The History and the Legend Belts and sashes weren’t originally a part of Martial Arts. Like many martial art subjects, there are numerous myths and legends regarding their origin. And yes, belts are more than just something to keep your pants up and covering your tighty-not-so-whities during kata or taolu [Read More]
Icy Mike, a martial arts instructor and YouTube sensation, recently posted a meme stating, “There is no martial art that is designed for smaller people to defeat bigger people… this includes BJJ”. This is a bold statement as one of the cornerstones of martial arts training is that a smaller [Read More]
If I told you that being an expert in martial arts does not mean being an expert in self-protection, you would tell me I was crazy and list off some famous martial artists that had defended their lives in life or death situations. Or you might even point to the [Read More]
Final Round Here we are. The final round of the top ten martial arts movies of the last decade. If you haven’t, be sure to go back and check out part one and part two of this series. This time around we’re counting down the top three spots on the [Read More]
Adults in Martial Arts My article is about my Martial Arts journey which has lead me to receive many comments with different points of views and perspectives from people with all different backgrounds. We think we know best, but sometimes it’s good to take a step back and rethink [Read More]
Part 2 We’re back for round two in our countdown of the top ten martial art movies of the last decade. The first three spots were filled in part one and now part two will knockout the seven through four spots. Let’s not waste any time and jump straight into [Read More]
Best of the Best The 2010s are long gone and films like Enter the Fat Dragon and Mulan are leading the charge of martial art movies in the new decade. But before we watch any of those, we are counting down the top ten martial art movies of the 2010s. [Read More]
Building a Strong Foundation As instructors, we are working with kids a lot. Observing their movement, lack of flexibility, and lack of mobility is not good. It all starts with feet. Performing all the exercises, especially the kicks with a proper form is extremely important. If the kids stick with [Read More]
This quick routine was designed to help you relax and open your hips. After sitting at the desk and in the car for a long time, you and your hips deserve a break. We can’t be stuck in a sitting, crunched positions for long periods of time. Since we need [Read More]
Life is constantly changing. Our virtues need to keep up. Traditional martial arts’ virtue is not about clinging to the past, but learning from the wisdom from the past and adapting it to the present. Our friend, Justin Ford, told me a great quote from Matsuo Basho: “Do not seek [Read More]
Traditional Martial Arts Vs. Mixed Martial Arts Socrates wrote “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” I’m not writing this—or any—article to simply tell you that I am right and you are wrong. There is always going to be more to the story than [Read More]
Treating Martial Arts Students Like Grownups A common habit among martial arts instructors that I find to be intellectually lazy and frequently boorish is that of over-using the word “never.”. As the title of this article asserts, I think that an instructor should never say never. I can’t tell you [Read More]
Esgrima Criolla: The Fighting Art Of The Gauchos In the 17th century Argentinean Pampas of South America, “the gaucho”, (a cowboy of the South American pampas) a mixture of Creole, Indian and Spanish was born. As skilled horsemen, farmers and brave warriors, they were on the forefront of the battlefields [Read More]
Adults… What stops adults from starting a traditional martial art? There is a martial art school at every shopping center There is a Taekwondo school on every corner. Almost every shopping center has a martial arts school. The most popular are Taekwondo and Karate schools. For some reason, adults usually [Read More]
We’re Always Working On Growing And Expanding Over the past year, a lot of things have changed here. Some of those changes have been obvious, while others have been behind the scenes. For example, the Martial Arts Movie March Madness bracket was a lot of fun to do, and we [Read More]
“Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick” ~ Bruce Lee Martial Arts movies have done wonders for inspiring people of all backgrounds to take to the dojo, don uniforms and learn martial arts in hopes of being close to the [Read More]
We Are Always Growing We here at Martial Journal are always looking for ways to grow and improve. We’re martial artists, we can’t help it! Many times the growth or improvement is behind the scenes and not obvious to you, the reader. Other times, it most definitely is. This is [Read More]
Traditional Chinese Culture Under Attack? This article is how I see it. I could be wrong, but from my 30 years of training, experience living in China, and education in Chinese culture and philosophy, I have some thoughts. The CMA (Chinese Martial Art) is being upended by MMA fighter and [Read More]
And so, it ends. In all honesty, there weren’t too many surprises in here for me. You see, over the last few years, I’ve had the privilege to speak with hundreds of martial artists. All over the world, all sorts of styles. Different ages, different backgrounds. Different goals and experiences. [Read More]
Voting for Enter the Dragon vs. Ip Man will close on Monday, June 17th at 6 pm EDT. The Final Round: There Can Be Only One! So here we are. You, the readers, have read and voted us to this point. This is the last hurrah. The end of the [Read More]
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