Blame Bryan Cannata.

I stole the term from him. I was a part of an American Bowie Knife study group he had assembled of some of some pretty good stabby guys. At one point during a session we were addressing using the Bowie knife in a reverse grip (tip up/edge in) and he referred to it as a “more vulgate use of the knife”. Meaning a more simple and direct manner and in that, a more violent manner.

Up until this point I had always referred to that method of unarmed combat I taught, both empty hand and grappling, as Gutter Fighting and Gutter Fighting had to go.

The issue was that no matter what I did. No matter what I said. I was always lumped into the “World War 2” conversation. Normally I wouldn’t have cared but early last year I had a rather ugly and public (one sided) falling out with someone I had considered a brother. Since I knew that he’d likely always have a presence of some sort I decided to allow myself to grow regardless of the discomfort it may have caused.

I stepped back and took an honest look at how I trained, what I personally thought was important for myself and what I was sharing with people. While everything was on the up and up I did realize that in some ways I was holding myself back. The first and most glaring was my stubborn nature. I gripped the term “Gutter Fighting” in a way that I felt like it was my responsibility to inform people of the terms true root in American culture prior to the use and popularization of the term by William E. Fairbairn.

Due to the use by Fairbairn the term “Gutter Fighting” will always be linked with World War 2 combatives and that’s just the end of it. It was a exercise in futility. Besides there are far too many frauds swimming around in those waters. I’d rather not run the risk of one day sharing a table with them.

The unarmed curriculum that I teach is derived from a few different disciplines so it was never strictly World Was 2 based. The common theme they had was that they were quick, nasty and didn’t require any sort of finesse. This was a methodology for the common man. The vulgate.

Vulgate Pugilism is just that, pugilism for the common man. The the guy who can’t afford to be in the gym doing two-a-days or even afford a few hundred dollar a month MMA/Boxing gym membership. I am for the man or woman who needs to be effective now.

My expression of self protection was never just “the World War 2 stuff”. To understand who I am you need to understand where I come from. The 1.25 square miles I called home was at one time responsible for upwards of 25% of violent crimes in the county. We were also the first area that required two officers to a patrol car. Someone telling me that I “need to flag my thumb” can eat a bag of assholes because believe me, I’ve thrown an edge of hand a time or two and due to my years training an Okinawan system I was trained to keep my thumb tucked to my hand. Guess what? It still works.

In addition to the external environment in which I was raised, I also came from a family with a “history of violence”. My father, at one time was a gang member and street fighter during the 1950’s and 1960’s. My grandfather (paternal) was an associate of Albert Anastasia’s and was even a target of Joe Gallo’s as late as the early 1970’s. Crazy Joe failed in hit task. Grandad passed of cancer almost exactly a decade after Joe was gunned down in Umberto’s Clam Bar. My great-uncle was a strong arm robber who spent many a year upstate on the Hill in Elmira, NY. He spoke frequently about how he would make sure never to die in prison he escaped custody while transferred to Bellevue for psychiatric testing. He was found that winter dead in the bed of a delivery truck. He had broken into it to seek shelter for the night.

I’ll speak more about my paternal grandfather, Rocky, at a later time. I am constantly conducting research into who he was since due to his activities not much is publicly known.

Long story short.

I am the basis for Vulgate Pugilism.

My lineage is the basis for Vulgate Pugilism.

Considering the filters a lot of the knowledge I’ve obtained over the years had already gone through the theory was proven a long time ago. I know that what I teach works.

I’ll help you get home.