News and Updates:

Added an article to the member area on the Dragon mettle drill, the super-secret set of 8 self-defense chokes so dangerous we restrict access. Join the Campfire Crew and you can read the article today!
Beginner session starts on 7/1/26. Studies show that people want to start new activities with other beginners rather than being thrown into programs with more experienced folks. So, toward that end, the in-person club here in Richmond, VA is going to a quarterly sign-up model. If you’re in RVA, sign up here. Classes every Tues and Thurs from 6 - 7 PM at 8600 Lakefront Dr., Henrico, VA 23294.
Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #500: Mission: bothersome?

When I was in school, everybody hated writing assignments. I did too — at first. But by the time I was in high school, I was the only one in my class who enjoyed them.

So I imagine there are people in our programs who aren’t happy when they find out that journaling is mandatory in all Heritage Arts programs.

Why?

Because, thanks to pioneers like Ira Progoff, James Pennebaker, and Kay Adams, we have over fifty years of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of journaling for personal growth, healing of trauma, and improvement of general mental health. There are even physical benefits, including improved memory, reduced blood pressure, improved mood, and self-reported well-being.

Our findings are that maintaining a handwritten journal that includes notes about what you learned through your HRnT training sessions, as well as entries about other life events, shifts your mind-body-spirit self-improvement into a gear you didn’t even know you had. It sharpens your thinking, forces you to stop from time to time and analyze what you are doing, focuses your attention, orients you in the world, and more.

The old-timers didn’t need research or modern findings to know this. They knew by experience and by example. Journaling was more the norm than the exception for our forebears — just ask famous folks like Franklin, Emerson, Thoreau, Kafka, Wilde, Shelley, Woolfe, and a thousand others.

Maybe you haven’t heard, but there’s a new and improved abomination that has come to steal away your focus, critical thinking, memory, and mood — and maybe even your job! It’s called AI. Journaling is a great way to buck the trend, save your brain, and set an example for the rest oof the planet who seem to be puffing on the AI crackpipe like nobody’s business.

We’re so sure that you’ll benefit from journaling that, instead of running away or giving up, we’re doubling down on the potentially bothersome requirement of journaling. Heads up: you’re going to start seeing guided, targeted journaling assignments show up in our weekly mettle makers

Want more American Rough ‘n’ Tumble goodness? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

Sacred Reading for Trinity sunday 5/31/26

Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages!

...

Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages! ...

Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Click here for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.