Picture taken from an IRT Archery Seminar!
…..Okay I am a firm believer that everyone should know how to hunt even if you do not do it regularly. This would include hunting with bows, crossbows, shotgun and rifle and yes anything else. Why am I a firm believer in hunting as a part of martial science. Well first off it is an essential skill that has been passed down from our fore fathers. Now this skill set once was a mandatory skill set for anyone living on the fringes of society. Now however, we can all purchase our food so easily that it is less a requirement to know how to hunt for everyday living. Still what makes hunting relevant to a modern person moving along the martial path? Well there are certain skill sets that one develops when hunting that will help you in dealing with a violent assault or in protecting your family during a dangerous time. One of the easiest and most readily recognizable skill sets would be that hunter’s by nature are not squeamish people. They are in general practical people who have seen blood shed and are not shocked by it. This is very important, a very, very important trait to have during a violent encounter. Hunting also imparts quite a few skill sets that can be handy whether you are a civilian, law enforcement or military personnel. Some of these skills or wood craft that hunters learn are spotting prey’s movement, luring in prey, silent movement, camouflage, breath control before a shot, game trail awareness, gut feeling, etc. (so many more) All of these skill sets translate well for law enforcement officer’s and yes military and civilian applications. If someone breaks into your house you may not want them to know where you are and yet you may have to move quietly. You may also need to be able to pick up where they are at based off movement. You will also need to have an idea of when to move and when to stay put and use camouflage. These are just some of the civilian applications that readily come to mind. For law enforcement officers and military you can readily see correlations. (yes it is that easy) Some of the finest martial artists I personally have ever worked with also were hunters. They were and are pragmatic martial practitioners who bring the same effectiveness to their system of choice that they have when they are out in the woods hunting. Many of them are also current or former military or law enforcement officers. Even if you do not want to hunt regularly you owe it to yourself to get out once in a while and do some hunting. These are still important skill sets for every martial practitioner!
See You Out In The Woods!
copyright Instinctive Response Training LLC 2008
Brian R. VanCise
Note: This Blog is opinion only and Instinctive Response Training LLC nor Brian R. VanCise is responsible for any third party actions taken.
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