Martial Journal

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]

Introduction If you’re a martial arts nerd like me, who likes not only to train but to read about history and watch movies and all that you’ve at the very least heard about the Shaolin Monastery and the Wudang Mountains. Fiction portrays them as two distinct, opposite martial arts factions [Read More]

So, your kid wants to try martial arts! Sometimes, I wish I could give an interview to every parent that expresses interest in classes for their kids. I suppose this is because I am a martial arts instructor, and I am passionate about kids and working with them. My desire [Read More]

Last year, at the height of lockdowns, I was starved for martial arts training. Much of my time as a martial artist is already cerebral – podcast, business, etc. – but pre-pandemic, I still had physical outlets. Then… whoosh. Gone. And I was left only with the mental portion. Or, [Read More]

Discipline, hard work, integrity spring to mind when you think of martial arts. We have been inundated with images of karateka, judoka and juijiteiro fighting adversity with sweat dripping from their body, making their Gi wet from practice, diligent in their quest for perfection. I think of wrapped fingers, bloody [Read More]

As I mentioned in the introduction, before I was in Krav Maga, I started out as an athlete. Before I was a year old, I was already running, and by the age of thirteen, I was studying capoeira and playing soccer. I may have been smaller than the other kids, [Read More]

Learning to Live… Again When Steven Tyler yelled in 1976 that he was back in the proverbial saddle it was without any inclination what the year 2020 was going to have in store and how hard it would be to just jump back on in ‘21. I have heard the [Read More]

A 21st Century Instructor The world since the pandemic has changed. The very nature of martial arts instruction has changed in many aspects. When confronted with Covid-19 martial arts instructors all over the world were subjected to the ultimate test. Partner work was gone, in-person instruction was gone and that [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]

Always respects others and their decisions   “What is this guy doing?” The words are said in the privacy of my car, and do not really reach the driver of the vehicle they are aimed at. I am on my way to my regular training session when I say these [Read More]

I saw a friend at school I hadn’t seen for two years. I was so happy and excited, I couldn’t wait to hit the mat with them. “Wow, what rank are you now?” they asked.  It didn’t feel comfortable to tell them that despite stellar attendance and a lot of [Read More]

Disclaimer I am a white male living in an area of the UK that is not known for cultural diversity. I have recently had my eyes opened to the cultural impact of subversive racism. The same subversive racism that permeates most of western culture and am trying to reflect on [Read More]

Any competitive sport brings on strong emotions. In many martial arts, those emotions are compounded by the intense physicality of the sport and the fact that it puts us in positions and situations that are uncomfortable, if not painful. As competitors we no doubt have experienced a sense of self-doubt, [Read More]

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]

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]

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]

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]