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June 22, 2009
The Student’s Guide to Surviving a Traditional Dojo
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June 18, 2009
Ebook Prize Giveaway = Hot Swag For You
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June 16, 2009
Ikigai in Jissen Magazine #5
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June 14, 2009
Lyoto Machida - Karate Fighter in the UFC
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June 11, 2009
Kimbo Slice to Join the UFC (If He Can Conquer Ultimate Fighter)
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June 8, 2009
Last Call for E-Book Tips
- GrasshopperK: I'm a little behind the ball but I just finished your book. What a great little resource....
- Robin: I love the twist on Labyrinth! And it makes sense to me. Just goes to show that no matter where you are in...
- Branden: But for goodness sake… Don't eat the worm! I've heard that makes things a bit fuzzy,...
- Matt__A: agreed u.s. - I doubt we'll see another labyrinth. also your analysis is right on the money!
- swash: Just found out about Machida recently, after reading so many article about him and his traditional Shotokan...
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Listening to the Labyrinth Worm
June 30, 2009 | Filed under: 'taught me' series, Martial Arts, Philisophical, Tips and Tricks, karate, mindset
Have you ever seen Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly? It’s a 1986 movie that features the combined talents of Jim Henson and George Lucas. The film is weird, remarkable, and freaky…in a good way.
In the movie, a young Jennifer Connelly (Sarah) is aggravated with her life and role as perpetual babysitter to her younger brother (Toby). She wishes the Goblin King, a character from her favorite fairytale, would come take him away forever. Unfortunately for her, the Goblin King (Bowie) hears the request and obliges.
In order to save Toby, Sarah embarks on a long adventure through the Goblin King’s Labyrinth to save him.
Very early on in the labyrinth Sarah becomes befuddled. No matter how far or fast she runs, she can’t find any turns in the maze. It just seems endless and straight. She resolves to solve this puzzle by running even harder and faster down the corridor.
After what seems like an eternity of running, Sarah becomes flustered and stops. While agonizing over her fate, she hears a strange voice…
So What?
At first Sarah’s journey seemed pretty simple - all she had to do was run as hard and fast as possible and she would eventually find the solution. However, she quickly realized the limited scope of her progress as she simply ran the preset path without thinking.
Eventually she paused…and met someone who was able to change her perspective. It turns out the improvement she was looking for miles down her current path existed right where she was standing.
In fact, had she been a little more patient, she could have learned even more.
In your training you can bang full steam ahead as long as you want, but there’s no guarantee it will get you where you want to go. The walls will dictate you if you let them.
Always listen to a humble worm when it’s trying to show you other perspectives. Talk to as many worms as possible. Listen for as long as possible. Become a worm yourself.
The Student’s Guide to Surviving a Traditional Dojo
June 22, 2009 | Filed under: How-To, Martial Arts, Site News, Tips and Tricks, children, ebooks, karate
The dojo can be a perplexing place. Everything is different - the clothes, the atmosphere, the terminology, the etiquette…it truly is a whole different culture. Why then are we expected to jump in without any knowledge of what to expect? Even experienced students get tripped up by the intricacies of the martial arts.
Every dojo has its own way of operating, …
Ebook Prize Giveaway = Hot Swag For You
June 18, 2009 | Filed under: Martial Arts, Quizzes and Games, Recent Events, Site News
A while ago I was doing a giveaway and Jesse Crouch from Martial Explorer said to me: “Hey buddy, how about a little something special for the people that are linking to you and talking about your stuff?”
I realized shortly after that, dangit, he was right! Since then I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to make that happen …
Ikigai in Jissen Magazine #5
June 16, 2009 | Filed under: Historical, Kata, MMA, Martial Arts, Recent Events, Site News, karate, mindset, modern arts
News update from the world of Ikigai - I am one of the authors in the newest issue of Jissen Magazine.
For those who are unfamiliar, Jissen is an online publication created and run by Iain Abernethy. Iain is a strong voice for traditional martial arts in the online community and I was very pleased to be able to …
Lyoto Machida - Karate Fighter in the UFC
June 14, 2009 | Filed under: MMA, Martial Arts, Recent Events, TV Shows, karate
Get it while it’s up - Lyoto Machida vs Sugar Rashad Evans - http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Lyoto_Machida_vs_Rashad_Evans_UFC_98?vid=10005048&tid=100
Sometimes these fights are taken down due to legal purposes, but if you check it out asap you’ll get to see one of the greatest demonstrations of karate in The Octogan ever recorded.
[caption id="attachment_1959" align="alignnone" width="365" caption=" "]…
Kimbo Slice to Join the UFC (If He Can Conquer Ultimate Fighter)
June 11, 2009 | Filed under: MMA, Martial Arts, Recent Events, TV Shows
Do you guys remember Kimbo Slice? He was the absolute hotness about 8-9 months ago. The world of MMA was abuzz with Kimbo fever and everyone was wondering if he was on his way to superstardom.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="199" caption=" "][/caption]Unfortunately, as intimidating as Slice was during his …
Last Call for E-Book Tips
June 8, 2009 | Filed under: Martial Arts, Recent Events, Site News
“The Student’s Guide to Surviving a Traditional Dojo” is beginning to enter its final stages.
At the end of the ebook, I want to have a collection of tips and advice from all kinds of different practitioners. The topic is:
What’s your best piece of advice for surviving long-term martial arts training?
You can write as little as a sentence or …
David Carradine Found Dead Under Unusual Circumstances
June 4, 2009 | Filed under: Martial Arts, Recent Events, TV Shows
Breaking news out of Bangkok, Thailand. Actor David Carradine (1936-2009) was found dead earlier today in his Park Nai Lert hotel room. Carradine was reportedly found hanged by the neck, naked, in his closet.
The body was discovered when Carradine was late …
Taliban vs IRA
June 3, 2009 | Filed under: Martial Arts, Opinion, Recent Events, TV Shows
This week’s DW post is going to be a little different. Normally I do some research on Sunday and get my post out by Monday night or Tuesday morning. This leaves plenty of time for people to vote on who they think would win before the show airs on Tuesday night. This week the executive powers that be decided to …
Spirit Respiration
May 29, 2009 | Filed under: Martial Arts, Philisophical, karate, mindset
We often hear about breath control in the martial arts and how important it can be. Proper regulation of exhalation and inhalation can help a practitioner strengthen their technique, defend their body from attack, and center their mind on the objective at hand. Truly breath control is critical to becoming a skilled practitioner.
Less talked about is spirit control. It’s unfortunate …
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