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
Teaching
Heraclitus on Ever Being a Student
Heraclitus wrote in one of his fragments: “Whoever cannot seek the unforeseen sees nothing, for the known way is an impasse.” This quote is the essence of what I mean by “ever be the student.” Breaking down the quote, though, may help us gain a deeper understanding of learning and ourselves. For starters, “whoever cannot … Continue reading Heraclitus on Ever Being a Student
Emptying Your Cup: Making Space for Learning
In Zen in the Martial Arts, Joe Hyams recounts meeting Bruce Lee for a training lesson. Hyams, who had an extensive martial arts background at the time, describes the story Lee told of a Zen master having tea with a university professor who wanted to learn more about Zen. As the Zen master poured the … Continue reading Emptying Your Cup: Making Space for Learning
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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Readings: Principia Ethica by G. E. Moore
Forgive me for this post, but I will go deep into philosophy here in an attempt to explain a major influence on my views of ethics. The study of ethics is one central element or study found in philosophy, and is often something the ‘real world’ covets yet knows little about. In a philosophy class, … Continue reading Readings: Principia Ethica by G. E. Moore
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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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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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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 