Almost every teacher and coach I’ve ever had has been more concerned with having power over their students and being admired for their expertise than with building rapport and trust with their students. The small minority of teachers who weren’t like this were by far the best teachers I’ve ever had. Why? Because [...]
There is tremendous value in not quitting when things get tough. But “tough” for one person is not necessarily equivalent to “tough” for another. For some, pushing through might mean overcoming low motivation or inertia. For others, not quitting might be impossible given their environment and life circumstances. We really cannot know the [...]
For the past 18 months or so I’ve wanted to start a podcast, but I’ve been plagued with a slew of doubts. Am I good enough? Will anyone listen to me? Will I get judged? Self-doubt morphed into procrastination which led to even more self-doubt and paralysis. Until last week. I [...]
The ideal martial arts warrior. Never falters, fears, or doubts. Trains vigorously, pure-spiritedly, without fatigue or fail. We don’t want the flawed human, gored in battle or exhausted in the ring. We want the myth, the inspiration, and the spectacle. When we compare ourselves to this impossible legend, we [...]
Instantly boost your confidence as a martial artist with these mental tricks. #1 - Fake it. When you’re performing in martial arts—whether at a belt test or tournament—you’re not just showing off your skills: you’re actually performing. So pick a persona, a character who’s confident, focused, and a total [...]
BLACK BELT MARTIAL ARTS FEMALES! Here are 10 facts about those deadly ladies: #1 - They’re all hot. #2 - They all practise martial arts in heels. And lots of makeup. #3 - When they do train barefoot, their feet are always in [...]
How do you define strength in martial arts? Is it the power of your punches or kicks? Your ability to beat an opponent? Your willingness to tolerate physical and emotional discomfort, no matter how difficult it gets? One year ago I sat down in my film studio to film [...]
The bo and eku are my favourite traditional Okinawan weapons. In this article I'll explain how to size and hold these long weapons. You can watch this video for a demonstration of these, as well as of various basic techniques: There are different types of bo that you can [...]
I get this thrill of excitement every time I pick up my karate weapons. Bo. Nunchaku. Sai. Tonfa. Eku. I love them all. They are incredibly challenging to learn, but once you get proficient with them, you can learn some pretty cool kata and techniques. Learning a new weapons kata is awesome [...]
I never knew how much of a pounding I could actually take until I started karate. I mean, I was 41. I wasn’t totally inexperienced. But I’d never been through anything like THAT before. Me, the only white belt, surrounded by black belts. They all knew what they were [...]