One thing I quickly learned from martial arts is that I can learn something from anyone and everyone. I remember when I was in my early teens and there were black belts a bit younger than me that would try to teach me and I would think to myself “What Continue Reading
Yin Yang Life
The Yin-Yang principle, the concept of equal and opposing forces, is a symbol, idea, and lifestyle that stems from the interest the Chinese had in the patterns and relationships that occurred in nature. Yin is the relaxed, passive, and overall more dense energy. Yang is the opposite, it’s the explosive Continue Reading
How Photography Changed Martial Arts
Chances are, if you train in a traditional form of Karate or Tang Soo Do, you have heard the Bubishi and the Moo Yae Dobo Tonji referenced a couple times by the instructors teaching you, and how it contains artifacts of what you are training in. This is all true, Continue Reading
Experiencing Patience
“Patience is a virtue” is a saying we hear quite often. Yet, it is difficult for a lot of us to practice patience. Because of this difficulty we miss out on a lot of things. I know this sounds counterintuitive. We may think that not having patience and moving on Continue Reading
Polarize Your Students
There are times when you are teaching or training that you will need to polarize your self or polarize your student. Mr. Miyagi is known for saying, “Karate yes or karate no, karate so so…. squish just like grape.” The Bible kind of disgustingly says, “Since you are lukewarm and Continue Reading
Train 24:7
How many days a week do you train? You may find yourself thinking you aren’t training enough, maybe too much, or any amount in between. However, notice I didn’t ask ‘How many days a week do you go to class?’. What are you like on the days where you’re not Continue Reading
Taking a Collaborative Approach to Sparring
I’m going to be honest with you. When I was younger, I absolutely hated sparring. I think a solid part of that had to do with the fact that I was a 9 year old novice among a class of adult black belts. I was terrified, and Physics certainly was Continue Reading
When Your Passion Turns Into a Chore
When we start a new activity or hobby, we get a rush of excitement and usually are eager to absorb everything you can learn about it. The adrenaline of finding something new and pursuing it, along with sheer fascination of the subject, is really useful in helping you learn and Continue Reading
Do You Know as Much as You Think? Stay Humble
In Peter Boghossian’s How to Have Impossible Conversations, he talks about a social observation called the “Toilet Effect”. Several people were approached on the street and asked,”Do you know how a toilet works?” (Boghossian 36) I know, what a strange question. Who doesn’t know how a toilet works? Literally every Continue Reading
The Battle of the Century: Karate Vs. Guns
While martial arts can positively affect your life in many ways, there are a few mindsets you want to be cautious of as you begin to gain confidence. You can be the best martial artist in the world, but there’s a time and place to use your skills. If you’re Continue Reading