Martial Journal

Although known primarily as a blade/weapon art Dekiti Tirsia has numerous empty-hand techniques that it can call upon in an instant for use in self-defense situations. The Philippines is located right at the juxtaposition of many Asian/Southeast Asian countries that each have a unique martial art. There has always been [Read More]

I know that TV has very little to do with reality, but sometimes, stupidity hits a new low. One of my students showed me a clip from an old TV show, “Prodigal Son.”  In one episode, one of the villains was an evil Krav Maga instructor, who beat up students [Read More]

In part one of this series, I talk about Kung Fu Hustle and its martial arts that come from the real world. In this second part, I’ll try to cover all of the fictional styles and their respective origins in kung fu films and literature. This second post will have [Read More]

If you want to get your body ready for martial arts, the best warm-up is one in which you move how you’re going to move during class. This might seem like common sense, but sadly you will sometimes find in life that common sense is NOT so common. (Maybe they [Read More]

A couple of months ago, I received a spirited message from Martial Journal writer Elke Weiss–she had just finished an incredible Krav Maga class led by a young instructor who greatly impressed her and who she knew would have many more great thoughts they could share on website. With that [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]

Most systems of Kali have a set of strikes to various target locations on the body, I have heard of systems with as little 2 basic angles of attacks, and as many as 64 angles of attack, Today we will be focused on the 12 basic strikes of Dekiti Tirsia [Read More]

I always begin my posts with a brief intro phrase like “if you haven’t seen this, where have you been”, and this one is no exception. Kung Fu Hustle (功夫, Gōng Fū) is a 2004 film by Stephen Chow. Kung Fu Hustle is a martial arts comedy unlike any other [Read More]

Around 2018 I became fascinated with cults. I binged as much content as I could find: articles, podcasts, documentaries, books, etc. At first, it seemed like a harmless passing interest. About nine months into that year, after months of vacillating between misery and denial, I finally admitted to myself that [Read More]

Wait a minute. Did he really just say martial arts don’t boost self-esteem? Is this dude insane or something? Maybe so, but that isn’t why I made that statement. The reason I say martial arts don’t boost self-esteem boils down to one thing: definitions. There are two terms that many [Read More]

Let’s start at the very beginning The first thing we learn in DTS Kali is our 12 basic strikes, much the same as you would basic strikes or kicks in any style of martial arts. The proper motion is tag to the students to be reviewed time and time again. [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 are many ways to peel an onion. As you do, you go deeper until you get to the very core. This is the way all martial arts are meant to be taught and learned. I will focus today (as I always do) on Kali. Even more specifically, Dekiti Tirsia [Read More]

This is one martial arts training tip that many of us already know. However, knowing that we should ignore the latest shiny object and actually doing it are two different things. In this day and age of information overload, it can be difficult to remember. Even the most basic truths [Read More]