Anarchist Publishes Detailed Guide for Building Leftist Martial Arts and Community Defense Programs
Executive Summary
A well-known anarchist martial arts instructor, writing as Sweet Science and Savage Art, has released an in-depth manual aimed at helping leftist organisers establish and expand martial arts and community defense programs. The publication outlines political, cultural, and logistical foundations, with the stated aim of matching or surpassing the far-right’s organised violence capabilities through disciplined, scalable, and ideologically aligned training networks.
Key Judgments
Key Judgment 1
The guide is designed to serve as a replicable blueprint for creating militant, politically aligned martial arts programs that can be adapted to varying local threat environments.
Evidence: The 40,000+ word manual details attendance models, space selection, gear acquisition, training curricula, and expansion strategies for establishing sustainable programs.
Key Judgment 2
Political culture and inclusivity are treated as mission-critical, with the guide framing martial arts as a collective practice rooted in anti-oppression values rather than individual self-defense.
Evidence: The author emphasises diverse leadership, clear anti-racist and anti-sexist standards, and building group cohesion before intensive training begins.
Key Judgment 3
The manual promotes operational security and long-term network building, encouraging trained participants to establish additional programs in other cities to form a mutually supportive infrastructure.
Evidence: Sections on “force multiplication” and “regional coordination” outline methods for scaling programs into interconnected defense networks capable of hosting joint training, competitions, and mobilisation.
Analysis
The release of this manual marks one of the most comprehensive open-source attempts to codify militant training for leftist communities. While martial arts instruction has long existed in activist spaces, Sweet Science and Savage Art’s approach integrates physical skill development with explicit political alignment, operational security, and movement-building strategies. The result is a hybrid of combat sports methodology and community organising theory.
The author frames the manual as a response to what they characterise as the far-right’s growing physical preparedness, citing its use of firearms culture, martial arts clubs, and organised street confrontations. In contrast, the guide positions leftist martial arts programs as spaces to develop fighting capability while cultivating solidarity, discipline, and anti-oppression values. The manual’s recommended curricula cover striking, grappling, weapons defense, scenario training, and “dirty” fighting techniques, explicitly tailored to unpredictable, high-risk environments.
From a security perspective, the document’s attention to attendance models—ranging from fully open to tightly closed—suggests awareness of infiltration risks and political policing. The emphasis on replication and regional networking indicates a strategic aim to create durable, translocal capabilities rather than isolated gyms. If implemented as described, these programs could increase the operational readiness of militant leftist formations, especially in urban centres with active far-right mobilisation.
