Earlier in 2023, I rolled out my first draft of The Six Freedoms of Martial Arts as part of the whistlekick State of the Martial Arts live stream. Over the course of the year, I, and others within whistlekick, have found these freedoms to be core elements to what we [Read More]
“Where is your other belt?” This is a question one of my 9-year-old students asked me the first day I wore my plain black belt to teach class as opposed to the 5th dan belt I had been wearing. The very simple answer was that Karen (my wife and co-instructor) [Read More]
The purpose of this article is to delve into the positive mental aspects of martial arts and highlight how martial arts training can contribute to personal growth, mental well-being, and self-improvement. By understanding the mindset cultivated in martial arts, the mental benefits it offers, and the role of mindfulness, resilience, [Read More]
Here’s a question for all you fine folks out there: How exactly does one go from being averse to martial arts for years to being fully immersed within a community of martial artists from around the world? Turns out it’s actually much simpler than you’d think. Humble Beginnings First and [Read More]
To truly thrive, we must face all facets of our lives. We can’t simply focus on the positives. We must also confront the pain and sorrow that we all will inevitably encounter. A month ago, I lost my father, a man that many of you may have known personally or [Read More]
This is the second part of a series on the study of breathing for Martial artists. In the first part – https://www.martialjournal.com/breathing-in-martial-arts/ – I discussed the basics of abdominal breathing and how it is a practice to learn to use the lungs to their maximum capacity which can enhance all [Read More]
MMA is obviously here to stay. This sport gives all martial arts the opportunity to showcase what they do best. Introduction Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a dynamic and evolving combat sport that draws fighters from various martial arts backgrounds. While Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling have traditionally dominated the MMA [Read More]
We spend almost a third of our life just sleeping. So why not make the most out of your sleep and make it more beneficial for your life? Sleep is more than a way to get back lost energy. With the help of lucid dreaming, one can experience things [Read More]
Let us dive into some of the details of hitting and getting hit while training. What importance do they have? Is there good and bad contact? Can it be an important factor in your training? Getting Hit I understand this is not going to be most people’s favorite part of [Read More]
A Lifetime at the Nippon Budokan The career of Nippon Budokan Secretary-General Hideo Yoshikawa Nippon Budokan‘s support of the martial arts The first time I decided to travel to Japan, it was 1991 and I was scared to say the least. I was travelling to the birthplace of Budo to [Read More]
On November 11, 2023 as part of the Martial Summit, whistleKick held the second annual Never Settle Awards banquet. Bringing martial arts students, school owners, friends, and family together to celebrate. The Never Settle Awards are celebratory of the things we believe here at Martial Journal. Everyone would benefit from [Read More]
Martial Journal as part of the whistlekick family is dedicated to the preservation and expanse of traditional martial arts. What better way to do this than with the written word? We want to make sure that everyone knows that they are invited to author their thoughts and methodologies, and all [Read More]
How can we achieve exceptional results while remaining calm and doing the right thing? Why is this important in one’s martial arts training? Does it translate to more opportunities in life? How many times, as coaches, athletes, and peers, have we had that conversation about having the confidence to [Read More]
Traditional martial arts detractors often say the forms are useless, that you should spend more time doing combat and applications. They’re wrong with the first statement and partially right with the second. Forms have their uses. But there’s one criticism that’s true. Sometimes learning the applications from the forms is [Read More]
The Karambit in Filipino Martial Arts: A Masterful Dance of Blades This is by far my favorite weapon in the whole of the Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Arsenal. My folder stays in my pocket as I travel around the US. When we train Karambit in Dekiti Tirsia Siradas we do not [Read More]
Before entering the training area, our virtues begin before the physical training without even knowing it. Depending on style, it’s the training uniform, the belt, bowing, the fist/palm salute…. Then our physical training starts with the basics: stances, punches, and kicks. The physical training transforms into the internal virtues that [Read More]
Breakdown What are A, B and C Students? Every activity will have participants that fall into an A, B or C category. These categories carry across many platforms from school, to sports, to dance and even martial arts. We are going to break down what each of those are and [Read More]
When pushed to extremes, humans can overcome amazing obstacles. Fueled by nothing but primal emotions, they gain the determination they didn’t have before. Emotions effect everything we do. The performance of martial artists are fueled by many different emotions for better and worse. Anger has shown to be both a [Read More]
The Talibong is one of the favored long blades of Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali. Along with the more standard size SGM Tortal has a 36” blade that he would use when he was called upon to dispense justice in the villages. The Talibong is more than just a traditional Filipino [Read More]
Is the Style of Martial Arts I Do Important? What style of martial arts do you train in? Is that relevant? I personally believe the idea of styles is dying out. I think there are much more important questions. Why are you training? What is it you are looking [Read More]
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