When I was a kid, I wanted to join the Army Cadets, but I was too young. So I lied about my age and got in anyway. I became known as the “little bloke”. I threw myself into everything they offered – sometimes literally. During one escape and evasion exercise, after being caught, a group…
Tag: Student
The Problem With Drills
Every martial art uses drills. They are found in karate, boxing, jujitsu, military training, law enforcement, reality-based systems, and traditional systems. Everyone drills. That alone should tell us something important – drills clearly have value. The problem is not the existence of drills. The problem starts when people assume the drill is teaching more than…
The Danger of Being Right
When I was younger and competing, I had a couple of favorite techniques. Most of us did. They were the moves that felt natural, the ones I could rely on to score points or end a match. There’s a certain satisfaction in finding something that works; it gives you a sense of certainty. But even…
The Ritual of Stagnation
I saw a video recently that reinforced everything I’ve been saying about how stagnant karate has become. It’s a recurring frustration. You see the caption – Black Belt Training Course – and you expect to see the refinement of high-level skills. The people tasked with leading the next generation. Instead, you see grown men and women with…
Nobody Owns a Technique
There is a strange habit in martial arts culture where people try to claim ownership over human movement. A knee strike belongs to Muay Thai. A joint lock belongs to Jujitsu. A throw belongs to Judo. As though human biomechanics were copyrighted. The reality is much simpler. Human beings all have the same anatomy. We…
The “Black Belt” Myth: Why Rank Does Not Equal Survival
Rank, in some environments, can become a trophy for time served, rather than a measure of functional ability. We see this often in the modern martial arts landscape: the rise of the “instant master”. Some individuals move from junior grades to self-appointed high ranks in a matter of years. They trade on titles because they…
The 90% Ground Fighting Myth
There is a specific “fact” in martial arts that has been repeated so often it has become gospel: “90% of all fights end up on the ground”. You’ve heard it, and I’ve heard it. It’s the primary justification for why so many people now spend 100% of their time rolling on mats. But if we peel back…
Your Dojo Isn’t Preparing You for Violence
A friend told me last week he teaches karate on Tuesdays and self-defense on Thursdays. Like they’re two different things. They are two different things. But they weren’t supposed to be. Originally, martial arts were about self-defense. That was the whole point. Somewhere along the way, though, most of what gets taught became something else…
When ‘Keep Your Hands Up’ Stops Working
A while ago a student from a different style joined us. As we went through a few drills, one thing became obvious quite quickly – every time there was any kind of pressure, his hands went straight up to the sides of his head. Tight, high guard. He’d clearly spent a lot of time being…
Commitment Over Motivation
I have never understood the half-hearted approach to things. Anything. I will try my best, even if it’s not as perfect or as well executed as the next person, I will still try my best. What I don’t understand is how easily people step away when things become difficult, or how many settle for doing…
Where Does a Beginner Turn for Self-Defense?
Where does a beginner turn when they want to learn self-defense? What draws them to a particular martial art or school? For me in the early 1970s, it was Bruce Lee movies and the TV series Kung Fu. Today, it’s social media. Every time I open my phone or switch on my computer, there’s another video…
Why Are We Still Preparing For The Fight First?
A few years ago, I wrote something about untrained people and how unpredictable they can be in a confrontation. The point at the time was simple enough – just because someone hasn’t trained doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. In many ways, that unpredictability can make them more difficult to deal with. I still agree with…