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 down is mostly an outmoded technique and that there are much better options … [Read more...]
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 some of those standing armbars from … [Read more...]
The Zombie Walk Drill for Improving Your Footwork in Striking
The Zombie Walk is a great warmup drill that'll sharpen your footwork, improve your ability to get angles on your opponent, and blend movement with striking. To do this drill your partner - the feeder - holds his hands forwards to simulate a fighting position. Then he walks towards you at a slow, zombie-like pace. You also start in a fighting position but then circle out … [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...]
A Drill to Make Multiple Knee Strikes Powerful and Instinctive
The knee strike is one of the most powerful shots you can throw. A good knee to the groin, the torso, or the head can drop any attacker. But if one knee is good then more are better! The classic Muay Thai 'skip knee' attack involves you throwing multiple knee shots in quick succession until your opponent is incapacitated. It's a VERY effective attack but developing the … [Read more...]
Five Rear Bearhug Counters
If someone gets behind you and puts you in a rear bearhug then you have to take defensive action right away! That's because getting picked up and slammed on your head is one of the worst-case scenarios in a confrontation. It's one thing to get punched in the face is bad, but getting hit in the head by a pavement-covered planet is much worse. Here's a video I put out with … [Read more...]
How to Defend Yourself When You’re Being Kicked on the Ground
I've been training in the martial arts for over 40 years, but I recently got a question that I had no good answer for. Here was the question… "If I'm lying on my side on the ground and getting kicked then is it better to reach out and try to block the kicks or just cover my head with my forearms until I can put my attacker back in guard?" The thing is … [Read more...]
Pressure Testing Knife, Stick and Gun Defenses with Burton Richardson
Burton Richardson is BJJ black belt and has an incredible lineage in the Filipino Martial Arts as well, having trained with many of the top instructors in the world. I was thrilled to have him on the podcast to talk about pressure tested self defense in the real world. If you prefer, here's our whole conversation in video format... And here's the streaming … [Read more...]
How to Defend Against Ground and Pound
One of the central concepts of using the guard for self defense is to either keep your opponent very close or very far away. When he's very close it's hard for him to generate enough power for a knockout shot. And if he's very far away then his punches simply can't reach you. It's the middle ground that gets you killed. This is where punches reach their full KO power, … [Read more...]
Push, Pull, Squat, Hinge and Carry – the 5 Strength Exercises Every Martial Artist Should Do Weekly
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
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
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
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...]
How Martial Sports Were Used to Train One of the Deadliest Army in History
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
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...]