Michael Miller

About Michael Miller

http://www.michaelmillerwriter.com

Michael Miller is a freelance writer, author, and international self-defense and personal protection expert holding a 5th degree black belt in American Kenpo, which is a modern street based martial art. Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing with a minor in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. He has authored several books along with numerous magazine feature articles for international magazines.

Posts by Michael Miller:

May 12 2015

The Value of Hard Work

This article is directed toward young men. Do you know what hard work is? Or what it means? Too many people nowadays don’t realize how important it is. If you expect things to get handed to you, you are in for a very difficult life. And if you have that entitled mindset, you will be severely disappointed and will waste several years of your life wondering why you haven’t been successful.

There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who say “What happened?” There are those who create the path, those who walk the path that was already paved, and those who sit around and never see a path. There is no substitute for hard work. You need to have confidence in yourself and you can’t be afraid to fail. Every failure gets you one step closer to success. Michael Jordan, the great NBA star, always said, “The reason I have been so successful is because I have failed so many times.” Don’t be afraid of failure. Have a dream, and get out there, work your butt off, and make that dream come true no matter what.

Everybody has a gift. You may not know what it is yet, but you have one. Your gift is the thing you do best with the least amount of effort. What are you passionate about? Whatever it is, get out there and work as hard as you can possibly work and do not let anybody’s opinion about you or your dream stop you. You can do anything you put your mind to. You just have to believe and keep working and working. Make sure you NEVER make excuses. They are a sign of weakness. Take responsibility for your actions and continually strive to be the best you are capable of becoming. You can do it, but you have to work your butt off to do it. Are you willing to work harder than you ever worked before to become who you want to be? That’s a question you need to seriously consider because if you aren’t willing to put in the work, you won’t get the results you are looking for.

February 27 2014

The 3 Types of Weapons in Self-Defense

By: Michael Miller

When learning self-defense it’s important to understand the three types of weapons – natural, environmental, and manmade. Keep in mind that just about anything can be used as a weapon. Also, it’s important to note that your entire body is a target, and your entire body is a weapon. Let’s briefly touch upon each category of weapons:

Natural:

Natural weapons are any part of your body that you can use as a weapon: fist, palm, fingers, elbows, knees, head, shin, foot, etc. Some natural weapons are meant for soft tissue strikes (such as eyes, throat, neck and groin), while others are better for hard tissue (such as any part of the head, kidneys and ribs). For instance, let’s talk about the fingers. They are meant for soft tissue striking, such as poking, whipping, slicing, or hooking someone in the eye, or clawing any part of the skin (preferably on the attackers face), and grabbing/squeezing the groin. Although some natural weapons, such as the fingers, are meant for soft tissue striking only, any weapon that can be used on hard tissue can also be used on soft tissue – such as the fist. You can punch someone in the jaw (hard tissue) or you could punch the groin (soft tissue). Keep in mind, however, that I don’t advise punching someone in the head or jaw, because you can easily injure your hand. It’s best to use this rule – open hand to face (jaw, ear, nose, eyes), punch to the body (ribs, kidneys, solar plexus), and kick the legs (knees, side of leg). Keep in mind you can obviously kick the body or the groin. I don’t advise head kicks – too risky and not that practical.

Environmental:

Environmental weapons are anything in your natural environment you could use as a weapon. This could include a car door, rock, brick, rake, picture frame, telephone, fork, shoe, chair, pool stick, hot coffee (throw it in the attacker’s face), book, belt, pencil, screw driver, tire iron, crow bar, keys, stick, pile of dirt (thrown at the attacker’s eyes), etc. You must also understand environmental awareness, and you must exercise this at every moment. Environmental awareness means knowing what’s in you, on you, and around you at all times. What is IN you means your mood. How are you feeling? If you are upset, angry, depressed, or sick, it will affect they way you respond. What is ON you means what you are wearing. Do you have rings on? Earrings? Flip flops? Cockroach killers? Tight jeans? A neck tie? Knowing what is around you is just that – the people who are present (knowing exactly where all people in your immediate surroundings are), the things that are around you (buildings, vehicles, trees, etc.), the terrain (pavement, grass, ice, etc.), the weather (sunny and hot, rainy, snowy, etc.), the time of day (night, dark – day, light), etc. The more aware you are, the better you will be and the easier it will be to spot a threat before it escalates.

Manmade:
These are the kind of weapons everybody thinks about when somebody says “weapon” such as knives, guns, grenades, missile launchers, etc. They were manmade and their purpose was to be used as a weapon. People could argue that a hammer is manmade so it should be in the manmade category. It’s not in that category, because the intent of a hammer is to pound in a nail. The intent was not for it to be a weapon. That is why a hammer would be an environmental weapon. The most common manmade weapons one could be faced with in a self-defense situation are knives and guns, however. As for guns, primarily pistols are what you would be faced with. The reality is that you need to do anything and everything you can to escape without fighting. If you try to be a hero, you will be dead. It’s that simple. Don’t mess around. I strongly suggest getting some self-defense training from a qualified expert (I don’t mean any martial arts instructor – many of them couldn’t fight if their lives depended on it. I mean a real self-defense expert. Many martial arts instructors don’t have a clue about reality. They can teach you how to win a trophy and that is about it. There are those martial arts instructors out there who actually know how to teach you what’s real, so do your research and if you have any questions e-mail me at michael.miller@millersdojo.com).

July 6 2013

What to do if you’re thinking about getting a tattoo

By Mike Miller

First of all, I strongly encourage you not to get one if you are not at least eighteen years old. This doesn’t mean that you can’t, but you may regret it later on in life. If you aren’t eighteen or older you will need the permission of a parent, however and good luck convincing mom and dad. I remember when I was in high school on the wrestling team when most of the members of the team got a tattoo on the side of their calf. I wanted to fit in, but I decided not to get one, thank God. Back then I was into the Tasmanian devil, and I’m not sure why. So guess what I planned on getting tattooed on my calf? I am lucky that I made the right decision because today that thing would probably look like a drunken Sasquatch.

I got my first tattoo (actually two of them – one on the side of each calf ironically) when I was twenty three years old. Now at the ripe age of thirty four I have ten of those pieces of art permanently a part of my everyday life. I am not the same person I was when I was twenty three. I had a different mindset back then, a different perspective of life, and a different attitude. I have matured a lot since then and have experienced much more. With that said, there are at least three of my tattoos that I wouldn’t have gotten if I could do it over. It’s not that I don’t like them; it’s just that I would have gotten something else, or gotten them in different places.

If you have your heart set on getting a tattoo please follow this advice. Think long and hard about what you want to get. You don’t want to be the guy at a pool party in his forties with his shirt off sporting a squirrel on his left shoulder that used to be Alvin the chipmunk. You may have loved the chipmunks growing up, but you will certainly be the humor of the pool party amongst your friends because of the poor decision you made when you were sixteen. Also, think about where you want to get the tattoo – especially if you are young, have a professional career, or are planning on having a professional career. If you are a salesman for a multi-million dollar company you probably shouldn’t get a pinup girl on your neck. If you are fresh out of college getting ready to interview to start a career it would be wise to avoid getting a spider tattooed on your hand. Also, research the tattoo artists of your area to make sure you get a good one. Not all tattoo artists are good, and not all are professional.

Remember, if you are unsure, don’t get one. If you are sure, make sure it’s something that has meaning to you and always will. It’s not wise to get your girlfriend’s name tattooed across your back, because you may not be with her forever. I always tell people to avoid names unless it’s your children. That is fine because they will always be your children. Some people have gotten their pet’s names as well, which is fine if you are that much of an animal lover. Lastly, check over the work just before getting tattooed. This is vital. There have been times where people got miss-spelled tattoos because they didn’t pay attention to the detail.

July 5 2013

Five Things not to do on a First Date

By Michael Miller

We are men. Even if we happen to be young men, we are still men. We generally spend a lot of time thinking about women. Most of us have been on at least a handful of first dates. The excitement of going out with a beautiful woman, the anxiety of hoping we impress her, the ambivalent feelings about what to do or what to say.

The time comes and our heart pounds ferociously as the jitters take over. We try to play in our mind how to act. Should we attempt to hold her hand? Should we talk about ourselves to try to impress her? Many questions just like these sprint through our mind. Well, this article is going to tell you five things that you should never, ever do on a first date. If you don’t do any of these the odds of getting a second date with your gorgeous princess will significantly increase.

1) Don’t talk about past relationships

This is a big turn off. She doesn’t want to hear about how much of an idiot Lindsay was, how controlling Debbie was, or how jealous Michelle was. She certainly doesn’t want to hear about the good times you had with Amber, how nice Mary’s boobs were, or how good of a kisser Brittany was. Do not talk about any ex during this first date – PERIOD.

2) Don’t be negative

No female is interested in a guy who complains about everything. Be positive, relaxed, and enjoy your conversations with her. She isn’t going to be impressed with you talking about how much you hate your job, how your brother irritates you, and why the President of the United States is an idiot. If you’ve had a really bad week, which happens, reschedule your date.

3) Don’t talk about yourself too much

Women want to know that a man cares about what she has to say. You need to listen more than you talk and ask appropriate questions about her. Stay engaged and talk about yourself only when she asks you direct questions about yourself. Even then, stay humble.

4) Don’t text message

On a first date, she should get all of your attention. It is completely rude to be texting your friends during a first date. Turn your phone to vibrate and resist the urge to check your text messages during the date. If you feel you need to check, just in case of emergency, excuse yourself first or go to the bathroom and do it there.

5) Don’t talk about sex

If she’s a classy gal, she won’t want to hear about your favorite position, the porno you watched last night, how great you are in the sack, how many times you’d like to “do it” per week, or how you enjoy tongue rings. The date should be about getting to know her better, but not in that way.

June 2 2013

Chuck Norris Vs. Bruce Lee

I remember being around ten year’s old watching martial arts movies with my best friend Marc. He was a huge Bruce Lee fan, and I idolized Chuck Norris. We used to argue all the time about who would have won in a “real” fight. I say “would have” because this was in 1990 and Bruce died in 1973. Who would have thought that I’d find that answer out years later from those who knew both of these gentlemen?

Many people base their opinion about these two martial arts icons off of the movie Return of the Dragon where they fought each other at the end of the movie, and Bruce ended up killing Chuck. Because of that movie some people feel Bruce was superior. They forget that it was only a movie. Bruce was abnormally gifted. He was a little guy at 5’7” and 146 pounds who hit like a heavyweight and was arguably the fastest striker this planet has ever seen. He certainly was nobody to mess with, but neither was Chuck. Chuck was the first American to ever receive a black belt in a Korean style (Tae Kwon Do), which was an amazing feat.

Bruce was phenomenal and certainly the most iconic person in martial arts history, and he has done the most for the industry in my opinion. Joe Lewis, the greatest heavyweight kickboxer of all time (and one of my instructors) trained with Bruce many times. Joe was a world champion Karate fighter before he even met Bruce. Bruce asked him to become a student under him. Joe liked what Bruce had to offer so he did. He learned from Bruce for around two years. There have been times where Bruce took credit for Joe Lewis’s success. Joe was already a champion before he started training with Bruce. Joe mentioned in an article one time that the image of Bruce was much different than the reality of Bruce. He never fought in the ring, but many of those who knew him say he would have done well. He was phenomenal, but he never proved himself the way Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace have. “Bruce was not a fighter,” Lewis said in one interview. “He was an actor and a teacher. He was a great teacher.”

According to Chuck Norris, he and Bruce “sparred.” If you are not familiar with that term, it simply means that they fought each other in a friendly fashion outside of a sanctioned tournament or match. Usually you go about 80 percent or so and if you daze your sparring partner you back off and let him regroup. In a real bout you go 100 percent, and if you daze him, you do whatever you can to finish him within the context of the rules.

Bruce never believed in high kicks. Chuck was a black belt in a Korean style (known for high kicking) and he educated Bruce that if he learned to kick high it would make his lower kicks a lot better. Bruce ended up loving high kicks after that. During the sparring session Chuck got the best of Bruce and kept hitting him with a certain kick. Bruce got frustrated and said, “You keep kicking me. How can I stop you from doing that?” Chuck replied with, “You could move.” The old adage, “The best defense is to not be there” comes into play here, which means that if someone is firing a punch or kick at you, just simply moving out of the line of fire is the best response.

My professional opinion comes from three of my instructors who actually knew Bruce Lee and worked out with him (Joe Lewis and two others). My one instructor did very well against Bruce. The other instructor actually sparred Bruce, and then ended up fighting Chuck in a tournament. I remember one day I was with this instructor and a commercial came on that Chuck Norris was in. He looked at the television and said, “He kicked my ass.” Then he proceeded to say that Chuck Norris would have ruined Bruce Lee in a fight. This instructor said that when he sparred Bruce it was a pretty even match. Bruce caught him with a good punch and then he kicked Bruce right in the balls and dropped him. He then said when he fought Chuck, it wasn’t pretty. Chuck kicked his butt. By the way, this instructor of mine is certainly no slouch. He was one of Elvis Presley’s bodyguards.

So, according to a man who fought both of them, Chuck Norris would have beaten the tar out of Bruce Lee. Some others will disagree, but what really matters is that both of these fine men have done more for the martial arts industry than anybody else (primarily because of their movies) and both have learned from each other. With all that being said, let us never forget that Chuck Norris was an only child…eventually.