Sphere of Influence: An Approach to Self-Defense

This book reads like someone who has been doing this for several decades. It is very technical and sophisticated material. His passion for the arts shined through in each chapter I read.
--Grandmaster Isaiah Gathings, author of The Book of Six Tenets: Martial Arts and Life, Soo Do Thai Instructor

It’s essential to be aware of your surroundings and know how to protect yourself. In Sphere of Influence: An Approach to Self-Defense, M.D. Holden discusses martial arts systems including Wing Chun and Shim Gum Do, to help you disable an attacker before a situation becomes more dangerous.

By discussing sparring, hand-to-hand combat, and Wing Chun’s relation to edged weapons, and stressing the importance of constant vigilance, M.D. Holden offers readers who are already well-versed in martial arts a well-rounded introduction to his approach to self-defense.

M.D. Holden was a Wing Chun practitioner and martial artist of eleven years. He took his own life in August of 2015 at the age of twenty-seven. This book serves to honor his life and his life’s work.

M. D. Holden (Miles Dylan Godshall Holden) was born in Old Zionsville, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous articles on self-defense and Wing Chun, a form of Chinese self-defense. This book is a compilation of his writings. Miles experimented with techniques and studied Wing Chun and martial arts for ten years, and became an instructor himself. He also studied Shim Gum Do and received his high school diploma from Tinicum Art and Science, a Zen-based private school in Ottsville, Pennsylvania which focused on mindfulness in all things. He was a certified EMT, driven to help those around him. In August of 2015, Miles took his own life at age 27. However, he has left behind a brief legacy of love, kindness, caring, and humor which is clearly present in his writing. Miles's unique personality and his own "sphere of influence" on those around him will never be forgotten.