I had my camera set up, batteries charged, two videos planned, and all I had to do was press record. But I couldn't do it. I had hit the wall. I had burnt out. For awhile before this, I had been thinking about taking a break. But this scared me. All of my [...]
Changing your story can change your life. When you change the narrative, you expand the limits of what you thought was possible for yourself. I grew up thinking I was clumsy and uncoordinated. I heard this about myself constantly. But I didn’t need to hear it; the evidence was [...]
Seven dozen plastic eggs have taken over my life. Weep for me. Thanks for reading and listening. Podcast Show Notes Seven dozen plastic eggs have taken over my life. Here’s my story. Oh, and Happy Easter. Thank you for joining me on my martial arts [...]
I’m going to tell you the fastest way to improve as a martial artist. There are several steps to this. For a full breakdown of these steps, be sure to watch the video (above) or listen to the podcast (below). But here are the main points: Learn from other [...]
I’m getting really sick of the “suck it up, buttercup” attitude in martial arts. I was raised to be tough. I was raised to keep my mouth shut, to be seen and not heard, to not be a whiner, to take my shots without tears, to get up after I fall down. I [...]
You’re not ready. You’re not good enough. You’re not worthy of your rank. You’ll never achieve anything. These are just thoughts in your head. Just words passing through your mind. They mean nothing. And yet we get so caught up in these thoughts that they start to become reality. [...]
Here’s a question I saw on a martial arts forum recently: If you were invited to do a belt test and you didn’t feel ready, would it be disrespectful to decline the invitation? So, hypothetically, your Sensei invites you to a belt test and you say no. You’re not ready. You don’t think [...]
Whenever I post something online about the importance of rest and recovery, I always get at least one comment claiming that rest makes us weak as martial artists. I used to have this mentality. When I started karate, I had a reasonable training schedule. I’d train 3 nights per [...]
Jealousy is admiration plus comparison. Think about it. That martial artist you’re jealous of: you admire them and you’re impressed by them. That’s the core of it. That jealousy only comes into play when you start comparing yourself to them. They seem better than you, and you don’t measure up. And now you’re [...]
My kids wanted to quit karate long before I actually let them. I should’ve listened to them sooner. At first they loved karate. I never had trouble getting them to the dojo. They’d train hard while they were there. They’d practise at home. They’d push themselves for belt tests [...]