User:Nate1481/sandbox/Elmore

Primary sources

Phil Elmore is a technical writer, columnist, and freelance author based in the United States. He writes a weekly technology column for WorldNetDaily. One of Paladin Press' writers and a regular contributor to a number of online and print publications, Elmore is probably best known for his online magazine The Martialist. While he did not coin or define the term martialism, he promotes it actively as what he characterizes as a "philosophy of dynamic, assertive living," adherents to which "possess and use" a "combative mindset" that constitutes "a mental outlook that accepts the reality of violence and leaves [the martialist] aware and prepared for it." This interpretation of the term, which Elmore further admits has been characterized as an attitude of "total aggression", has yet to gain mainstream acceptance. As there is no universal standard whereby self-defense opinions themselves can be judged to have achieved similar acceptance, whether Phil Elmore's work should be accepted by the martial arts community at large remains a matter of heated debate at many discussion forums on the internet.

Beliefs
Elmore has described himself publicly as an Objectivist and is an outspoken opponent of pacifism. Elmore's opinions about self-protection and associated politics are controversial. For example, he has claimed that Mixed Martial Arts are not primarily self-defense training, that those on the political left and those who support gun control cannot truly practice martial arts in a self-defense context or legitimately be considered martial artists, that criminal profiling does not violate civil rights, and that the United States Army's FM 3-25.150 field manual is not appropriate as a hand-to-hand manual for combat troops.

Martial arts experience
Thanks in part to controversy over his opinions, Elmore is a frequent topic of discussion at online martial arts forums and boards. As a martial arts personality, he has been criticized for lacking instructor-level ranking (a black belt or equivalent in any recognized martial art), military training, or law enforcement experience. How, his critics ask, can one presume to speak with authority on the martial arts and self-defense without these credentials? Elmore has responded publicly to this criticism by stating that he has never had nor claimed to have had such credentials. He and his adherents consider this documentation irrelevant to practical, pragmatic self-defense instruction.

According to Elmore, he has attended a series of schools and studied under several different teachers (both traditional and nontraditional) in the course of what he describes as "a decade and a half in the martial arts". Elmore studies two recognized martial arts: Liu Seong Gung Fu and Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do. He has publicly claimed no rank in Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do either, but on on 23 March 2009, Elmore announced that he had received the rank of black belt in Liu Seong Gung Fu.

Self-defense instruction
Whether Phil Elmore should be recognized and classified as a self-defense instructor is unclear according to Elmore's own statements. Until recently he has said that he has no official credentials supporting status as an instructor, but he speaks extensively online and in print on self-defense topics. His websites contain considerable martial arts and self-defense advice, commentary, editorial opinions, and what arguably constitutes instruction, but this is disclaimed as being for "entertainment purposes only". His book Shorthand Empty Hand is described as a "curriculum", which implies instruction, but the book is similarly disclaimed. Elmore is recognized by no known martial governing organization, but the membership of and participation at his e-zine's online discussion forum implies a following of some kind.

Published work
Elmore's work includes self-published fiction and non-fiction, online and print periodicals as well as material published by Paladin Press

Books

 * Demon Lord (ISBN 1-59113-338-6)
 * Shorthand Empty Hand (ISBN 1-59113-721-7)
 * Warriors: On Living with Courage, Discipline, and Honor (ISBN 1-58160-454-8)
 * Flashlight Fighting (ISBN 1-58160-502-1)
 * Mechanical War (ISBN 1-59113-944-9)
 * Street Sword: Practical Use of the Long Blade (ISBN 1-58160-598-6)

Periodical contributions

 * Concealed Carry Magazine
 * The Journal of Modern Combatives
 * The Electronic Journal of Martial Arts and Sciences
 * Filipino Martial Arts Digest