Self Permission
While teaching the self-defence classes at the Abilities Centre a couple of weeks ago, I discussed the concepts of setting boundaries, assertiveness, and self-permission. One of the exercises during this particular class involved one person invading their partner’s personal space. The defender had to assert…
Taking The Leap
Recently, I came across this video on Facebook, and it stood out to me. Take 10 minutes of your time and watch the whole thing. Some saw it as a metaphor for death regarding confronting the fear of the unknown. Some saw it in more…
The Most Important Person?
I am pleased to present a guest post from my good friend, RoseAnne Mussar. She hails from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and trains in Modern Arnis at the 6Tigers Academy in Barrhaven (Ottawa) under Renshi Janet Heffernan. She also trains in the American Cane System, often traveling to…
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…
A Moment in Time- Avoiding Violence
In the past decade or so, I have gotten quite interested in the psychology of violence. Over time, I have gotten interested in the writings of Marc “Animal” MacYoung, Rory Millar, Kris Wilder, Lawrence Kane, and Peyton Quinn. Finding MacYoung’s website (http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/index.html) was the portal…
Evolving with the Times
I’ve been considering whether martial arts should evolve with the times or remain in its “pure form.” Let me elaborate. I think of martial arts as a vehicle to defend oneself—Self-defence, in other words. From that perspective, should it not make sense for martial arts…
