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
Judo
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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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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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
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Humanizing Tradition: Finding a Way Forward with Understanding
On a recent Judo coaches’ forum, one coach mentioned a sensei who typically had a cheerful disposition, happily helping young students learn a technique. However, on one particular day, the sensei saw a brown belt, maybe 18 years of age, “walking to his mat area with his belt slung around his neck.” The sensei proceeded … Continue reading Humanizing Tradition: Finding a Way Forward with Understanding
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Legends: Judo Gene LeBell and Leandro Lo
The grappling world recently lost two incredible individuals: Judo Gene LeBell and Leandro Lo. One was from an era of tradition, yet broke the rules; the other was from a newer age of a rapid-changing art where the rules were still being written. They both pushed boundaries. "Judo" Gene LeBell Judo Gene LeBell, who passed … Continue reading Legends: Judo Gene LeBell and Leandro Lo
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Maximum Efficiency: Jigoro Kano and Buckminster Fuller
In Judo, we often hear the phrase, “Maximum Efficiency, Minimum Effort.” Judo’s founder, Jigoro Kano, spoke about the concept in 1932 during a speech at the University of Southern California. He said that for anything to be ideal, it must be performed on the principle of maximum efficiency. Throughout the speech, he argued about using … Continue reading Maximum Efficiency: Jigoro Kano and Buckminster Fuller
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The “Simpler” Gentle Art: Applying Occam’s Razor to Jiu-Jitsu
Have you ever seen something and thought, “There’s got to be an easier way to do this”? A recent post from a friend and fellow Jiu-Jitsu coach, Scott Ferguson, and a rereading of Old School Jiu-Jitsu Manifesto made me want to discuss applying one of philosophy’s tools to martial arts, primarily sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This … Continue reading The “Simpler” Gentle Art: Applying Occam’s Razor to Jiu-Jitsu
The Philosophical Fighter 