Friday Recommendation #17
Muttering to myself: “Damn it! I can’t execute this technique. I suck!” Newsflash: Nearly all of us have struggled with martial arts for various reasons. Maybe it’s a technique. Or it’s a difficult training partner. Work interferes with your training. If so, watch the below…
Friday Recommendation #15
It’s time to return to FMA videos. To this end, I recently found an interesting interview with GM Rodel “Smoking Sticks” Dagooc. He talks about his journey from karate to Filipino Martial Arts. While the interview is not in-depth, it does provide interesting information about…
Killer Pushing and Pulling Exercises
I recently decided to switch things up and revamp my lifting routine for my 400-day challenge. I wanted to emphasize targeting different muscle groups and improving my martial arts performance. One of the key changes I made was focusing more on pushing and pulling movements….
Friday Recommendation #13
Given the overwhelming gravity of yesterday’s post, I’ve concluded that today’s post requires a touch of humour. So, brace yourselves for a hilarious ride! Check out the video below! If you are not able to view this video, go to here. Captain James T. Kirk,…
Friday Recommendation #12
If you are not able to view this video, go to here. Sensei Ando begins this video with a highly entertaining story from his teenage days. Based on this episode, he learned several life lessons. All are wise lessons that originate from an act of…
The Vital Triad: Leg Strength, Balance, and Stability
A long-time cliche in boxing is that “the legs are the first thing to go.” And so it is for martial arts and life in general. While we can’t fight against Father Time, we can slow aging by regularly exercising our legs. Martial arts combine…
Friday Recommendation #11
Okay, okay, okay (in Joe Pesci voice), I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a podcast or video recommendation. The readers of this blog are familiar with what I’ve gone through in the last year or so. Anyway, it’s time to post my…
A Freaking Lesson Learned
Hard-earned lessons are the ones that stick with us the most. They are often born out of mistakes, failures, or stupidity. These lessons are typically difficult to learn and often require a lot of effort, time, and energy to understand and process. Hard-earned lessons can…
Self-Defense Tips for Deaf Individuals
Introduction I have been wearing cochlear implants since 2013. They are amazing and a vast improvement over hearing aids. But they are not the be-all and end-all. I often can’t hear people coming up behind me, and when I’m walking, I often don’t hear cars…
Crappy Hip to Bionic Hip: My FMA Footwork Reboot
Introduction While their stick, knife or machete hypnotizes many students, they often overlook the importance of footwork. In this blog post, I will explore the importance of footwork in FMA. Further, I explain how FMA footwork is my main barrier to returning to teaching. In…
