Podcast: The Martial Brain

The Martial Brain Podcast covers topics relating to the intersection between the martial arts, science, critical thinking, scientific skepticism, and that wacky organ that floats between our ears.

235 The Forgotten War Part 24

May 18, 2023 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

235 The Forgotten War Part 24

00:00 / 12:05

The Pulahan War Chapter 3

234 The Forgotten War Part 23

May 10, 2023 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

234 The Forgotten War Part 23

00:00 / 9:46

The Forgotten War Part 22

April 28, 2023 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

The Forgotten War Part 22

00:00 / 10:37

The Pulahan War I

The Forgotten War Part 21

December 22, 2022 / Jeff Westfall

The Forgotten War Part 20

December 13, 2022 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

The Forgotten War Part 20

00:00 / 11:17

The Conclusion of the Makario Sakay Story

The Forgotten War Part 19

November 28, 2022 / Jeff Westfall

The Forgotten War Part 18

September 25, 2021 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

The Forgotten War Part 18

00:00 / 16:56

Jeff begins the story of the Philippine Constabulary.

228 The Forgotten War Part 17

April 27, 2021 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

228 The Forgotten War Part 17

00:00 / 18:05

Jeff quotes American anti-war and pro war voices from the time of the Philippine-American War

227 The Forgotten War Part 16

March 9, 2021 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

227 The Forgotten War Part 16

00:00 / 13:17

Jeff explains why he takes the Samar Campaign personally.

226 The Forgotten War Part 15

February 24, 2021 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

226 The Forgotten War Part 15

00:00 / 17:58

Jeff describes the notorious Samar Campaign of the Philippine-American War.

225 The Forgotten War Part 14

October 29, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

225 The Forgotten War Part 14

00:00 / 17:17

American vengeance for Balangiga begins

224 The Forgotten War Part 13

September 17, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

224 The Forgotten War Part 13

00:00 / 17:25

The Balangiga Event

223 The Forgotten War Part 12

September 1, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

223 The Forgotten War Part 12

00:00 / 15:15

The Adventures of Frederick Funston

222 The Forgotten War Part 11

August 25, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

222 The Forgotten War Part 11

00:00 / 15:24

A war story, and a synopsis of things so far.

221 The Forgotten War Part 10

August 13, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

221 The Forgotten War Part 10

00:00 / 17:06

Jeff continues the saga of the Philippine-American War

220 The Forgotten War Part 9

July 21, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

220 The Forgotten War Part 9

00:00 / 17:28

Jeff continues the story of the Philippine-American War

219 The Forgotten War Part 8

June 16, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

219 The Forgotten War Part 8

00:00 / 17:02

Jeff takes a pause in his historical narrative to tell you about his personal connection to the Filipino culture through the study of its martial arts.

218 The Forgotten War Part 7

May 19, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

218 The Forgotten War Part 7

00:00 / 17:34

Jeff continues the stories within the story of how the USA and the Philippines managed to intertwine their histories.

217 The Forgotten War Part 6

May 1, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

217 The Forgotten War Part 6

00:00 / 16:17

Jeff continues the stories within the story of the historical relationship between the USA and the Philippines.

216 The Forgotten War Part 5

April 24, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

216 The Forgotten War Part 5

00:00 / 15:41

Jeff continues a deep dive into the stories within the story, the story of why the USA and the Philippines have such a close relationship.

215 The Forgotten War Part 4

April 6, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

215 The Forgotten War Part 4

00:00 / 15:47

Jeff continues his saga of how the fates of the USA and the Philippines became intertwined.

214 The Forgotten War Part 3

March 24, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

214 The Forgotten War Part 3

00:00 / 16:46

Jeff continues the story of how the USA and the Philippines developed such an interesting relationship.

Calm Down, People!

March 19, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

Calm Down, People!

00:00 / 6:43

Jeff shares some thoughts on the Novel Corona Virus pandemic.

213 The Forgotten War Part 2

March 3, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

213 The Forgotten War Part 2

00:00 / 17:41

Jeff continues the discussion of the history of the Philippine American War

212 The Forgotten War Part 1

February 17, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

212 The Forgotten War Part 1

00:00 / 12:54

Jeff talks about a war from American history of which most of us are ignorant.

211 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 2

February 8, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

211 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 2

00:00 / 14:12

Jeff continues his discussion of the choke hold.

210 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 1

January 26, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

210 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 1

00:00 / 9:32

Jeff discusses various aspects of the choke hold.

209 Inter-species Combat Part 2

January 21, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

209 Inter-species Combat Part 2

00:00 / 15:18

Jeff finishes his thoughts about “man on chimp” battle.

208 Inter-species Combat Part 1

January 14, 2020 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

208 Inter-species Combat Part 1

00:00 / 10:37

Jeff discusses man-on-chimpanzee fighting.

207 Tis the Season…to Rage Against the Dying of the Light

December 24, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

207 Tis the Season...to Rage Against the Dying of the Light

00:00 / 7:42

Jeff discusses the winter solstice, seasonal affective disorder, and holiday revelry.

206 You Can’t Force Balance

December 7, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

206 You Can't Force Balance

00:00 / 19:01

Jeff discusses the subtle nuance of homeostasis, and why most dietary supplements are unnecessary.

205 In the Darkness, a Shining Blade I Hold

November 25, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

205 In the Darkness, a Shining Blade I Hold

00:00 / 18:00

Jeff compares the cognitive discipline of Scientific Skepticism to the martial arts.

204 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.2

October 15, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

204 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.2

00:00 / 13:18

Jeff continues the story of his relationship with a pivotal person in the history of his academy.

203 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.1

September 17, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

203 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.1

00:00 / 18:12

Jeff begins a new sub-series telling the stories of important figures in the history of his academy.

202 The Intersection of Survival and Self-Expression

August 23, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

202 The Intersection of Survival and Self-Expression

00:00 / 14:22

Jeff discusses the “arts” part of the martial arts.

201 Toxic Sparring Culture

August 11, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

201 Toxic Sparring Culture

00:00 / 14:02

Jeff describes his ideas about the right and wrong way to go about sparring at your academy.

200 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 2

July 31, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

200 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 2

00:00 / 10:20

Jeff continues his discussion of the way we humans use language, especially when discussing other people who practice the martial arts.

199 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 1

July 24, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

199 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 1

00:00 / 13:56

Jeff discusses the way humans show approval and disapproval

Did You Miss Me?

July 19, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

Did You Miss Me?

00:00 / 15:00

Jeff offers lame excuses for the recent lack of new episodes.

198 Make a Note of This!

May 29, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

198 Make a Note of This!

00:00 / 12:25

Jeff discusses the importance of the simple skill of note-taking.

196 The Master Meets the Skeptic Part 1

May 10, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

196 The Master Meets the Skeptic Part 1

00:00
/

12:16

Jeff tries his hand at a satirical depiction of a day in the life of a “Chi master.”

195 Maintaining Your Martial Relevancy

April 20, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

195 Maintaining Your Martial Relevancy

00:00
/

11:17

Jeff discusses the problem for martial arts instructors of retaining their advanced students.

194 The Art of Listening

April 14, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

194 The Art of Listening

00:00
/

11:12

Jeff discusses the importance of getting out of your own head and out into the real world, in the martial arts and in life in general.

193 I’m Not As Good As I Once Was, But I’m As Good Once As I Ever Was Part 2

March 31, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

193 I'm Not As Good As I Once Was, But I'm As Good Once As I Ever Was Part 2

00:00
/

12:53

Jeff discusses the dilemma of managing pain and injury for the aging martial artist.

192 I’m Not as Good as I Once Was, but I’m as Good Once as I Ever Was! Part 1

March 26, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

192 I'm Not as Good as I Once Was, but I'm as Good Once as I Ever Was! Part 1

00:00
/

13:09

Jeff discusses what it’s like to age as a practicing martial artist.

191 Bright Lines and Blurred Lines Part 3

March 9, 2019 / Jeff Westfall

The Martial Brain

191 Bright Lines and Blurred Lines Part 3

00:00
/

12:51

Jeff discusses the extremes of human behavior in this mini-series. In this episode his topic is the phenomenon of taking the workout ethic to toxic levels.