What’s In A Name? That which we call Taekwondo

August 9, 2021 Donivan Blair 0

Taekwondo is translated as “the art of kicking and punching.” But what is that exactly? Yes, the translation is from the Korean language but wouldn’t ALL martial arts fit in this category? Agree with me or not, it’s just an opinion/observation. Forward all hate mail to doni@keepittoyourself.com. For the past [Read More]

time to rest and relax

Take A Load Off Your Fanny

August 6, 2021 Donivan Blair 2

I met a guy once (no, it’s not THAT kind of article) at a bookstore (see?). He was a cashier at my favorite haunt in Dallas, Half Price Books. I had been perusing the martial arts section in my latest attempt to get on up, get into it and get [Read More]

Video

My Krav Maga Journey

August 3, 2021 Raz Chen 1

Krav Maga can be boiled down to a few key concepts. One of them is that we must live outside our comfort zone. I was never someone who enjoyed writing as a hobby, and suddenly, I’m committing to writing an article a month here at Martial Journal as well as [Read More]

Is The Grass Greener?

August 2, 2021 Donivan Blair 0

As a kid I spent hours drawing with crayons, tongue out of the side my mouth in thought, left hand cranking out masterpiece. My brain couldn’t count as high as the 48 colors in the box but I took a crack at using everyone one of the options offered on [Read More]

Top 5 Martial Art Skills For Parents

Top 5 Martial Arts Skills for Parents

July 27, 2021 Jason Brick 0

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]

Knowing Why We Train

July 21, 2021 Dane Manson 2

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching   Why do you train? This is a question often asked of us as martial artists, and I believe it is one of the hardest questions [Read More]

The Art Of Overcoming Limitations

The Art Of Overcoming Limitations

July 5, 2021 Francis Cordon 2

“That’s not fair!” I can remember my friend’s words echoing in my ears. We had been sparring, full contact. No matter how we started, we tended to get in a clinch and I felt him pushing me back. My body told me, intuitively, to pull back, to go with that [Read More]

Living In The Now Like The Bamboo

The Art Of Living In The Now

June 9, 2021 Francis Cordon 2

“Relax!” As I strive to punch my teacher in the face — at his insistence, mind you — I not only find myself unable, but somehow my body ends up turned away from him, unable to reach him, while he is facing me and punching me twice on the chin. [Read More]

Training for Reality Part 5: Games

May 14, 2021 James McCann 0

Having spent the better part of the last twenty years focusing my training on reality, what would really work outside a take-away on a Saturday night, what would really work in a traffic jam if the driver in front gets out of his car and tries to drag me from [Read More]

Training for Reality Part 4: Numbers

May 13, 2021 James McCann 0

As well as having spent more than a few hours in gyms and dojos, in rings and on the mats (starting at age 8 with an interest in Aikido, and sampling to different extents Boxing, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Muay Thai kickboxing, Catch Wrestling, Japanese Jujitsu, Goshinkwai Combat, and MMA, [Read More]

Training for Reality Part 1: Aggression

May 12, 2021 James McCann 0

Let me pre-empt this article by first letting you know that the system I teach in my club is Reality Based Urban Defence. We train for go not show. No sport, just street. I am a certified Instructor in the Real Combat System of self-defence as created and developed by [Read More]

Training for Reality Part 3: Techniques

May 12, 2021 James McCann 0

Let me again remind you that the system I teach in my club is Reality Based Urban Defence. We train for go, not show. No sport, just street. Since becoming a certified Instructor in the Real Combat System of self-defence several years ago, I have sought out as much training [Read More]

Training for Reality Part 2: Clothing

May 11, 2021 James McCann 0

As mentioned in my previous article (Training for Reality Part 1: Aggression), my writing comes not from the fantasy-world of a Hollywood screenwriter, nor from the rampant imagination of a teenage boy who has played too many computer games. Rather, my experience has been first-hand, working both with and against [Read More]

Impact of the Internet on Martial Arts

Impact of the Internet on Martial Arts

May 7, 2021 Jeremy Lesniak 0

Communication is at the root of everything. Whether it’s written, or verbal, or demonstrated. As martial artists, every bit of what we know was communicated to us, at some point, by some person. As the internet has grown and taken hold it’s made an impact on everything that we do [Read More]