Budo Blog: So, this is a thing now

Post Violence Dynamics brain dump

As I previously mentioned the Vio Dy seminar was a blast again this year. One of the reasons I go through all the work of putting something like that together every year is it always blows my mind.

So again, this blog will primarily be a brain dump of sorts to get the thoughts in my head on “paper” before I forget them. Allowing me to further develop them throughout the year.

So where to start?...

ODIN

Yeah, that is a real thing now. It has evolved from me getting grown ass folks to play G.I.Joe and Super Heroes with me in to a real brick and mortar / blood and bone entity.

We have card carrying members

We have active ongoing operations

I have a need to provide services I boasted I could accomplish.

So now I am in a place that looks a lot like – holy shit how am I going to pull this off?

Like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

First bite - What is ODIN?

• Operational

• Disciplines

• Instructional

• Network

O.D.I.N. is the code name for the world's daring, highly trained special mission force.

An independent international intelligence service

Its purpose: to develop human potential.

Recruiting and training operatives to use their inherent abilities to defend human freedom.

O.D.I.N. training can provide the means to become more than what you are

To become the hero you are meant to be

People are wired to learn through play. As we get older we get “too cool” to play anymore and learning becomes a chore. Exercise stops being fun and becomes work.

ODIN / Super hero training is a way to be active and play again.

It is a fun way to develop yourself, and help others. It is in no way an actual independent international inelegance service hiding as a training program or a game. Because that would be ridiculous.

What are our goals?

Things I have stated on this blog that am I trying to accomplish:

Re-establish physical culture in American youth
Improve the level of and availability of training for professional force users.
Help individuals become more selfactualized - who they want to be. Not so much for their personal vanity but more so for the betterment of society.

In this way you are able to perfect yourself and contribute something of value to the world. This is the final goal of Judo discipline
- Jigoro Kano
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general.”
- Mark Rippetoe

If it was easy someone else would have done it already

What is our purpose?

To do good

ODIN will provide the means to become more than what you are. To become the hero you are meant to be, so that you can be of service to others

How am I going to pull that off?

Well, I have a substantial to do list, and honestly I will need help.

What to look for in the not too distant future (also note any one with expertise in any of the following fields willing to donate said expertise any help would be appreciated)

ODIN website:

· Learn through play
· Distance learning
· Splinter Cells
· Operations

k
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Again most of this (blog) is broad strokes, throwing spaghetti at the wall type deal. Getting my ideas down so that when I talk with people that know what the hell they are doing I can explain what I would like to make happen.

Learn through play

ODIN evolved from games I played when I was in college…

See Kato Cato experiment – http://practicalbudo.blogspot.com/2010/11/kato-cato-experiment.html

And playing Ninjas and Spy Girl with my daughters. “Spy Girl” is what we called the television show Alias

The premise of ODIN is whatever name is on your driver’s license, pass port, student id etc…, that is just your cover. You are (insert cool code name here) who is actually an agent of ODIN deep undercover.

How does this work through the web site?

I would like to set up a role playing type of game of a sort. The twist being, you are the character you are playing, and the goal is to “level up” that character into who you want to be.

How much time / effort does someone spend leveling up a character in a video game or even a table top D&D type game because it is fun?

If ODIN is fun enough can that transfer to leveling up one’s self?

I am currently working on developing and coopting tests to set baseline attribute scores.

Strength
Intelligence
Dexterity
Constitution (Toughness / Heart / Game)
Wisdom (Common Sense / Life Experience)
Charisma (Social Skills)

Ideally these tests will be fun / play as well. Like the which Star Wars character are you type quiz people take on Face Book to kill time.

http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/Ukldm8Pi5Ub/Star+Wars+Character

But more like this
http://www.kevinhaw.com/add_quiz.php

Instead of data mining to sell you shit you don’t need or set you up for identity theft, these quizzes will help you get an objective look at yourself. Allowing you to see what victim profiles you may fit into, what your strengths are, and where you could use improvement.

I am also currently working on ways players can earn experience points by working on areas that need improvement.

I’d like a phone app that connects to, gains info from other apps. For example let’s say physical fitness is an area you need improvement on. My fitness pal is a great app that tracks your work outs. I’d like to be able to link that app to the game so you get so many points for working out.

Here is an advertisement for a work out game on Xbox one...
Add some fun to your fitness routine - Tired of going to the gym and repeating the same old boring workout routine? Shape Up is the game that proves working out and having fun is possible. It features unique and entertaining 90-second challenges that transform the chore of exercise into a good ol' time. You might even find yourself looking forward to your next cardio blast or circuit training session.

Something along those lines. Making training fun, a game. No matter what area you are working on improving

Also in RPG’s skills are different from attributes. What skills do you have? What skills do you want?

How do you become:

James Bond

Jack Bauer

John Wick

Batman

Operational Disciplines (Skills)

Fire Arms

Edged Weapons
Blunt weapons

Urban Survival

Wilderness Survival

Understanding Force Law

Violence Dynamics

Conflict Strategy

Avoidance

Escape / Evade

De-escalation

Fundamental Combatives

· Structure / Power Generation
· Joints Locks / Breaks
· Counter Assault
· Striking
· Take Downs
· Ground Skills
· High End Use of Force

1^st Aid

· Self Care

· Buddy Care

EVOC – Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (Driving Skills)

Scuba Diving

Flying

Sky Diving

Rappelling

Interview / Interrogation

Investigation

Asset Recruitment

Computer Skills

Code / Cipher Skills

Leadership

Operation Development

Training Development

Operational disciplines can be scary subject matter. There be dragons here.

How do you convince those that are afraid and risk averse, that risk can be enjoyed, and skills learned that will help one navigate uncertainty.

Sadly, the people that need this most tend to be the least likely people to seek it out.
The 250 lb. former linebacker gets a kick out of learning to be Jason Bourne.
However, the 120lb sophomore co-ed is the one that is on nearly every single victim profile. She is the one that needs Bourne's skills.

How do you get her to train in scary things? To face her dragons?

How do you sell the idea in the first place. That it's a good idea at all ... especially to those that are just waiting for society to become safe?
"Why should I train?, men should be trained not to rape"

Provide a safe environment to expose yourself to scary things.
Establish that what we are providing is in no way blaming the victims of crime for not having this type of training or for night fighting back.

You can have all the training in the world and you still may become a victim of crime.

I like to compare it to swimming, even the best swimmers occasionally drown.

However, in an emergency, that swim training can tip the odds in their favor.

No one calls swim lessons or competitive swimming drown victim blaming.

Everyone is afraid of the water until the learn to dog paddle.

Swimming is fun

Learning about awareness is not about being afraid or that danger lurks everywhere

A lot of people (women particularly) don't like to even consider it as it makes the world seem more threatening.

ODIN makes awareness a game, if you pretend to be a spy it isn't as scary

fake it until you make it

If you play the game enough that it becomes a habit you have ingrained operator skills

Those ingrained skills send off subtle not to be fucked with, find easier prey elsewhere vibes that pros and assholes will pick up on. Removing people from victim profiles

ODIN is fun

Be the best you. Not everyone has a need or a desire to be Batman. There are lots of very cool characters in the Batman books without whom the Bat could never exist.

Not everyone wants to be Batman so in order for ODIN to be fun for everybody, and to benefit from different skill sets and points of view ODIN (the game) has to have different character classes.

Just as every Marine is a rifleman 1^st then what ever job they are assigned, all ODIN agents will work to improve and gain new Operational Skills while benefiting society with the other skill sets they already have.

Examples of other character classes / ODIN branches may include

ODIN Scientific Branch

Scientific Branch skills may include

Research

Web Design/ Development

Game Development

App Development

Equipment Development (Q stuff)

ODIN Artistic Branch

Skills may include

Logo Design

T-shirt Design

Poster Design

Clothing Design

Watch Making

Jewelry Design

Furniture Design

Wood Working

· Training Weapons

Knife Making

As the game evolves and more people play I’m sure more character classes will develop. I want everybody willing to contribute their skills to do good to have the opportunity to do so.

[Anyone who has game playing (DM) experience and or computer skills that could help me develop this please contact me in the messages]

Distance learning

Once a month I put on Super Hero training for the Hamline University Martial Arts Club in St. Paul covering a broad spectrum of Operational Disciplines throughout the academic year.

Physical Skills

Physical Agility Testing
Structure / Power Generation
Principles of Joints Locks
Counter Assault
Principles of Striking
Biomechanics of Throwing
Fundamental Ground Movement
High End Use of Force

Academic Topics

Introduction to Operational Disciplines
State Statutes and understanding force law
Violence Dynamics 1 – Social Violence
Violence Dynamics 2 – Asocial Violence
Conflict Strategy 1 – Avoidance
Conflict Strategy 2 – Escape / Evade
Verbal skills – De-escalation
Verbal Skills deterring asocial violence

We have been having a lot of fun, we have been learning through play and I have been figuring out ways to provide elements of this experience through the website.

Video of Academic Lectures
Power Point Presentations
Self-training exercises and drills
Work outs
E-books
Lesson plans

The N in ODIN is Network right?

Batman traveled the world to train with experts in many disciplines.

On the site I would like to have at least some basic intro level material on all the Operational Disciplines previously listed.

I have tapped some guys already, and or if you are reading this and I know you have skills in a particular area expect a message / phone call soon.

I also feel this can be a great opportunity to drive business to people I know are excellent but are relatively unknown.

Which if I may say so myself is an excellent transition to…

Splinter Cells

A couple of goals / ideas I have with this

1) Those previously mentioned unknowns. This sounds arrogant as I type it but I’d like to have some sort of stamp of approval for folks I know are legit and I can confidently send people their way to learn quality skills. Like a subtle logo on their website or something.

People that know the logo will know. The uninitiated will not. Also shows those in the know that there are active agents in that area. Mission capable agents (more to follow)

...But we are initiated aren't we Bruce...

2) For folks that live nowhere near anyone listed in 1). Splinter cells can be groups of people doing the distance learning programs together. They are a way to develop study groups. These groups can then host training opportunities and we can send Instructors to them.
We can develop instructors in these areas.

Teaching

Training

Conditioning

Play

Always return to play

Part of the mission statement is to do good.

How does one go about doing that?

How is that play?

Do good

On the way to the airport with Rory Miller we had a conversation. That talk planted the seed of how I could make this happen.

We were talking about guys that dress up in Super Hero costumes. For the most part they seek out opportunities to be seen in their outfits. Halloween only comes once a year. There are only so many comic cons or free comic day events they can go to. Sometimes in order to be like heroes they will dress up and give sandwiches or first aid to the homeless.

Sometimes even pros play this game.

Helping people to be seen is one thing.

I'd like to offer another

Helping people from the shadows.

Learning through play, make helping people play, learn while helping people...without being seen

I'd like to make part of the game earning xp (and other rewards) for successful completion of altruistic operations, and developing such operations (creating opportunities for Operatives to use their skills to help others)

Good deeds done dirt cheap

The O – Team

If you need help..If you have a problem... if no one else can help... and if you can find them... maybe you can hire... The O-Team.

Ideally we will be able to set something up like the TV show "Stingray"

On the show, Ray, who lives in Southern California, devotes his time to helping those who are in trouble. His background is shadowy; all that is known about him is that he advertises surreptitiously in newspapers, ostensibly offering a "'65 black Stingray, for Barter Only To Right Party" and including a telephone number (555-7687). Those wishing to enlist his services, presumably having learned the ad’s real meaning by word of mouth, can call him for help.

Ray does not charge money for his help. Instead, he extracts a "favor" from his client in advance that the client will repay Ray in the future by performing this favor, perhaps easy, perhaps difficult, upon Ray’s request. This favor must be given by the client. The favor can involve the current case on which he is working, or a future case.

Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter's wedding day.

— Don Corleone, The Godfather

Sound Cool? I think so

I imagine something like this once we are up and running. One guy wants to earn xp designing an op. So he gets a flyer advertising volunteer services placed in the Sunday newsletter of a local church. Some grandma goes to a page on the site and fills out the request form. Or calls a number and someone else does the web stuff because computers might scare grandma. Either way the parameters of the mission are set, and we get to know some things about grandma. For the sake of explanation lets say she needs her lawn raked and tree removed. We also learn that she enjoys knitting and is part of a knitting circle that meets Thursdays from 3-5pm.

So guy goes to the website and sends out the Bat signal:
Need Operatives in the greater Minneapolis area for lawn care and tree removal next Thursday from 3-5. If special skills were required it could be listed as a requisite for participation. Also gives people with those skills an opportunity to earn points using them to help others.

So guy gets a crew of say 10 operatives. A couple of specialists with landscaping skills and equipment and some others that can handle a rake. They cut down the tree and clean up the yard and disappear like shadows.

Kagenorenmei.

Specialists earn points they can use to level up or trade to acquire new skills, say like one free class ant the next VioDy seminar.

Grandma comes home and it is a miracle, what she asked for happened.

Next week she receives a call or an email.

We require no payment. If you want to show appreciation tell others how to contact us for help. Also if you would like to help others, your knitting circle could make 30 pairs of gloves.

Guy gets points for running an op and turning an asset

Next month 30 pairs of gloves somehow show up in a warm clothing drive for the homeless.

If we do our job right only those we have helped will know we exist
We will become an urban legend