Many people have a general idea on how to yell, and with some training and direction they can make a decent kihap (kiai). However, there are those who have trouble doing kihaps, whether in class or during competition. They may be self-conscious in how they sound, or have difficulty in Continue Reading
Technique
Push Yourself and Know When to Stop
One of the best things I didn’t expect to gain from training in martial arts is an increased mentality regarding my abilities. When I first started, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do the same things my instructors did. I just assumed that they knew everything, and were Continue Reading
Preferences vs. Correctness: How Should We Judge?
In the martial arts, especially when we are at a rank closer to black belt, we begin to be exposed to other instructors and other ways of doing things. Sometimes this will align with the way our instructors taught us to do things and other times it will not. Every Continue Reading
What is The Purpose of Breaking Boards?
Last month, I published an article of my answers to commonly asked questions (Link here). Shortly after that, I realized that I left one out, “Can you break a board or a brick?”. The answer is yes, but most people don’t understand why we do this. Outside of the fact Continue Reading
Stance Work Makes the Skills Work
Stances have been the bane of many beginner (and veteran) practitioners; there are many times I’ve told students (and been told myself!) to “bend your knees” or “get lower” in their stance. One of my instructors would walk around with a shinai (bamboo sword) to help “adjust” student’s stances and Continue Reading
How to Workout with Different Footwear
In my previous article “Different Training Floors and How to Adjust to Each One” https://urbanmartialartists.com/?s=training+on+different, I talked about how one can adjust to different training surfaces such as wood, asphalt, and so on. In this article, I would like to discuss what the different kinds of footwear are and how Continue Reading
Musicality in Martial Arts
From sixth grade through high school, I played the trumpet in my school band. I wasn’t a particularly skilled trumpeter (trumpetist?) but the experience gave me several valuable experiences: a love of classical music, an increased lung capacity, and an understanding of basic musical theory. I can still sight read Continue Reading
Supplemental Exercise: Is It Necessary for Martial Artists?
A student last week approached me and asked, “Sir, do you have a workout regimine that you do? I would like to work on my physique.” The short answer to his question was yes, but when you pull back the layers, the better answer to the question is that while Continue Reading
Why White Belts Can Be Difficult to Spar: What Does That Mean For Self Defense?
In David Epstein’s Range he defines different environments in which we develop ourselves or compete in. He defines those in which we can recognize patterns as kind environments, and those that are the opposite as wicked. “In wicked domains, the rules of the game are often unclear or incomplete, there Continue Reading
Different Ways to Practice Forms, Anywhere!
I have a special affinity for forms (kata, hyung, etc.), and many times I find myself running through forms in my mind. Visualizing your form in your mind and going through each motion can be very beneficial and I highly recommend everyone try this with all your forms. However, visualization Continue Reading