The Mad Scotsman and the Burmese Strangler
The “Mad Scotsman” and “The Burmese Strangler” are fun nicknames that I’ve given to two great gentlemen, Alan and Noel. Alan is an 80-year-old Scotsman; Noel is 78 years old and was born in Burma. I first met Alan in 2009 through a Senior Citizens…
The 5 Benefits of Teaching Private Lessons
“In learning, you will teach. In teaching, you will learn.” – Phil Collins. I have previously discussed reasons to take private lessons and how to get the most out of private lessons. Both of these posts were written from the student’s perspective. Fun reads, weren’t they? In this…
Seminar Weekend at Stronger You
I’ve been teaching Modern Arnis seminars at the Stronger You Martial Arts and Fitness dojo since August of 2008 when I first met Renshi Janet Lawless. Since then, I’ve been going to Ottawa 6 to 8 times a year to teach seminars and private lessons to those…
The End of My Break Fall Career
One of the things that I enjoyed over the years was taking break falls. Unfortunately, my break fall career has come to an end. I first started learning serious break falls as a freshman at Notre Dame, specifically as a member of the Notre Dame…
7 Killer Reasons To Take Private Lessons
For many students, group classes are the optimal option for various reasons. These reasons range from socializing to the opportunity to train with different partners, decompressing from work, forgetting about distractions, and having get-togethers after class. On the other hand, there are 7 killer reasons to…
My Martial Arts Beginning
I began in the martial arts in December of 1982 after I “retired” from high school football. I was a star player for the YMCA team, the Oakdale Red Devils, from the 4th through 7th grade. The trajectory to stardom continued as a member of…
3rd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp
This weekend, Bamboo Spirit Martial Arts Centre hosted the 3rd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp in Pickering, Ontario. Darkhorse TKD was the site of the camp. This year’s camp was proof of this annual event’s growing size, with 30 attendees in total. As a result,…
Modern Arnis on Rogers Cable!
On Thursday, March 22nd, we had a somewhat unusual class. Two journalism students from nearby Durham College came by to shoot footage of a Bamboo Spirit class. In addition, they interviewed me and one of my students, Terence. The footage will air on Rogers Cable!…
Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event
On Saturday, December 3rd, I taught at the “The Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event” along with Master Rollie Descargar, Master Oliver Garduce, Guro Ramon Villardo, and Grandmaster Marc DeLeon. A very worthy cause was the beneficiary of this event. All proceeds of this…
2nd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp
On the weekend of August 27th-28th, Bamboo Spirit Martial Arts hosted the 2nd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp at A.T. Martial Arts in Whitby. This was the second camp that I attended this year. I look forward to attending the annual ArnisFest, hosted by Master…