“It’s like the side kick in Koryo!” A pair of teenage brothers were sparring in a class I was teaching, and the older one did a sliding side kick into his brother’s chest. After clobbering his younger brother, he proclaimed he was inspired to do the move from the taekwondo [Read More]
This is the fifth in a series of six articles on things I have learned from High-Intensity Resistance Training that have influenced my approach to martial arts. If you missed the previous articles in this series, you can find them here: High Intensity Resistance Training and Martial Arts – A [Read More]
Listening to What I Already Heard Even though I have been following Iain Abernethy for many years, it was my friend and great martial artist and physical therapist David Wallace who made me aware of this fundamentally important teaching of Mr. Abernethy’s. It was during this fascinating conversation with him [Read More]
Many of the survivors I have worked with over the years have asked me: “when will it stop?” When I ask them what they mean, they say, “when do you stop seeing everyone as a threat?” I survived physical abuse as a child; I understand the question. My Krav Maga [Read More]
There are countless articles and guidelines for being a good martial arts student as well as being a good instructor. But what do we know about being a good partner? Many martial arts rely on partner work for not only sparring, but also for practicing self-defense and basic drills. A [Read More]
Teaching at Free Training Day I have wanted to write about Whistlekick Free Training Day since the day I came back, but it’s only now that I’m finally taking a trip home to Israel that I’ve had a second to breathe and process the amazing experience. I decided to pause [Read More]
My best boss has never stepped foot in the corporate world, where I’ve worked for nearly twenty years. This person was my Sabumnim, my master instructor from the taekwondo school where I trained for five years. I’ve never worked in a formal leadership role in my day job. Nor have [Read More]
In previous articles, I have discussed several reasons why someone may be attracted to training Martial Arts. There are almost as many reasons as people training! However, undoubtedly one of the biggest drivers is the motivation of learning. In my professional environment, I hear this again and again: people are [Read More]
January 2nd, 2022, I mark four years of Krav Maga. Even though I’m currently training Ju-Jitsu, because I can’t do striking with an injured shoulder, I will always be a Krav Maga person at my heart because it was the gateway to this incredible world of martial arts. I think [Read More]
I realize that I need to step back and talk about another step in my Krav Maga journey, becoming the 2010 IDF Krav Maga Champion. The issue of whether Krav Maga should have tournaments is an essay on its own, so I’ll leave it for after this series. At the [Read More]
Introduction Wing Chun Kung Fu is a popular martial art from Southern China, although its renown is not based on flattery. Instead, it is based on the belief that it is ineffective and unrealistic. However, what most people don’t realize is that most of their criticisms can be torn apart [Read More]
“What I have in my heart and soul – must find a way out. That’s the reason for music.” ~ Ludwig van Beethoven Many years ago, a friend of mine told me that when someone asked Beethoven about the meaning of one of his Symphonies he said something to the [Read More]
Swimming Through Martial Arts Before the pandemic, I was attending Krav Maga five days a week for a total of twelve and a half hours of training. I was already behind the eight-ball in terms of disabilities, so I would do anything to catch up. Then my overworking of my [Read More]
Can we talk for a minute about something that really bothers me in the martial arts? I’m going to come off super-judgy talking about this pet peeve, but that’s okay. Because this is important, or at least important to me. This is true of every self-protection concept I’ve ever come [Read More]
Introduction Metal weapons clashed violently together in combat. On the Great Wall of China, over two thousand years ago, ancient Chinese warriors were defending their country against brutal nomadic invaders. Warriors of the past greatly relied on their mind-body skills and not fancy technology. In fact, some ancient Chinese warriors [Read More]
A 21st Century Instructor The world since the pandemic has changed. The very nature of martial arts instruction has changed in many aspects. When confronted with Covid-19 martial arts instructors all over the world were subjected to the ultimate test. Partner work was gone, in-person instruction was gone and that [Read More]
Always respects others and their decisions “What is this guy doing?” The words are said in the privacy of my car, and do not really reach the driver of the vehicle they are aimed at. I am on my way to my regular training session when I say these [Read More]
Krav Maga can be boiled down to a few key concepts. One of them is that we must live outside our comfort zone. I was never someone who enjoyed writing as a hobby, and suddenly, I’m committing to writing an article a month here at Martial Journal as well as [Read More]
There’s this old show, a Britcom called Coupling. It’s a relationship and sex comedy mostly centered around the courtship and eventual marriage of two characters. It’s a solid B+ as TV shows go, but the very final moments stick with me. The last episode of the show happens while the [Read More]
“That’s not fair!” I can remember my friend’s words echoing in my ears. We had been sparring, full contact. No matter how we started, we tended to get in a clinch and I felt him pushing me back. My body told me, intuitively, to pull back, to go with that [Read More]
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