5 Advantages of Training with a Female Martial Arts Instructor
For some reason, a lot of people think that because I am a female martial arts instructor that my students would probably be mostly women. This is far from the truth. The reality is that my division of men to women is pretty much the same as it is in most martial arts schools, with more men than women training. People train for all sorts of reasons, but many of my students, both men and women, look at training under a female instructor as beneficial to their learning. Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Less Macho Training Environment. One of the reasons many people are hesitant to take up martial arts training is because they are worried that there will be too many people who train with a macho attitude using the dojo as their own personal proving ground. They worry that this kind of environment would make the social element unappealing, and the training environment potentially dangerous as people take out their personal baggage on unsuspecting partners. With a female instructor running the show, a class is less likely to attract people with macho attitudes because they’re (more…)
What to Do After Completing a Big Goal or Project
Recently, I finished off a project I had been working toward over the past few weeks. I had the opportunity to do stunt doubling work for a movie using my fencing skills. In the end, all went well and I doubled for 3 different women for the same film. Even though I already had a good set of fencing skills to draw on, there was a lot of work involved. I helped train other women with no fencing experience so they could work on the film. I learned choreographed sequences. The biggest task though was losing weight as I was told that the women I was expected to double were thinner than me. Through my efforts of working out and diet management I lost 8 lbs within 2 weeks for the show, and kept up my plan to maintain my physique until the show was complete. Needless to say, it was a busy 3 weeks of moving outside my usual comfort zones, requiring a lot of focus on a number of physical goals. (more…)
How Being a Morning Person Can Be More Productive (with Fixes for Night Owls)
I’ve found that being a morning person really helps me live a more productive life. There are a number of reasons for this just due to the timing of life in North American society. It is this same timing that can lead to night owls being less productive. There are work-arounds, however, if you want the same benefits that active morning people enjoy. (more…)
The Benefits of Moving Outside Your Comfort Zones
Recently, I had a big opportunity come my way in the film industry for my fencing skills. There was one caveat that led to me pushing my boundaries; they wanted me to lean up a bit for the role I would potentially be playing within a couple of weeks. First off, I’ve always maintained a healthy weight for my size and I’m fit/strong and all that, but I realized that there was room for me to trim off a little extra padding around my mid-section.
I decided to strictly manage my diet and exercise to lean up as much as is realistic within the short period of time I had, using a weight loss plan I found online. Even if I didn’t get the part or whatever, I figured it would be a great challenge for me. And it was. I managed to lose 5 lbs in one week, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but this translated to losing 2 inches off my waist, 1 inch around my hips, and 1 inch around my chest. This was great progress for me in such a short period of time. (more…)
The Benefits of Kiai for Sharpening Focus & Form for Breakfalls (or Anything!)
Recently I was working with Rick, my stellar 65-year-old Jiu-jitsu student, on a couple of his higher impact breakfalls (breakfall #8 and #9 in Can-ryu). He had been working on improving them diligently for over a year now, trying to overcome his fear of falling hard. Being an older guy, he is naturally a little scared about hurting himself. As a result, he has always found himself holding his breath, tensing up and resisting the flow of energy when doing these higher impact falls, when what he needed to do was quite the opposite; he needed to breathe out and relax to take the edge off the impact, and go with the flow so his body could naturally turn into the ideal falling position. For months we gave him the same type of feedback, making very gradual progress all the while, but then he reached a plateau and he wasn’t making the jump he needed to really “get” the breakfall.
Then we added the kiai. (more…)
The Benefits of Taking a Break on Learning & Productivity
Western society is a often characterized with a spirit of ambitious go-getting. The people who are often thought to make the most of life are the ones who set goals and work diligently toward them. You see this in the martial arts too, especially with regards to the belt system. As a white belt, a student looks to learn all the techniques on the yellow belt system. Once they have developed the required proficiency at those techniques, they’re tested and usually promoted. Lather, rinse, and repeat until life takes you away from the art or you get bored. (more…)
Meditations on Meditation: A Visit to a Zen Centre
This past Sunday, I went to the Zen Centre of Vancouver to do their introductory session to Zen. I’ve been meditating regularly for years, using more or less the same methods as they do in Zen. I recently decided that it might be nice to try formal practice in a group to see what it’s like. It was an interesting experience that I’d like to share.
I rode my scooter to the Zen Centre early Sunday morning. At first, I drove past it. It was easy to miss being a house in a residential area with only a humble sign over the front door marking it for what it was (as seen here on the right before it was renovated). I rang the doorbell and was greeted by Eshin John Godfrey (shown in photo below on the left), the centre’s abbot. He is a friendly man who smiles a lot, and does a great job of making new visitors feel comfortable and welcome as I came to discover. (more…)
7 Useful iPhone Apps for Mental & Physical Health
I have had an iPhone 4 for over a year now and up until recently had hardly any apps on it. After hearing about how useful they can be, I decided to explore what ones might be helpful for maintaining mental and physical health. Of course, I preferred if they were free, but I found myself intrigued by a few of the ones that required payment. So in this post I’ll review 7 of the ones that I thought people who strive for a healthy lifestyle would find most useful.
1. Clear (Productivity App)
Price: $2.99. This remarkably simple app makes it easy to make and track lists, whether it’s to-do lists, grocery lists, goal lists, etc. It makes cute little sounds as you add and subtract things from your lists, making it that much more satisfying a process. According to studies, making lists helps us organize our minds, which can in turn help us learn better (or so I was told in my 1st year university psychology class). Clear is really intuitive and easy to use, though you may find that the very act of making these lists makes it so that you don’t actually have to rely on them as much (as is the case with me).
The Benefits of Training with People Your Own Size (or Smaller) in the Martial Arts
Last night I stayed late after class working with two women on their ground grappling skills. After a little submission technique review, we took turns grappling with each other. One of my students thanked me after class, saying that she found it really educational to grapple with me because it helps her to learn because I move in a way that makes sense to her. This is an important thing to remember when it comes to martial arts training and teaching.
Being a self-defense oriented instructor, we often emphasize the merits of training with people who are bigger than us. After all, we are much more likely to be attacked by someone bigger than ourselves on the streets, especially if you’re a woman. That being said, there are a number of benefits to training with people that are the same size as us too. Here are a few I came up with: (more…)
Embracing Failure: The Value of Struggle When Learning Martial Arts
A recent Time article called Why Floundering is Good I read suggests that trying to figure out something on your own produces better results than having guidance from the beginning. The article is written in the context of intellectual learning, but I do think there are some takeaways for people learning or teaching martial arts or other physical skills, even if some adjustments need to be made for practicality and safety.
Obviously you don’t want to let students practise martial arts techniques in a way that is unsafe to themselves or their partners. They may learn from the injury, but at the cost of their well-being and the ability to train, which is not a worthwhile trade-off. Once certain foundations are laid, however, and students are able to do the techniques safely, it’s a good idea to give them “puzzles” to work out once in a while so they better understand the when to use what they’ve learned effectively. (more…)
We're proud to announce that Lori O'Connell Sensei's new book, When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-jitsu Strategies & Tactics for Self-Defense, published through international martial arts publisher Tuttle Publishing, is now available in major book stores and online. More about it & where to buy it.