Martial Journal

(The Budokai Samurai 2025 Summer Games Demonstration in St. John’s NL)) It’s been just over a year since we started the Samurai program, a traditional Shotokan karate program for students who have diverse support needs.  In the current class, we have students with developmental/cognitive delays, low muscle tone, and some [Read More]

      “The progression of a painter’s work, as it travels from time to time from point to point, will be toward clarity.” Introduction If you have trained in a Japanese martial art for any length of time, you have likely encountered the concept of 守破離, Shuhari. You may [Read More]

A viral TikTok moment leads to real-life transformation: filmmaker Michal Simon shares her journey from watching Chase Infiniti’s powerful performance to earning her yellow belt in Taekwondo By Karina Whamond, MartialArts.io, Martial Arts Software When Michal Simon walked out of the theater after watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, [Read More]

Gossip and rumors test the integrity of any community. How we respond — on and off the mat — reveals whether our training is performance or practice. I used to have strong opinions. Now, I tolerate much more — offering grace in ways that once seemed impossible. Still, tolerance has [Read More]

Few weapons in Chinese history are as instantly recognizable—or as steeped in legend—as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, traditionally attributed to Guan Yu, the peerless warrior-saint of the Three Kingdoms era. Known in Chinese as the Qīnglóng Yǎnyuè Dāo (青龍偃月刀), the weapon has become inseparable from Guan Yu’s image: a [Read More]

The Chinese broadsword—most commonly called the dao—is one of the most iconic weapons in Chinese martial culture. Instantly recognizable by its single-edged blade and forward-weighted profile, the dao has long been known as “the general of weapons,” prized for its power, adaptability, and battlefield practicality. From ancient warfare to modern [Read More]

Abstract American martial arts culture has long oscillated between striking-centric traditions and sport-driven grappling systems. While boxing, karate, taekwondo, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts (MMA) have each shaped the landscape, a crucial element remains underrepresented: a battlefield-oriented ground-fighting system that integrates striking, off-balancing, weapons awareness, and environmental adaptation. [Read More]

I joined the martial arts when I was obsessed with the Ninja Turtles, Leonardo was my favorite and as I grew older and learned who the namesake of the character, the artist Leonardo DaVinci was, admiring his paintings and writings later I took a great shine to him and what [Read More]

Music has always walked beside the martial arts—even when we don’t consciously notice it. From the deep boom of temple drums to the quiet rhythm of breath in a solo form, sound and movement have been intertwined for centuries. In modern training halls, playlists may replace drums, but the effect [Read More]

  Among the legendary heroes of Chinese history, few names resonate as powerfully—or as purely—as Zhao Yun. Known by his courtesy name Zilong, Zhao Yun stands as a paragon of martial excellence, moral integrity, and unwavering loyalty during one of China’s most turbulent eras: the late Eastern Han dynasty and [Read More]

When people think of martial arts, they often imagine flashy kicks, acrobatic flips, or years of intense athletic conditioning. While those styles have their place, the reality for most people is very different. The average person wants something practical, efficient, and realistic—something that works in the real world without requiring [Read More]

an Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy   Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, is essentially a high-level form of mental conditioning for the Martial Artist. While it is a recognized evolution in mental health, developed by Steven C. Hayes in the 1980s, it functions less like a clinical pill [Read More]

In a world where personal safety concerns are rising, social tensions are increasing, and violent encounters often happen without warning, the need for a realistic, efficient, and adaptable self-defense system has never been greater. Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali (DTSK), a Filipino martial art rooted in battlefield experience and refined for [Read More]

  a Zen Approach to the New Year   The transition into a new year is often treated as a monumental threshold, but Zen perspective invites us to view it as the 無門関, Mumonkan – Gateless Gate. While we often feel the need to reinvent ourselves, the reality is that [Read More]

a Comprehensive Overview: Traditional Chinese Medicine, known in Mandarin as 傳統中醫, Chuántǒng Zhōngyī (TCM), offers a profound and holistic framework for understanding and treating trauma. It is an approach that integrates classical philosophical principles with clinical methods to address the whole person. In the TCM view, trauma is not merely [Read More]

Tomoe Gozen stands as one of the most powerful and enduring figures in Japanese history—a woman whose name defies expectations, challenges stereotypes, and embodies the martial spirit of the samurai age. Revered as a fearless warrior, skilled archer, expert swordswoman, and commanding battlefield presence, Tomoe Gozen is remembered not merely [Read More]