<2021-12-10T20:36:24.000Z> KarlDahl: Hey bud. Closed your Blab account?
<2021-12-10T20:38:04.000Z> WYTnation: Hey man. Haven't closed it yet but with all that's going on, the writing seems to be on the wall. Seen a few folks (including you) post about this place, so I thought I'd check it out. Having a tough time understanding it at the moment, but I'm sure I'll figure it out in time.
<2021-12-10T21:11:24.000Z> KarlDahl: Gotcha, makes sense. I feel like Gab will be alright but it's good to branch out and poa.st has top men
<2021-12-10T21:15:31.000Z> WYTnation: I suppose I just mean that I haven't seen censorship like this before on blab, granted I haven't been around too long. Seems like the trend for free speech there is on a downward trajectory. Like you said, it's just good to branch out. Looking forward to figuring this place (and the rest of the fediverse) out.
<2021-12-10T21:40:01.000Z> KarlDahl: Yeah the important thing to keep in mind is that Torba isn't very competent. LOL
<2021-12-10T21:49:00.000Z> WYTnation: Lol. Yeah, I see a lot of people say a lot of things about him (fat, dumb, funded by jews, shadow bans people etc.) but I frankly don't know a lot about the guy.
<2021-12-10T21:54:26.000Z> KarlDahl: Torba is an "ideas guy" who has never been super concerned with delivering a final product - always on to the next thing - and I'm pretty confident that he means well but is easily misdirected by people he hires. Let's be honest - Gab is a thorn in their side and the trick is essentially to not give him money and you'll be OK. That said, I don't know anyone doxed who had donated to him or been pro (I was pro for 2 years, dropped support when it was unusable, didn't get it set up again after the hacks) but I used an anon prepaid debit and set up cutout emails for everything I do so that they're not commingled because those slip ups are how antifa types and news producers find you
<2021-12-10T22:04:23.000Z> WYTnation: I used to work for an "idea guy." Super nice, well-to-do Christian guy. I liked him a lot. Working for him was a nightmare. I'm not sure if we completed a final deliverable for a client. It was the most frustrating work experience of my life.Yeah, I would never give out my real cc info or email on a site like Gab. I don't think I'd even give money either. Honestly, as far as I am concerned, these are all temporary until the party in this country gets going. They don't actually help build many (if any) IRL relationships that can be relied upon when stuff goes down. As far as I see it, it's just for lulz and info.
<2021-12-26T06:15:36.000Z> KarlDahl: Merry Christmas amigo
<2021-12-26T21:35:29.000Z> WYTnation: Merry Christmas man. I hope you and the family had a good one!
<2021-12-26T21:39:08.000Z> KarlDahl: It was great! Snowing like crazy now, too, so the kids are over the moon 🎅
<2021-12-26T21:39:48.000Z> WYTnation: Haha, I bet they are! 
<2021-12-27T01:34:41.000Z> KarlDahl: I'll take it https://i.poastcdn.org/be9e78a8fac0614dc7d41a149c1935f2d1517bfb869a2a658514eef56a0ae9d5.jpg
<2021-12-31T19:58:20.000Z> WYTnation: Dang man! That looks amazing! I'm out in a desert where no such thing is conceivable. (Sorry for the late response. Just got back from a 4-day martial arts/edged weapons course).
<2022-01-01T00:41:22.000Z> KarlDahl: Oh nice. Curious, what was the orientation? I have a bit of an FMA background 
<2022-01-01T18:41:01.000Z> WYTnation: The class focused less on a single orientation than it did the basics of defending and striking in close quarters, using knifes in such environments and the like. Honestly, it was alright, but it really only got me interested in getting to a local studio and expanding my skills.Frankly, while I have a wrestling background, I don't have a whole lot of empty handed skill (hence the class). I am pretty good with a variety of firearms platforms, but I need to get better using my body as a weapon. It only makes sense given that most altercations turn physical long before they turn lethal, if they ever do.
<2022-01-02T02:16:02.000Z> KarlDahl: If you train FMA and boxing you'll realize that all you ever needed was boxing, but you wouldn't figure it out without the FMA tutelage 😁
<2022-01-02T18:42:42.000Z> WYTnation: Lol. Break that down for me. You can't say such things without an explanation! *Insert confused math lady meme here*
<2022-01-02T18:58:39.000Z> KarlDahl: Basically - biomechanics are biomechanics, and I can teach a competent boxer knife basics in a day, that they'll know how to practice because of the pieces I can give them dovetails with their own boxing training. Other fighting styles work beautifully - in your case (and mine), wrestling is outstanding because of the range / clinch / movement sensing / redirecting skills are awesome with knives, BUT it'll take you at least six months to really connect the dots 
<2022-01-02T19:00:22.000Z> KarlDahl: The thing I will warn you about is that the FMAs operate on "concepts," meaning that short knives are conceptually applied the same as large blades, just adjusted for range / etc
<2022-01-02T19:01:18.000Z> KarlDahl: But a lot of the western guys are incorrect about their assumptions (Bram Frank is a big one), disproven by former students of theirs, but some of these teachers are still doing the same thing
<2022-01-02T19:03:21.000Z> KarlDahl: I could go on and on but I do advocate for sticking to basics per your goals, even tho a dive into FMA will eventually pay off if you're interested in doing so
<2022-01-02T19:18:08.000Z> WYTnation: That makes sense. The basics with this kind of stuff is probably the extent of what I will need. However, it has gotten me more interested in getting into boxing to help improve striking/ footwork / hone in on pre-attack indicators / etc. I'm not sure FMA is really the route that I want to go. Honestly, most people are incompetent when it comes to fighting and violence in general. Knowing what is coming down the pike, I want to be competent enough to be capable of navigating violent encounters. Like I said, I am decent with firearms and have a wrestling background, but there are areas where I am clearly lacking, such as my standup game.
<2022-01-02T19:20:45.000Z> WYTnation: I also want to get into boxing as a means of inoculating against stress. That is a  big one for me. As I get older, I feel like it has been too long since I've been in these kinds of encounters and I'm not sure I would react the same as I did in my 20s and earlier.
<2022-01-02T20:56:18.000Z> KarlDahl: I agree 100%. Here's the thing with blades - it's 2022 America. Blades are a force inequality tool i.e. you will be using them on someone who is unarmed to take them out, or against multiple attackers because you don't have a gun (good luck). Knives are not good defensive weapons because you basically have to cut people's throats to stop fights with knives. You're better off with a blackjack or a sap as an enhancement to empty hand skills
<2022-01-02T20:56:43.000Z> KarlDahl: Edged weapons are good as tools or for murdering people, that's about it
<2022-01-02T20:56:54.000Z> KarlDahl: * I disavow murder 
<2022-01-02T21:37:31.000Z> WYTnation: I mostly agree. However, I would add a couple caveats in there. Knives can be good "get off me tools." If I am attacked at an extremely close range by an imminent deadly threat and am unable to access my firearm from them jamming me up, then a knife can be a good means of stopping the altercation or creating space.If I were to slash someone's arm to get them off of me, this can trigger an intense psychological response that ends the fight as most people aren't too found of seeing lots of their own blood spilled. Additionally, most attackers want victims, not fights.
<2022-01-02T21:37:54.000Z> WYTnation: All that said, say that you do need to use one for whatever reason, in the end, you will be COVERED in blood, thereby making you look like an absolute monster to the police, jury, etc. because - again - most people don't understand the nature of violence. While it is certainly not a tool that I never hope to use defensively, I do carry one which means that it is still best to know how to use it effectively, should it be my only remaining option.I also disavow murder and hope everyone remains peaceful forever.
<2022-01-03T15:09:03.000Z> KarlDahl: So arm slashing is one of those things that doesn't really work on da street as well as the FMA guys think it does (and have gotten LE to adopt fairly widely), because they haven't actually done it - yeah, if you can use it to work to the next thing, great, but the techniques are predicated upon "biomechanical cutting," an evolution of the Filipino concept of "defanging the snake" - because if you can lop off someone's machete hand at the wrist, they can't kill you with their machete, right? Well, this is a perfect illustration - there aren't records or even anecdotes of people successfully doing this. Several of the widely adopted designs aren't even capable of creating the kinds of wounds that the concept would require. I suggest that you check out Shivworks for their thoughts on "get off me" knives and the like 
<2022-01-03T18:13:22.000Z> WYTnation: I'm familiar with Craig Douglas and actually carry a clinch pick. In fact, Shivworks' design is exactly what I am referring to when speaking of a "get off me" tool. While folders and the like are nice, I honestly cannot see a scenario when I would pull out one of those and utilize slashing techniques instead of pulling out a gun. When speaking of arm slashing, what I had in mind is precisely what the clinch pick is designed to do when an assailant has control over one's wrists. I think "slashing" might have been a poor word choice as I think it elicited some confusion and made it seem like I was talking about something other than I was.
<2022-01-03T18:21:44.000Z> WYTnation: Maybe "sheering" or simply "cutting" would have been a better word than "slashing."
<2022-01-03T21:38:59.000Z> KarlDahl: Gotcha - solid - then you are on the right track and, to reinforce your point, broad FMA training would have you waste time on stupid shit that wouldn't benefit you one whit. Glad to hear it 😁
<2022-01-03T22:19:23.000Z> WYTnation: Lol! Good to know. Since you are more well versed in martial arts and the use of edged weapons than I, what resources or guys would you recommend that I check out? I know you mentioned Bram Frank earlier and I'm already privy to Craig Douglas. Any other names you think I should know?
<2022-01-04T02:53:31.000Z> KarlDahl: Def skip Bram Frank, he's retarded, tho some guys have come out of his system who are good, I hear (but don't know). Pekiti-Tirsia Kali (the system Douglas has as a baseline) is solid
<2022-01-04T02:53:53.000Z> KarlDahl: Jim Keating of Comtech is solid, and also does good big knife stuff
<2022-01-04T02:58:00.000Z> KarlDahl: To be honest I haven't been paying tons of attention to that world for several years, if you stick around the above or people associated with them you'll be fine
<2022-01-04T23:55:52.000Z> WYTnation: Right on. Thanks for the tips brother.
<2022-01-05T00:18:30.000Z> KarlDahl: NP my pleasure