Martial Journal

“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]

One of the Boys I started learning Karate when I was about 11 years old. Little did I realize that my martial arts journey would impact my understanding of being a woman. I wanted to do what my brothers did. It was important to me to hold my own amongst [Read More]

“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]

“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]

The Nature of the Job Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has always been my best tool as a bouncer. “If she lets go of you, will you calm down?” Our head of security was reasoning with an intoxicated female patron. I was in the process of ejecting her from the bar in [Read More]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Big Heart An overlooked aspect in martial arts is to have a big heart. And nothing strengthens a big heart like giving without expectation of benefit in return. In martial culture, there are basic codes of ethics that we all live by, or at least need to in order to [Read More]

The Dojo, where everyone knows your name     As martial artists, we often forget about the magic of a dojo. A dojo is a place for people to come, push their limits, and test their resolve. Through that creating a bond with people they won’t ever forget. Those of [Read More]

Do You Know What You Did Wrong? I had just lost my first fight. My coach approached me and asked “Do you know what you did wrong?” “Everything,” I answered, hanging my head. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the loves of my life, but also one of my main [Read More]