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
Technique
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
Different Training Floors and How to Adjust to Each One
As you move along your martial art journey, your path may take you to different dojangs with different floors than what you may typically be used to training on. I started training in the aerobics room on my college campus, so I was used to training on hardwood floors until Continue Reading
Kihap – Why It’s Essential to Martial Arts
Kihap, or “Kiai” in Japanese, is often translated as “yell” or “shout”. In practical application, this isn’t wrong; when teaching beginners or children, instructors often say “yell like this” and demonstrate what a kihap sounds like. Sometimes, but not always, students would often kihap much like their instructor as they Continue Reading