Quick: what is the most important physical self-defense skill taught in martial arts? Kicking? Punching? Blocking? Is it takedown defense, now that all the wannabe tough guys watch too much UFC? Nope. In case the title didn’t give it away, it’s breakfalls. I’m here today to make the case for [Read More]
“I don’t have time to train” is something parents end up saying at some point in their martial arts and parenting journey. They have a point. Parenthood drains almost all of our personal resources. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes money. It takes focus. It takes attention. Since [Read More]
Hi all! I spent last month in London and Edinburgh with my lovely and talented wife. We were there mostly for her career, and some couples time, which left me with the time and focus to think about travel safety from the point of view of a safety professional and [Read More]
If you’re reading this about the same time I wrote it, then summer is in short supply. In just a few weeks, we’ll be sending our kids and teens back to the nearest institution of learning. That’s good in a lot of ways. Education is important. Socialization is important. Having [Read More]
There’s a lot going on in the news today, and a lot of it is scary. I’m not here to argue politics with anybody, but it’s a plain and simple fact that we’re more likely to end up in a threatening crowd today than any other time in recent history. [Read More]
As martial artists, we’ve logged thousands of hours kicking, punching, running kata, sparring, and holding stances longer than a normal mortal would consider reasonable. We’ve read dozens (if not hundreds of books) on the fine and esoteric art of dismantling another human being’s body as part of our training. But, [Read More]
I’m not here to talk about myself, but a short bio will give what I’m about to say some context. After 37 years of training, 13 years of journalism, and 21 years as a dad, I started a podcast. Safest Family on the Block is where I take that experience [Read More]
I’ve been training for nearly 40 years at this point, and have never tired of it. I love getting on the deck and learning/practicing/refining ways to ruin the day of some miscreant who intends harm on me, mine, or some bystander I can protect. Most martial artists (and most people [Read More]
This month’s post is an open letter to martial arts teachers and martial artist parents worldwide. It’s not about kickpunchery or tapping people out, but it’s about important Halloween safety things you need to know. As parents, we worry about kids’ safety on this scariest of nights — and it [Read More]
Can we talk for a minute about something that really bothers me in the martial arts? I’m going to come off super-judgy talking about this pet peeve, but that’s okay. Because this is important, or at least important to me. This is true of every self-protection concept I’ve ever come [Read More]
I’m a nerd. Jeremy’s a nerd. My favorite sparring partner is a nerd. There’s a lot of nerds in martial arts, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. I personally suspect that’s because of the following common process: Step 1: Nerdy kid gets bullied Step 2: Nerdy kid takes martial arts lessons [Read More]
There’s this old show, a Britcom called Coupling. It’s a relationship and sex comedy mostly centered around the courtship and eventual marriage of two characters. It’s a solid B+ as TV shows go, but the very final moments stick with me. The last episode of the show happens while the [Read More]
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