Every month, Caitlin and Patrick will take one topic that falls in the gray area of self defense and, in their sometimes bumbling, occasionally thoughtful way, explore what it means to be on your guard.

This month we talk about CREEPS and how to discover, set up, and enforce boundaries with those you don't want getting too close.

Big thanks to Aaron Celentano for his musical composition for this episode. Check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/aaroncelentano

Changing styles for this episode! For February, we are taking one question sent to us by a listener and answering it as best we can. Have a question of your own? Email us at [email protected] or shoot us a message on Instagram at @bruisers.podcast.

It's the paradox of martial arts: learning violence to cultivate peace. But... how does that make sense? It's a question I have tried to answer before, and it's a question often posed to me by sweet old ladies who don't like seeing my poor arms bruised up from training. It seems the closer I get to my next rank, the closer I get to answering this question.

FIND US AT:

Instagram: @bruisers.podcast

https://soundcloud.com/aaroncelentano

Ryan King

https://soundcloud.com/ryan-king

I keep finding myself in situations where I want to prove my bravery and, for better or for worse, it ends in an altercation. To find out why this impulse to prove my bravery exists, I take a deep look into my past and remember my old neighbor and what he taught me about reflecting on the people we once were.

For martial artists, the enemy is in front of us... or are they? This episode of Bruisers examines what it is like to step back into a peaceful world after engaging in violence, struggling with the expectations of people wholly not a part of that other, more violent world.

Want to hear more music from the episode? Check out the links below:

Aaron Celentano

https://soundcloud.com/aaroncelentano

All Out Crash

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zkcurueTnWWzUlSvmVesQ

ZapSplat

https://www.zapsplat.com/

A gun was pulled. Tempers flared. When confronted by a very ugly side of humanity, how should the martial artist respond? When confronted by violence in its most aggressive form, is knowing how to punch and kick enough to beat evil?

https://soundcloud.com/aaroncelentano

Ryan King

https://soundcloud.com/ryan-king

ZapSplat

https://www.zapsplat.com/

Thank you for tuning in to the inaugural episode of Bruisers! A few big thank you's to Aaron Celentano, Ryan King, and the website ZapSplat.com where I acquired sound effects for this episode. Check out their work below!

https://soundcloud.com/aaroncelentano

Ryan King

https://soundcloud.com/ryan-king

ZapSplat

https://www.zapsplat.com/