{"id":5006,"date":"2017-10-11T07:22:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T14:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fightfast.com\/blog\/?p=5006"},"modified":"2021-04-01T16:25:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T16:25:16","slug":"know-mark-hatmaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fightfastvideos.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/11\/know-mark-hatmaker\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Know? - Mark Hatmaker"},"content":{"rendered":"Let's use a conversation with General George Patton and a joke about a nun and a priest to teach us a lesson about martial arts and self-protection in general.\n\nF. van Wyck Mason was a historian, a novelist, and a veteran of World Wars I and II. In the Second World War, he was appointed historian for SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force<\/em>) by Allied Commander General Eisenhower.\n\nMason was tasked with keeping tabs on all the major players of the day and to keep a documentary record of what happened, when it happened. He has many stories of cooperating and non-cooperating higher ups. Let's let Mason himself tell us a story here:\n\n\"I shall never forget my interview with the late Lieutenant General George Patton, Jr., who had started out even more hostile toward my mission than had Montgomery himself.\n\n\"Midway through my interview the General suddenly leaned over his desk and bellowed, 'You don't look much like a quill pusher, but it seems like you know something about history. Question is, how much?' The fierce white brows merged. 'Tell me, Colonel, what was the only battle that was fought between two generals world-famous at the time, who'd their best troops with 'em, who occupied exactly the terrain they'd selected and who fought the battle as they'd planned? When was it and who won?'\n\n\"To this day I don't know what turned over in my memory and prompted me to reply: 'Sir, I believe you are referring to the battle of Zama which was fought outside Carthage during the Third Punic War around 202 B.C. between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal.' I couldn't help adding, 'Guess you know that the Romans won a decisive victory!'\n\n\"'Now, by God,' roared Patton, 'that shines! Damned! If it don't.'\"\n\nColonel Mason found Patton nothing but cooperative from there on out.\n\nOn to the one about the priest who was giving a ride to a young nun back to the convent.\n
\nThe Priest feeling a little overcome, tentatively places his hand on the Nun's thigh.\n\nShe says, \"Oh, Father, please remember Luke 14:10.\"<\/em>\n\nThe Priest says, \"My apologies Sister, I don't know what came over me.\"<\/em>\n\nThey drive on a few miles more, the Priest again allows his hand to rest on her thigh.\n\nThe Nun says, \"Father, I beseech you please recall Luke 14:10.\"<\/em>\n\nThe Priest removes his hand, abject \"Of course, I am so sorry.\"<\/em>\n\nAs they are pulling up to the convent he rests that hand again on the thigh and she again recalls Luke 14:10, he apologizes yet again. She exits the vehicle, he drives home.\n\nOnce home, embarrassed at his behavior he opens his Bible to Luke 14:10 and reads \"Friend, move up to a better place.\"<\/em><\/blockquote>\nAh, if only one knew their subject matter as deeply as Colonel Mason.\n\nLet's allow the anecdote and the joke to inspect and inform our own martial thoughts.\n\nHave we ever heard any iterations of the following:\n\n\"I don't need to know groundwork; my strikes will take care of that long before it gets to the ground.\"<\/em>\n\nHmm, really? A cursory look at almost any MMA competition or security camera-footage, or thug-posted video reveals this opinion to be a bit less than wise.\n\n\"I know grappling so I don't have to learn how to strike.\"<\/em>\n\nThe flip-side of the preceding ignorance. We'll allow the late great Carlson Gracie to answer this nonsense for us: \"Punch a jiu-jitsu blackbelt in the face once and he becomes a brown belt. Punch him twice and he becomes a blue belt.\"<\/em>\n\nTry these questions...\n