On Dec 3rd 2015, I had the pleasure of giving a talk at Wichita State University. The talk was hosted by Ben Holman, and the Wichita State atheists and agnostics group. Ben and I talked for about an hour, followed by a question and answer session.

One of my goals is to help people develop a healthy relationship with the subject of violence. It is my belief that developing such a relationship, one that neither represses or makes a fetish of the subject, one that is neither, phobic or reckless – is the best approach anyone can take towards individual self-defense.

I also believe strongly that this kind of relationship can only be achieved when we tell the truth, to both ourselves, and others, about this topic. That’s what these conversations are about.

Topics covered include:

– What is the level of threat in modern day society?
– Who commits the majority of violence in today’s society?
– The vital role of maturity plays in problematic violence.
– The importance of assertiveness.
– The role fatherless homes play in the data.
– Functional self-defense for women.
– The line in the sand, and pre-need decision-making.
– The role conditioning plays in self-defense.
– Firearms and self-defense.
– Character Disordered Individuals.
– Why pacifism is immoral.
– How most home invasions occur.
– The truth about child kidnappings.
– The facts regarding the majority of gun violence in the USA.
– How to deal with mass shooters.
– How does one train for multiple attackers?
– How to deal with knives.
– The STAB program (SBG’s knife system)
– How to handle bullies.
– My first introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
– Aliveness, and what distinguishes it from Traditional Martial Arts.
– The importance of self-correcting mechanisms.
– “Street fighting” systems.
– The importance of meritocracy – when results really matter.
– Why fundamentals are defined by what’s important, not what’s first.
– Is Alive training for everyone?
– JKD Concepts fallacies.
– The SBG training epistemology.
– What about high repetition training?
– Boxing, striking, and traumatic brain injuries.
– How we belt in SBG.
– Are Traditional Martial Arts dangerous?
– Training children in the Martial Arts.

And finally, the eternal question; what do you do with Randall Tex Cobb?

I should note here that I intentionally avoided the subject of gun control. It is a topic that tends to hijack conversations quickly, and Ben and I had other things we wanted to discuss. However, for those interested in my views, it is something I will be writing about in detail in the future.

A special shout out to Chris Haueter, John Kavanagh, Karl Tanswell, Travis Davison, Ray Price, Paul Sharp, William April, Sam Harris, and Conor McGregor; all of whom are mentioned in this talk, and have helped contribute to my understanding.

– Matt Thornton