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]
“It’s like the side kick in Koryo!” A pair of teenage brothers were sparring in a class I was teaching, and the older one did a sliding side kick into his brother’s chest. After clobbering his younger brother, he proclaimed he was inspired to do the move from the taekwondo [Read More]
A poster sized flyer catches your eye as you walk past with the words “Martial Arts Seminar.” It prominently displays the face of that martial artist you respect and always hoped you could meet. It has a date and a time. At the bottom are the little pull tabs of [Read More]
Disclaimer: my point of reference here is traditional Taekwondo as that is my chosen art, however all martial arts are valid it all depends on which feels right to you. You’ve just earned the second hardest belt you will ever put on, the white belt. And you gained admittance into [Read More]
The over abundance of resources easily and freely available through the Internet is a double-edged sword. While it can certainly help us, when used wisely, it also has multiple disadvantages. One of the main ones being how easy it is to fall into the trap of being entitled to judge [Read More]
In the last 2 articles, I wrote about what to do BEFORE and DURING class to learn and perform like a champ. Now I’m going to share with you what to do to take what you recently did in class and embed that knowledge into your long-term memory. This [Read More]
I am often asked if learning Krav Maga will teach people how to be aggressive. “What if they start getting into fights, trying to be super-protectors?” For some reason I really do not understand, people seem to think you will come out of my classes ready to get into street [Read More]
The Style of No Style Prior to his death, Bruce Lee sought to create a martial art of limitless adaptability. He described that art, Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist), as the “style of no style.” In Lee’s conception, this meant that the practitioner was free of any [Read More]
“Oh well, that’s just the way it is! I’m getting older, everything stops working after fifty, all down hill from here…” This statement and all the variations of it, make an assumption, and that assumption is what creates a lie and makes us all accept that every year we spend [Read More]
This is the fifth in a series of six articles on things I have learned from High-Intensity Resistance Training that have influenced my approach to martial arts. If you missed the previous articles in this series, you can find them here: High Intensity Resistance Training and Martial Arts – A [Read More]
“The Octagon” (1980) ft. Chuck Norris By Jenni Nather, StaciAnne KaeLeigh Grove, and Joshua Blum Welcome to The Octagon, an action martial arts flick released in 1980, starring Chuck Norris as retired karate champion Scott James. Despite his retirement, Scott soon learns that he will need to rely on his [Read More]
This time we’re going to discuss the main long blades of Dekiti Tirsia Siradas (DTS) as well as other miscellaneous weapons. Negros Island, the home of Grandmaster Jerson “Nene” Tortal is in the Visayan region of the Philippines. That being the case, we will use the Illolngo term for the [Read More]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Research shows that one in five people in the United States is living with some kind of mental health condition, and statistics are similar in other countries. Our collective experience with the 2020 pandemic and other events has shown that everyone needs to pay [Read More]
Are weapons useful? People train in martial arts for a plethora of reasons: as a hobby, to stay fit, to learn how to fight, etc. A lot of traditional martial arts include some sort of weapons training. Some, like Filipino martial arts or Koryu (old school Japanese martial arts) focus [Read More]
My job is to teach people how to be safe. That’s how I earn a living and the central focus of my study. I know even if I won the lottery tomorrow, it’s still how I would devote my time. That doesn’t make it any easier when the world around [Read More]
Toxic Masculinity. Cancel Culture. Addiction to food, drugs, social media, etc. Martial arts training is more relevant and needed today than ever before. But not necessarily in the ways of the 70’s through the 2010s. That was the era of martial arts as a means of dominance either over another [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]
This is the fourth in a series of six articles on things I have learned from High-Intensity Resistance Training that have influenced my approach to martial arts. If you missed the previous articles in this series, you can find them here: High Intensity Resistance Training and Martial Arts – A [Read More]
Listening to What I Already Heard Even though I have been following Iain Abernethy for many years, it was my friend and great martial artist and physical therapist David Wallace who made me aware of this fundamentally important teaching of Mr. Abernethy’s. It was during this fascinating conversation with him [Read More]
Whenever we think of the Filippino martial arts, the first thing that comes to mind is the stick, one of the weapons often used. We are all acquainted with the rhythmic click click click of stick on stick. The baston normally is 28” 26” or 24” 3/4-1inch in diameter. It [Read More]
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