We’ve been working very hard to get the dojo in a more finished state over the past month. It’s coming together nicely with only a few finishing touches left to do this week. We’re motivated to get it all done though so the place looks awesome for this Saturday’s grand opening party.

There will be cake, candy sushi (handmade by me), Rock Band and other games. We’ll also be holding a draw for gift certificates and dojo swag for those who RSVP (either on Facebook or by email to [email protected]). The party is open to the public, Sat. Mar. 31, 7:00-8:30pm, so come over and check out our new dojo if you’re in the area. Check out the Facebook event page. (more…)

Tags: open house | party

Detachment is widely considered a psychologically and spiritually healthy practice. But for many people in Western society, it is difficult to get into the habit as we are constantly bombarded with messages of things we should accumulate in our lives, including our home, car, personal possessions, relationships, accomplishments, experiences and overall lifestyles.

Being a martial artist has helped me learn to practice detachment, which has in turn made me a better martial artist over the long term. This has also extended into other areas of my life, giving me a happier, healthier existence. Below are 5 tips that have helped me in my practice of detachment and some resulting benefits of that practice. (more…)

Tags: detachment | zen

Music is a great tool for stimulating emotions, whether you want to pump yourself up and get motivated to focus on a task (physical or mental), relax and let go of the tensions of your day, or simply shift your mood to a happier state. It continually amazes me how much of an emotional response I get to certain pieces of music, whether it’s the melody, rhythm, lyrics, or connection to personal memories, or a combination of the four. (more…)

Tags: music for happiness | music for motivation | music for relaxation

Produced by the adrenal glands in our body, adrenaline is released when the body experiences high-stress mental or physical situations. It stimulates a variety of bodily functions, including increased heart rate, increased blood to muscles and increased oxygen flow to the lungs, etc. It can be used to  increase your performance in sport or self-defense, making you faster, stronger and less affected by pain. It can also enable you to process information while taking actions at a rapid rate, making you more responsive to threats. These reactions, however, are not a given. Everyone has different reactions to adrenaline and the stressful situations that causes its flow. This article explores these reactions and how to train yourself to have more useful reactions for martial arts and self-defense. (more…)

Tags: adrenaline | fight or flight | intention | multiple attackers | stress

Have you ever gotten frustrated at being unable to apply a joint lock, do a throw, or get good shots in when sparring against someone much bigger or stronger than you? You’re not alone. Many people come to train in the martial arts because they’re looking for something that will help level the playing field for them if they should ever have to raise their hands to defend themselves physically. But after they’ve been training for a while, they still find themselves struggling to do the same techniques that bigger, stronger people seem able to apply more easily. They become disillusioned and often quit because they don’t realize what it takes for smaller people to be successful in the martial arts. (more…)

Tags: defending against larger attackers | self-belief | self-defense | success

We were asked to review, Revenge, which is a Jason Steed novel by Mark A. Cooper because they thought it would appeal to martial artists. There was a catch however, it’s juvenile fiction, so it’s targeted at 9-year-olds and up.

Take down a ruthless criminal gang – from the inside.
Rescue the ambassador’s kidnapped daughter.
Capture a traitor.

No problem.

If that sounds like it could be the plot of a bad action movie, well then you’ve pretty much nailed Revenge, except this book might actually have more action. By page 69 our 11-year old protagonist has been in 3 fights, involved in 2 murders, a torture scene and one of his school yard chums has committed suicide. (more…)

There are many different stylistic approaches to the use of weapons in the martial arts. There is a common theme though. As a general rule, weapons are simply considered an extension of your body. The stances, blocks and strikes you use when unarmed are used in the same contexts when using a weapon. The only difference is that you use the weapon as an extension of your body to enhance your defensive or offensive capabilities.

In Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu, we emphasize the use of weapons of opportunity. Weapons of opportunity are simply items that are commonly found in your environment that could be used in self-defense, but aren’t necessarily carried for that purpose. This includes things like a flashlight, hair brush, rolled up magazine, umbrella, stick, cane, etc. Whatever the weapon, we still use the same stance and style of movement as we do in our unarmed defenses, we just introduce ways to enhance one’s impact, reach, and overall effectiveness, using the unique qualities of the weapon used. (more…)

Tags: iaido | martial arts weapons | weapons of opportunity

Adrenaline can be a great tool for self-defense or martial arts sports. It can give you an extra rush of energy when it really counts. It can help you cope with taking hard hits. It can make you more aggressive when aggression may be needed to give you the edge. But it also has its downsides for self-defense, sport or even when you’re just training. It can narrow your field of vision, make it difficult to hear (whether it’s your attacker’s buddy coming in to help or instructions from your coach while in the ring). It can even cause you to use more force than necessary to quell an attacker. (more…)

Tags: adrenaline | stress

Martial artists start their training for a variety of reasons, for fitness, self-defense, cool factor, etc. Most martial artists I know also had a particular movie that inspired them, whether it was a particular character, concept or action sequence that brought on their compulsion. I was 16 when I became inspired to take up a martial art, and it was the movie ‘Batman Returns’ that started it all with the strong, sexy, bad-ass character of Catwoman performed by Michelle Pfeiffer.

While ‘Batman Returns’ was certainly not exactly a work of film art, the portrayal of Catwoman was one of the first movies in which I saw a female character as both strong-willed and as a strong fighter. It made me want to be strong, both mentally and physically. This led me to look into what martial arts were offered locally, ultimately leading me to my 20-year love affair with Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu. (more…)

Tags: martial arts inspiration | martial arts movies

Nutritionists have emphasized the importance of breakfast for years and yet so many people who want to improve their health and well-being still have meals full of empty calories, or worse yet, skip breakfast. One of the best things I got out of reading about the “Zone” Diet system was that it helped me put together a few breakfasts that are just right for me in terms of my activity level.

These power breakfasts are all quick and easy to make. They’re nutritious and give me plenty of energy for my day, and because they have a good balance of carbs and protein, I don’t get hungry an hour or two after eating. You can easily adjust amounts and make substitutions based on your own personal tastes too as they’re very flexible recipes. (more…)

Tags: healthy breakfast recipes