Martial Arts – K.M. Fawcett, Author

Beware The Flesheater

July 24, 2021 No Comments

No, I’m not talking about zombies. I’m talking about this fierce looking combat knife called the Flesheater. It was designed by world renowned martial artist and retired USMC Master Sergeant AJ Advincula (my sensei), and custom made by knife maker Jim Hammond. It’s also the knife my alpha gladiators use in my sci-fi romance series, The Survival Race. We’re first introduced to the knife in book one, Captive: An Alien Abduction SciFi Romance, where broken-warrior Max uses it as he and his “mate,” Addy, escape from alien captivity. This 14 inch knife, with its nine inch re-curve blade, was designed for one thing: combat. And Max knows how to wield it in a fight. I own this knife (though my husband mistakenly believes it’s his, but let’s not open up that can of worms) and train with it. Let me tell you, it is one serious weapon. You can cut

The Best Martial Arts Style

April 30, 2021 No Comments

Which self-defense or martial arts style is best? I’ll answer after this little story told to me by my teacher Arcenio J. Advincula (retired USMC Master Sergeant and 1st generation student of Tatsuo Shimabuku, the founder of our style, Isshinryu). One day, after a training session, the students were enjoying a drink with Master Shimabuku. Some were drinking beer, some awamori (a distilled alcoholic drink), and some pine juice. Using this social time as an opportunity to teach, the Master asked which bottle was the best. Those drinking beer said theirs was the best. Those drinking awamori claimed theirs was the best. Those drinking pine juice said theirs was the best. The Master replied, “All bottles are good. They all serve their purpose.” Though Master Shimabuku never mentioned why he asked the question about the bottles, Sensei Advincula believes he was relating it to karate styles: that all styles of

Pandemic Greetings: What Karate & Courtesy Have to do With Covid

October 22, 2020 No Comments

I’ve seen a lot of different pandemic greetings in an effort to stop the spread of germs from handshaking. There’s waving, nodding, toe touching, the Vulcan greeting, fist bumping, and elbow touching (which I don’t understand because didn’t you just sneeze into your elbow and now you want to touch your germ-y elbow to mine? Ew!) But the greeting I like the best is bowing. Please, can we adopt the Asian custom of bowing into American culture? Here’s why I like bowing. First, there’s no touching involved which avoids sweaty palms, limp grips, and other unpleasant handshakes. It also avoids the awkward or uncomfortable hugs you’d rather not give or receive. Second, bowing is more than a greeting. It is courtesy. It is respect. It is gratitude. It is a small act that conveys great meaning. Gichin Funakoshi is known as the father of modern day karate because he brought

Improvised Weapons

September 9, 2020 No Comments

In a fight, anything can be used as a weapon. If you’ve seen a Jackie Chan movie, you’ve seen many unique improvised weapons from ladders to bicycles to jacket sleeves. Why not make your fight scene unique too? Adding a little razzle-dazzle with an improvised weapon can make an ordinary fight scene exciting and memorable. First, think about the setting of your fight scene. Make a list of what might be available in the scene to use as a weapon and then choose something interesting, something that hasn’t been done a hundred times before. If your scene is in someone’s yard, rocks and sticks can be easily found. But why not make it more interesting by having your character defend herself by smashing a clay garden gnome over the bad guy’s head? Let’s use the standard bar brawl as an example. What’s available to use as a weapon in a

Describing Fight Scenes

August 26, 2020 No Comments

Authors often ask me how specific they should be when describing fight scenes. My advice is to avoid getting too technical or the fight scene will read like a training manual. Too many details can slow down the pacing. Fights are fast and you want your action to read quickly so you can elicit an emotional response in the reader. You want readers to feel the excitement of the fight, not confusion over the words used to describe it. The terms you use will also depend on your audience. If you don’t write books filled with action-packed fight sequences, then it may be best to keep to more general fighting terms. What if you want to showcase a particular awesome move or technique in the climax, but it’s too technical to explain at that moment? Describing in detail what’s happening in a fast-paced action scene will slow down the excitement.

Would You Fight Back? And Renegade’s Release!

August 12, 2020 No Comments

I remember reading a comment from a woman about self-defense and how she felt that if attacked, she could never fight back, as she could never hurt another mother’s son. Wow. That’s a pretty noble statement. Now, she didn’t state her reasons for this. It could be her religious belief, or her moral code, or perhaps she’d recently given birth and couldn’t imagine hurting another mother’s child. I don’t know. But it did make me think. And my conclusion? Yeah…no, I could never be that noble. While I’d like to believe I have good moral principles, I know absolutely, without a doubt that if I were attacked or threatened, I’d fight back. There is no turning the other cheek for this girl. I’d punch, kick, claw, bite, poke out eyes…anything to get away. No, I’m not normally a violent person (ahem…I just write violent books) but if the situation comes

Fight Back – All Bottles Are Good

July 1, 2020 4 Comments

While giving a women’s self defense seminar at my dojo one night, a student asked me which technique was the best to stop an attacker. I said, “Whichever works!” That may not have been the answer she (or you) expected, but think about it. You’re attacked. You react. Your reaction either stops the assailant or doesn’t. If it stops your attacker, excellent! But it doesn’t, what then? Do you coil into the fetal position and fall to the ground? Hell, no! You try another technique. And another one. And another one after that. And you keep fighting until you’ve succeeded, or until you’ve breathed your last breath. The point is, no matter what techniques you use, fighting back doubles your chances of an assailant breaking off their attack. Remember, your assailant fears two things: getting caught and getting hurt. Be sure to use your voice as well as your might.

Scream, Shout, and be Heard – Kiai

June 3, 2020 No Comments

Self-defense is more than blocking and striking. It’s using our brains—common sense is the first step to self-defense—and heeding the warning when your intuition feels something is off. Is also about using VOICE. Voice is such an important weapon in self-defense that there is a name for it: Kiai (Kee-eye). You might recognize a kiai as the “hiya” from karate movies. However, it can be any word or sound that you want to make. Swearing a string of profanities counts. Same goes for shouting “Fire!” or a child yelling “Stranger, stranger, 911!” It doesn’t matter what sound you make. Just make some noise. Kiai is a spirit shout, and it has a few purposes. 1) It helps draw attention to our situation. If someone hears you scream or shout, they can intervene or call the police. Remember, an attacker doesn’t want to get caught. Drawing attention is the last thing

Make It Work! & RENEGADE Cover Reveal

April 22, 2020 No Comments

Three little words my karate Sensei A.J. Advincula says is Make it work! This means that sometimes the student must adjust a technique, principle, or concept in order to execute a technique based on individual needs. For example, someone shorter than their attacker (like me) may be better off countering an attack with groin strike rather than a strike to the throat. Why would I reach up when my target of opportunity, the groin, is closer? Adjusting, adapting, and overcoming—AKA making it work—applies in the martial arts, in life (as we’ve all been experiencing in the Covid-19 era), and in writing. One time, when Sensei Advincula stayed at our house for a long weekend of karate training, he taught us knife-fighting techniques with the Flesheater, the combat knife he designed. This awesome knife, custom made by knife maker Jim Hammond, is featured in each book in the Survival Race series

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Category: Martial Arts

Beware The Flesheater

The Best Martial Arts Style

Pandemic Greetings: What Karate & Courtesy Have to do With Covid

Improvised Weapons

Describing Fight Scenes

Would You Fight Back? And Renegade’s Release!

Fight Back – All Bottles Are Good

Scream, Shout, and be Heard – Kiai

Make It Work! & RENEGADE Cover Reveal

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