In the first post I wrote for this blog, I noted that no matter how boring drilling may seem, it is a useful method for honing your skills. Looking back at that piece, I didn’t offer much evidence to support my conclusion. In this post, I aim to briefly review Daniel Willingham’s Why Don’t Students … Continue reading Readings: On Drilling and Expertise – Cognitive Science in Martial Arts
Jiu Jitsu
Scrambles, Kuzushi, and Opportunity in a Crisis.
Stasis, as we understand it today, implies stability. We find it in words such as homeostasis, wherein the body attempts to stabilize or find balance amid some outside influence or internal pathogen. In ancient Greek, the term also had the connotation of conflict. In order to stabilize or find balance, the body had to battle … Continue reading Scrambles, Kuzushi, and Opportunity in a Crisis.
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“Yeah, But Will It Work in ‘the Streets?’”
I often hear this question referring to many of the martial arts with sports variations (Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, Karate, etc.). I think many who ask such often have very little frame of reference for the art in question, or the streets for that matter. However, I recently heard an even better question: “What can … Continue reading “Yeah, But Will It Work in ‘the Streets?’”
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Getting that First Stripe
Getting that first stripe on their white belt is a tremendous feeling for many BJJ students. It may even feel better in some ways than getting a blue belt, but that could be my opinion. The first stripe is just a piece of tape, but it, in many ways, validates a person’s effort, time, and … Continue reading Getting that First Stripe
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Prize Fights and Public Speeches: Maeda and Gorgias.
Lately, I’ve been studying the art and history of rhetoric in my Ph.D. program. I’ve written briefly about what I think are some interesting crossovers between martial arts and rhetoric, and this post continues in that vein, namely by describing two men who made huge changes in their respective realms of expertise: Gorgias and Mitsuyo … Continue reading Prize Fights and Public Speeches: Maeda and Gorgias.
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Perfect Timing: Kairos in Martial Arts
How often have you heard the phrase, “timing is everything?” I’ve heard it most of my martial arts career, whether it was in wrestling, Karate, BJJ, or Judo. Maybe the phrase is a bit overplayed, but I’d like to offer a perspective on why timing is so important. In my studies of rhetoric and philosophy, … Continue reading Perfect Timing: Kairos in Martial Arts
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Colors and Cognition: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Belts and Bloom’s Taxonomy
Over the years I’ve coached martial arts, I often get asked about what criteria I use for promotion, particularly in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Judo has a set criteria and curriculum, so I don’t have to worry as much about it in that art. But, in BJJ, much is left to the instructor’s discretion. From that point, … Continue reading Colors and Cognition: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Belts and Bloom’s Taxonomy
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What is Jiu-Jitsu?
Our martial arts history has an age-old debate about the roots, stems, branches, and leaves. I’ve written previously about the differences between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Japanese Jujitsu. This post takes a different look at what we call “Jiu-Jitsu” by critiquing our preconceived notions. My point is to get at just what we are talking about … Continue reading What is Jiu-Jitsu?
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Readings: Thus Spake Zarathustra (Nietzsche for Martial Artists)
If you’ve ever read anything by or about Friedrich Nietzsche, you may be familiar with his concepts of will to power and the ubermensch (overman). These two key terms express Nietzsche’s defining characteristic: becoming. His book, Thus Spake Zarathustra, is a series of speeches and interactions of the prophet/hermit Zarathustra with various people and animals. Zarathustra … Continue reading Readings: Thus Spake Zarathustra (Nietzsche for Martial Artists)
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C.A.T.S. PERSONAL SAFETY SYSTEM
As a martial arts coach and educator, I teach self-defense seminars from time to time. While I enjoy the opportunity, I also prefer calling it a “personal safety” seminar instead of a “self-defense” seminar. I can hear detractors screaming, “semantics!” However, there is a reason for the terminology. As I understand it, self-defense implies a … Continue reading C.A.T.S. PERSONAL SAFETY SYSTEM
The Philosophical Fighter 