The hips are the center of the body. Moving them well contributes to all other movements and connects them in an enhancing chain of small and greater movements. Begin: Place yourself in the pushup position and rotate your hips while in this in one side and then the next. Note your preference and always start… Read More Staying Hip
One of the best ways to find your way around the mountain is to walk around it. This time, we will use the stick to release stiffness in the body and in the mind. For these ten movements you will need a sturdy shaft that reaches from the ground to your chest at least. I… Read More Stiff Mobility
In this online video class, we start with body awareness, tension and release and the shifting of mass and how this translates to more and more movement but without tension and excess. Join me for more classes online and in person, here.
It is up to us to be logical but it is equally paramount to be illogical in our pursuit of truth and affect. Here is an illogical lesson plan for the sword. It mirrors a simple truth of resistance vs control but from the other side of the mirror. Begin: Hold your sword in your… Read More The invisible sword
Movies paint a picture of virtue and might. Of good and evil and of discernible visuals. Life is about energy preservation and the attacker being smarter than most movie villains seeks the most vulnerable position for the pray before attacking. After all, statistics are here for a reason and adding percentages to not getting caught… Read More FIGHT TALK
Getting real What makes a drill a reality drill and how we can improve on what we get from our training. How to breath in daily life to become better aware and conscious of our direction and freedom. Perspective – a comparison of what really matters in life with a lesson from Kibera Kenya. Be… Read More Getting real
Cardiovascular ability is quite the dirty word in many martial art schools whose worth is mostly in performance in the dojo. I agree to some extent as investing in the parts of the whole without context gives very little to advance the abilities of the practitioner. It is putting things together which brings us to… Read More Running as breath work
Many ideas work. Many ideas do not work at the same time. 🙂 Our job is to find and make up what works for us right now and see what does not. But further, We must understand why things do not work so we can learn from them. Only then, we can move past them.… Read More Tense to relax!
There is a buffer between real violence and training and there has to be one to allow progress both mental and physical. Many martial arts today rely on padded surfaces and body padding. This allows for higher throws in practice and greater force exerted in contact in striking and impact. There is however also negative… Read More Hard contact
Time is the true commodity. Here are eight drills that hide within daily actions to sharpen and hone the movement ability of us all. 1.Slowly increase the distance you take to throw the trash into the trash bin (Be extra careful with weird shaped objects, they fly differently) 2. Walk up the stairs at night… Read More An inclusive take on everyday training
