Meditations on Violence by Sgt. Rory Miller

Read it, read it, READ IT!

I could make this the shortest review ever with the above sentence, but instead I’ll delve deeper into why Meditations on Violence: a Comparison of Martial Art Training & Real World Violence is such a must-read.

Some may read the title and assume Sgt. Miller’s work will be a diatribe against traditional martial arts, their techniques and their training. I was a little surprised when I read his advocacy of very traditional systems including things like wrist locks, and even advocating the use of kata (a favorite target of internet forum scorn among the MMA crowd). Miller makes it clear throughout his work that technique matters a lot less than preparing to the physical, mental and emotional trauma of a violent attack. It’s a condition, Miller explains, that no system can fully prepare you for.

Miller is a corrections officer with years of experience training martial arts and dealing with prisoners. He doesn’t rely solely on his own experience, however, referencing a wide array of similar books and research to build an accurate and detailed accounting of criminal violence.
 The first chapter starts with an accounting of violence and describes how they related, and often don’t relate. Violence is a big word, encompassing a lot of activity that is often very different. War fighting in a foreign country, a robbery and a man beating his wife are all very different situations, but often lumped in the singular category of violence. It’s all different. As Miller would say, being in a Judo competition will teach you as much about what it feels like to be mugged and being mugged will teach you about being in a Judo tournament.

The books goes into detail in all the factors that make up a violent encounter – the perpetrators, the environment, the context and the impact it has on the victim. Miller lets you in on all the dirty truths and nasty secrets of violence. He discusses the differences in violence for status, violence for resources and violence for the joy of the process. He even takes a detour through hostage situations.

The methods and motivations of violent individuals are described in ways that make a scary kind of sense. If you were going to rob someone, who would it be? How would you do it? You’d pick a weak victim, a location that provided you with the most advantages and attack with surprise and ferocity. The problem the victim has is not in the choice of technique or weapon, but in dealing with the inherent disadvantages of that initial assault.

Miller details all the problems the victim has to overcome, from the “chemical cocktail” of adrenaline and other fear hormones, to freezing, to mental blockages. One of the largest is the mental states and conditioning required to deal with such an overwhelming situation. Miller sends a great deal of time trying to explain the mental state, the control and the down-right indomitable will necessary to survive a violent encounter. He even goes into overcoming the mental anguish that follows a violent encounter. There’s very little the book doesn’t cover.

The really… provoking, perhaps disturbing, idea that Miller addresses is the limitations of all our martial training. The problem for me was not that training methodology would be thrown out; it was that so much more had to be added. The various forms of training can each address a certain slice of a real violent encounter, but none of them can encompass it all. Even sparring and competition, which are often equated with how a “real” fight would transpire, fail to duplicate the conditions of a violent confrontation. They can’t duplicate the surprise, or the all-out commitment, or the resistance of a mind altered by drugs or rage.

There’s so much good in this book a short description really can’t do it justice. Not only is there a wealth of knowledge in the material, but Miller supplies a generous bibliography of more reading material. I would consider is required reading for anyone that has the slightest interest in their own defense. The principles relate across situations and across disciplines – striking, grappling, knives, firearms, anything. It’s just that good.

I normally mention that my reviewed items are in the website store. This one is, of course, but it’s widely available through other sources. This book is good enough that anyone should pick up a copy from any source they prefer. Just get it and read it.