Barron is running & Roley is silent...

Well this has turned into a fun little matter it seems Barron desperate to get out of fighting me is running and hiding like a little bitch... Not a frightened women but I mean like Jared running from his new foot long cock-meat sandwiches in prison running like a bitch...

It took only 6 hours after I first mentioned in comments on the Open Letter to Barron Shepherd blog if he really wanted to fight me, all he had to do was say so in Lexington Kentucky...

Screenshots:
My statement below...

 Now if you read my words I said to Barron at 11:11am October 10th on the Comments in the Open Letter to Barron Shepherd blog that (as a prediction) Barron was trying to pretend like everything is suddenly finalized for our MMA match in Florida saying "The reality is however, I still have to get my physical and call the Beckley VAMC to set something up. Nothing has been finalized and your pretending it is, is just a way for you to claim I won't fight you." Which Barron does below in his own statements... I simply do not wish to full commit to something and then have to back out of it later, I would rather take the time to get my ducks in a row and go from there.

I went on to add "Still does nothing to get past the fact, I exposed you as a liar and an online tough guy. I mean if you really wanted to fight me, we are both going to be in Lexington Kentucky this weekend and aside from the two events there will be plenty of neutral ground out side our events."

I even added later in the same statement that "What you think calling you out was the point? No, exposing you was and you exposed yourself, your lies and your dementia..." All this was stated by my in my Open Letter to Barron Shepherd Blog to Barron Shepherd.

And Barron's statement on Don Roley's event page...

 Barron's statement from October 10th, at 18:20 (that's 4:20pm my civilian readers) Barron Shepherd makes the statement above saying "Sorry guys, I wanted to come but I do have something this weekend I should do. I have been holding out to give Ron Collins a chance to challenge me like he keeps saying. But say far, he will only do a sanctioned MMA match."

So never mind I mentioned the neutral ground outside our events, does the mention of neutral ground not imply we settle it in Kentucky? I believe it kind does & here a mere 6 hours and 9 minutes later is Barry backing out of going to Lexington...

Barron "Minded Bitch Titties" Shepherd, goes onto make more false claims saying "Well, I have set up a match on November 19th. So I am going to devote my time to that and bow out of the Kentucky seminar." So Barron won't come to the Kentucky Seminar of Don Roley because he is going to train to fight me in November? What the Hell? He bitched out and ran behind an MMA match that isn't even finalized 6 hours after I imply we settle this in Lexington Kentucky?

Barron's full page post above... as sent to me I have him blocked on Facebook so I don't track my stalkers but a friend was good enough to screenshot it for me. Yet back in March a person from the UK delivered a message from Don Roley and Barron already paid for everything.

 

 The full screen view & Don Roley's message as delivered by Ben Emberley...

Here Don Roley allegedly states: "As it turns out I (Don) will be teaching a Tantojutsu seminar in Kentucky in October, right across the border from West Virginia. I an told that it is only about an hour or two from where you (Ron) live.

Barron Shepherd is going to try to make it. So if you want to rumble with him, this is your chance."

Wow! Barron had been planning to attend this event back in March of this year (at least and spent money on it)... Roley goes on to say. allegedly "I don't expect you to show up, but since it will be so close and Barron is already paying to travel all the way up from Florida, it seems natural to invite you to come face him if he wants." Now Barron has spent money as far back as March on this event and then declines to attend only six hours after I imply we can settle this in Kentucky... hmmm...

Now if you examine the images, that is a whole 6 hours and 9 minutes to puss out from my response that "if he really wanted to fight me" we would be in Lexington Kentucky & there would be "plenty of neutral ground" between Roley's event and the Black Dragon Fighting Society events.

Having mentioned this Barron tucks tail and runs. His troll account defenders were quick to show that when I put my cards on the table I fell for Barron's trap... See I have him blocked on Facebook, so I wouldn't/couldn't see his bitching out, lying and trying harass me... and they knew I was going to mention Kentucky that's why Barron kept talking about an MMA match and avoided the implied resolution to our conflict in Kentucky... Doubt me? Think Barron didn't have to time to inform me of him not going to be in Lexington Kentucky, a whole 4 hours away?

October 10th at 3:07pm (1 hour and 13 minutes before Barron posted he was backing out of Lexington to fight me in November, which still hasn't been finalized)
Where I said :
"So allow me to address the MMA match... Mr. Berto gave me a list of things I needed to do. Including a physical examination which I have to schedule with the Beckley VAMC. That takes time and cannot be done until tomorrow. He has not contacted me since I contacted him. But, you want to make it about the MMA match which you know requires time to organize with Florida laws requiring physicals by the fighters as opposed to WV Code which provides the physical before the fight... After of I don't get everything done before the date you will claim I ducked the fight..."

Yet us, both being in Lexington as a solution to if we really want to fight is still hanging in the air... when I said earlier "I mean if you really wanted to fight me, we are both going to be in Lexington Kentucky this weekend and aside from the two events there will be plenty of neutral ground out side our events." and Barron never mentions the fight except in his statement on Don Roley's Event Page.

I wonder why he didn't mention Lexington after I brought it up... He points to pushing the MMA match back to December... But doesn't mention backing out of Lexington, ever. And Barron had fallen silent when I mentioned my intentions to fight him a day later on the 11th, in the Open Letter to Barron Shepherd blog... Not, Patrick Ferrari or the Troll Account Martin Blendswell. Oh none of them ever once said Barron dropped out until I posted the Lets Get Real Blog. But, just implying I would meet him there seems to have convinced him to tuck his dick in run in 6 hours and 9 minutes later...

Instead the troll account Martin Blendswell made the statement on my blog that Barron backed out of Lexington and claimed that I only posted my blog about this weekend after Barron backed out... Even then when addressing this on Facebook, a Facebook friend got me these screenshots of Don Roley's event page... Showing Barron's statements came before my blog saying lets settle it there.

With Barry claiming he has to not show up to fight me in Lexington, to train for not fighting me in Tampa... After I Implied we could throw down in Lexington 6 hours prior to, has caused Barron a sudden change of focus...

So Barron is once again proven a liar and a bitch. Patrick Ferrari wants me to challenge Don Roley... Barron does as well but Don is silent. Regardless...

Don Roley if you want to throw down the same thing applies... Plenty of neutral ground in Lexington and all you have to do is say "go..." when I said "ANYONE" I meant anyone...

But, you (Don) been largely silent on any of your intentions to fight. So I will leave it up to you in Kentucky, otherwise good luck with your seminar. Also Don if you would please try to convince Barron to make an appearance, I mean he already spend money on the event right? That's what you said? You did say that right?

Barron just for you buddy;

I screen shotted the side by side images of you ducking out 6 hours after, I implied we could settle this Kentucky. See I won't fight you at Don Roley's event but I will anywhere else and it have only been a few days since you backed out. So may be you can still make it...

Street Vs the Ring 2: Get Out the Dojo, Dojang & Kwoon to see where your art really works...

While I had posted and discussed how the Street is so much different then the Ring and how it allows for a wider array of options that limited training in a specific form or application of martial arts just can't cover. I decided to do a little piece on guess what? How training in self-defense without competitive application is a possible form of self-harm to developing one's own training.

Traditional Martial Arts, no not the Neo-Traditional Watered Down schools teaching "karate" in a Gi but ignoring classic training methods like exercise, weight lifting/strength training and combat applications, have always placed a heavy focus on philosophy and even in some regard religious aspects of the culture in which said martial art was developed. This was because all conflicts are human conflicts and dealing with people (social self-defense or de-escalation principles as known to us Modern Budoka) was a critical part of dealing conflicts. The highest form skill was not in fighting your opponent but in simply redirecting his intentions away from harming you.

Things that were regarded as "correct actions" such as showing humility were not just to be a "good person" or "good citizen" but a form of social self-defense. Many people want to be known as a "bad ass" or "tough guy" but do so because deep down they are weak and want to have the safety of being intimidating to others. They mistake fear for respect, because the "bad ass" demands your respect. However, if you beat your chest and declare yourself a "tough guy" someone who wants that same reputation will challenge, even if they lose the fight they gain the "respect" of stepping up. The problem is when you get known for being a violent thug, most people will avoid you and sure they will demonstrate some common curtesy or look the other way when you break a social standard. This isn't because of how "threatening" you are it is a matter of seeking to avoid trouble and this means avoiding you, the trouble maker with the reputation as a "bad ass tough guy."
So personality traits like humility, showing respect and acting with compassion were all intended to make one seem very un-bad ass like... This allowed one to 1. Conceal their skills and ability until needed, making it many more times effective and 2. Allowed one to avoid situations and places which would make one's need to fight even more required then normal life. There is also the third point, that these traits don't attract those who makes such situations a social issue. The only people who flock to the be in the crowds around "tough guys" are either a) other tough guys or b) wannabe tough guys. So if you act like a loud mouthed trying to prove how tough you are, you will either attract others wanting to prove how tough you are or you will prove how tough you are in some way.

So keep in mind there are some aspects of martial arts philosophy that aren't Asian mysticism or fanciful ideas or even New Aged Thinking. They are practical methods of social-self-defense meant to prevent a fight, prevent conflict by abiding my social norms and action with respect to other. True respect isn't about how intimidating someone is but treating others as you would have them treat you. Sure there are people who like to cross the line of what is acceptable by social codes (not merely laws).
This also becomes an issue of ideologies and cultures. In my Culture of an American from the South standing up and fighting someone who threatens or challenges you is illegal, called Assault & Battery but it is Social Acceptable as standing up for yourself. Because in my Culture in the South of the United States of America standing up for yourself is a sign of your willingness to stand up for other things like family, your children and even your country. Fighting isn't a right of passage it is a fact of life, we all have to fight for something, even if only ourselves but, fighting should not be entered into lightly. Fighting is about survival and sometimes survival means avoiding a fight. The core idea of martial arts philosophy is avoiding needless fighting, de-escalating situations and avoiding trouble. When trouble cannot be avoid we must respond with a force needed to end the threat. Needless fighting only attracts the reputation and attention of those seeking a reputation for violence.

Our problem, however, is both philosophical and legal... How much force is enough, how much mercy is too much? Legally, you can use excessive force in Self-Defense and then what started as Self-Defense becomes Assault, Battery or Malicious Wounding perhaps even Murder. Philosophically speaking, who are? what are you? and how do you justify harming another human being?

Many times it seems that traditional martial artists are so focused on History or identifying themselves as "warriors" they don't even realize the practical applications of what they are taught. Far too much have traditional systems been watered down to a fun but unrealistic sport or even a form of "day care" or personal development where the practical application of the philosophical and ethic conditions is seen as a way to improve the self and never viewed as a practical survival/self-defense method for social self-defense. In the same way, many Self-Defense experts like Dr. George J. Thompson the Founder of the Verbal Judo Institute (the only tactical communication course in the world) applied the basic principles of judo in redirecting physical force to sociology and psychological principles to de-escalate and control a situation by reducing conflicts. While this is a "tactical course" it is based on the same ideology as traditional martial arts of judo and jujitsu.

Traditional Martial Arts are not just about adopting martial traditions, wearing a gi or learning Japanese, Korean or Chinese terms. They were first and foremost combat techniques for the battlefield, they were adapted with philosophical ideas that are a foundation for the sciences of psychology and sociology. And, it is the lack of this understanding by traditionalists that creates the most fundamental obstacle to Traditional Martial Arts, a lack of "real world" application. That real world application isn't just a matter of fighting styles but of philosophies...

Street Versus Ring: Why Sport Fighting isn't the advantage You Think it is...

Martial Arts blogs and forums are full of tough "cage fighters" telling us lowly traditionalist & self-defense trained types how superior they are because they train for the real thing. The sad truth is they aren't training for the real thing... They aren't training anywhere close to the real thing. Why? Because wear gloves, a mouth guard and thai shorts isn't logical.
Here is part of why:
1. You work at McDonald's you have black pants, non-slip shoes (slip more then my hiking boots, combat boots, sneakers or running shoes) and a very cheap thin shirt. You get attacked in the parking lot leaving work by a someone who sneaks up on you and hits over the head with an empty beer bottle, steals your wallet and kicks you a few times before running off (they might make it 100ft before they stop to catch their breath but you ain't running after them).

2. You work in an office, wearing dress shoes and suit. You get held up at a Go-Mart on your way home because you stayed late to work on a project and now are being robbed as part of an armed gas station robbery.

3. You work as an assistant and are wearing a uniform that includes a shirt, short dress and high heels. Now two young men are cornering you at your car in a parking lot.

The cage is as far removed from "the street" as is a bunch a kids bowing and yelling kiai every time they punch the air with a classical reverse punch, bring one arm to the hip palms up and the other shoots out at shoulder level palms down. The clothing is different...

In the Cage you are fighting for pride, experience and several other reasons. A lot of your training is about developing physical and technical prowess. In the Street you can also fight for pride (number one reason most people get into fights) but there are other reasons. However, no one ever gets to be a rich and famous "street fighter" except in Van Damm movies. Believe me I tried my share of "street fighting tournaments" as a dumb kid (15 & 16 years old) and I never got rich off the things. I got to experience pain & carry bruises, scrapes & cats as trophies.
The thing is you have to understand martial arts, 1. Martial Arts is a Business and Businesses exist to make money and 2. Martial Arts are about selling you something you want. I can give you the lessons on how to fix a car and the tools to fix a car but you will never fix the car unless you get up and use it, to fix the car. That car is a metaphor for yourself... I can give you to tools to better yourself but you have to get up and use them. This is why martial arts or even parents can't teach Self-Discipline, they can teach discipline and child must choose to exercise that discipline on their own and then (and only then) does it become Self-Discipline.

In the Cage you know your opponent is there, right in front of you and you know that they are trained. You may have even watched them, in pervious videos of the previous fights. While I agree to some extent that as sport fighters have certain advantages, I don't think it is the all round proof of skill the sportsman want to make it out to be. Look I was trained for combat, US Army Infantry School and comparing my training to that of a range marksman, paint baller or airsofter is a laugh. I'm not even talking about the job, I'm talking about the training... Why?

Because when you train for combat, you are training for a situation without rules &, there are no rules in the street. Well even an MMA fighters can eye gouge and "kick people in the cherries." Yes, I agree however, that isn't what it means to say there are no rules. No rules means anything goes, weapons, ambush tactics, burning your house down or shooting you in the face. It can also mean planting drugs in you car through a slightly open window to let out some of the summer heat and calling the police on you to get you arrested. It can mean attacking your spouse or children, elderly parents or even killing you pet to make you worry about protecting your loved ones. Literally, it means ANYTHING GOES.

So when a cage fighter once challenged me over a forum and invited me to come to his gym to engage him. I made a realistic offer, to have him sign and send me a waiver saying he wasn't goin bring charges or "in anyway find me criminally or civilly responsible for an injuries or death, and that he understood that allowing me to attack him without rules or restrictions meant that I could use whatever method or tools, weapons or items I deemed necessary to create a realistic life threatening self-defense situation." That ended up with him, crying foul and saying I was threatening him... Why? Because most people online are mentally weaklings trying to look tough.

The reality is that a Street Fight is not the same as a Cage Fight, not even close. In Street Focus Jujitsu I broke down altercations into three types: A Fight, A Self-Defense Situation & a Street Fight. To get students to understand that situations are different but can turn in different situations by means of escalation or de-escalation of events. These three types of events are simple to understand;
A Fight: Is a mutual intention to fight another person without the intent to seriously harm or kill said opponent. This can range from a fist fight with a bully trying to gain social dominance to a Cage Fight. It is a mutually agreed on contest via altercation.
A Self-Defense Situation: Is a situation in which violence or the threat of violence is used to gain something, this can be money, jewelry or even one's own physical body. A person who doesn't want to fight has to do so for self-defense. Many of the solutions for such a situation are verbal de-escalation and breaking contact more then "kill the enemy."
A Street Fight: Is a Mutual intention to Kill, Cripple or Maim the opponent. It is best described as Combat. This is an example of gang violence where drive by shootings, home invasion, arson with the intent to murder and so on are common examples of a true "no rules" scenario.

So when I say the Ring doesn't prepare you for the Street. I literally mean, nothing in your ability to submit, choke out or knock out an opponent in a cage prepares you for a home invasion, someone to firebomb your house, shoot you or attack your family. I'm sorry, but it means you are not qualified to Street Fight because you are trained in the cage. Sure, being a better fighter might give you an advantage in a bar room brawl, at least until someone stabs you in the neck with a broken beer bottle or just stabs you with their knife.

So it doesn't matter what you study for fighting, you need to know what tools are needed for what jobs. I'm not bashing on Sport Martial Arts they all have their place and have certain advantages and disadvantages. Better physical conditioning and being able to apply techniques against someone trained to resist those techniques is a huge boost that is very much needed as part of realistic training. However, to be a complete martial artists you need more then just that...

The reality is most of the people online talking about martial arts either are trying to sell you a martial arts course, book or class and are trying to argue their bias against it. Or they are trying to bash on other arts or systems. Or, they are trying to paint unrealistic scenarios. Where every altercation is between two people with the intent to engage each other and don't get dirtier then eye gouges and nut shots.

In reality you need much more then most or any martial arts will provide for you. The skills of fighting in the Cage or on the Mats are honestly a safer bet then the "kill or be killed" techniques of traditional systems, for legal self-defense.

For example the Juji Gatame (cross arm bar) of Judo, Sport Jujitsu or its ugly step child Brazilian Jujitsu is basically the same as one would see in Japanese Jujitsu. The difference in intentions means a Japanese Jujitsu practicer might just as well break the arm outright, where as a Submission Sports Grappler may only hold an attacker in place with the same technique. This is a huge bonus on court if one finds one's self in court because of civil suit or criminal proceedings. After all you will apply a technique with the intent it is taught... so by training in both "kill or be killed" combat applications and in less then lethal intended competition applications a martial artist can be well rounded.

Neither is going to help you against the next DC Sniper, a gunman in  club, a punk gang banger with a gun in a stolen car or being ambushed by a hatchet wielding terrorist. To train for the street means to go beyond martial arts as an unarmed style of competition, apply fundamental weapons, first-aid, survival training and some form of firearms training. To study elements of psychology and sociology to de-escalate and control situations in a social setting. The Ring is a great place to train and offers many more virtues then I've mentioned here but, it is no where near as close to the Street as a kid's Tae Kwon Do class.