Change can be a scary thing. This past Spring, I bought a townhouse and began to live on my own for the first time in my life. Admittedly, I was intimidated initially by this life change, but despite this change, not much else in my life was different. I still Continue Reading
Why ‘Good Enough” Really Isn’t Good Enough
There have been many times where I would either be doing house chores, working on a certain project, or even practicing my martial skills and will say, “that’s good enough” and then move on to the next task or activity. I’m certain I’m not alone in this sentiment, and it Continue Reading
Keep Your Gear Accessible
When I was in High School, my band director always mentioned to us how if we had our instruments out of the case at home in a very accessible location, that we were more likely to practice since there were fewer barriers/steps to begin a practice session. I found this Continue Reading
Open Hand vs. Closed Fists – Which is Better?
If you’ve ever seen any fight scene in a movie or TV show, more often than not the characters are swinging at each other with closed fists, trading blows and against the temple or body many times over. Even fight “scenes” that end with one well-timed strike show the protagonist Continue Reading
Episode 2 – Meaning of Black Belt
Teach Like Your Training Depends on It
We constantly hear the importance of teaching as we become more advanced in our martial arts journey. Some may struggle to grasp the importance of this and may even have some resistance to this thinking that if they are spending so much of their time teaching, how will they have Continue Reading
How the Caste System Affected Martial Arts in Japan
Not that long ago, Japanese society was divided into a strict hierarchy of social classes that limited any upward mobility the further down the social ladder you were. At the top were the nobility, essentially the imperial family and its various offshoots; next were the samurai class, although their role Continue Reading
Find Something That You are Bad at Yet You Enjoy
I was scrolling through Facebook recently on one of my days off. There was a post that caught my eye titled, “40 Cheat Codes I Wish I Knew at 20”. I always enjoy reading these types of articles where people who are older than me reflect back on what they Continue Reading
Don’t Forget to Celebrate
A while back a friend and I were competing at a tournament. After my friend’s round, I congratulated them on their performance. This person immediately started criticizing themselves and listing all of the ways they could have done better. I reminded them, celebrate your wins today, tomorrow is when you Continue Reading