Tag Archives: martial arts equipment

Munio Self Defense Keychain is a GREAT Martial Arts Product

Munio Self Defense is Great Martial Arts Equipment!

Munio means ‘I defend,’ and it is the next great martial arts tool designed specifically for self defense.

kubotan self defenseThis is my personal favorite! Click on the picture and you’ll get taken to the store and can choose from LOTS of models!

Once every year or so somebody asks me to do a review, of a book or a martial arts product, and I get very picky. I’m not about to put my name on something just for the heck of it, or to get a free sample, or whatever.

That said, when the honorable and never to be maligned Phil Ventrello pointed to one of my blogs and said that he had a product that was in the spirit of that blog, and would I be interested in reviewing his ‘Munio,’ I jumped at the chance. The product he was talking about, you see, was a self defense key chain, and I have carried one for decades.

I have hung my keys on a Kubotan for a lo-o-ong time, and I have been kicked out of more airports and hospitals than you can shake a keychain at. Simply, I hate being told by those TSA gropers that I have to go back to my car, take my keys off, and then come back.

I mean, what? I’m going to hijack an airplane, or kidnap a kidney patient, using something that looks like a blunt pencil?

Furthermore, I often work late at night. I need a Kubotan, and I am serious about my protecting Mrs. Case’s son’s body.

Phil sent me two of the Munio self defense keychains, and I am glad he did. I tested one, and figured if it didn’t pass my test then I could throw the second one away. And, if it did pass the test, I had a brand, fresh, spanking new one to slip my keys on.

What is the Al Case Munio self defense key chain test? Heh heh! It is fun.

First I went out to the garage and picked up a hammer. Then, using martial arts skills honed over near a half a century, I bashed the holy crud out of the thing.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Aw, no dents.

So I turned it sideways and bashed it some more.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

What? Still no dents?

Then I put it in the vise and hit it sideways, trying to break it in half, or at least bend it a little.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Darn! Still no dents! In fact, the thing looked like new! So not only did it pass my test, but now I had two keychains that look brand, fresh, spanking new!

Okay, that was the physical part of it all. Lots of fun, but there are some things to consider about this Munio thing.

The card that comes with it says it is legal in all states, and is TSA acceptable. Perfect!

Made of unbreakable polycarbonate. Yup. Al Case tested and vouched for.

No risk of electrical shock or chemical discharge. Sounds funny, but this is important. What this is referring to are the liabilities of using a stun gun, or some sort of pepper spray.

I am not a fan of stun guns. Zap some guy with a heart condition and you will be supporting your local undertaker.

And with pepper spray you have to get it out, aim it, and then it isn’t always effective. When I use a big, old spray can for bugs or paint I always miss with the first shot.

Furthermore, consider the bulkiness or awkwardness of stun guns and pepper spray, and the Munio comes out a clear winner. This key chain is svelte, cool looking (I selected the ‘dragon’ model for my personal favorite), and easy to carry.

Okay, those are the real considerations you have to take into account when using something like the Munio Self Defense tool. But what about the other things that aren’t mentioned?

For instance, how does it compare to a Kubotan?

Mind you, I have carried a Kubotan for more than 20 years, and I swear by them.

First, the Munio is slightly shorter. But do you need a long keychain?

No. Because the Munio is fitted to your fist.

Will it hit as hard as the Kubotan?

It will hit harder, because it has a smaller impact surface area.

The only area the Kubotan is better in is the grab art aspect. But, I have to tell you, being able to do grab arts with a Kubotan does take a certain amount of practice and knowledge. And, to tell you the truth, even with all my experience, if somebody comes up on me late at night while I am fumbling with my keychain…I’m basically a hack and stab kind of guy. I believe in inflicting as much pain as possible, and walking away or calling the cops or whatever. And that, my friends, is why I am putting my name on a recommendation for this product.

The Munio Martial Arts Self Defense Keychain: slicker looking than a painting by Dali, tougher than Chuck Norris’s chin, and the latest and greatest when it comes to fun and neat Martial Arts Self Defense.

About the author: Al Case began martial arts in 1967. He became a writer for the martial arts magazines in 1981, and had his own column in Inside Karate. He is the inventor of Matrixing and Neutronics, and he can be contacted through his website…MonsterMartialArts.com.

The Munio Self Defense Keychain can be found at http://www.munioselfdefense.com. Check it out!

Best Martial Arts Equipment for the Money!

Here’s Some Wild Martial Arts Equipment!

You guys may think that this is a tongue in check article on getting the best martial arts equipment, but it isn’t. I have personally tried the methods here, and they are top notch body calisthenic methods.

First, I tried cinderblocks. I didn’t want to dig holes and sink poles for the Plum Flower Fist, which is a form of Praying Mantis Gung Fu. This was great. Jumping up down gave me strength, as well improving my balance.

martial arts equipment

Yeah, baby!

From there I look for other things to use for martial arts equipment.

Tires were great. I learned to use tires originally for swinging a wooden sword. Took a lot of strength and control to make the tire turn and bounce the way you wanted it to. So I grabbed nine of them, arranged them in a simple grid of three by three, and started walking the circle, Pa Kua Chang style. This was odd, hard to ground through the springiness of the tires. but, you often learn more from what doesnt’ work than what does, so I moved on.

My my next experiment in Martial Arts Training Equipment.I put four by fours on edge and practiced forms on them. This was interesting, and taken directly from Ton Toi Northern Shaolin Gung Fu. Ton Toi means springy legs, and I learned all sorts of things about balance while springing from beam to beam.

And, I tried doing forms on top of fences. It was wild. Trying to spin and move, six feet above the ground, without falling al-l-l the way down! I don’t know how much I got out of this martial arts equipment, but if was fun!

And, in between these things I tried hanging balls from the rafters, punching tennis balls at a wall, and other sorts of things. But my next big foray into martial arts equipment was at the old Los Angeles Zoo.

The old zoo, now sort of gone, or at least redone into a picnic area, was a mess of cages and bounders strewn about in the cages to give the animals some sort of sense of nature. So I worked out in cages…lions and tiger and me…oh my!

And I learned a lot! I especially grew in arm strength. Having to hang on to the side of a cage, or going across the top monkey style, built up a lot of strength in the arms. Trying to do kicks while so perched was especially educated. You get a whole new appreciation for how the hip joints work.

Now, last in my martial arts equipment were trees. At the Los Angeles zoo there were all sorts of low hanging trees. I could walk on the trunks of some of them, climb to joints, and generally swing around and do all sorts of stuff. The interesting thing about this was that I could practice sinking my weight.

One of the places I got this idea from, aside from my experiences in the cages, was a fellow wrote an article where he had to hang from a tree limb for an hour a day for a few months before the master would teach him.

Well, having done a little hanging myself, I can definitely attest to the benefits in the arms and shoulders. It stretches them out and gives truth to the old saying, ‘A long muscle is a strong muscle.’

Now, that about does it except for one thing…all of the equipment I used cost nothing. That’s right, I didn’t have to spend any money at my martial arts equipment suppliers, and I got a better work out than some big nautilus machine could ever give!

Here’s a good article with no martial arts exercise equipment. Here’s the Monkey Boxing Course itself.