Video of the Week 21: Angles of Attack with Double Zero
As many of you know, I’m an ardent believer in solo training. I constantly look for ways to mix things up and create new routines. Many of us practice the angles of attack with control, pull back and follow through. Why not expand beyond 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…
Post Push-up Challenge Blues and a New Plan
I haven’t posted for a while for two reasons. First, my work-related responsibilities have increased substantially since September. Secondly, I have to admit to a post-push-up challenge letdown. It’s time for a new plan. I had worked so hard at this particular challenge, and I…
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…
Push-Up Challenge Debrief
I announced my goals for my 60th birthday a year ago. The motto for the past year was “160 and 60 by 60.” I wanted to get my weight down to 160 lbs and perform 60 push-ups by my 60th birthday. I managed to get…
Video of the Week 20: Sinawali Striking
Often, when it comes to empty hand translations of the stick sinawali drills, we in Modern Arnis tend to think in terms of sinawali boxing. The video below featuring Professor Chuck Gauss contains some common sinawali boxing techniques. However, there are also sinawali striking techniques…
Video of the Week 19: Forward Pressure
Forward pressure is the ability to apply relentless pressure on an opponent. By using forward pressure, one can dominate an engagement with an opponent. Forward pressure in Modern Arnis not only disrupts the opponent’s balance and timing but also enhances the practitioner’s ability to create…
Video of the Week 18: Sinawali Squat
The Sinawali Squat is a great exercise for conditioning the legs. Why not condition the legs while doing any sinawali exercise? It doesn’t matter if it’s single, double, redonda or reverse. The impetus for this comes from a conversation that I had with Rosh, the…
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…
Baseball and Self Defense
Sorry, no video for this week. Things got in the way. I’ll resume next week! Wait. Wut? What does baseball have to do with self defense? It comes from a fantastic article in “The Athletic” titled “Missing Bats: How An Obsession With Strikeouts Upended The…
"Lads, you're not to miss practice unless you died or your parents died."November 3, 2025Brian JohnsCategories
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