The word “Soo” comes up often when it comes to Korean techniques and is present in the name of the style I train in (Tang Soo Do), and so it’s natural to be curious as to what it means. In basic terms, it means “hand”, and typically denotes an open Continue Reading
Revisit Your Work and Technique
In May 2021, I picked up photography as a new hobby. After taking pictures while hiking with my phone, I decided that I wanted something that would give me slightly better quality pictures and bought an advanced point and shoot camera. Shortly thereafter I took a trip to the Henry Continue Reading
How to Find the Right Martial Arts Community for You
What defines a community? In simple terms it’s a group of people that are working towards the same goal. For martial arts, it could mean a studio or club, a loose collection of local schools, an association, all those who train in the same style, or perhaps as large as Continue Reading
Video Games that Best Showcase the Martial Arts
I’m an 80’s kid, and as such I grew up during a time that could be considered the dawn of modern video gaming. I played Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and PC games in equal measure and enjoyed a ton of entertainment. It wasn’t until I started training in martial arts that Continue Reading
A Secret to Improving Your Hand Techniques
One thing that I have been emphasizing with my Tang Soo Do students that train with me at the university is the importance of rotating their wrists while they are doing their hand techniques. This applies to all hand techniques. When doing techniques in the air, it can be very Continue Reading
In the Face of Change, Don’t Let Familiarity Blind You
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
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