The Martial Brain

By Jeff Westfall

What's The Martial Brain about?

The Martial Brain Podcast explores the intersection between the martial arts, scientific skepticism, critical thinking, and that wacky organ that floats between our ears. It is part of Jeff Westfall's effort to help lift the martial arts out of the quagmire of hundreds of years of magical thinking and misconception.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Martial Brain episodes:

05.18.2023
235 The Forgotten War Part 24
Remember the words of Voltaire who said "anyone who can convince you of absurdities can get you to commit atrocities."
05.10.2023
234 The Forgotten War Part 23
The Pulahans arose from a specific cauldron of local grievances, traditional values, and foreign interference that so often gives rise to millennial movements.
04.28.2023
The Forgotten War Part 22
The story of the Pulahan War is a sad tale of exploitation visited on the poorest of the poor Filipinos, leading them down the rabbit hole of fanaticism .
12.23.2022
The Forgotten War Part 21
The stories of these six regiments extend beyond the war in the Philippines.
12.13.2022
The Forgotten War Part 20
"I want to tell you that we are not bandits as the Americans have accused. but members of the revolutionary force that defended our mother country, the Philippines!"
11.28.2022
The Forgotten War Part 19
On May 6,1903, Makario Sakay proclaimed himself El Presidente Supremo of the "Tagolog Republic of the Philippines."
09.25.2021
The Forgotten War Part 18
The very idea of arming Filipinos and turning them loose in the countryside was utterly abhorrent to the American military brass.
04.27.2021
228 The Forgotten War Part 17
"These people are right and we are wrong...terribly wrong!"
03.09.2021
227 The Forgotten War Part 16
I hold Waller's actions in Samar as reprehensible, as egregious abuses of his constitutional privileges as a a military commander.
02.24.2021
226 The Forgotten War Part 15
In the meantime, General Smith's combined Brigade was following his orders to turn Samar into a "howling wilderness."
10.29.2020
225 The Forgotten War Part 14
As the now infamous town of Balangiga burned behind him, Capt. Bookmiller famously quoted the book of Hosea: "They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind!"
09.17.2020
224 The Forgotten War Part 13
No matter what you call it, the event at Balangiga was the worst defeat of American troops since the Battle of the Little Big Horn!
09.01.2020
223 The Forgotten War Part 12
Funston, four other Americans, and a renegade Spaniard would pose as POWs in the "custody" of a group of Macabebe Scouts in captured Insurrecto uniforms.
08.25.2020
222 The Forgotten War Part 11
"To see nine men, the officers in their drawers and the privates naked, cross such a stream by such means, and drive off an entrenched force not less than ten times their number, in broad daylight, where their number must...
08.13.2020
221 The Forgotten War Part 10
I find the story of David Fagen fascinating. We seldom rationally depict such figures in history.
07.21.2020
220 The Forgotten War Part 9
The leaders of the Philippine independence movement had tremendous admiration for the American founding fathers and the government they wrought!
06.16.2020
219 The Forgotten War Part 8
The depth and breadth, the sheer comprehensiveness of Filipino martial technology stands as a shining example, a tribute to defiance in the face of tyranny and oppression!
05.19.2020
218 The Forgotten War Part 7
But it turns out that the Filipino people didn't WANT themselves and their property to be the property of the United States!
05.01.2020
217 The Forgotten War Part 6
On June 12, 1898, the Filipino rebels officially declared independence from Spain, in a document that, ironically, in light of what was to come, drew elements from the American Declaration of Independence.
04.24.2020
216 The Forgotten War Part 5
Pershing was an instructor at West Point when the war broke out, and quickly sought to rejoin his old unit, the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry.
04.06.2020
215 The Forgotten War Part 4
In order to get to Santiago, his troops would need to get past the fortified San Juan Heights on its outskirts, which loomed across their path like a fortified roadblock.
03.24.2020
214 The Forgotten War Part 3
The history of the world in the upcoming decade would have played out quite differently if Teddy Roosevelt had perished on that hot June day in the Cuban jungle!
03.19.2020
Calm Down, People!
If there's one thing that can be learned from human history, it's that there is no crisis so bad that it cannot be made worse by our tendency to engage in over-emotional, "monkeys in shoes" behavior!
03.03.2020
213 The Forgotten War Part 2
When you picture a scene from the old west in which the cavalry comes charging to the rescue, in reality at least ten percent of the time those "boys in blue"...were black!
02.17.2020
212 The Forgotten War Part 1
The epic story of the relationship between the USA and the Philippines started in war a little over a century ago.
02.08.2020
211 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 2
Despite the fact that ethical jiujitsu players shouldn't SEEK to render their opponent unconscious, it's not at all uncommon for unintended "choke-outs" to occur.
01.26.2020
210 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 1
It's almost like taking out an opponent with Mr. Spock's Vulcan nerve pinch!
01.21.2020
209 Inter-species Combat Part 2
The myth that chimpanzees are 3 to 5 times stronger than humans stems from a poorly done study that was done nearly a century ago.
01.14.2020
208 Inter-species Combat Part 1
The Roman practice of pitting humans against animals in the arena not only slaked the blood-lust of cheering crowds, it also appealed to the human obsession with hierarchical organization; in particular seeking evidence to help answer who and what would...
12.24.2019
207 Tis the Season…to Rage Against the Dying of the Light
How deeply frightening must if have been to people who had no idea that they lived on a giant sphere spinning in space as it also orbits around the sun, spinning on an axis that is tilted relative to the...
12.07.2019
206 You Can’t Force Balance
So, of course, before the science was more thoroughly understood the supplement industry promptly built the bandwagon and then enthusiastically jumped on it; producing, selling, and heavily advertising antioxidant supplements.
11.25.2019
205 In the Darkness, a Shining Blade I Hold
If you would like to be "that person" who always seems to have a thoughtful, logical point of view in any discussion, who doesn't easily fall prey to scams and pseudo-science, who doesn't allow the primitive parts of his brain...
10.15.2019
204 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.2
I had been forced to endure the presence of bullies for much of my young life; I would be damned if I was going to add to macho martial culture by producing martial arts bullies through my teaching!
09.17.2019
203 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.1
When I contemplate what a dark place my mind was inhabiting prior to Dave's visit, it's perfectly possible that he saved my life that night.
08.23.2019
202 The Intersection of Survival and Self-Expression
The study of the martial arts lies precisely at the intersection of the worlds of survival and self-expression.
08.11.2019
201 Toxic Sparring Culture
When sparring is done badly it's at the very least a poor use of training time, is probably very frightening, dangerous as hell, and really painful to watch.
07.31.2019
200 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 2
If such a student leaves the academy before being "certified" by his instructor, and then starts his own academy many people will label him as "illegitimate." A martial arts "bastard," if you will.
07.24.2019
199 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 1
Here's a thought...Is it a stretch to substitute the word "competent" for the word "authentic" when referring to a martial artist?
07.19.2019
Did You Miss Me?
Did I mention that I have new shoulders?
05.29.2019
198 Make a Note of This!
In a preliterate world if you wanted to remember something you had to do just that, REMEMBER it!
05.19.2019
197 The Master Meets the Skeptic Part 2
There is a significant fraction of humanity that really wants magic to be real, and will perform impressive mental gymnastics of rationalization and confirmation bias in order to satisfy that desire.
05.10.2019
196 The Master Meets the Skeptic Part 1
Please keep in mind that these are the words of a fictional character, not mine.
04.20.2019
195 Maintaining Your Martial Relevancy
If you run a martial arts academy, keep in mind that it's more productive to think in terms of business and science instead of the kind of personal politics that is a tired artifact left over from our heritage as...
04.14.2019
194 The Art of Listening
Many budding martial artists pay only enough attention to their opponents to know where they are, and maybe if they are trying to do something right this second that you, as their adversary, don't want them to do.
03.31.2019
193 I’m Not As Good As I Once Was, But I’m As Good Once As I Ever Was Part 2
My fascination, indeed my QUEST, is to hit the sweet spot in this equation as many times as possible from now until I die.
03.26.2019
192 I’m Not as Good as I Once Was, but I’m as Good Once as I Ever Was! Part 1
If one more "twenty-something" says to me that "age is just a number" or "you're as young as you feel" I'm going to hit them with my cane!
03.09.2019
191 Bright Lines and Blurred Lines Part 3
Isn't it ironic that exercising a lot can make you weaker?
03.02.2019
190 Bright Lines and Blurred Lines 2
Most of us are aware of the martial arts movie trope of the hero or villain who is supremely, indeed magically aware of his surroundings at all times.
02.24.2019
189 Bright Lines/Blurred Lines Part 1
Is it possible to become too detail-oriented? It can be if it causes you to lose sight of the bigger picture.
02.12.2019
188 The Brain is the Deadliest Organ
While the natural weapons of your body like your fists, shins, elbows, and knees can be quite formidable; without the brain to run things they are only parts to memorize for an anatomy test.

What's The Martial Brain about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Martial Brain episodes:

235 The Forgotten War Part 24

234 The Forgotten War Part 23

The Forgotten War Part 22

The Forgotten War Part 21

The Forgotten War Part 20

The Forgotten War Part 19

The Forgotten War Part 18

228 The Forgotten War Part 17

227 The Forgotten War Part 16

226 The Forgotten War Part 15

225 The Forgotten War Part 14

224 The Forgotten War Part 13

223 The Forgotten War Part 12

222 The Forgotten War Part 11

221 The Forgotten War Part 10

220 The Forgotten War Part 9

219 The Forgotten War Part 8

218 The Forgotten War Part 7

217 The Forgotten War Part 6

216 The Forgotten War Part 5

215 The Forgotten War Part 4

214 The Forgotten War Part 3

Calm Down, People!

213 The Forgotten War Part 2

212 The Forgotten War Part 1

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

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

209 Inter-species Combat Part 2

208 Inter-species Combat Part 1

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

206 You Can’t Force Balance

205 In the Darkness, a Shining Blade I Hold

204 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.2

203 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.1

202 The Intersection of Survival and Self-Expression

201 Toxic Sparring Culture

200 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 2

199 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 1

Did You Miss Me?

198 Make a Note of This!

197 The Master Meets the Skeptic Part 2

196 The Master Meets the Skeptic Part 1

195 Maintaining Your Martial Relevancy

194 The Art of Listening

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

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

191 Bright Lines and Blurred Lines Part 3

190 Bright Lines and Blurred Lines 2

189 Bright Lines/Blurred Lines Part 1

188 The Brain is the Deadliest Organ