Video of the Week 25: Disarm #1 With Follow-ups
When I teach disarms to beginners, I teach the disarms as a stand-alone technique. I focus on the concepts of leverage and footwork. Once the student understands the proper movement and leverage, I introduce the importance of a follow-up. To many of us, this is…
Musashi and Arnis
Below is a terrific video about Muhammad Ali and the famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. The video draws upon Musashi’s famous book, “Book of Five Rings.” For me, it’s interesting to see Musashi’s martial philosophy through the prism of Modern Arnis. One would be wise to…
Video of the Week 24: Abanico Double Action off Block, Check, Counter
One of the mainstay drills of Modern Arnis is the block, check, counter drill. At the drill’s core is learning to respond to the 12 angles of attack. One variation of this drill involves the abanico double action. The basic sequence is as follows: See…
Practicing With My Left Hand
I like to do a fair bit of solo training with both the right and left hands. Unfortunately, my right shoulder’s condition is such that I haven’t done much solo training with that side. In other words, I generally save my right shoulder for the…
Reality vs. Fantasy
Before I offer brief thoughts about the Mike Tyson fight, I want to inform you that I’ve had trouble with my blog/website. It has taken a couple of weeks to fix various issues. The main issue (the Jetpack plugin) has been fixed, and some others…
Don’t Take Anything For Granted
On Saturday, September 14th, I received a text from Professor Chuck Gauss informing me of Professor Will Higginbotham’s passing. I was shocked. Like many of his colleagues, I did not expect this at all. He was healthy and showed no signs of ill health. I…
A Fantastic Michigan Modern Arnis Camp!
My trip to the Michigan Modern Arnis Camp got off to an inauspicious start due to the worldwide IT outage that occurred earlier that day. I arrived at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor and got stuck in the middle of the bridge. It took 2.5…
Triple Threat Martial Arts Seminar in London, Ontario
Yesterday, I attended a Triple Threat seminar in London, Ontario, featuring Professors Steve Stewart, Ken Smith, and Leon Jay. During the day, each instructor took turns teaching their respective arts. Professor Ken Smith used me as uke to share his Modern Arnis expertise, demonstrating a…
Video of the Week 13: Two Great Leg Exercises
Strengthening the legs is essential for martial arts because it enhances stability, power, and explosiveness. Strong legs provide a solid foundation, enabling practitioners to maintain balance and control while executing self-defense techniques. Lastly, increased leg endurance allows for sustained performance during training and sparring, reducing…
Video of the Week 12: Solo Sinawali Training
Every so often, a student or a client will ask me for solo training tips. I often advise them to try solo sinawali training, focusing on the angles of attack. As I demonstrate in the video below, the key to solo sinawali training is paying…
