Collect Concepts, Not Techniques
If you are not able to view this video, click here. Eons ago when I was starting in martial arts, I was so taken up with techniques that I thought in terms of “collecting techniques.” The more techniques I collected, or so I thought, would…
The Stances of Modern Arnis Anyos
Some in the Modern Arnis community give short shrift to the practice of the Modern Arnis Anyos in favour of stick and knife work. I love the anyos! I think that the stances from the anyos have a lot of value. That’s understandable, as stick…
How to SuperCharge Your Private Lessons
Previously, I’ve posted about the 7 Killer Reasons to Take Private Lessons. Once you start getting into private lessons, how do you maximize them? In this article, I discuss how to supercharge your private lessons. If you have the opportunity to pursue a private lesson or…
Go With The Flow!
Professor Presas often admonished his students, “Go with the flow!” This quote is foremost in my mind when discussing the flow drills I teach to the Bamboo Spirit students. I have posted previously about these flow drills. I have mentioned that they are not combative. Instead,…
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…
It’s Real and It’s Spectacular
“It’s real and it’s spectacular” is, of a course, a slight riff of a famous line in the 1990s comedy series “Seinfeld.” In this post, I discuss a recent remark by a martial artist about me teaching a children’s Modern Arnis class that involved some questionable logic. Essentially, he…
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…
5 Easy Ways to Learn in Class!
Having attended many martial arts classes over the past three decades, I have learned that the learning process can be hindered in various ways. It took me a while but, over time, I developed a list of 5 easy ways to learn in class. Here…
Six Ways To Practice Your Cane Anyos
I’ll discuss six ways to practice your cane anyos in this post. Or is it just six? Martial arts schools vary widely in the number of required forms, ranging from fewer than 5 to 30. Invariably, these schools have different philosophies concerning the practice of…
10 Tips for Surviving a Martial Arts Camp
Having been to over 50 martial arts camps (the vast majority are Modern Arnis camps) in the past couple of decades, I’ve learned ways to survive a martial arts camp and have fun! For newbies, a weekend-long martial arts camp can seem daunting. How do…
