How to Keep Adrenaline Under Control for Martial Arts (Or Anything!)
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…)
What Movie Inspired You to Start Martial Arts Training?
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…)
3 Healthy Breakfast Recipes for Active People
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…)
The Benefits of an Accountability Buddy
I’ve always found that having a friend or colleague who is working toward similar goals is helpful when it comes to achieving your own goals. Often referred to as an “accountability buddy” in success circles, they can have a specifically defined relationship with you, or they could just be along for the ride providing general support. However the relationship is defined (or not defined), the idea is that your accountability buddy helps you stay motivated in your training. Each relationship is specific to the people involved in the partnership, but the benefits, for the most part are the same. Here are 4 that I have found in my experience: (more…)
How to Minimize the Psychological Impact of Injuries in Martial Arts Classes
Injuries happen in the martial arts. It’s not stamp collecting. They’re bound to happen sooner or later. At our dojo, we’ve been very fortunate in that we’ve had very few injuries occur in the 6 years we’ve been in operation. But when they do happen, it’s important to minimize their psychological effects in the dojo.
When a person gets injured it serves as a reminder that what we do has its risks, and this “reminder” can act as a virus that spreads negativity and doubt throughout the class and to those who witness the event. Students become more cautious in their performance of techniques, and this “cautiousness” can cause them to move in ways that actually lead to the very injuries they fear. (more…)
6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Force It in Martial Arts Training
In Jiu-jitsu, as in many martial arts, the goal is to develop great technique so as to use one’s energy with the greatest level of efficiency for maximum effect. Jiu-jitsu literally translates to mean “the art of pliancy or flexibility.” When students get stuck on a technique though, sometimes they will try to use power to force it to work. This not a good approach if your goal is to become a better martial artist. Water is often used as analogy of how we should train in the martial arts. It finds the path of least resistance and flows around its obstacles. Bruce Lee himself said: “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it.”
There are a variety of practical reasons for not trying to force your way through martial arts techniques. Here are 6 examples from my own experience: (more…)
Sprung Floor Building at Our Dojo’s New Home
This past weekend, we spent 2 full days working on moving into our dojo’s new home. On day 1, we arrived early on Sat. morning to get organized with Kevin Holter, our project manager for the sprung floor and all other construction projects. Complete with detailed blue prints and cardboard templates, the guys got to work on gluing foam springs to the bottom layer of plywood of our sprung floor, while Kevin was busy cutting up the wood pieces for the second layer and edges.
- GENIUS IDEA of Kevin’s:Using a cardboard template to indicate placement of foam springs
New Dojo, New Sprung Floor
This weekend we are moving into our new location at 140-12811 Clarke Place in Richmond BC. It’s an exciting time for us as it is our first location that we have had complete autonomy over. It is a vast improvement over our last location, with 50% more training space, bigger changing rooms, even a lounge in which parents will be able to watch their children train by video camera in our new martial arts classes for kids 9+. (more…)
Pressure Point of the Day: Mandibular Angle
A pressure point from the Police Pressure Point System as established by Professor Georges Sylvain, the mandibular angle is a nerve pressure point (as opposed to a nerve motor point) that can cause great pain to the recipient, yet causes no injury. Read Nerve Motor Points vs. Nerve Pressure Points to understand the differences. This makes it useful for controlling a person when you wish to limit the amount of force used, like when you’re extricating a non-compliant but non-assaultive subject. Not everyone is sensitive to this pressure point though, and subjects that are pain-resistant because they’re extremely drunk or high may not even feel the pain so it may not be a good choice if the stakes are high. (more…)
The Only Person Worth Competing Against in the Martial Arts
We live in a society that emphasizes competition. We grow up on team sports, we strive to get the best marks in school to win scholarships over other applicants. In the career world, people compete for the best jobs, promotions, professional awards, even the respect of our colleagues. On the home front, people compete by comparing themselves to others, by trying to “keep up with the Jones’s” in terms of their homes and lifestyles, but also in terms of their spouses and children. (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.