Friday Recommendation #19
In this video, GM Rodel Dagooc demonstrates some of his flow drills/sequences. Please note that I do not know his flow drills or training sequences. This is the first time I’ve seen him do those flow sequences. I enjoyed watching GM Rodel’s brief demonstration of…
The Importance of Grinding!
In this day and age of the McDonald’s drive-through instant gratification culture, I feel the importance of grinding our way through life has been lost in the shuffle. To be clear, I believe in grinding through any problem, obstacle or challenge. To me, it’s the…
Friday Recommendation #18
Disarms play a significant role in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). By mastering disarms, practitioners develop a deep understanding of range, timing, leverage, and body mechanics. Moreover, this skill teaches students the inherent danger of facing an armed attacker, fostering respect for the devastating potential of…
Complicated Drills Are A Waste Of Time!
I recently watched a martial arts video on YouTube where an instructor demonstrated a rather complicated drill. In this post, I discuss the downside of overly complicated drills. I understand that I don’t have all the information about the video. The instructor may have performed…
Friday Recommendation #17
Muttering to myself: “Damn it! I can’t execute this technique. I suck!” Newsflash: Nearly all of us have struggled with martial arts for various reasons. Maybe it’s a technique. Or it’s a difficult training partner. Work interferes with your training. If so, watch the below…
Back From the Cottage!
This will be a short post as I returned from our annual cottage week a few days ago. Check out the beautiful scenery in the short video below. As usual, I had a great time there. I read a few books, hung out with family…
Friday Recommendation #16
Modern Arnis is well known for its different locks and techniques using sticks and empty hands. Locking is used to break a joint, control another person, or set up a hit. Since applying a joint lock in a live situation is difficult, I think more…
Friday Recommendation #15
It’s time to return to FMA videos. To this end, I recently found an interesting interview with GM Rodel “Smoking Sticks” Dagooc. He talks about his journey from karate to Filipino Martial Arts. While the interview is not in-depth, it does provide interesting information about…
Killer Pushing and Pulling Exercises
I recently decided to switch things up and revamp my lifting routine for my 400-day challenge. I wanted to emphasize targeting different muscle groups and improving my martial arts performance. One of the key changes I made was focusing more on pushing and pulling movements….
Friday Recommendation #14
If you’re not able to view the video, go here. I decided to go with a non-martial arts-related podcast. Cameron Hanes is a hard-core athlete who likes to run, lift and is an expert archer. You should see his archery feats on Instagram. Impressive stuff!…
"Lads, you're not to miss practice unless you died or your parents died."November 3, 2025Brian JohnsCategories
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