Military Salary | How much do soldiers get paid?

It's a question that many ask, but few actually know. XT46 is here to help you understand just how the military pay system works.

Currently, the military compensation system has over 70 separate types of pay and allowances, according to Military.com. -- that's a lot to keep track of, especially if you're knee deep in military training. In general, annual military pay raises are linked to the increase in civilian wages. However current laws governing annual pay raises no longer guarantee that military pay will be at automatically set above civilian average pay increases.

There are two broad categories at play here: "Pay" and "Allowance". Typically, pay is money which is based upon remuneration for employment, while allowance is money necessary for the efficient performance of duty. Generally speaking, pay is income, while allowances are reimbursements.

Given how many ranks there are in the military, it's difficult to judge just how much money a soldier makes - could be $1,600 a month for younger recruits, could be substantially more as experience racks up. But here is a military pay calculator to help you learn more.

Do you think soldiers are underpaid?

Krav Maga | Hand to Hand Combat techniques

Ever had a fellow bro buck up to you? For the sake of argument, we'll assume "Yes."

What would you do? Would you be able to defend yourself, or would the confrontation end with a shower of four-letter words and teardrops?

We wanted to share a bit about Krav Maga, a self-defense combat art developed originally in Israel. Outside Israel, Krav Maga is used by various special police, military and intelligence forces, such as American CIA, FBI, US Marshals, USAF, DEA, Federal Air Marshals, various police departments (SWAT teams), etc.

Krav Maga is known for its brutal counter attacks and efficiency.

A few examples: 
Thumbstrikes to the throat
Hammerfists to the face
Palm-heel strike to the kidneys

See the below graphic for a set of vital targets, as deemed worthy by Krav Maga.

After seeing the diagram, have some food for thought: Learn more about Krav Maga or, if you're facing someone who knows its techniques by heart, prepare for your innards to transform into the texture of squashed grapes.

Want to learn Krav Maga techniques? Check out these resources:

Combat Guide

Krav Maga wiki

Best MMA resources | Top Fighting sites

If you're like us, you're all about the bone-jarring, jaw-smashing sport of MMA. Some people might take issue with fighting , but hey, we're guys and we like a good face-smashing every fortnight or so.

Since we're a premier outfitter of mixed martial arts training gear, we wanted to share a few of our favorite MMA websites with our community.

MMA Fighting - A good news site with raw videos and photos, all surrounded by community-driven conversation.

Sherdog - A debatable choice, but you'll never find more controversy than Sherdog. Share opinions at your own risk!

MMA Junkie - A dark horse choice, but we love their play by play during live events. Thorough detail and consistent updating.

So tell us! What's your favorite MMA website?

Strange UFC Facebook post | Rashad knockout photo posted before fight

Prior to the biggest fight of his career, the UFC has -- for some reason -- posted a photo of "Suga" Rashad Evans being knocked out by Lyoto Machida. Click here to see the post.

Evans is scheduled to face Jon "Bones" Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title in less than two weeks. Not exactly the Facebook post Rashad's camp would likely want to see.

Check out the photo below.

Several fans backlashed on the post, questioning the MMA organization's motives on posting such a photo prior to a high-profile championship fight. Though no official statement has been made, the UFC post only states that it is part of "The Making of a Grudge Match."

Wonder what Rashad thinks about this? Does he even know? Might want to pass this along to your MMA buddies and see what they think.