“It Has To Be Done This Way!”
A quote that bugs me the most: “It has to be done this way.” In martial arts, an instructor usually says this in the context of a prescribed self-defence technique or sequence. Again, it depends on the context. If this statement relates to proper structure, then…
Two Great Reasons To Move Your Feet
Often, I see folks executing techniques without moving their feet in class, seminars, and camps. You cannot reasonably expect an effective technique or defence without moving your feet. There are great reasons to move your feet! How do you expect to hit the other person…
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…
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…
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…
The Importance of the #5 Poke in Modern Arnis
The #5 poke is a tremendous way to move your opponent. Why? You are attacking your opponent’s centreline; frankly, folks don’t like their center being attacked. They either get hit or move out of the way. Either way, it’s a winner for the driver. If…
