He strips us of dangerous illusions about the stand-up game and delivers unpopular messages directly and in a playful way minimizing resistance to making peace with certain realities like the urban myth that groin strikes end fights. He invites people to put his teachings to the test.

As a clinical psychologist I loved his discussion of the essential need for confidence and explanation of the central role of psychological armor in achieving functionality and adapting to what is coming at you. Similarly, Rodney defined and described the core concept of “self-efficacy” without resorting to unnecessary psychobabble.

The fact that the Crazy Monkey system is in demand within typically closed communities like law-enforcement, military, special forces, and security professionals speaks volumes.

Rodney is crazy like a fox and getting invitations from luminaries in relevant psychology, performance coaching in all aspects of life, as he refines his understanding of developing embodied warriors.

It is pretty uncommon to come across a man with his background and credentials to just present his stuff without arrogance. Gotta like this man.

Really, how could anything be less controversial than grounding martial arts training—effectiveness and excellence—in balance ?

Life is about moving through the world with effectiveness and excellence or walking in balance as indigenous peoples describe.

Rodney King’s martial arts philosophy is simple, direct, and profound. Whether coaching people on or off the mat Rodney embodies the “martial arts of everyday life” or “full contact living”.

I think I first read this on the Art of Manliness blog, a great site, by the way, for all kinds of quality material.

I very much like how you’ve described the process and value of physical expression…here manifesting as combative arts. Controlling and harnessing one’s brute force is absolutely essential for anyone who considers himself as, or who trains toward, being a warrior/protector. Otherwise – and all traditional (particularly indigenous) cultures knew this – a man runs the risk of losing control of his power, his abilities, because of ego, and then, instead of being a protector, he becomes a danger. Sadly, the latter is indeed the obvious consequence we see the world over today.

From another angle, while the boy is taught through experience to control his own aggressive power, the female (such as my daughter) is taught (through fighting with me in a way that no one gets hurt) to tap into and own her (culturally denied) aggressive instincts. So while she needs to develop her abilities, males need to learn to contain and properly theirs.

Rodney, at the risk of going on and on about the quality of CMD, I’ll conclude by stating that any combative enthusiast/trainer who reads (and quotes from) Robert Moore and Robert Bly is my kind of friend!

All good wishes,

robert