Choosing a Self Defense / Martial Arts School: A Parents Guide

"Daddy, I want to take Karate!""Mommy, Jimmy on the bus hit me again today"There are many reasons why parents want to sign their children up for Self Defense or Martial Arts classes. Once you have made the decision, now you are faced with many different options and questions. What style? How much does it cost? Is my child to young?Martial Arts and Self Defense StylesThere are as many different styles of Martial Arts as there are religions in the world. You have probably heard of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, and even Aikido, but there are still numerous styles and... Read More

Basic Drills

We all have a good foundation in the basic blows and combinations.Think about adding the following drills to your basic syllabus.These can be trained as "stand alone" combinations OR worked into existing "Defendu" combinations either "before" or "after".1. HARD left lead to chin (mental foramen) HARD overhand right to chin (opposite side) then: HARD upward right knee to fork.Repeat punching combo. Then: Side step with right leg (out and to the right 45 degree) LEFT knee to fork.2. HARD left to chin. HARD right to solar-plexus.Then the knee smashes as above.3. HARD left to SOLAR-PLEXUS. HARD right to chin.Then the... Read More

A Beginning History of Old School Jujutsu - Part 1

Over the next couple of day's I will writing an article of the history of Pre-WWII Japanese Jujitsu/Judo. I wasn't sure where to start, but here I am so let's get started.I'm going to start with H. Irving Hancock, who in the early 1900's wrote several books on the history of Japanese physical training & Jujitsu. I will start with his book Japanese Physical Training written in 1903."Subsequently he studied in Nagasaki, under Inouye San, instructor of Jiu-jitsu in the police department of that city".This was the first time I heard of Inouye. Now if we look at Hancock's other... Read More

A Great Question!

It's a question that we went back and forth with for awhile ourselves many moons ago. The "how" and "why" of our conclusions may be of some interest. Whether or not anyone agrees with them, well at the least you'll fully understand the basis for them.The question is this:Why does Fairbairn stress the straight thumb in line with the barrel, even for one handed shooting?Years ago when we first began our attempt to sort out the mechanics, methods and reasoning behind this type of shooting we had the exact same question! It really is an excellent question.We need a little... Read More

The Acronym That Saved My Life

Frequently, I get asked about certifications, systems or methods. We made a decision a long time ago of purposely staying away from things like this.Obviously, it's a no-brainer, money maker and it's not that I don't want to make money; but our purpose was to give you real training on the real stuff. Certifications and acronyms lead to a false sense of security and there's a fine line between sense of accomplishment and sense of security.Personally, no matter how many black belts and "certifications" I have- I can always find people 10 feet outside my dojo who could care less.... Read More

Are You Still Standing Toe to Toe?

How many times do you practice techniques with your training partner and you stay in the same spot? Next time you are training, see how much you and your partner move. You will find you move very little or not at all. You see, when you are training, or doing ANYTHING for that matter, you always try to seek the path of least resistance. This is natural and can be viewed as a good thing (more on that later). Because you concentrate on the repetitions and the minutia of the detail, how hard we are hitting, what we look like,... Read More

Are You Frustrated Yet?

I was talking to a parent recently and they told me that their son was not going to compete in wrestling because they were afraid they would get frustrated when he lost. The parent felt the child was far too sensitive to handle the frustration of failure and may get 'burnt out'. My response was, "What will they do when they get frustrated in life?" What happens when that kid has got to suck it up and go forward when it REALLY counts? Being a new parent, my daughter is 2 and I have another on the way, I only... Read More

By-Rote Combinations

Do not believe that practicing "by rote" 1-2-3,etc. type "responses" to street attacks is a viable or particularly useful training exercise. Example: He does this, I do that. For attack A I use Defense A.Realize that in a street fight there are far too many variables, too many contingencies. Uncle Murphy rules the roost. Terrain, weather, injuries, any number of unforeseen deficits is one major concern.The variety of assailants (size, number, weight, height, mental state, tolerance to pain, clothing) is another major stumbling block.Train your "tools", study your "targets" and master your "opening gambit", anything "rehearsed" past that point, that... Read More

Catholic Self Defense

Note: I wrote this essay regarding the development of Tekkenryu jujutsu. However, I think it is applicable for all methods of self defense. It may also explain why martial arts are the way they are.Catholic, by definition, means universal or "broad minded".I could pull out STACKS of manuals, syllabuses, films, and related research material that cover an ENTIRE range of unarmed combat.Some methods advocate wrestling as their base, others use boxing or savate. Some jujutsu and judo while others call their systems "rough and tumble" or "all in", and there is even a system based on American SPORTS. I have... Read More

Bogu Training

About four years ago Carl recommended we start using the Bogu during our kumite (sparring practice). This method was developed in Okinawa and then found its way into mainland Japan and eventually to the U.S. where only a few clubs still do this. And even in those clubs, only a few members do it. I know there is other equipment out there that looks similar and I have used most of what's available. But it does not provide you with nearly the same overall effect that the bogu does. Rules in bogu training ? Any punch, any kick, save foot... Read More

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Expect the Unexpected Grass Hopper

The Myth perpetuated by Self Defense Oriented Martial ArtsI just received the following Email. I felt it needed to be shared because I feel a... Read More

Okinawan Karate

So you are thinking of starting to train in okinawan karate. There are a lot of choices as far as okinawan karate schools are concerned.... Read More

Interesting Facts on Samurai Sword Manufacture

A samurai's sword is his most sacred and prized possession. Not only did the samurai rely on his sword to defend him, but spiritually the... Read More

Martial Arts

Traditionally, people trained in Martial Arts in order to utilized their skills as a form of attack and defense in both armed and unarmed... Read More

Generating More Power from Hip Rotation - Lessons from Martial Arts

One of the important lessons of Martial Arts training is the ability to use hip rotation as a way to generate power and speed for... Read More

Content, Are We?

I asked a simple question at the last seminar:"How much has everyone improved in the year since we last got together?"I've practiced the same basics... Read More

Do You Take Yours Trained or Untrained?

If you ain't pissing anyone off, you're not doing anything worth while. Like religion and politics, martial arts are not for a lack of its... Read More

A Great Question!

It's a question that we went back and forth with for awhile ourselves many moons ago. The "how" and "why" of our conclusions may be... Read More

Strategy as Applied to Warrior-citizens

After years of study, I have come to a small understanding of the way of strategy. I will here explain some strategy as it applies... Read More

A Samurais Power Is In His Little Finger, Not His Samurai Sword

In the 12th Century the Shogunate was formed. The head of this regime was the Shogun, the supreme ruler. Under him where his regional 'daimyo'... Read More

Choosing a Self Defense / Martial Arts School: A Parents Guide

"Daddy, I want to take Karate!""Mommy, Jimmy on the bus hit me again today"There are many reasons why parents want to sign their children up... Read More

Is Aikido a Martial Art ?

Sensei Henry Ellis Co-Author of the new book Positive Aikido.- 2005. A direct student from 1957 of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensi 1915 -... Read More

The Fallacy and the Myth

It's always amusing when "know it alls" dismiss certain methods out of hand as being useless or "unworkable". One "victim" of this line of thinking... Read More

Samurai Swords ? Choosing a Sword to Buy

It's undeniable that a well placed and mounted samurai sword or samurai sword set looks fantastic and an ads character to any room of the... Read More

The Dojo

Just as an aside. For those who would "box" us in to specific "category".........We don't just write articles. There is a place we actually train... Read More

COMBATIVES A Rose by Any Other Name?....Part 2

The advent of World War One (the war to END all wars) brought warfare into a new and foreboding era of man to man killing... Read More

The Best Martial Art

It is a very difficult task to determine which martial art is the best so first of all let's take a look what a martial... Read More

Things to Know About Learning Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing)

For Easterners, particularly Chinese, this MAY not be an issue. Tai Chi Chuan is deeply rooted as part of the Chinese culture. It is known... Read More

How to Become A Modern-Day Ninja Master

The ninja were a military order in Japan. Most people have seen them in movies and fictional books.They are the guys dressed in the black... Read More

How to Select Your Martial Arts and Self Defense Equipment

The most common place to buy martial arts or self defense equipment is in the local dojo. Most dojos, training centers, etc., have a small... Read More

Its Not a Matter of Who is Right

"People here may belittle sports arts...."Who?Almost EVERY "combatives" man of any note CAME from a combative sports background. Boxing, wrestling, judo. WEF and O'Neill (SIXTH... Read More

Grown Man Quits After 3 Mat Pulls!

A matt pull is the simple act of lying on flat on your stomach, reaching in front of you and pulling your self across the... Read More

Martial Arts and The Zone

On the occasions you delivered the perfect strike; blocked without the need to think or performed a near flawless kata, did it feel difficult? Or... Read More

Im Soooo Confused...

I was going to write about the BASICS of "practical unarmed combat". Things like a solid and productive core of strength training, development of real... Read More

Eight Simple Rules for Saving Your Life

Let's put the non-lethal fantasy to rest.1. Never trust your assailant. No matter what they say, no matter how believable they may sound. If they... Read More