The creator of the game recently reached out to me and informed me that there is now a Spear and Katana 2!! You can imagine my great joy at hearing this. And, having played, let me tell you – it’s quite good.

The game has been expanded quite a bit from the original. Now you have the option of creating your own character with attributes and weapons of your choice. You can choose different kinds of levels to engage in, and different methods for upgrading your character. All in all, this sequel is even more engaging and time-sucking than the original.

Be warned though – if you die too many times, your journey will be over. Think you can handle it!?

Many thanks to Jiri for making and sharing his games. For more, visit him at ThunderBird Animations.

For those of you not paying constant attention to the activities of Steven Seagal, shame on you. You SHOULD know that he has been working on a new series called Lawman, aired on A&E. In the series Seagal reveals that he has been an official deputy for Jefferson Perish Louisiana for the past 20 years. In between making martial arts movies he serves as a real life cop hitting the streets.

The series is set to focus on Seagal and the Jefferson Perish crew taking on bad guys ala COPS. When they aren’t on patrol Seagal takes the time to help fellow officers in learning shooting, combat, tactics, etc.

Is Your Interest Piqued?

I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t Seagal a bit on the old and fluffy side for this kind of work? He doesn’t think so, and it seems like his police brethren are willing to hang on for the ride. If you’d like to see the first two episodes for yourself, the magic of the internet will provide:

A&E did the smart thing and posted the episodes online. They must have realized that the viral value of a show like this is going to be significant, and online chatter is what makes shows like this and Deadliest Warrior a success.

The first episode, The Way of the Gun, focuses on Seagal’s shooting capabilities and (of course) some street busts. The second episode, The Deadly Hand, shows Seagal running the officers through some basic Aikido and then (you guessed it) some street busts.

Impressions

It’s a surreal experience watching this show. Anybody who follows Seagal knows he has a bit of an ego trip going on, and while he is indeed skilled at aikido, he excessively takes on the ‘master’ role. As I was watching I could tell the other cops humored him for the sake of the show.

That being said, Seagal does show off real skill from time to time. His shooting is undeniably good and his aikido is still effective. One thing I noticed, and was disappointed by, was that he never seems to run during chases. Seagal-Running is a classic part of his movies, but his larger self doesn’t seem too up for it anymore. Through clever camera work it seems like he is in the thick of every arrest though.

When I first started watching Lawman, it felt weird. I wasn’t used to what I was seeing. By the end of the second episode however I actually started getting into the groove of it…a little. I think I could stay tuned for a few more episodes to see where they go with this. I would like it if they deemphasized the “busts” because that is where things seemed most forced. Forced drama, forced Seagal-activity, forced Seagal-advice, etc. His cutaways in helping the officers I thought were more genuine and interesting.

Bonus! Games!

A&E gets another high five from me. They included a game on their website called ‘Firearms Qualification‘ that puts you in the hot seat (watch the first episode and it’ll make sense). Hold on to your hats because it’s actually kinda fun.

You go through three rounds of slick shooting and try to accrue a high score. Each round relates to events in the first Lawman episode.

I tried it out three times and got a high score of 108 (which makes me a Zen Master under Seagal Ryu shooting). Think you can top me? OHH we shall see.

The book is based off of Neil’s training and experience in real life self defense. He takes a pragmatic approach to analyzing violence and how we as law abiding citizens can best prepare ourselves.

Topics

Neil starts at the beginning, as it were, and works his way through both basic and complex pieces of street violence. Here is a rough break down of some of the key aspects of the book:

• Self Defense and the Law. The early chapters focus on defining what self defense actually is and how it relates to the law. This is one of the most important areas of study for martial artists as their ability to inflict damage can cause repercussions.
• Attitude, Awareness, Action. Neil explores what he calls the three A’s. These A’s are what he considers to be the most important aspects of analyzing and handling a violent situation.
• Fear and Confrontation. Using personal experience as a guide, Neil explains the role of fear in the human mind and how it can be used as a positive tool instead of negative.
• The Fence. Geoff Thompson, a leader in self defense instruction, has come up with a concept called The Fence. It is a concept that I really believe in, and so does Neil. He explains how to apply it in real life.
• Self Defense Strategies and Techniques. This book isn’t about a long list of specific techniques. However, there are a few key strategies and techniques outlined that are useful in a number of situations. They focus on simplicity and effectiveness.
• Weapon Scenarios. As much as we’d all like combat to be hand-to-hand and even, things tend to work out differently. Neil describes the likelihood of weapon scenarios and how to prepare yourself for the shock of such an event.
• Post Combat Complications. Rarely talked about are the mental effects on a person after a fight. This part of the book helps you to understand what you might expect and how to handle yourself should police get involved.

Analysis

I definitely enjoyed this book. Neil didn’t get bogged down in a slew of what-if scenarios and techniques. A common problem, especially for traditional stylists, is the in-dojo tendency to practice lots of different techniques in a very controlled environment. This often leads, as Neil points out, to a false sense of security and confidence in ability. Neil’s approach instead explains the unavoidable differences between training and real life, and how to best maximize your training and mindset for real confrontation.

I enjoyed the concrete examples Neil used to illustrate his points. He didn’t rely on hypotheticals, and instead used experience and first/second hand accounts of violent incidences. He establishes good credibility which allows the reader to open up to the concepts he explains.

One thing I thought the book could have used was pictures or more significant structuring to break up the content. The luxury of creating an e-book is that you aren’t bound by the strict standards of old-school books. Pictures and captions could have helped to illustrate some of the concepts he was talking about. Along the same lines, a table of contents at the beginning would have made for easier reference when going back to reread specific sections.

Those are small potatoes though in the broader context of the book. The length was very digestable and the ideas inside were all well researched and valuable.

I would recommend this e-book (it’s free, just sign up for his mailing list) to anyone who feels like they could use a little brush up on street self defense concepts. And if you don’t feel like you could use a little more knowledge, you definitely need to go over and get it.