6 Great Full-Body Strength Training Exercises for Martial Artists
I do a lot of physical training including martial arts, running, outdoor activities, etc. I like to include some strength training as part of my general training regimen, but I like to be efficient with it. Rather than doing resistance training that only isolates one muscle or one muscle group, I like to try and do multiple muscle groups at once. I have a number of go-to exercises that I use for this purpose. (more…)
How to Adjust Breakfalls for Movie Stunt Work
*WARNING: This article is for informational purposes only. If you wish to put these concepts into practice you should do so under the supervision of a trained professional.
Knowing how to do breakfalls is really useful for a stunt performer. A high proportion of the movie stunts performed involve falling, whether it’s for a fight, chase, or off a building. But it’s not enough to be good at the breakfalls you do in martial arts training.
When we do throws and takedowns in Jiu-jitsu, our first and foremost goal is to prevent injury. In stunts, the goal is to make the fall look realistic. These two goals can clash, however. The big slap and controlled leg position of a very safe breakfall are the same things that make it look as though the person falling didn’t get hurt. No big surprise, right? (more…)
Reflections to the 5th Degree: On My Promotion to Godan
Last week, on Thurs. Sept. 6, I was promoted to 5th Degree Black Belt. A lot of people asked me how I feel about it. I thought it best to summarize my reflections on this milestone here. As I think back over the past 20 years of martial arts training, teaching and all the life experiences associated with it, what stands out most are all the relationships that have developed over the years. (more…)
How to Take a Shot to the Groin
One of the rudest moments someone participating in any sport can experience is when they discover that groin protectors aren’t perfect. While I’ve never seen anyone strut around the mats like their groin was invulnerable with a cup on, there is definitely a misconception that it keeps strikes to the groin entirely pain free. It doesn’t. Taking a shot to the groin isn’t just about standing there and taking it, and once you learn how to use your body to effectively minimize the energy delivered with a groin strike, while at the same time allowing your partner to train proper targeting, you’ll be a lot more comfortable taking groin strikes in your training.
Why I Yell at Students During Belt Tests
Yesterday, I ran a green belt test for 4 students. During the test I yelled… a lot. I yelled when students weren’t lining up for a breakfall quickly enough. I yelled when people were stalled on techniques. I yelled when people weren’t doing kiai enough. I yelled when doing counts for striking drills.
Not only do I yell, when I do it during tests, I do it with an angry tone. This is one of the hardest things for me to do, because in reality, I really like my students and just want to help them do their best. But the yelling is one tool that helps me do that. This is a concept in the martial arts that I think deserves elaboration.
Book Review: American Shooter by Gerry Souter
A brief preface: When I was asked to review this book, I was offered the chance to interview the author about guns for self-defense. I think the idea was that it would make it slightly more relevant for this martial arts blog, with our focus on self-defense. I declined the offer because of my view that in Canada, guns are not, for civilians, truly self-defense tools. Our culture and our laws make the use of guns, handguns especially, difficult to use for self-defense. In Canada, guns are in a lot of ways viewed more as tools; for farmers, hunters, law enforcement, and the military. However, for understanding the differences in our views on self-defense with our brothers to the south, I thought that this would be an interesting book to review, so I give you:
American Shooter: A Personal History of Gun Culture in the United Sates by Gerry Souter (more…)
Coming Back to the Dojo After a Break
As we near the end of the summer, I start getting emails from students who took a break from their training for whatever reason. Some use the summer to explore other interests, usually some sort of outdoor activities like hiking, paintball, triathlon racing, etc. Some go on extended vacations. Some have seasonal jobs like being a lifeguard or a farmer. Others just find it unappealing to go and train indoors when Vancouver summers have such lovely weather. (more…)
7 Ways to Help Your Child Deal with Bullies
As the start of school draws near, the issue of bullying in schools comes to the forefront of parents minds. Parents of children who are targeted by bullies often feel powerless to help their child. They want to enjoy their time in school and have the best learning environment to help them grow, but bullying can get in the way of this and can have serious consequences for their child over the long term.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I have done extensive research on this issue leading up to the ‘Take a Stand’ Bully-proofing and Self-Defense class for youth that we’re hosting. Here are the top 7 ways I’ve come across to help your child deal with bullying. (more…)
Connection & Subtlety for Improving Effectiveness of Throws
As always, I try and take away concepts from these events, rather than specific techniques because I find concepts easier to remember and often have greater impact on my overall development. (more…)
The Importance of Role-playing in Martial Arts Training
This past weekend I taught at the Canadian Jiu-jitsu Union summer camp, an event featuring 10 hours of training over 2 days with 8 instructors. I usually like to work with a particular theme and this year I worked with the theme of being a role-player. By role-player, I don’t mean playing games like Dungeons & Dragons though I do think that the martial arts attract many such players. But even if one has never touched such games, if you train in the martial arts, you’ve probably been a “role-player” at some point. (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.