The Ground – Seeing Musashi speaks to the necessity of observation. He addresses the surroundings and the opponent. Before the Battle Imagine Musashi standing on a small rising hill overlooking the soon-to-be battlefield. It is late spring, the field is green with new grasses. As his eyes narrow, he sees [Read More]
Introduction The Accountant is a 2016 film starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick. This sentence alone may cause some readers looking for a martial arts film to lose interest, but that reaction is premature. Bill Dubuque, who also wrote the popular TV series Ozark and the sequel to this film, [Read More]
The Ground – Warrior Mind The Mind of a Warrior, Musashi addresses the idea of the warrior mindset in The Book of the Ground. I must admit I am uncomfortable talking about warriors. You may see it this way, the same way. I have had more than a few confrontations. [Read More]
In addition to teaching martial arts, I’ve been a classroom teacher for two decades. While the content I teach in a high school English classroom differs from the dojo, the process of helping students acquire skills is fundamentally the same. Where to Begin Of course, you can’t teach what you [Read More]
The Ground – Two Swords The Ground – Two Swords. Musashi uses stances and positioning as metaphors, representations of your internal disposition. Physicals are generally easier to access and understand than internal, emotional ideas. A funny example from sports is the phrase, “He needs a helmet adjustment.” This means the [Read More]
The techniques we learn in martial arts carry over into our daily lives. In life, when we face challenges, our natural reactions are to fight, flee, or freeze. As martial artists, we learn to shift and pivot—first on the dojo floor, then through the issues we encounter each day. I [Read More]
It’s a common misconception that martial arts have always been a sport that promotes good exercise and lets people fight. Martial arts were not created by farmers or carpenters. It was not developed so that the average person could feel better about themselves. Rather, it is the product of [Read More]
Five Rings – At Which You Excel More from the first book, The Book of the Ground. This section is titled “At Which You Excel.” You will not find it listed in The Book of Five Rings as “At Which You Excel.” “At Which You Excel” is a broad title [Read More]
The point of this little article is that there may be no real point in writing it… but I did anyway. That is to say, there will always be Dojos with inexperienced or unqualified instructors, as well as those that promise high standards but deliver low. There will always be [Read More]
How to Self-Regulate(since no one ever teaches us this) Hey there! Ever wonder why no one teaches us how to handle our emotions? Let’s talk about self-regulation – something we all need but rarely learn about…much less practice to the point of mastery. Introduction In a world that [Read More]
The Book of The Ground – Discipline and Focus Discipline, training, and focus are addressed in Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. He introduces these ideas in the first of the five books, The Book of The Ground. In Book of the Ground, Musashi points to mastery of oneself is [Read More]
Introduction Spring is the time of year for renewal and recommitment. We see this in nature as the trees awaken and flowers bloom. We can follow the lessons from nature and use this season to renew good habits and recommit to our training. Shaolin, a 2011 Hong Kong-Chinese film, echoes [Read More]
Global Warrior Spirit Meditation – Traditions for Tournament Success from Anxiety to Action: Meditation for Martial Arts Competitors
The Book of The Ground Opening – The Book of The Ground. Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵, c. 1584 – June 13, 1645) was a legendary Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer. He is often called a “sword saint“ because of his skill in swordsmanship. He wrote, “The Book of Five Rings. [Read More]
The Art of Learning by Watching The last time I traveled to Japan, I was still determined to train with my Sensei (Shihan Manabu Murakami) even though I was well past 60 years old and was now the proud owner of an artificial knee. When I arrived in Tokyo, I [Read More]
From Stress to Strength: The Neuroscientific Journey of Guided Meditation In an era defined by constant connectivity and relentless demands, mental wellness has become more critical than ever. Guided meditation emerges as a scientifically validated, accessible pathway to managing stress, enhancing cognitive function, and promoting overall well-being. Far from merely [Read More]
I often get called an overthinker, but recently, a friend changed the narrative for me when she referred to me as a “deep thinker.” She explained that it isn’t a weakness or something to feel ashamed of. She said that the overthinking, when it becomes overwhelming, is my anxiety, which [Read More]
How Martial Arts training can embody the Renaissance ideal of human potential for the contemporary world. The term “Renaissance Man” (sometimes, though rarely, “Renaissance Woman”) refers to someone who both excels in multiple fields of study and is able to reliably exhibit a wide range of both knowledge and skills. [Read More]
Introduction Life After Fighting is a 2024 martial arts film set in modern-day Australia. I do tend to select films that are set within a historical context or are based on competitions – tournaments, cage fights, etc. – so this film is a little different from what I usually watch. [Read More]
As an avid follower of martial arts business seminars and courses, I have committed myself to attending as many virtual and in-person events as possible. Upon retiring from my corporate management position, I took a deep dive into the current trends in the martial arts industry. After summarizing numerous seminars [Read More]
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