Martial Arts Education

1) Make sure that everyone who enters your fitness classes is properly screened to ensure that they are physically capable of handling the class. 2) Students need to be brought slowly into the program with some type of introductory class, so the instructor can get to know students and evaluate their fitness level. This is ...

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the difference between the relationships I’ve established with my current students and how I previously interacted with my traditional martial arts students. The biggest difference, of course, is that my current students are adults. In a short period of time, I realized that for me to be successful teaching fitness ...

During the course of our travels through life, it’s a commonly accepted fact that what bring us the greatest joy can often bring us the most troublesome worries as well. When my son, Aria, was born, the great joy my wife and I experienced was matched only by the anxiety we felt when he contracted ...

In this series of columns, I’ve addressed the topic of so-called controversial exercises that many martial arts instructors have been doing for years, but those exercises may lead to student injuries. Now, I want to address, perhaps, the most controversial exercises of all, “ballistic stretches.” Ballistic stretches can include the swinging leg-lifts to the front ...

Some years ago, I was at a major “contact” Karate tournament that had attracted fighters from across the country for many years. More than a few of the matches are decided by knockouts, and the action is always hard and fast. The rules allow for full-contact kicking to the head and body, but hand strikes ...

People study martial arts for many worthwhile reasons, which is entirely separate from the desire to acquire self-defense skills. There’s a big difference between martial arts study and self-defense training. That difference is based on an individual’s motivation to pursue either of these goals. There is some overlap, but they are most certainly not the ...

Last month, I noted that our academic school systems operate on the premise that “nothing is worth fighting for.” This month, I want to bring this point directly home by reporting on a manifestation of this passive philosophy that shouldn’t be ignored-and that is rape.If you have a daughter in middle or high school or ...

For most martial artists, the most challenging aspect of self-defense in the real world is to know when to use violence. I must tell you that the hesitation that comes from fear, confusion and the denial of truly aggressive behavior can often preempt the use of any self-defense skills or training. As instructors, we have ...

If you’ve been a martial artist for very long, then you know that many of the “old-timers” seem to have bad knees. Some of these problems stem from dramatic injuries, such as a strike to the knee joint (like my ACL tear several years ago) or an attempt at a jumping or spinning kick. Some ...

There has been a long-running dispute among the “experts” about certain exercises used in many fitness workout routines. Some say that there are contraindicated exercises that should probably be eliminated from any program that targets a general audience. Other experts want to see scientific evidence that certain exercises are harmful before they consider modifying their ...