Farewell To Dean Stockwell
RIP Dean Stockwell One of my favourite actors, Dean Stockwell, passed away two days ago. While he was great in several roles, I especially liked him in “Quantum Leap” one of my favourite TV shows ever. This show ran from 1989 to 1993, which was…
Mixing It Up!
Yet Another Project! One project I have undertaken lately involves my practice of the Modern Arnis Empty Hand Anyos. Like most martial arts, we perform our anyos in a more or less standard way. While the execution of the forms may differ, there are similarities….
The Coming Winter
Uncertainty No one can predict with any certainty what may happen this coming winter. I think that one can safely say that, as far as Canada is concerned, there will probably not be another COVID-19 wave due to the high vaccination rates. On the other…
Rust and WD-40!
So, private lessons have slowly ramped up in the last couple of weeks. None of my clients have trained in 6 months. One said, “I haven’t picked up my stick since December.” From the get-go, their rustiness has been apparent. As a result, I have…
Knowledge Creation, the Internet and Martial Arts
The fact that accumulated knowledge, over time, tends to grow exponentially is accepted. For many of us, this fact is obvious. However, we need to look no further at the exponential growth rate of technology in the last 20 years. The smartphone of 2008 pales…
Sputtering to Life
My hopes of ramping up my private lesson teaching schedule from 0 to 60mph ran into reality last week. In a way, this mirrors the North American and European economies. Both are sputtering back to life after a year of COVID-related lockdowns. Rebooting economies isn’t…
Back in Action!
Man, am I happy or what? I am back in action by teaching private lessons for the first time since December! As soon as Ontario entered Step One of its re-opening plan, I emailed my clients, offering them the opportunity to start training again. Several…
It’s On Like Donkey Kong!
Ontario announced today that they would start re-opening the economy on Friday, June 11th. Based on my reading of the provincial guidelines, I can teach private lessons. IT’S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG! LET’S GO! Because the province is beginning to distribute 2nd doses, last fall’s…
Inching Toward Normal Life?
“Wow, are we inching toward normal life?” That thought was running through my head while I taught last night’s Zoom class. As readers of this blog know, I’ve been teaching Zoom classes for nearly a year. After a long winter and spring, it was time…
Friday Recommendation #10
This is a short one, clocking in at 11 minutes or so. This video does a fantastic job of discussing live training and some associated myths. Sensei Iain is straightforward and non-judgmental on this topic. If you are not able to view this video, click…