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…
Tag: Student
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…
Kata as Memory, Not Mystery
I came across a story told by Seikichi Iha (1931-2024) talking about the origins of kata. What stood out for me wasn’t the detail, it was the simplicity of the idea. He suggested that kata may have been formed by working backwards from what someone found useful in a fight – simply what worked for…