Across many different sources of psychology and even philosophy, one of the main things that sticks out is the idea of the benefits of being an amateur. When we look at the word amateur, very quickly we think of negative qualities: unprofessional, bad or unskilled. When we look at the Continue Reading
David Paprocki
Loyalty: Which Side of The Belt Means More to You?
Now I’m not out here to say that any martial arts organization is better than another, or to judge those people that are no longer part of an organization they once were. I happen to be very happy and loyal to my organization, but I am not here to criticize Continue Reading
Pay Someone a Compliment: It Will Reward Them Dividends
We all like to hear good things about ourselves. That’s a fact. I was attending my martial arts organization’s world championship and while exiting the elevator, I walked past a gentleman from Great Britain that I had judged earlier in the day in the colored belt competition. I went past Continue Reading
Friction Makes the Wheel Roll: Differences are Beneficial and Cause Growth
When we look to grow as martial artists and as people really, we need to understand that it’s perfectly okay to disagree with others. In fact, people are less likely to trust and believe you if you agree with them on each and every little thing. People will believe that Continue Reading
Scope Creep in the Martial Arts and the Workplace
In Korean martial arts there is a philosophy known as Ryu Pa. Ryu Pa, the theory of streams diverging from the main branch of the river that eventually become their own waterway. This can be seen in adding different variations to a specific form or technique, and it can even Continue Reading
The Best Kind of Student: The Eager and Honest Orange Belt
Many times when we are looking to gain insight or at the very least get the ball rolling in our own train of thought, we think revelations or thought provoking questions will come from the masters. While, yes, we would hope that we would gain insight from the masters of Continue Reading
Evolution in Thinking Toward Self-Mastery
About a year ago, Anthony wrote a three part series of articles called “The Martial Artist Mentality” explaining how different lessons we learn in the martial arts can positively affect other realms of our life. You can see all three of those articles below. Today I am writing to explain Continue Reading
Why You Should Start a Blog Too
When it comes to being a martial artist, an instructor or a working professional, one thing is certain. We must be comfortable with sharing ideas. One thing that can prevent us at times when we are sharing our ideas, is the big question of doubt that we ask ourselves, “What Continue Reading
“Be Like Water”
When Bruce Lee spoke about being like water and wu sien, we as martial artists immediately think of the physical application of flowing around your opponent, and being in a state of no thought. This principle goes much deeper though. Our brains are like embedded control systems. Mathematically and systematically Continue Reading
3 Keys to Good Kicking
I enjoy kicking. I also have the advantage of being young and the advantage of beginning my training when I was a child at 6 years old. As I get older, I will definitely need to devote more time and energy to maintaining my level of flexibility and ability to Continue Reading