Blog: Letting Go and Zen Archery
This year on retreat we did a few exercises designed to help our kung fu and tai chi students experience mushin, or a state of no-mind. One of these drills was something that we’ve never done before: zen archery. To
Blog: Super Bowl Momentum Living in the Moment and Martial Arts
I’ve been a little surprised over the last few days when I ask my students at the dojo if they watched the Super Bowl. (They are also probably surprised to hear someone talk about football in a martial arts school).
Blog: Action
Last week, the question of the week in the dojo was, “What is a quick decision you made that changed your life?” When I initially started thinking about this, I was trying to remember bad decisions I had made. There
Blog: Martial Arts Discipline
Martial Arts Discipline I have practiced martial arts every day for 16 years. It’s pretty much the only thing I’ve done every day besides eat, sleep, and meditate (I’ve probably skipped a few days of brushing my teeth and showering). When I
2016 Kids Grappling Tournament
2016 Kids grappling tournament participants Pulling the guard Passing the guard Scissor sweep and defense against full mount Position change Start to full mount
Blog: Patience, The First Way of Becoming Great at Martial Arts
Patience: The First Way of Becoming Great at Martial Arts From Budo Secrets by John Stevens: An ardent young man petitioned a master swordsman to accept him as a disciple. “I’ll act as your servant and train ceaselessly. How long will
Blog: Martial Arts Philosophy, Kung Fu and Zen
Martial Arts Philosophy The legendary founder of Kung Fu is also the man credited with the invent of Zen (Ch’an) Buddhism. Bodhidharma was said to have traveled to China from India and began teaching the monks at Shaolin temple in the
Weapons Defense Class
Students learned different techniques to use against common attacks in our weapons defense class. Techniques for attacks from a stick, a gun and a knife were learned. Here are some pictures from the knife defense - a standing arm bar, taking our partner to
Blog: Aikido Part 2
The instructor demonstrated an Aikido technique with very little explanation (none of which I understood), and we went to work. My first partner was also my favorite partner that I practiced with all week. He was an older man who
Martial Arts for Self-Defense
There are many wonderful reasons to practice martial arts. Learning self-defense, getting a great workout, learning mental and physical discipline, even doing something engaging and fun are all common things people tell me they are looking for when starting in
