Pain is subjective and contextual. Awakening to chest pain in the middle of the night is terrifying — a possible sign of a heart attack. But the very same stabbing pain after a hard workout is experienced completely differently: maybe it’s your pectoral muscles shrieking from too many pushups, or your lungs burning from hard interval training. It’s the same sensation … [Read more...]
A 1 Minute Burnout Drill for Aggression, Power and Stamina
Here's the world's simplest conditioning drill that I want you to try... Set a timer for one minute Unload on a heavy bag with punches as hard as you can Keep it super simple: just left-right-left-right-left-right Hit as hard as you can and as fast as you can, making every single punch a knockout shot Keep breathing and don't stop In theory, you could do … [Read more...]
It’s Just a Belt Folks….
This is just your daily reminder that a black belt is a symbol of the amount of training someone has put into a martial art. But just because something is a symbol does not mean it's a sacred object. It's just a piece of cloth. Furthermore, the fact that a person has a black belt doesn't endow them with any form of moral superiority. At best a black belt only tells you … [Read more...]
Two is One and One is None
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 Hard Should You Go In Sparring?
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
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...]
Surviving the Worst Case Scenario – BJJ vs a Gun on the Ground!
If you’re on the bottom using your guard in a submission grappling situation then the single worst thing that can happen is that the other guy drops back and locks on a heel hook submission, forcing you to tap out or suffer a potentially serious ankle or knee injury. If you’re using your guard in an MMA situation then the worst thing that can happen is that you get hit with … [Read more...]
Fight For Your Life with Brett Piperni
Today's guest on my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) is Brett Piperni who was was a nationally ranked Taekwondo competitor diagnosed with an illness that crippled him. Specialists told him was incurable. He fought through it, returned to competition, and even managed to medal at a national championship again. He's spoken about mindset and motivation on the TED stage. … [Read more...]
Fighting in the UFC and Inside Your Head, with Eliot Marshall
Eliot Marshall is BJJ black belt and a former professional mixed MMA fighter who also appeared in Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter show. In today's episode of my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) we talk about how to run a successful BJJ school, the financial incentive structures in MMA fight teams, the physical and mental attributes you need to be a good fighter, and … [Read more...]
A Super-Simple 3 Part Formula for Defense in Standup Sparring
Standup sparring can be really overwhelming sometimes, especially if you're new at it. There are punches and kicks flying at you from every direction and every angle. There's so much to keep track of, and so many things you need to do, that you don't even know where to start. Fortunately there are ways to simplify the situation and cut down on the number of decisions you … [Read more...]
Beating the Adrenaline Dump in a Fight
Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. On the one hand adrenaline makes you stronger, faster, and hugely increases your pain tolerance... On the other hand it destroys fine motor function, gives you tunnel vision, or even makes your mind go blank. Adrenaline is a powerful horse to ride, but you need to control it so it takes you where you want to go!https://t.co/9ywxoUuuts — … [Read more...]
Training Martial Arts As You Get Older
For me, like for many people, martial arts is a lifetime endeavour. But as I approach my 50th year I don't (or can't) do the same things I used to do in my teens or twenties. I used to feel guilty about this, but then I heard Dan Inosanto talk about how your game needs to change every 10 years to adapt to the changes in your body. He started training at age 11 and is … [Read more...]
A 5 Second Self Defense Exercise That Could Save Your Life
STOP what you're doing and try this SUPER-QUICK mental exercise... Imagine you're exactly where you are now (lying in bed, sitting on the bus, working at your desk, whatever)... But now you know for sure that you're about to be attacked! The guy is bigger than you and possibly armed with a knife... For whatever reason, you can't run... You have 5 seconds to get … [Read more...]
A Case for Simplifying Your Self Defense Techniques
Supposedly there is a sign at Apple HQ that reads "Simplify. Simplify. Simplify." with the second two "simplifies" crossed out. I think that's a really elegant (and funny) way to get a point across when it comes to design, but it's also really important for training in the martial arts for self defense purposes. Training in class, as we get better over time we also tend … [Read more...]
Shadowboxing Tips
Muhammad Ali, Lomanchenko, Saenchai, Georges St Pierre and just about every other great boxer, kickboxer and MMA fighter used or uses shadowboxing to refine his skills. These fighters depend on their combat skills to earn a living and keep them safe, so if it wasn't important then they probably wouldn't do it. Conversely, if they all do it then you probably should do it … [Read more...]