A Freaking Blast at the Michigan Camp
I attended the annual Michigan Camp in Monroe, Michigan this past weekend. To say that I had a blast is an understatement. I had not seen many of my friends since the 2019 Arnisfest in Chicago. The US-Canada border was closed from March 2020 until…
The Importance of Experimentation
If you are not able to view this video, click here. A couple of weeks ago, I published a video called “Hunting for Disarm #2.” In that video, I identified six spots to execute disarm #2. I tell you that this was a fun experiment!…
Making the Connections
I have encountered martial artists who like to focus on the differences between martial arts. This focus is often done to prove their art’s superiority over others. Unfortunately, this thought process is detrimental to their martial progress. If you are not able to view this video, click…
Hunting for Disarm #2
If you are not able to view this video, click here. In last week’s post, Where’s Disarm #1? I covered the first basic Modern Arnis disarm and demonstrated how to find it within Flow Drill #2. I do the same thing in the above video…
Where’s Disarm #1?
Learning stick disarms is an essential part of training in Filipino martial arts. In Modern Arnis, there is one basic disarm per angle. One can then apply this to any angle. The current progression that I teach is: Repeating the same basic 12 stick disarms…
The Age of Open Source Information
In the old days, martial arts grandmasters taught only certain “secrets” of their art to their most trusted students. In other words, one trained for years to gain entry into the “inner circle” of trusted students. And only then would you learn the “deadly secrets”…
The Geezer Phase of Being A Martial Artist
Last Friday, I had back-to-back private lessons with a pair of brothers. As always, I was active with them, pushing them hard and expanding their martial horizons. I had a lot of fun with them. However, the aftermath was brutal. My right hip became quite…
Martial Arts Training Seasons
Do you vary your martial arts training seasons? For instance, summer and fall have tended to be the “camp and seminar” seasons. You pick up what you learn at these sessions and integrate it into your repertoire. “Oh! That’s a fantastic technique! Let’s work on…
Parole Is Coming!
Heeeeyo! Ontario announced today that they would ease capacity restrictions starting Thursday (February 17th) and abolish proof of vaccination requirements. However, Ontario has not said whether they will still require masks to be worn indoors. We should learn more in the next few days. In…
Even “Perfect” Folks Struggle!
How many of you have been in a martial arts class and felt your partner was perfect? Or that a classmate seemed to have it all together? I would wager that we have had those thoughts about another person. But, as most of us know…
