Hi All,

Welcome to the latest newsletter! The main reason for the newsletter is to let you know about the new YouTube Video that has just been added (see section 1)!

I’ve also got some thoughts I wish to share! We remain in very uncertain times with no one really knowing how this thing will play out, when it will end, and what changes may result from it. The uncertainty can be one of the more difficult things to deal with.

It’s hard to plan for the future when so much is unknown and seemly changing from day to day. This can leave us feeling like we have no control over our lives. Not a nice feeling!

The way I approach the uncertainty is to zoom in on the short-term things I am certain about. If I can’t know what tomorrow will bring, then I will focus on the most productive use of what today has brought.

The productive use of the here and now becomes a well spent past, and the momentum of a well spent past tends to become a positive future.

Ask yourself, what is the most productive use of the now and the known? Making productive use of the “short term known” in this way will help return that sense of control. It will also ensure you are doing the things you need to do to get through this in the best way possible.

If you want to explore this idea further, then this old podcast maybe worth revisiting. The podcast looks at “A Warrior’s View of Fate”. The warriors of the past had well developed views on fate in order to ensure bravery in battle and to help deal with the precariousness of their existence. In these uncertain times it may be useful to explore the idea of “fate”; both in terms of the things we can influence and the things we can’t.

https://iainabernethy.co.uk/content/warriors-view-fate-case-kata-podcast

Be sure to take good care of yourself too. Find time to be nice to yourself. It’s important. Easier said than done, but try not to worry too much. Worrying does nothing to change a situation. It’s wasted energy. Action is what gets results. Zoom in away from the big picture.

In short, do the positive things you can do with the known in the now.

Speak soon!

All the best,

Iain

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CONTENT:

1) YOUTUBE: Four key differences between martial arts and self-protection
2) Unsu Pad Drills!
3) Personality: A forgotten part of self-protection
4) Hitting on the move!
5) Subscribe to the App

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1) FOUR KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MARTIAL ARTS AND SELF-PROTECTION

NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/LzUOntsYWRI

This video is a follow up to “Five things martial artists get wrong about self-defence” ( https://youtu.be/m7fJ9ZlzWfQ )The message of that video was one that seemed to resonate with many. However, I also noticed a number of those expressing enthusiastic support for the video were making the very mistakes the video highlighted!

It seems many remain confused about what self-protection is. It then inevitably follows that they are also confused about the differences between self-protection and martial arts / fighting. In this video I cover four key differences:

Different Goals
Different Enemy
Different Students
Different Instructors

I also discuss the need for clarity and nuance in discussions like these. We can then avoid the illogical and pointless tribal arguments that most often take place around these issues.

In this video I have lumped martial arts together with fighting because it is the contrast with self-protection that I specifically want to discuss. If you are interested in the differences I see between martial arts and fighting, this free audio book covers it:

https://iainabernethy.co.uk/content/martial-map-free-audio-book

I also prefer the term “self-protection” over “self-defence” because the later has an inbuilt assumption of a response to a physical attack. “Self-protection” better describes the field of study as opposed to funnelling thinking to the physical methods of last resort alone; which, even then, should prioritise pre-emption to facilitate escape over reactive methods. However, “self-defence” is a term widely used in both law and everyday speech. I’ve therefore used the terms interchangeably in the video.

Finally, this video was filmed in a very hot room on a rare sunny day in Northern England. Watch how my head gets shiner and redder as the video progresses!

Thank you for your support of these videos!

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/LzUOntsYWRI

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2) UNSU PAD DRILLS!

The Unsu in-depth series is now complete. We have covered bunkai for the entire kata, Unsu sparring drills and we have now concluded with Unsu Pad Drills! You can watch all 17 parts to this series here: Main Menu > Kata Bunkai > Unsu > Unsu In-Depth > Parts 1-17.

You can find the app by searching “iain abernethy” in either the App Store (iPhone / iPad) or Google Play (Android).

More info: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/iain-abernethys-applied-karate-kata-bunkai-app

Join Up: https://www.budocode.com/Account/Register?appid=2056

If you need help setting up an account, please email app@iainabernethy.com and we will get you set up with a free trail.

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3) PERSONALITY: A FORGOTTEN PART OF SELF-PROTECTION

This new app video looks at the importance of understanding our own personalities and the huge influence they have on personal security, avoidance skills, de-escalation, etc. We also discuss the importance of including personality traits in our own personal security risk assessments.

Main Menu > Core Concepts > Iain Discusses > Iain Discusses 4 > Personality: An overlooked component of self-protection

More info: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/iain-abernethys-applied-karate-kata-bunkai-app

Join Up: https://www.budocode.com/Account/Register?appid=2056

If you need help setting up an account, please email app@iainabernethy.com and we will get you set up with a free trail.

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4) HITTING ON THE MOVE!

One of the videos added to the app this week looks at solo combinations to practise hitting on the move. The combinations cover hitting while advancing, retreating and pivoting. You can find them here:

Main Menu > Almost Live > Almost Live 2020 > Videos 11 to 20 > Two combinations for hitting on the move.

More info: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/iain-abernethys-applied-karate-kata-bunkai-app

Join Up: https://www.budocode.com/Account/Register?appid=2056

If you need help setting up an account, please email app@iainabernethy.com and we will get you set up with a free trail.

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5) SUBSCRIBE TO THE APP

It’s $8.99 / month via Budocode (you can also subscribe via iTunes) and you get access to hundreds of hours of exclusive content which is updated every week. You’ll also be part of a global community and have access to the exclusive live sessions I will be doing soon.

The revenue from the app is unaffected by the pandemic and your support of me through it would be greatly appreciated at this time. You can download the app from the App Store and Google Play and then set up an account:

More info: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/iain-abernethys-applied-karate-kata-bunkai-app

Join Up: https://www.budocode.com/Account/Register?appid=2056

If you need help setting up an account, please email app@iainabernethy.com and we will get you set up with a free trail.

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That’s all for now folks! I’ll be back with more soon!

All the best,

Iain