Video of the Week 6: Slap Off Structure
I recently made a video on the slap-off/pull-off drill. I decided to take a step back and delve into the slap-off structure. Specifically, I discuss the angulation of the arm when doing the slap-off feed. Furthermore, the center line plays a vital role in the…
Inaugural Video of the Week: Stick and Foot Position
Here we go! This is my first actual video blog post. I’m sure there will be some kinks/trouble-shooting to work on. This should be an exciting experiment! As mentioned in the video, I will make this available to the public for the first 3 or…
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…
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…
How to Fix The Wet Noodle
The “wet noodle” version of feeding a training partner is a fairly common problem encountered by martial arts instructors. I have seen variations of this problem among children and adults. In this post, I discuss the causes behind poor feeding and offer solutions on how…
3 Great Reasons For One Step Sparring
Many martial arts, such as karate and tae kwon do, employ a training method called “one-step sparring.” This training method has been the subject of a fair bit of debate. Some advocate it, while others deride it as impractical and unsuited to the realities of…
Fix It Friday: No Flailing!
Regardless of technique, if you see signs of flailing, you know something is wrong! If you are not able to view the video, click here. As with many of my Fix-It Friday videos, bad structure is at the root of terrible techniques. The video shows…
Fix It Friday: It’s A Reach!
In this “Fix It Friday” video, I address a common error when executing the pull-off. If you are not able to view this video, click here. This error involves reaching across the centerline to execute the pull off. Making this mistake leaves one vulnerable to…