The Top Ender Magazine June July 2022 Edition

BrothersNBooks is an online
community where followers share
their own experiences and book
reviews.
Book - The Beauty of a Darker Soul:
Overcoming Trauma Through the Power of
Human Connection by Joshua Manz.
Reviewer background - These past 6 years
as a Police Incident Commander I have
witnessed first hand the trauma a person
experiences when they tragically lose a
loved one, the trauma of person who lives
their life in fear of a Domestic Violence
perpetrator, the trauma of a person in a
Mental Health Crisis, and the trauma of
fellow colleagues dealing with the neverending
cycle of social dysfunction.
Finally, the trauma came at personal cost
that after 20 years of Operational Frontline
policing, I obtained a transfer to a nonoperational
position.
Personal health, a connection to my family
and a reconnection with estranged family
became the driving factors to make right my
previous wrongs.
The selfless good you do for complete
strangers comes at the expense of those
that love and need you the most- family.
The book - This Is a journey of finding
beauty within darkness. Joshua Mantz was
shot and killed whilst in Baghdad on
Brothers’N’Books
Your Favourite Recommended Reads
deployment for the US military, he flatlined
for 15 minutes and today he lives to tell his
remarkable story.
Mantz who experienced a long recovery
process outlines that trauma is
indiscriminate, the recovery process from
trauma is extremely discriminatory and
requires the right relationships, right timing,
right resources, right treatment modalities,
and right sequence of treatments and
trauma recovery is a lifelong journey of selfdiscovery.
He also talks of how he descended into the
depths of darkness but found a way to climb
his way against all odds.
Result - If you love a war story but one
that also has some wisdom and practical
strategies then this is for you.
I came across this book whilst searching
online for self-help books and it did not
disappoint, I recommend it for those who
have experienced trauma in their lives.
Book - The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches
You When to Quit by Seth Godin.
Reviewer Background - This little book
was recommended to me at a point where I
was uncertain about my career and personal
life. It was either to look at slogging it out in
my current career for the next 30-40 years
or taking the scary step into a new life and
profession...
Although I am not there yet, I have taken
positive action and have created momentum
in the direction of my choosing.
The book - The Dip, gave me the idea of
'when' to make a radical change in my life.
It gave me the tools to reflect and
essentially cleared the muck on the lens of
life and allowed me to see what I am
passionate about and more importantly
what I am not passionate about.
We all pour so much time, effort and 'brain
bandwidth' into endeavours that actually
detract from where we may want to head in
life.
For me, this passion needs to be redirected
into something I can influence and have
complete control over
Results - For me, it was realising that I will
never be a career military member and the
longer I stay the less time I can devote to
another pursuits and careers.
My previous profession has taught me so
much and my best relationships are with
those I have met through my career.
I use the techniques and tools that I have
been taught to approach everyday planning
and living.
I am truly grateful for this however it is time
to move on and give it my all elsewhere.
"People settle. They settle for less than they
are capable of. They settle for good enough
instead of best in the world."
"Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit
without guilt - until they commit to beating
the right Dip."
Written by CAPT Dylan Conway
6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment
Editor at BrothersNBooks
Instagram.com/Brothersnbooks
I recently had the pleasure of attending one of the
ADF sponsored RideSAFE courses, which are held
locally at our brilliant Hidden Valley circuit. I was
interested to observe how our ADF rider’s use their
brakes when they are confronted by a variety of
riding situations.These situations are setup so that
the rider can practice and
improve confidence and skills in
situations which are coached
and performed on the safe
surface of the track. Check
CAMPUS on the DPN to see
the future course dates available
for defence personnel.
It is not uncommon for riders to
have preconceptions on the braking
systems of motorcycles. Few may
have been challenged in the traffic
environment to apply their brakes,
to their best ability. This may be due
to some previous bad experiences
with the front brake, either from
some previous dirt bike riding or bicycle experiences, or a
distrust of their tyres and machine, or their own abilities. But
it is pleasing to see riders encouraged to use their machines
brakes, to their best abilities. It is not uncommon for
motorcyclists to navigate emergency situations at
intersections, where a vehicle crosses their path or visibility is
poor. A rider’s confidence with stopping in an emergency
situation will not wane if the rider practises various levels
of emergency braking on a regular basis. Muscle memory
and automated reactions will then be relied on when a
situation quickly ensues.
“After mastering the art of cornering, braking is
the second most important skill to perfect with
a lot of practice.”
Modern tyres and ABS will also assist the rider, but an
understanding of motorcycle physics will help to be a safer
rider and could save a rider’s life. When a motorcycle is
stationary or cruising on a steady throttle, there is usually an
even weight distribution between the front and rear tyres, in
a common naked style motorcycle. When you apply your
brakes effectively (front brake before rear, and after setting
up, squeeze both pedal levers progressively harder). This
previous weight distribution changes to a 70:30 ratio in
favour of the front tyre, as weight moves forward onto the
front suspension, tyre and then contact patch, in this order.
GROM
Braking habits
This increase in traction, allows the front brake to be used
with more force. The rider must keep their eyes up, grip
the tank with their knees, steer the motorcycle straight
and try not to panic. Most motorcycles, like cars, have
larger and stronger brakes on the front. This means that the
rider is primarily focused on squeezing the front brake lever,
up to a point where the ABS may detect an imminent wheel
lock-up and intervene to manage braking force. With less
weight over the rear wheel, it is not uncommon to feel the
rear brake pedal pulsing as the ABS system takes over the
role of braking force modulation. With practice the rider will
learn to ignore pedal pulse or even beat the ABS system by
threshold braking to the maximum degree of force, without
wheel lock-up. Both brakes are used as common practice
when braking on the road, and the front is often described as
the “power brake”, where the rear is known as the “stability
brake”. After mastering the art of cornering, braking is the
second most important skill to perfect with a lot of
practice.
It’s time for you to ‘brake habits’, trust your machine and
understand how to best stop your motorcycle.
Stay Safe.
Written by GROM
Community Contributor
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