corrected before it becomes "common knowledge". After all, you and SurvivalBlog have become the "source of record" for the survivalist movement with the mainstream media. FWIW, - Bonehead

 

Jim:
Regarding Mr. T. Davies' statement: "When you run, you should never touch the heels of your feet to the ground."

Is completely incorrect as is most of the rest of his remarks on running. To be honest the above statement is correct only if the runner is sprinting. Long distance running (800 meters or more) can be run on the heals of your feet! At least I do, and my knees have not been the problem.

For some really good advise on running please see Running World and Running Ahead. The latter has some really good runners that post often and are very helpful to both new and old runners alike.

I started running after walking the One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon a few years ago. I run to control my Type 2 diabetes sans medication. And so far so good

For new runners, do a web search on "Couch to 5K race" training program and follow it. It is a great way to start your running.

Some general rules to follow.

Build miles slowly. Don't add more than 10% to your weekly miles per week. In other words if you currently are running a mile a day for six days a week then next week should be no more than 0.6 miles more.

You should have one long easy run per week, and that run should be no longer than 30% of your weekly total miles

An easy run should be at a pace where you can carry on a normal conversation with your running partner

Cross train. It is important to have good core strength. If you don't you joints will attempt to move in directions the joint was not meant to go.

And stretch before and after your runs. This is a must. The before run stretch is always after a nice 3 or 4 minute warm up session. Never do this "cold"!!

Don't be afraid of walking some of your miles! Here is a fact: A lot of runners that keep missing qualifying for the Boston Marathon attempting to run all of the distance in qualifying races. When they start doing recoveries (walking) some of the distance, they find they make the qualifying time.

These rules will generally help and I want to repeat that: They will help in avoiding injuries. But very lucky is the person that completely avoids running injuries.

The number one rule for running (and even walking) is getting the proper shoe and having it properly fitted to your gait! This, more than anything, helps avoid injuries! Do a web search on running clubs in your area and contact them. Ask them where they go to get fitted for the proper shoes. The people in these shops are trained to watch you run and most of the top shops have machines that analyze your gait in the shop and see the mechanics of how you run, then fitting you to the proper shoe. To skip this process in your running is like buying a nice new .45 ACP then stocking up on .357 ammo. There are going to be problems! And be prepared to pay from $75 to about $110 for good shoes. I have not spent more than $95 to include tax on any of my shoes. The price range can go to $250 and above, but you still are going to be replacing them at between 300 and 500 miles no matter what you spend, so don't unless you just have to have the absolute top of the line. Oh and one other thing, NB 767 bought at Penney's for $55 is not the same NB 767 bought at the Runners Shop for $85. You will be replacing them in 150 to 250 miles. That is not saving money!! Tracking shoe miles is where Running Ahead comes in. There is a top of the line free on line log there and the tools are great! You can lay out training runs complete with miles. water stops etc. You can toggle between street mapping and Sat images and even graph the course elevations.

And don't forget to enter some local races. You'll meet some great people and learn more about running and your body than you ever thought possible! Where I live we have Pace for the Race Training each year. It is a group that meets to train for 15 to 16 Saturdays before the Indianapolis Mini. For several weeks before we run that morning we have guests come in and teach us the things we need to know to avoid bad knees, shin splints and ITBS (ITBS hurts like h**l!)

Hope this helps. There is nothing like completing your first 5K or half-marathon! - Gregg S.

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Sunday May 11 2008

Physical Preparation--How to Survive When Your Gear Doesn't, by T. Davies

There is a lot of information online and in print about what gear to have on hand if the worst happens, tons and tons about how to store food, fuel, etc. There is even a plethora of information on how to get food and build shelter in the extremes. All of this leaves out some crucial elements. In this article you are going to see how to prepare your body and mind for working without equipment in adverse or even brutal conditions. the steps involved are extremely labour intensive. What you do with it is up to you.

If you are out hunting and home base catches fire, will you be able to get to a location suitable for shelter in a reasonable amount of time? If everything goes wrong and your supply caches are gone, the fuel stores have burned and the damned jeep is toast, is your body in the kind of shape it needs to be in to survive? If you are confronted by an attacker and your ammo is long gone, can you win in hand to hand?

Even the basics, like walking for a full day, are beyond most people in North America. This isn't a natural condition, and is not true in most of the world. In the highlands of Papua New Guinea a native will still walk a full day with a spear sticking through his leg if conditions require it. In the plains of Africa it is not uncommon for a tribesman to run a hundred kilometers in a day. This level of survival is available to anyone if they simply take the steps and do the work to build it.

A good place to start is with walking. People think that walking requires good shoes or boots. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some form of light foot covering such as a moccasin is useful but not necessary and most of the walking footwear out there will actually get in your way over long distances. Your feet are built with natural springs in the form of the muscle in the arch of the foot, most footwear destroys that muscle by giving constant support for the arch. Your feet are also supposed to bend at the toes, most footwear restricts movement through the toes. Then there is ankle support. In rough terrain your ankles are supposed to constantly modify their angle in order to maximize your footing, string ankle support actually prevents your ankles from being able to do their job. Finally we come to padding. Padding in shoes is supposed to cushion you from shocks. It actually does the exact opposite, providing no protection for impacts above 5 psi while preventing the bodies natural feedback mechanisms from reporting the true strength of your impact. Put another way, wearing those expensive hiking shoes can really mess up your legs over any kind of real distance. As stated above, simple moccasins are great as they offer a degree of protection to you feet, but they do lack durability. Other options include Nike Free's (the cross trainers are not as good from the foot health perspective but are much better than a normal shoe and will last a very long time). Alternatively, Parade boots have no padding at all and as such are better than hiking boots and last almost forever, while being very cheap from most surplus stores. Of course, barefoot is ideal and your feet will toughen up over time. Any of the walking options mentioned above will take a lot of getting used to. If you are unused to walking with this kind of footwear, you should start to practice now. The first few days will cause you pain in areas that are unfamiliar. After a few days the pain will mitigate and you will be able to walk faster than you were able to before, but you still won't have much in the way of arch muscle so anytime you push it you are going to experience muscle fatigue. Push yourself, but keep in mind that if you push too hard you will injure the muscle and be in worse shape than before you started. It can take quite a long time for a muscle that hasn't really been used since early childhood to develop, so be patient with it.

Running would be the next spot. Again, footwear has all of the same problem associated with it as it does in walking, plus there are some thing you will probably need to unlearn before you can be an effective runner. When you run, you should never touch the heels of your feet to the ground. The pattern is toes to ball or mid-foot, use the toes to launch again (this requires very developed foot arch muscles). Running on your heels means that the impact if transferring to your knees, causing minute damage with each step. The accumulation of that damage will increase your odds of a serious knee injury, usually within the first your of running. In a true survival situation your legs are your best friends, treat them with kindness and respect and they will outlast any vehicle, cover terrain that even a horse can't touch and keep you going when everything else has failed. Breathing is another aspect of running. If you have ever done track, odds are good you were taught how to breathe. Unfortunately you were taught wrong. When you run you should breathe exclusively through your nose. There will be a strong temptation to breathe out through your mouth (after all, that is what we were all taught). The problem with that is twofold. One, it rapidly expels all the Carbon Dioxide in your blood. This seems like a good idea, but in reality we require a small CO2 reserve to allow us to properly absorb oxygen. Without that reserve, you are simply making your body operate with less oxygen than it should have. Two, mucus. This sound fairly unpleasant, but mucus exists in our body for very good reason. In this case it helps to lubricate the nasal passages, but needs strong out breaths to flow properly. If you try running on a cold day, you will notice that for the first few minutes every in breathe through the nasal passages hurts, but once the mucus is being pumped properly the pain goes away. There is one other benefit of nasal breathing: many asthmatics who have tried it have found that they become asymptomatic and remain so. There is no real research on this, so these are purely anecdotal accounts, however the sheer volume of them is fairly persuasive.
So now you can walk somewhere and run if you need to put on a burst of speed. This is where the advanced stuff comes in. Parkour is a discipline that was created in France in the late eighties by a man named David Belle. Parkour is essentially the art of running away really fast in places that your pursuer probably can't follow. The best info on parkour will come from local communities, but barring that, the Parkour.net web site is a great resource. [JWR Adds: This video clip and this one of the notorious "Ninja For Hire" show the more extreme aspects of the art. Disclaimer: Kids, Do not try this at home! Their interpretation of the "art" seems foolhardy, especially engaging in practice jumping without at least wearing a rock climbing helmet!] What follows is more of a brief summary of the training and methodologies involved.

A huge part of Parkour is the idea of gradual progression. When you begin training you should practice landing as much as you can. Go to a flight of stairs and go up one step. Turn and face the bottom of the stairs and then jump off. When you jump, lift your legs as high as you can in front of you, and then bring them down so that they are almost straight (just a slight bend in the knees) and point your toes. Your feet should be a little more than shoulder width apart. Land on your toes, spreading the impact across all of them. As the impact starts to hit, bend your feet until you hit the balls of your feet, resisting with your foot muscles. Then start to sink down using your thigh muscles, while resisting as much as you can. You should end with your hands on the ground, between your feet. Listen to your landing, it should be almost silent. Once you can do that perfectly a hundred times, move up to the next step and start the process again. There is no point where you are finished training how to land, practitioners of parkour who have been doing it from the start still train how to land every day. That is fairly typical of parkour training, intensive repetition combined with conditioning and incremental improvement. The key skills are: landing, rolling, vaulting, climbing, jumping, and running. Parkour can save your life in literally hundreds of situations, from extracting yourself from a burning building (the creator was a fire fighter in France) to escaping pursuit, but it isn't a casual discipline and requires a very high degree of commitment.

Swimming is another skill that every survivalist should have. For swimming, it is probably enough to be able to cover a lot of distance although the stronger a swimmer you are, the better.
Finally there is unarmed combat. While parkour can keep you out of most situations involving hand to hand combat, there may come a time where it is needed (either because you are unable to formulate an escape route, or if you are diligent with parkour more likely because you are protecting a loved one who is unable to escape). Obviously there are many, many styles of martial art, and many factors as to which one is going to suit you best.

Karate is the classic martial art, because it was really the first one that western audiences had a large exposure to, but that doesn't mean it is the right one for you. Karate is highly focused on Katas [(choreographed sequences of footwork, kicks, strikes, and blocks)] and improvement can be slow, while many believe that Katas are actually detrimental to your ability to win a fight (Bruce Lee was among those who believed this.) Having said that, many people find the rigid discipline of Karate valuable, and it does leave you far better equipped in a fight than an untrained opponent.

Tae Kwon Do is more focused on mastering very hard, very effective punches and kicks. A Tae Kwon Do master actually kicks harder than someone of the same skill in any other discipline. Improvement tends to be fairly rapid, with the average time to black belt being around 3 years at 100 lessons a year and diligent practice. One down side of this is that physical condition is imperative, on the other hand diligent practice at Tae Kwon Do tends to leave you in great shape. Body mass is also a major advantage, as it is the main source of power.

Tai Chi is not usually thought of as a martial art, but more as an exercise for elderly Chinese people. However, Tai Chi teaches you a huge amount about redirection of force and using spirals to create energy. Some of the most effective fighters in the world are Tai Chi masters.

Kung Fu is actually not one style of martial art, but it is usually taught as a single style in the west and so is being considered that way here. Kung Fu is probably the most stylized of all the martial arts listed here, and takes the most time to master. There is a high focus on Kata again, and a high demand for physical conditioning. Basically, Kung Fu is really, really hard to master. Once you do, it is very difficult to beat. The amount of time you can dedicate to it and your passion for the beauty of the movement should be the determining factor in taking up this martial art.

Ninjitsu is a Japanese martial art that is very different from the rest on this list. Ninjitsu was a peasant martial art, designed to take on opponents who were better armed, armored and equipped in a situation where if you were caught training with weapons you would be killed summarily. As such, ninjitsu is eminently practical. Kata's simply don't exist in ninjitsu and most moves are designed around deception and redirection. Joint locks, low kicks and nasty nerve strikes are the main weapons, as well as a thorough training in stealth.

Aikido is an art that focuses on redirecting your opponents force and moving them off balance. Aikido is very effective for smaller people, as it doesn't rely on your body mass or ability to generate force at all. It uses many of the same locks and throws as ninjitsu, but is more focused on them. Judo is basically a sport version of aikido and probably shouldn't be your first choice for unarmed combat.

Jujitsu has been receiving a lot of focus lately as it is the most common martial art in modern mixed martial arts competitions. It is focused primarily on grappling. A really good jujitsu fighter can beat most other styles if they can get the fight to the ground, but there is inherent risk associated with the process of getting someone to the ground. That is why most Jujitsu fighters cross train at least one striking martial art as well.

There are many, many other styles out there (Capoeira, Savate, Kick boxing, Muay thai, Escrima, Krav-maga, Jeet kun-do, etc.) each of which has its own specialties. The one to take is a very individual choice but all require dedication and focus. Parkour and Tai Chi seem to be a common combination, although Parkour tends to magnify your abilities in any martial art due to the simple physical awareness and athleticism it imparts.

Of course, strength training is important for any and all physical routines (for Parkour a strict body weight routine is strongly encouraged) and the more cardio you do the better your endurance will be.

In the end, the only tool you can't lose is your own body so it makes sense to keep that tool in as good a condition - T. Davies

JWR Adds: I do not recommend the "foot toughening" approach and/or wearing minimalist foot gear that lack thick soles and arch support--such as moccasins or ninja tabi--for preparedness. Note that this foot gear would be mutually exclusive with Parkour, which requires foot protection. It is also out of the question for anyone living in an area with long-spined cacti (such as Cholla), or for anyone that might ever have to do any karst climbing or reef walking. Foot toughening also requires a commitment of time and a level of training dedication that few adults can afford. You will note, for example that barefoot competitive runners are few and far between. ]

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Wednesday April 16 2008

The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy

In the past week I've had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: "I could spend days looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there are hundreds of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes the "Rawlesian" philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?"

I'll likely add a few items to this list as time goes on, but here is a general summary of my precepts:

Modern Society is Increasingly Complex, Interdependent, and Fragile. With each passing year, technology progresses and chains of interdependency lengthen. In the past 30 years, chains of retail supply have grown longer and longer. The food on your supermarket shelf does not come from local farmers. It often comes from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This has created an alarming vulnerability to disruption. Simultaneously, global population is still increasing in a near geometrical progression. At some point that must end, most likely with a sudden and sharp drop in population. The lynchpin is the grid. Without functioning power grids, modern industrial societies will collapse within weeks.

Civilization is Just a Thin Veneer. In the absence of law an order, men quickly revert to savagery. As was illustrated by the rioting and looting that accompanied disasters in the past three decades, the transition from tranquility to absolute barbarism can occur overnight. People expect tomorrow to be just like today, and they act accordingly. But then comes a unpredictable disaster that catches the vast majority unprepared. The average American family has four days worth of food on hand. When that food is gone, we'll soon see the thin veneer stripped away.

People Run in Herds and Packs, but Both Follow Natural Lines of Drift. Most people are sheep ("sheeple"). A few are wolves that prey on others. But just a few of us are more like sheepdogs--we think independently, and instead of predation, we are geared toward protecting and helping others. People naturally follow natural lines of drift--the path of least resistance. When the Schumer hits the fan, 99% of urbanites will try to leave the cities on freeways. The highways and freeways will soon resemble parking lots. This means that you need to be prepared to both get out of town ahead of the rush and to use lightly-traveled back roads. Plan, study and practice.

Lightly Populated Areas are Safer than High Density Areas. With a few exceptions, less population means fewer problems. WTSHTF, there will be a mass exodus from the cities. Think of it as an army that is spreading out across a battlefield: The wider that they are spread, the less effective that they are. The inverse square law hasn't been repealed.

Show Restraint, But Always Have Recourse to Lethal Force. My father often told me, "It is better to have a gun and not need it, than need a gun, and not have it." I urge readers to use less than lethal means when safe and practicable, but at times there is not a satisfactory substitute for well-aimed lead going down range at high velocity.

There is Strength in Numbers. Rugged individualism is all well and good, but it takes ore than one man to defend a retreat. Effective retreat defense necessitates having at least two families to provide 24/7 perimeter security. But of course every individual added means having another mouth to feed. Absent having an unlimited budget and an infinite larder, this necessitates striking a balance when deciding the size of a retreat group.

There are Moral Absolutes. The foundational morality of the civilized world is best summarized in the Ten Commandments. Moral relativism and secular humanism are slippery slopes. The terminal moraine at the base of these slopes is a rubble pile consisting of either despotism and pillage, or anarchy and the depths of depravity. I believe that it takes both faith and friends to survive perilous times. For more background on that, see my Prayer page.

Racism Ignores Reason. People should be judged as individuals. Anyone that make blanket statements about other races is ignorant that there are both good and bad individuals in all groups. I have accepted The Great Commission with sincerity."Go forth into all nations" means exactly that: all nations. OBTW, I feel grateful that SurvivalBlog is now read in more than 100 countries. I have been given a bully pulpit, and I intend to use it for good and edifying purposes.

Skills Beat Gadgets and Practicality Beats Style. The modern world is full of pundits, poseurs, and Mall Ninjas. Preparedness is not just about accumulating a pile of stuff. You need practical skills, and those only come with study, training, and practice. Any armchair survivalist can buy a set of stylish camouflage fatigues and an M4gery Carbine encrusted with umpteen accessories. Style points should not be mistaken for genuine skills and practicality.

Plentiful Water and Good Soil are Crucial. Modern mechanized farming, electrically pumped irrigation, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides can make deserts bloom. But when the grid goes down, deserts and marginal farmland will revert to their natural states. In my estimation, the most viable places to survive in the midst of a long term societal collapse will be those with reliable summer rains and rich topsoil.

Tangibles Trump Conceptuals. Modern fiat currencies are generally accepted, but have essentially no backing. Because they are largely a byproduct of interest bearing debt, modern currencies are destined to inflation. In the long run, inflation dooms fiat currencies to collapse. The majority of your assets should be invested in productive farm land and other tangibles such as useful hand tools. Only after you have your key logistics squared away, anything extra should be invested in silver and gold.

Governments Tend to Expand their Power to the Point that They Do Harm. In SurvivalBlog, I often warn of the insidious tyranny of the Nanny State. If the state where you live becomes oppressive, then don't hesitate to relocate. Vote with your feet!

There is Value in Redundancy. A common saying of my readers is: "Two is one, and one is none." You must be prepared to provide for your family in a protracted period of societal disruption. That means storing up all of the essential "beans, bullets, and Band-Aids" in quantity. If commerce is disrupted by a disaster, at least in the short term you will only have your own logistics to fall back on. The more that you have stored, the more that you will have available for barter and charity.

A Deep Larder is Essential. Food storage is one of the key preparations that I recommend. Even if you have a fantastic self-sufficient garden and pasture ground, you must always have food storage that you can fall back on in the event that your crops fail due to drought, disease, or infestation.

Tools Without Training Are Almost Useless. Owning a gun doesn't make someone a "shooter" any more than owning a surfboard makes someone a surfer. With proper training and practice, you will be miles ahead of the average citizen. Get advanced medical training. Get the best firearms training that you can afford. Learn about amateur radio from your local affiliated ARRL club. Practice raising a vegetable garden each summer. Some skills are only perfected over a period of years.

Old Technologies are Appropriate Technologies. In the event of a societal collapse, 19th Century (or earlier) technologies such as a the blacksmith's forge, the treadle sewing machine, and the horse-drawn plow will be far easier to re-construct than modern technologies.

Charity is a Moral Imperative. As a Christian, I feel morally obligated to assist others that are less fortunate. Following the Old Testament laws of Tzedakah (charity and tithing), I believe that my responsibility begins with my immediate family and expands in successive rings to supporting my immediate neighborhood and church, to my community, and beyond, as resources allow. In short, my philosophy is to "give until it hurts" in times of disaster.

Buy Life Assurance, not Life Insurance. Self-sufficiency and self-reliance are many-faceted. You need to systematically provide for Water, Food, Shelter, Fuel, First Aid, Commo, and, if need be, the tools to enforce Rule 308.

Live at Your Retreat Year-Round. If your financial and family circumstances allow it, I strongly recommend that you relocate to a safe area and live there year-round. This has several advantages, most notably that will prevent burglary of your retreat logistics and allow you to regularly tend to gardens, orchards, and livestock. It will also remove the stress of timing a "Get Out of Dodge" trip at the11th hour. If circumstances dictate that you can't live at your retreat year round, then at least have a caretaker and stock the vast majority of your logistics in advance, since you may only have one trip there before roads are impassable.

Exploit Force Multipliers. Night vision gear, intrusion detection sensors, and radio communications equipment are key force multipliers. Because these use high technology they cannot be depended upon in a long term collapse, but in the short term, they can provide a big advantage. Some low technologies like barbed wire and defensive road cables also provide advantages and can last for several decades.

Invest Your Sweat Equity. Even if some of you have a millionaire's budget, you need to learn how to do things for yourself, and be willing to get your hands dirty. In a societal collapse, the division of labor will be reduced tremendously. Odds are that the only "skilled craftsmen" available to build a shed, mend a fence, shuck corn, repair an engine, or pitch manure will be you.and your family. A byproduct of sweat equity is muscle tone and proper body weight. Hiring someone to deliver three cords of firewood is a far cry from felling, cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking it yourself.

Choose Your Friends Wisely. Associate yourself with skilled doers, not "talkers." Seek out people that share your outlook and morality. Living in close confines with other families is sure to cause friction but that will be minimized if you share a common religion and norms of behavior.You can't learn every skill yourself. Assemble a team that includes members with medical knowledge, tactical skills, electronics experience, and traditional practical skills.

There is No Substitute for Mass. Mass stops bullets. Mass stops gamma radiation. Mass stops (or at least slows down ) bad guys from entering a home and depriving its residents of life and property. Sandbags are cheap, so buy plenty of them. When planning your retreat house, think: medieval castle. (See the SurvivalBlog Archives for the many articles and letters on Retreat Architecture.)

Always Have a Plan B and a Plan C. Regardless of your pet scenario and your personal grand plan of survival, you need to be flexible and adaptable. Situations and circumstances change. Always keep a G.O.O.D. kit handy, even if you are fortunate enough to live at your retreat year-round.

Be Frugal. I grew up in a family that still remembered both our pioneer history and the more recent lessons of the Great Depression. One of our family mottos is: "Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."

Some Things are Worth Fighting For. I encourage my readers to avoid trouble, most importantly via relocation to safe areas where trouble is unlikely to come to visit. But there may come an unavoidable day that you have to make a stand to defend your own family or your neighbors. Further, if you value your liberty, then be prepared to fight for it, both for yourself and for the sake of your progeny.

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Wednesday February 6 2008

Keeping Ourselves Injury Free WTSHTF, by Bubba's Wife

Some of us with desk jobs in the current economy (who possibly stop at Starbucks more than we should) have a bit more to do than just preparing our retreats. I will attempt to address the issue of keeping our bodies injury free, during the upcoming adventures. In the coming economy, there’s going to be a lot of hard, physical work and chiropractors will be hard to come by.

I believe that our family’s preparation plans are going to have to include a plan to bring our bodies up to a standard of fitness, flexibility and strength. Every family member is going to have to be at the top of his or her game, physically. Realistically, we don’t know how bad it’s going to get, so we need to prepare for the worst. In my mind, TEOTWAWKI could mean having to care for our families in a combative environment, without a reliable medic and perhaps far from our medical supplies. In that kind of environment we are going to have to rely on our bodies like never before.

The most important part of the preparation of our physical bodies is going to be flexibility. Thorough flexibility can and will prevent an injury that a stiff, inflexible body could suffer from for months. Have you known anyone sidelined for months or even years with a bad back? WTSHTF, that’s not going to be an option. Our survival will depend on being able to get it done, every day.
The second most important part of your preparation is going to be your “core” strength. This is the strength at the center of your body, mainly your abdominal muscles. A strong core means a strong back. Also, your balance and agility come from having a strong core.

The last, yet still vitally important, part will be muscular strength. Strong arms, legs, glutes, etc. will ensure that we are able to accomplish what we have to. We can be certain that there is some hard work ahead. It’s better to be prepared, than to discover too late that we’re not up to the task.

Before we head off to the gym, gung ho to “get in shape,” keep in mind that we won’t have an LA Fitness Center nearby to maintain our physique. So let’s build it, the way we’re going to have to maintain it. Realistically: at home, without equipment.

We aren’t aiming for a perfect physique. We don’t even need a pretty physique. We need a strong, flexible physique that does what it’s told. Like our children and pets, our bodies have to be trained to respond and comply without hesitation, and without letting us down.

Let’s start with flexibility: Every day, without fail, we need to spend some time stretching and limbering our bodies. This is not until we get to our goal – this is forever. Here are some stretches that should get every inch of our bodies limber: I got these stretches from “The Genius of Flexibility” by Bob Cooley (ignore the “Chinese Medicine” and “Energy Flow” Schumer– but the stretches are good.) You may find better stretches in your own health library. (YMMV)

1. Knee to forehead: increases flexibility and strength of lateral leg, hip, torso, and neck muscles.
Lie on your back. Pull right knee halfway to your chest and place the left ankle over your right knee. Place both hands on the back of your right thigh, close to your knee. Stretch the muscles on your left hip and thigh by resisting your left leg and ankle against your right thigh, as you pull your right knee toward your chest with your arms. Repeat several times and switch sides.
2. Lateral bend: increases strength and flexibility of arms and torso muscles.
Stand with feet together and grasp your hands together above your head. Continuously contract the muscles on the side of your torso by pulling your left arm downward and using your right arm to lean over to the left. Turn your head and torso towards the ceiling. Return to starting position. Repeat several times, and then switch sides.
3. Thigh stretch: front of thighs.
Kneel on all fours with your hips aligned over your knees, and your hands and wrists under and in alignment with your shoulders. Bring your left lower leg and foot up against the wall with a rolled up hand towel to cushion your foot. Step up onto your right foot in front of you and lunge deeply forward, slanting your torso slightly forward. Contract the muscles on the front of your left thigh by pushing against the wall with your left foot while you bring your hips back next to your left foot. Return to starting position. Repeat several times then switch sides.
4. Forward bend: back of thighs and calves.
You can do this standing or sitting. Spread your legs shoulder width apart or wider, and bend forward. Grasp your ankles with both hands. Contract the muscles on the inside back of your thighs as you bend forward, straighten your legs, and pull your head down between your legs with your arms. Return to starting position. Repeat several times.
5. Central leg extension: back of legs and up spine.
Lie on the floor on your back. Bring your right knee up to your chest and bend your lower leg. Grasp hold of your right ankle and foot with both hands. Contract the muscles on the back of your legs and up your spine by kicking your heel toward your butt while you bring your heel up toward your head with your hands. Repeat several times and switch sides.
6. Child's pose: back of shoulders and arms. Kneel on the floor. Curl your torso and head toward your knees and place your elbows and hand parallel to the floor in front of you. Contract the muscles on the back of your shoulders and arms as you pull backwards and push downward against the floor. Press your lower legs against the floor as you arch your back.
7. Lotus – inner thigh.
You can do this sitting up, or laying on your back with you feet up the wall. Bend both knees and put the soles of your feet together. Contract the muscles on the inside of your thighs by squeezing your thighs together while your hands press you’re your thighs open
Remember when stretching – inhale before the stretch and exhale through the stretch. Always stretch slowly, no bouncing or jarring – which could damage the muscle rather than strengthen it. (This seems completely counterintuitive, but give it a try – it works: if you contract your muscles through the stretch, you’ll get a better stretch and you’ll build muscle strength isometrically.) Stretch every day and we’ll all be limber as house cats in short order.
Once we’ve limbered up a bit, it’s time to start working the core. Remember we’re increasing our workout, not replacing anything. : o ) Core strength means balance, agility and a strong back Here are some simple abdominal exercises to get you started: I got these from “Body for Life for Women” by Pamela Peeke and can’t recommend it enough.
1. Crunches:
Lie on the floor, hands behind your head, knees together, feet flat on the floor about one foot from your bum. Push your lower back into the floor, then roll your shoulders up, keeping knees and hips stationary. When your shoulders come off the ground a few inches, hold this position and flex your abdominal muscles as hard as you can for a count of one. Slowly lower your shoulders to the floor, keeping pushing your lower back into the floor for the entire exercise.
2. Reverse Crunches:
Lie on your back with your legs and hips bent at 90-degree angles, and your arms relaxed at your sides, palms facing down. Pull your abs in, and lift your hips as if you were tipping a bucket of water that’s resting on your pelvis. Don’t lift your hips more than a 30-degree angle from the floor. Don’t use your hands to help you pull your hips up.
3. Hip Thrusts:
Lie flat on your back on the floor, with your legs straight up in the air directly above your hips, ankles together and feet flexed. Stretch your arms over your head and grasp the leg of something heavy/sturdy that won’t budge. Lift with the lowest area of your abs so that your hips rise off the floor several inches. Squeeze and hold foe several seconds at the top of the movement, then return to the starting position.
When we have become flexible, and have strengthened our abs and backs: it’s time to build some basic strength. It’s important to handle the flexibility and core training first, because a lack of either will shoot down our strength training in a hurry.
By far, the best method of strength training is calisthenics. No equipment is needed, and exercise can happen anywhere. Calisthenics use the weight of our bodies to build strength – so our equipment is handy at all times.
Again, we’re not replacing any of our current workout – we’re building on it. We’re not trying to build beauty pageant muscles. We want to build functional strength. We want to be strong enough to perform all of our tasks without injury. We want to be strong supple and ready for the unexpected. God designed our bodies to build and maintain muscle mass in response to the demands we put on our bodies. The more demand we put on our bodies; the more we can put on them.
Here are some calisthenics to get started with:
1. Squats:
With feet shoulder width apart, squat as far as possible. Bring your arms forward, parallel to the floor, return to starting position. Repeat.
2. Alternating lunges:
With your hands on your hips, take a step forward with your right leg until your front knee is bent 90-degrees and your back knee almost touches the ground. Push off from your leading foot and return to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg.
3. Push-Ups:
Do manly push-ups, up on your toes; girly push-ups, up on your knees; or even standing and pushing off the wall push-ups.
4. Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups:
Palms face out for traditional pull-ups on a bar to strengthen middle back muscles. Palms face toward you to do a chin-up, which strengthens that back and biceps.This is just a basic outline to get you started. I suggest that you buy a few books on stretching and strength training, just so you have somewhere to go after you’ve mastered the basics. The basics will definitely get you there, but you will probably want to go further. I strongly endorse “Body for Life for Women” and heartily recommend "The Pace Plan" by Dr. Al Sears both programs are short on effort and long on results. There are a lot of good Pilates books out there too.
So here’s my family’s plan, for everyone – even the preschooler and the dog:
Create a flexible body that can twist and bend without snapping anything.
Build abdominal/core strength, so our agile and graceful bodies can hoe a garden (or drag a casualty) without injury.
Build functional strength that will maintain our health and ensure that have that extra effort to give.

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Wednesday January 30 2008

Prepare or Die, by J. Britely

Throughout my life I have been caught unprepared several times and while nothing seriously bad happened, it easily could have.  I have been lost hiking.  My car has broken down in very bad neighborhoods - twice.  I have been close enough to riots that I feared they would spread to my neighborhood, been in earthquakes, been too close to wildfires, been stuck in a blizzard, and have been without power and water for several days after a hurricane.   I managed to get myself out of each situation, I thanked God, and tried to learn from my mistakes.  I could have avoided these situations or made them much less unsafe and worrisome if I had been more aware and prepared.  I have also tried to learn from the mistakes of others so as to not learn everything the hard way.  One group I assisted was a two hour drive into the mountains, out of gas, wearing tee shirts, and had empty water bottles (at least they kept them) (I have made each of those mistakes but not all at the same time).