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Jeff describes the history of Lysenkoism and the dangers of allowing ideology to trump evidence.
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120 First Allegiance
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Jeff discusses the dangers of tribalism in martial arts academies.
119 There’s a Box There for a Reason!
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Jeff discusses the payoffs and pitfalls of marching to the beat of a different drummer.
118 Looking for Sensei Right
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Jeff discusses the pitfalls of dating at the martial arts academy.
117 Easter Eggs and Rabbit Holes
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Jeff discusses the various ways instructors build a lesson plan or a curriculum, and the ways the quirky human brain can corrupt the process.
116 The Red-Headed Step-child of Striking
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Jeff discusses his personal history with kicking below the belt, and it’s parallel history in the last few decades of the martial arts in the US.
115 The Beast With Two Backs?
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Jeff discusses the importance of recognizing and seizing the mutual center of gravity in the clinch.
114 Nerd Up!
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Jeff discusses the dangers of the recurring logical fallacy of anti-intellectualism.
113 It’s a Natural Fact
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This is an encore posting of episode 21. Jeff discusses the logical fallacy called “the appeal to nature,” how it applies to the martial arts, and the pitfalls of claiming that what is “natural” is better.
112 Oh, How We Danced
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Jeff discusses the various uses of footwork in the martial arts, and why you need to learn them.
111 You Say Placebo and I Say Nocebo
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Jeff discusses the “placebo effect” and whether a single session of martial arts training has magical healing properties.
110 You Are Not the Punisher
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Jeff discusses the ethical and legal dangers of following sport martial arts protocols in self defense.
109 A Study in Studies
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Jeff discusses the importance of understanding the variety of quality of various scientific studies for martial artists and the general public.
108 The Punching Order
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Jeff discusses the existence of primitive behavior among martial arts sparring partners.
107 This Technique Always Works…Well Except for When it Didn’t.
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In this encore of “The Martial Brain” #35 Jeff discusses confirmation bias and how it crops up among martial artists.
106 The Tao of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do
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Jeff discusses the creation of the book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” and the controversy surrounding it.
105 Battling Bartitsu Babes
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Jeff describes the history of an obscure martial art and its connection to the women’s suffrage movement.
104 Fortune’s Fool
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Jeff reveals to his poor listeners that luck is an illusion.
103 The Low Hanging Fruit
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Jeff explains why the pseudoscience known as homeopathy is among the easiest targets for skeptics in the world of woo woo.
102 The Strange Tale of Howard Bone Part 2
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Jeff continues the story of his friendship with an old carnival fighter.
101 The Strange Tale of Howard Bone Part 1
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Jeff tells the story of Howard Bone, an old friend who fought in the ring for carnivals.
100 The 100th Episode Extravaganza!
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Jeff celebrates his 100th episode by explaining the insignificance of the number 100.
99 Dueling Concepts
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Jeff discusses what happens when the right way to practice one martial art collides with the right way to practice a different martial art.
98 Lesson Planning and Helmuth Von Moltke
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Jeff discusses the importance of developing the capacity for careful planning combined with skill at improvisation; both in the martial arts and in life.
97 She Blinded Me With Scienciness!
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Jeff discusses the concept of ‘scienciness’ and how it is used to take advantage of the scientifically illiterate, including in the martial arts.
96 Everything Good Came From Us!
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Hyper-diffusionism is the misguided idea that ALL the world’s important cultural achievements, indeed all the world’s CULTURES came from a single particularly superior civilization and then diffused out to the rest of the world.
95 Martial Arts Literacy
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Jeff draws comparisons between ‘scientific literacy’ and what he terms ‘martial arts literacy.’
94 A Potpourri of Fallacies
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Jeff discusses several logical fallacies, including one that is peculiar to the martial arts.
93 Age is Relative, and Boy do I Have Some Old Relatives!
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Jeff discusses the human propensity for thinking in absolute rather than relative terms.
92 Whoa, Mule!
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Jeff discusses the importance of slowing down your movements in training.
91 Made Ya Look!
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Jeff discusses the training in and use of deception and faking in the martial arts.
90 What is the Secret to Good Comedy?
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Jeff discusses the importance of the attribute of timing in the martial arts, comedy, and in history.
89 Go With the Flow
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Jeff discusses the amazing interlocking, reciprocal flow drills of the Filipino martial arts.
88 Courage is Easy, Discipline is Hard
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Jeff draws a comparison between two attributes often associated with the martial arts.
87 The Power of Doubt Part 3
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Jeff concludes his three-part discussion of skepticism as it applies both to the martial arts and to life.
86 The Power of Doubt Part 2
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Jeff continues his three part treatment of skepticism, both in the martial arts and in the rest of life. In this episode he discusses how we know what we know.
85 The Power of Doubt Part 1
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Skepticism is a lifelong search for the truth through the learning and use of critical thinking skills and the scientific method, COMBINED with a profound sense of humility through the realization that the very instrument you are using to help pursue the truth, your imperfect brain, is plagued with weaknesses that litter the path to truth like landmines.
84 Stupid Chi Tricks Revealed Part 2
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Jeff deconstructs the old ‘chi’ demonstration of ‘the UN-bendable elbow.’
83 The Big Student Bias
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Jeff discusses the biases inflicted on large people who train in the martial arts.
82 Child’s Play
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Jeff discusses the pitfalls of seeking martial arts instruction for very young children.
81 One or Two Degrees of Dan Inosanto Part 4
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Jeff concludes his discussion of all the amazing people whose paths have crossed with that of his teacher, Dan Inosanto.
80 One or Two Degrees of Dan Inosanto Part 3
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Jeff continues his description of the amazing people who his teacher has taught, been taught by, or known.
79 One or Two Degrees of Dan Inosanto Part 2
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Jeff continues his description of the phenomenal people whose lives have intersected that of his teacher.
78 One or Two Degrees of Dan Inosanto Part 1
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Jeff discusses the many phenomenal people who have touched the life of his teacher and mentor, Dan Inosanto.
77 My Sensei is Better Than Your Sensei!
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Jeff discusses the ubiquitous phenomenon of martial arts politics.
76 Howdy Pardner!
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Jeff discusses hints for becoming a better martial arts training partner.
75 There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Sample
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Jeff discusses the pros and cons of martial arts sports competition, and the importance of understanding sample size when analyzing and interpreting data.
74 Weird Tales of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy 3
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Jeff relates a new set of stories of quirky characters he has encountered in this career teaching the martial arts.
73 Oh No! Not the Cruel Sensei!
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Jeff discusses the variety of personalities and teaching styles among martial arts instructors.