What does Shodan mean?

During my years of training I have talked to students not only from our own school but from a number of different martial arts systems. I find it an interesting phenomenon so many students view black belt as some type of finish line. As if when they receive their...

A Very Brief History of Escrima

Escrima, Kali and Arnis are the names of some of the martial art systems that originate in the Philippines. Often people use these terms interchangeably to describe systems of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) that are best known for their a stick and knife fighting. This...

Three Rules of Karate

We often talk to our junior students about the Three Rules of Karate. In fact as instructors we work hard to make sure everyone of them can recite these rule back to us and also explain what they mean. I also feel they are just as import for all the adult students to...

Group Attendance

Why should I attend groups/workshops when I already come to my private lessons? All too often I hear this question from students or even more likely they never bother to ask the question and just don’t come to groups. There are a variety of excuses people use to not...

Training for Your Environment

An important training concept for self-defense is to train in realistic situations that are close to how you may actually have to fight or the environment you may have to fight in. Many martial arts schools train only in bare feet and in the studio/dojo/school where...