When you’re working with a partner and you see them making an error it can seem like the right thing to give them a correction in order to help them improve. However, unsolicited help is often not help at all, it’s harm. The Problems with Unsolicited Help It’s disempowering 90% of learning happens in absence of a teacher. Thus, to Read More …
“Teacher teaches best what they most need to learn.” A friend of mine shared this bit of wisdom with me many years ago and it has stuck firmly with me. I have often found as a teacher that the topics I am most adept at sharing with my students are often the ones that I am actively engaged in as Read More …
“That is a really inefficient way to attack. What are they doing?” I think as my opponent winds up some particularly arduous looking strike. “Ah. Hitting me.” This is a scenario I have encountered on many occasions in my development. I’ve entered into combat with an opponent expecting a particular type of response, only to have them defy my expectations. They Read More …
This is the second part in a series on Awareness. Part 1 explored how to develop your ability to recall and diagnose what’s happening in combat through three games. In this post I’m going to delve into the second definition of awareness: Feeling, experiencing, or noticing something (such as a sound or sensation). Tactics Being able to perceive in a precise and Read More …
Merriam-Webster defines “awareness” as: Knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists Feeling, experiencing, or noticing something (such as a sound, sensation, or emotion) Knowing and understanding a lot about what is happening in the world or around you Awareness is an essential part of martial performance and learning. It allows you to know and understand your Read More …
There is a camaraderie that forms when you fence with someone and enjoy the experience. I’ve seen this in wrestling, sword fighting, and other martial arts. There is an intimacy to that kind of visceral connection that forges bonds. These types of bonds are not often formed in other places. This is especially true for men in our society who Read More …
When I first started going to the gym, it was with a colleague from work. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays instead of going home from work we would head to the gym together. We were generally there for an hour, sometimes we’d work out together, sometimes we would follow different routines. Though our approach to the gym certainly varied, one Read More …
If you can kick butt, does that make you a martial artist? Not necessarily. The word “art” is etymologically related to the word “artisan”. To the renaissance man, something was an art because it is based on well-ordered principles. A sound art is able to efficiently and effectively achieve a desirable end through a seamless alignment with nature, as the Read More …
It is tempting as a teacher to always respond to this question with “Yes”. I have found that people these days seem to be hard on themselves and are terrible at accurately assessing their own progress—I certainly have seen this in myself. It is difficult to view progress subjectively because with learning comes a greater awareness of what you don’t know. This continually expanding Read More …
You’re not too old to learn something new. Unless you plan to die in 10 years, there’s still plenty of time to gain a notable level of proficiency. Perhaps you won’t be leaping five feet into the air or out-competing some young competitor, but the benefits for your mind and body actually increase over time. The only barrier between learning Read More …