High or Low Energy Private Lessons
Whether I teach a high or low energy private lesson depends on the client’s energy level. One of my clients (Rosh) drove this point home during our lesson last week. He had gone to bed early the night before exhausted and admitted that he had…
Video of the Week 4: Using the Center Line
Awareness of and mastering the center line is crucial for any martial artist. Quick aside: This is the last video available to the public. Starting next week, only subscribers can access these videos after this initial period. As such, if you want to view future…
Top Ten Tips for Watching Martial Arts Instructional Videos
Introduction With the rise of digital learning, martial arts enthusiasts have unprecedented access to a wealth of instructional videos. Nowadays, we can access videos through online platforms, streaming videos and DVDs. I have a huge collection of videos dating back to the 1980s. Over time,…
Happy New Year 2024!
Happy New Year to all of you! As I said to my wife last night, “Wow, I can’t believe that we have rolled into 2024, the year of my 60th birthday!” She shook her head, perhaps not believing I’d hit 60 in nine months. Jeebus!…
Back To The Drawing Board
As many of you know, one of my goals for my 60th birthday is to perform 60 push-ups on that day. To that end, I’ve been doing test push-ups. Until yesterday, I was progressing. Unfortunately, I regressed, going from 38 last month to 36 yesterday….
Going Into The Martial Arts Hibernation Season
Do you expect to train on the same martial material year-round? That approach will lead to burnout and stagnation. The intelligent approach is to vary your training throughout the year. Changing routines is relatively easy for martial arts competitors. For example, they can spend the…
Friday Recommendation #22
If you are not able to view the video, go here. In short, I highly recommend this video. This video starts with Jesse demonstrating Naihanchi/Tekki Shodan and explaining that it contains elements of Wing Chun. Beginning with that kata, Sensei Jesse and Sifu Kevin Lee…
The Difficulty of Teaching Structure in Martial Arts
Teaching martial arts involves more than just physical techniques. One must teach structure along with techniques. I have found that teaching structure is much more challenging than a martial art’s physical techniques. But what is structure? Structure includes stances, footwork, positioning, body posture and much…
Friday Recommendation #21
October 30th marked the 49th anniversary of the “Rumble In The Jungle,” one of the most famous fights in boxing history. There is no doubt in my mind that the 50th anniversary next year will result in numerous articles about this fight. In this epic…
Inside The Martial Arts Bubble
Not everyone is inside the martial arts bubble. A recent self-defence class at Durham College/Ontario Tech University drove this home. I was teaching a basic ground defence to the participants to a group of 5 to 6 students. I explained to the participants that, after…
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