Almost every martial artist experiences back pain at some point in their training. It hurts like hell and brings your training to a screeching halt. And in the worst case some people are even permanently sidelined by it. Understanding what's causing your pain, changing your movement patterns to prevent it, and implementing 'spinal hygiene' so that you place less wear and … [Read more...]
Kime in Martial Arts is Mostly a Bad Idea…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpIynSBWj6A&feature=youtu.be The idea of 'Kime' is very widespread in Japanese martial arts like Karate, and is also found in Okinawan and Chinese Martial Arts. While the term can be translated as 'intent' or 'decision' the truth is that, most of the time, it's used to describe that robot-like freezing used all the time in kata and … [Read more...]
The Trap of Placating Your Ego with Terrible Form
Over 40 years of martial arts training I figure I’ve done something like 500,000 pushups. Practice makes perfect, so with that many reps under my belt you’d probably think I’d be good at them, right? Sadly the answer is a resounding “No!” Or, more precisely, the answer is “Not right now” You see, 9 months ago I completely buggered my shoulder taking a spectacular fall while … [Read more...]
The Most Fierce Improvised Weapon – The Scythe!
I recently came across one of the cooler martial arts videos I've seen in a while. In this video a couple of Dutch Historical European Martial Arts practitioners demonstrate scythe techniques. The techniques they're showing come from German martial arts manual written in the 1500's. The large hooked blade, very pointy tip, and offset handles make the scythe a very … [Read more...]