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Push, Pull, Squat, Hinge and Carry – the 5 Strength Exercises Every Martial Artist Should Do Weekly

October 1, 2021 By Self Defense Tutorials

5 fundamental strength training exercises

Strength training is super important for martial artists. Done properly lifting weights makes you stronger, faster, and much more resilient to injury. But how do you balance a busy training schedule in the dojo with spending time in the gym under heavy iron? The answer is to prioritize your training around making sure that you do at least one exercise in the 5 basic … [Read more...]

The Single Most Important Weightlifting Exercise for Martial Artists

September 3, 2021 By Self Defense Tutorials

The single most important weightlifting exercise

Weight training is incredibly important for martial arts.  Yes, it makes you stronger. And yes, it makes you faster. But that's NOT the most important reason to weight train. The most important reason to lift weights is to prevent injuries which in turn increases the amount of time you can spend training and increases your longevity in your art. A while ago I asked … [Read more...]

Move the Fight to Win the Fight

July 10, 2021 By Self Defense Tutorials

move the fight to win the fight

I was once involved in restraining a crackhead thief until the police arrived. He'd been caught red-handed with a bunch of stolen stereo equipment and women's purses. Now I had him cornered in an alley, carefully watching his hands in case he pulled out a knife, but otherwise not too worried about my physical danger. (I was a lot bigger and stronger than him, plus had decades … [Read more...]

Avoid the Fight to Win the Fight

May 27, 2021 By Self Defense Tutorials

Today's video (and podcast episode) is story about the first time I 'won' a street fight by realising that the other guy - an older, shabbily dressed, homeless man - was almost certainly mentally ill. There are a lot of people out there behaving like a**holes. And it's normal to feel the urge to punch them right in the mouth to teach them a lesson.But it can really shift … [Read more...]

Two is One and One is None

April 8, 2021 By Self Defense Tutorials

Broken Paddle on the 1000 Mile Solo Trip

There’s a military saying that goes, “Two is one, and one is none.” The idea is that if you have a mission-critical item then it will inevitably malfunction, get misplaced or get smashed into a million pieces.  So you need a backup. This is really a corollary of Murphy’s Law, namely “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong”.  Once you involve Murphy you can’t have a single … [Read more...]

How Martial Sports Were Used to Train One of the Deadliest Army in History

January 16, 2021 By Self Defense Tutorials

War Games of the Steppe Warriors

I listened to a really good podcast episode recently about how sports and games helped create one of the deadliest armies in history. And the amazing thing is that close to a thousand years later many of these same sports are still being practiced today! I learned about this on the Villains and Virgins podcast and the specific episode was called 'Wargames of the Steppe' … [Read more...]

Back Pain from Martial Arts Training

November 24, 2020 By Self Defense Tutorials

martial arts training back pain

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…

October 25, 2020 By Self Defense Tutorials

Kime in Martial Arts

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

September 10, 2020 By Self Defense Tutorials

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!

June 22, 2020 By Self Defense Tutorials

scythe fighting from de Arte Athletica

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...]

How Hard Should You Go In Sparring?

June 7, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

How Hard Should You Spar?

How hard should you go in sparring? That's a good question! At one end of the spectrum you have light, relaxed and friendly sparring. And at the other end you have fights to the death that would make Roman gladiators proud. I once asked a Judo coaches whether I should go light or hard in the sparring part of class, and his answer has stuck with me ever … [Read more...]

MMA Fighter Fights for His Life in Home Invasion

April 9, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

MMA Fighter Anthony Smith Home Invasion

On Sunday April 5th, 2020, at 4 am in the morning, MMA fighter Anthony Smith found himself in the fight of his life to protect his wife and kids. He went from being sound asleep to fighting an intruder a few seconds later who just wouldn't quit no matter what was thrown at him. What might sound strange is that he 6' 4", 230 lb, highly athletic, super conditioned fighter … [Read more...]

Rooting and Grounding – A ‘Proof’ of Internal Energy, Debunked!

March 9, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

Martial Arts Chi Demonstration Trick

There’s a trick that I’ve seen demonstrated by martial artists who really should know better. And the more people I talk to the more common this charade seems to be. Basically it’s a ‘test' of internal energy which roots the person to the floor while the demonstration partner turns red in the face trying to push him over. With the help of my Mini-Mall Karate Master character, … [Read more...]

How to do More Pullups with Mike McCastle

January 31, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

How to do More Pullups

Strength and conditioning are super important in the martial arts.  All other things being equal, a stronger martial artist is a more effective martial artist. Fundamentally there are two basic upper body motions that it's important to get stronger at: pushing and pulling. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In a martial context a pushing motion can be a punch, a shove, or a frame to maintain … [Read more...]

Practical Control Techniques for Law Enforcement

January 2, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

Arm Drag to Seatbelt Control

Law enforcement officers (including police officers, sheriffs, state troopers, corrections officers, deputies and more) have an incredibly difficult job. Part of that job is the possibility of physical confrontations with aggressive individuals or groups. Very broadly physical confrontations can be divided into two categories... Controlling someone who doesn't want  … [Read more...]

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SELF DEFENSE TUTORIALS

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Recent Articles

I accidentally followed the advice of a mini-mall ninja master

I’m limping around right now because of a torn groin.  It’s not serious; it’ll heal up, but it’s my own damn fault. You see, I had just walked into the dojo when someone asked me how much distance you can cover with a jumping front kick. “Show, don’t tell,” I responded and launched myself across […]

sidekick from the ground

Kicking from the Ground – How to Do It Properly!

Many self defense systems teach that if you get knocked down to the ground you should get into a defensive position on your side. From there you should then lash out at your opponent with sidekicks to keep him away. In this article and video I’ll show how staying on your side when you’re knocked […]

Standing Armlocks in Self Defense

Standing armlocks are a staple in the martial arts, including Aikido, classical ju-jujutsu, and many modern self defense systems. They’re usually practised something like this: your partner comes in with a lunging punch, you block and sidestep, control the arm, step in, and then apply pressure to the arm until he taps out. Here’s what […]

Hulk Hogan Chokes Out Richard Belzer

What Hulk Hogan and Nate Diaz Can Teach Us About Chokes in Real Fights

Chokes are more effective than just about any other fight-ending technique. in unarmed combat.  A really tough guy or someone hopped up on adrenaline can ignore painful punches and keep on fighting despite broken limbs. But if the blood stops flowing to the brain, then out go the lights. And chokes, properly applied against the sides of […]

Recent Articles

  • I accidentally followed the advice of a mini-mall ninja master
  • Kicking from the Ground – How to Do It Properly!
  • Standing Armlocks in Self Defense
  • What Hulk Hogan and Nate Diaz Can Teach Us About Chokes in Real Fights
  • The Zombie Walk Drill for Improving Your Footwork in Striking

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