The Soapbox

What Is Wrong With Martial Arts Schools?

2010-10-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

I feel fortunate to have built and be associated with karate/martial arts schools that have great reputations not only in their communities but also nationwide. We just do it right. We teach the right things. We teach it the right way. We treat people right. You get the idea.

How do we know that we are doing it right? Because everyone tells us!

What do we do right that a LOT of the other places are doing wrong?

1. We are not a "belt factory." We care that the students are learning what they are supposed to and they are learning it well.

2. We have high standards. Our dojo have high expectations and we help the students achieve those standards.

3. Fighting-wise, our techniques and methods really work. We are more fighting-oriented than most schools so realism is a priority.

4. We care about the students. It is important that each individual is getting out of it what they need. Our instructors discuss the lesson plans to make sure that group and individual goals are being met.

5. I have always believed in building REAL character and self-esteem. Strong and challenging training, real-life experiences, and confident leadership teach much better than a bunch of mandatory "high-fives" and reading a character lesson out of some workbook.

6. A strong balance of discipline and an opportunity to truly learn permeates every class. I like a disciplined environment that allows freedom to learn as much as possible and have each student learn in the best manner for them.

7. We work with people that are having some "life problems." This builds trust between teacher and student which usually results in them training harder and being more loyal.

I hear horror stories from people who come from other places, both traditional and non-traditional, about how either these places just don't teach well or have very poor business practices and screw the student. Most of the time, after selling the student on a very expensive program, it is revealed just how bad they are. Then they still say how they are the best and that everyone else sucks! No wonder martial arts have received a less-than-stellar reputation.

I'm just glad that I do what I do. I know my students feel the same way.

Is Losing Weight Impossible?

2010-10-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

I have been reading several things by folks in the food marketing business and in the marketing psychology fields who feel that anyone trying to lose weight is fighting a losing battle. The argument is that Big Food has set it up so that we are unconsciously set up to eat the wrong things all the time and eat too much. We now have these eating "cues" that we follow without even realizing it.

I agree with this because I have seen this in my life and in the lives of my clients and students. I have seen many people try diets, body shaping courses, supplements, and infomercial programs to lose weight. They will all lose some weight for some time but their old habits almost always come back. Why do high percentages of people who get gastric by-pass surgery gain most of it back? The ones that I have seen start going back to their old eating behaviors. These are smart and highly disciplined people with a great motivation stay lean but they tell me that the weight gain "just happened."

When we dissect what happened, it almost always comes back to their cues that they have lived with for years. These psychological cues have been set up by society ("clean your plate!") or the food industry ("Snickers Satisfies!"). Even though they make a couple good decisions, they FEEL like they are being deprived and start to make a couple "cheating choices" which starts them down a slippery slope that they do not recover from easily if at all.

What is the message you can take home?

Be ready for the battle of your life because it is not just about the diet or the workout. It is about how you talk to yourself about food. You have to live every second of your life with those little voices in your head and learn how to turn them off or re-program what they are saying to you. It takes some thought and planning but you can do it. It will take a strong commitment to exercise, eating right, and changing habits by changing how you think and FEEL about food.

Do Martial Arts Give Good Character?

2010-03-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Talking to a few martial arts instructors over the years, I constantly hear the same thing: teaching good manners is the main thing we teach and martial arts is the vehicle used to deliver the message.

I disagree.

Martial arts have always been there as a way to defend yourself and others and if you get something like discipline or good character out of then that is icing on the cake. But it is basically about fighting, either for sport or for real.

I have seen a lot of schools lose their way. They focus only on character building (which they don't do well anyway) because it is a selling point for their children's programs. Realistic fighting skills in these places have been lost because they will teach adults the same as they teach kids. Others are so focused on winning in competitions, that they lose their humanity towards the students and only concentrate on their students and fighters winning (which feeds their business and ego). They are definitely teaching good character.

When character is taught, it is usually taught out of some book or lesson plan. The teachers really don't understand it. Real character development comes from mentorship. Actually, taking time with each student and guiding them through the minefield of moral and ethical choices they regularly make and have to live with. Helping them make the hard choices builds character. Giving them high goals and helping them attain them builds character. High standards of performance and behavior builds character. Putting others first builds character. Doing what needs to be done before doing what you want to do builds character.

Many old school dojo used to do this but it is not common now at all.

What Is Your Child's Ideal Weight?

2009-11-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

"My kid isn't fat! He just has some baby weight that he hasn't gotten rid of yet." Don't fool yourself. Your child is overweight or obese. Is he or she healthy? Maybe. Don't think that they will grow out of it.

Get your couch potato off the couch! Research shows that most parents can't judge whether their children are at a healthy weight. If they are overweight they tend to rationalize it which is the worst thing they can show their child. Don't teach them that being healthy is out of their control, not a choice, or not their responsibility. A recent study showed that most preschoolers don't move around very much. Is it just me or does that just not sound right? It showed that 89% of all their "activity" during day hours occurred while the kids were barely moving or sitting. Those children who had sports equipment available and could go outside were a lot more active.

They need to make lifestyle changes or they will never lose the weight and they will end up with some of the lifestyle diseases that are linked to obesity. Do you want them to have Type 2 diabetes or heart disease? Do want them to have a compromised immune system and end up sick or disabled from something that their body should have been able to fight?

The best thing you can do for your kid is to get him or her up and get them active. Limit the TV, computer, texting, and video games. Get them outside and having fun!

MSG - The Evil Little Ingredient

2009-10-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Most people don't understand a lot about monosodium glutamate (MSG). They think it is that stuff in Chinese food that their neighbor can't eat because of allergies. Truth is that a lot of people are sensitive to it and don't even know it. Worse yet, it is in MOST of the foods we eat because it is hidden. It goes by the names "natural flavors," "hydrolized protein," "natural meat tenderizer," and "spices."

It is used as a flavor enhancer. It chemically tricks your taste buds and your brain into thinking that the food tastes better than it really does. Most restaurants use it. It is in most packaged foods. All natural foods can list it because it is a natural product that comes from wheat and also some comes from kelp. It is even in most vaccines as a side product of the manufacturing.

So what is so bad about it? Well, studies have shown that MSG is linked to obesity (can triple insulin output which packs on fat). It is also an excitotoxin that has been shown to aggravate neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Studies have also shown that people get seizures and tumors from MSG consumption. Do you get a lot of unexplained headaches? A lot of researchers think and are proving that there is a link between MSG and these headaches and some pains that come out of nowhere for no reason.

So why is it in our food? You can thank the unholy (and little understood) marriage of Big Food/Big Ag and the FDA. The FDA considers it safe even though there is so much research against it. Why? Because of money! I was always a pro-government guy but as I did my unbiased research into this area, I became very disappointed about how business controls some parts of our government and the FDA is really bad.

So what can you do? At a bare minimum, read your labels and don't by it. Better yet, just don't eat junk food and prepared foods! You will lose weight and feel better almost immediately. I have worked with hundreds of people who have followed this advice and ALL of them said it was the best thing they ever did.

Does A Professional Karate Competition Career Mean MMA?

2009-09-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't follow Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitions, most of the people who are successful use a combination of three other competitive styles: wrestling, Muay Thai, and Brazilian JiuJitsu (BJJ). Most traditional karate people realized years ago that most MMA skills and techniques are also found in traditional (not modern sport) karate but the way we always trained didn't transfer skills very well to MMA competitions. Traditional World Karate Federation (WKF)-style competitions develop a lot of skills and attributes necessary for successful striking and takedowns in MMA competitions. A lot of top American competitors that I spoke to either had fought Muay Thai and/or MMA fighters or trained with them and felt that karate was superior in a number of ways. The only problems we had were adapting our "ground game" to MMA competition because when we train we stay on our feet and control the other person on the ground (think law enforcement).

Years ago, I started realizing that you can easily adapt karate techniques to the MMA arena. Someone who is well versed in traditional karate principles of timing, distancing, positioning, and leverage can apply their striking, takedowns, arm locks, and leg locks to fighting standing up or on the ground. I started showing in classes and seminars how karate form (kata) applications were easily used in MMA fights. I always looked at it as nothing new since these were techniques that I had done for many years and people were always curious about this new creature called "MMA." To me, MMA was just another expression of karate fighting.

I first saw Brazilian Lyoto Machida in UFC 79 when he fought Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a very large African who was coming off of big upsets in Pride competitions in Japan. As soon as the fight started and I saw Machida move, I immediately said "That's a karate guy!" Since then he has risen to the top of his weight division using mostly "karate" fighting even though he has also trained a little in Muay Thai and has a black belt in BJJ. He uses expertly-honed timing and distancing to dominate his opponents while rarely getting hit himself. Other successful MMA fighters that have a karate background include Dutchman Bas Rutten and Canadian Georges St. Pierre. I have seen others use a karate background become successful in MMA but not to as high a level as those three.

So this brings up an important issue. Amateur athletes always have the option of going pro to do what they love and get paid for it. Most sports have this career track. Wrestling, as popular as it is, traditionally has only had the "pro-wrestling" track for it's amateur athletes to go pro. Otherwise, you coach. You really can't wrestle Freestyle or Greco-Roman professionally. Now, a legitmate career path is to get into MMA but you have to learn a whole bunch of new skill sets to be successful but a lot of wrestlers are doing this now fairly easily. These wrestlers are now some of the best fighters in MMA.

Karate is in a similar predicament. You can be a World Cup gold medal champ but the only thing that you can do afterward is coach. Lyoto Machida has shown that you can take a traditional karate competition background (he was a Pan-American champ) and transform that into a successful professional MMA career. Cross-training with good coaches is essential but the base from a strong traditional karate competition background is an absolute.

Could traditional karate make a separate break onto the pro scene like judo did about fifteen years ago with Pro Judo? This was an attempt to make judo more palatable for the general public and turn it into a legit professional sport. They changed the rules to promote more action and make it more dynamic. It wasn't enough. The movement only lasted a couple years at the most and it was never heard from again. Could karate come up with a format that could catch on with the general sports public and offer a different option than MMA? Would it be similar to a Shidokan tournament format that combines rounds of knockdown full-contact karate, kickboxing, and grappling? Or could we use a variation of current WKF rules? During the first Titan Games against Mexico a number of years ago, many spectators and other sports athletes said that karate was the most exciting and dynamic of the other sports. The Titan Games was an Olympic-style amateur format that pits the US against another country in combat-type sports, i.e., karate, wrestling, boxing, judo, tae kwon do, Olympic weightlifting. Multiple cameras were placed around the stadium to catch the action and put it up on huge screens around the arena along with a lot of WWE-style bravado. It also, unfortunately, didn't last very long but it did show that the current WKF rules were exciting and dynamic for a wide audience.

Right now, the only thing an aamateur karate athlete can plan for as a profession is teaching and coaching other amateur athletes. Unless they own their own successful club or dojo, they will have to maintain a primary job to pay bills. Even if they own their own place, their time will be spent mostly on business things and not training or coaching.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.....

Lyoto Machida Fights Like Traditional WKF Karate

2009-09-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

For the record, MMA champ Lyoto Machida is an awesome fighter. Yes, he is a Shotokan stylist from Brazil. The thing that gets me is how now everyone thinks that is how all Shotokan guys fight.

There are different organizations that fall under the umbrella called Shotokan karate. Only a few fight with the techniques and skills used in World Karate Federation (WKF) competitions. This is the style of karate sparring that Lyoto Machida uses very successfully in MMA fights. WKF encompasses all karate styles but is centered around Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Shotokan. They style of fighting they all use for competition is the same which you can see in how Machida fights. So it is not just a "Shotokan-style" of fighting. As a matter of fact, I have seen a lot of Shotokan fighters that look more like American point-style karate than what most traditionalists are used to. I also know of some Shotokan fighters that don't move hardly at all as they engage their opponent and they don't look anything like Machida.

I just wanted to clear up this little fact that most folks in the media don't understand. Machida doesn't necessarily fight like a "Shotokan fighter" he fights like a "WKF fighter." There are a lot of non-Shotokan WKF fighters who fight like Machida that probably take offense at those statements.

Related forum discussions:
Machida, Karate, and Closing The Distance
Karate and MMA

Junk Food Tax?

2009-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Should there be a junk food tax? The premise is simple enough: if you eat it, you have to pay more for it and, hopefully, that money gets funneled into public health care programs or it may make people stop the habit. It has worked somewhat well for smoking and the cigarette taxes around the country. Could it make people cut down or give up on crappy junk food that eventually makes them obese, diabetic, full of heart disease, and possibly cancer-ridden?

If we were to tax crappy food, what would justify a tax? All fast food? I would love to see state representatives arguing about what qualifies as fast food while they are shoveling down a take-out Big Mac at their desk on the chamber floor. Especially here in Iowa, I can foresee the legislators that represent more rural counties go against it because junk food is loaded with highly subsidized high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and soybean oil both of which are terrible on the body.

Would we tax junk food grocieries? Things that are loaded with excessive sugar, corn syrup, soy fillers, MSG, and preservatives that break down a person's immune system make up most of what is in a grocery store. Candy would be affected. So would just about anything in a box or a package. Some of the organics and health foods would be OK depending on what they put in the food. Organic HFCS is still HFCS and it has ill effects on the body. Ditto for organic sugar and soy oil.

Would this overhaul the whole food system? Possibly. Would the big food conglomerates such as Con-Agra and Monsanto allow that? Hell no! They profit from the way food is now and forcing change through taxation would deeply effect their bottom line.

So what can you do? Just eat right as a personal choice. Don't buy junk and eat decent, wholesome foods. Get educated and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Prevent Child Abductions NOW!

2009-09-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

We have had some more problems with attempted child abductions here in lil' ol' Waukee lately. The news makes a big hubbub for a couple days and then everything dies down. Parents will talk about about it for a while. A child abduction story in the national news that happened in a small town (sound familiar?) will get more attention. Abduction is a big deal but not a lot of people do REAL actions to prevent it.

But then again what are they supposed to do? Talk to their kids about it? Sure, that's what everyone does. But is it enough?

I have taught self-defense and anti-abduction workshops to children as young as the age of four and their parents for several years now. During most of the training, I start off with an example to the parents of what their kids will do in a real scenario. Almost all the children have had a talk with parents and teachers about what to do about strangers, in and out of the house. Time and time again when not knowing who I am, they either walk off with me or let me in. Their parents are usually horrified especially when I use simple "low level" persuasion tactics. An embarrassed Mom and Dad will start telling me that they talk to their kids all the time about abduction and the danger of strangers. I don't blame the parents because, even though there has been dialogue about the subject, the children haven't trained their decision-making in a realistic scenario. This is training that we do for a lot of people and groups, usually for FREE but people don't take advantage of it! Parents who have not seen the abduction training tell me that they talk to their kids and they don't have time for something like that. Pretty short-sighted, huh?

Kids also don't know what to do if someone abducts them. This is another thing that baffles me about parents and their selection of "self-defense training" for their kids. Most of the time they think that a talk about bullies or a couple of lessons from a martial arts school is enough. (Side note: If you have been following me for any amount of time, you know that I have very strong opinions about the sad state of most modern martial arts and fitness studios.) Most studios don't teach effective techniques for real-world situations. A lot of this stuff will get children killed or worse. Our children's training is a scaled-down version of our Combatives courses for adults, law enforcement, and military. It teaches the kids real techniques in many different scenarios so that they actually have practice escaping and getting help under stress. Parents love this because, once they see it, they realize it is so necessary for kids to actually do this training.

That's why it saddens me horribly to see parents only talking about child abduction and, in their ignorance, setting their children up for failure. What would their children think if THEY understood the real situation?

People buy all kinds of insurance just in case something bad happens to their lives, homes, cars, possessions, or health. Why not do something that does a whole lot more toward prevention and counter-abduction?! The training is prevention. Be proactive, not reactive. Action beats reaction. Beat the abductors before they do something to your child!

Team Hoyt

2009-08-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

Some folks have seen this. This inspires awe!

Does anything else need to be said?

How far are you willing to go for someone else?

Quitters Never Win

2009-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

A lot of parents come to me be cause their child can’t stay committed to anything. They quit everything they do. Why? It is usually because their parents don’t want to be the “bad guy” and make them stay with something. Quitters in life usually start when they are kids.

There are lots of possible reasons why kids want to quit any activity:

They are not interested enough.
They feel overwhelmed and that they can’t keep up with others.
They feel that it is too easy and they are bored.
They realize they aren’t “Gold Medal” material on the first day (It looked so easy on TV.)
They are scared.
They feel whatever they do is interchangeable with all their other activities in their life and they don’t need to make any commitment to it.
They feel intimidated or picked on.
They are misunderstood.
They feel they aren’t getting the attention they should from the teacher.

It is important for parents do delve into the reasons for their child’s lack of commitment. If the reason is that the child is overwhelmed or under-challenged, then maybe extra instruction is needed to either bring them up to par or to give them more advanced training. Changing the level of instruction, class, or activity may also be the answer.

If the parent thinks that something is a waste of time, the child will pick up on that and want to quit. The kid will ask themselves “Why am I doing this?” and want to quit. Parents need to check their own attitude because it rubs off so easily on their children.

Sometimes the child thinks that someone, a peer or coach or instructor, doesn’t like them. Maybe there was a misunderstanding by one or the other person. Parents need to address this problem and make sure that the child feels confident that they are valued by others and make it a positive experience.

Children also don’t realize the value of “stick-to-it-iveness” and will quit something just because they can. Parents should reinforce the value of perseverance and not be swayed by the child’s attempt to quit. If allowed to quit without a GOOD reason, children develop patterns of quitting that is supported by the parents.

Don't teach kids to be quitters!

Marathon Monks

2009-08-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Could you do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06oMxdt40A

Over 50 miles everyday up and down mountain roads
Straw sandals
Uneven terrain
Wild animals and poisonous snakes
Commit suicide if you do not make it
9 days without sleep or anything to eat or drink
Diet of vegetables, tofu and miso soup
Do it for 1,000 days
Repeat for 7 years

And you thought your workouts were tough!

Lose Weight And Live!

2009-08-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

The fact is that roughly two-thirds of all American adults are obese. I think that almost everyone knows that. What most don’t realize is that obese people are more easily killed by strong viral infections, such as the swine flu, than non-obese people.

In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report on death and disease, researchers documented the case of ten swine flu patients at a Michigan hospital who became so ill they were put on ventilators. Three of the patients ultimately died from the infection. The kicker? Nine of the ten were obese, and two of the three who died were severely obese. Notably, five of the patients showed evidence of blood clots in their lungs, indicating severe cellular trauma in the lungs. Nine of the patients suffered from multiple organ failure, and six experienced kidney failure. This suggests that there can be severe complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients.

Take that two-thirds obesity rate and combine it with widespread vitamin D deficiency, nutritional deficiencies and pharmaceutically-induced immune suppression, the U.S. population is more vulnerable to a pandemic right now than any other population in the history of the world.

We are primed for a pandemic! Virtually no one in America is both physically fit and nutritionally healthy anymore. What is worse is that most Americans don't even recognize physical fitness anymore, thinking that excess body fat is normal and that obese babies are just "chubby." Should the swine flu combine with seasonal flu, it could devastate the U.S. population since most of their immune systems are compromised due their lifestyle.

The virus kills through an inflammatory process, and obesity is, itself, a highly-inflammatory condition that only exacerbates the deadliness of the H1N1 virus so obese individuals are extremely vulnerable. People who have made themselves obese -- for whatever reason -- have also unleashed a lot of inflammatory cytokines in their blood, and these cytokines are precisely what get overly excited during the body's response to a swine flu infection. This leads to organ damage and eventually death. This is precisely why people wishing to survive a coming pandemic must make a special effort to attain a high level of physical fitness and nutritional health before they get sick.

If you are obese now, let this bit of knowledge provide whatever extra motivation you need to drop some excess body fat and reduce the inflammatory burden on your body's organs. Obesity is, after all, readily reversed through simple changes in diet and exercise habits.

Visit www.EliteEdgeOnline.com for free workouts that can start to make those changes for you now. Contact us and we can help you with an exercise plan and nutritional counseling to start getting you on the right path. There is also a wealth of fitness information at www.Training-Notebook.com.

Why Do We Have Such A Poor Diet?

2009-08-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Why do we have such a crappy food supply in the modernized world when, most of the time, Third-World countries have healthier diets than the rest of us? What do I mean by healthy? I mean they eat closer to the source of the food and there is less processing.

I saw a TV special on life in Russia. There, if you buy food from street vendors, you are usually getting homemade soups and fermented foods. That is fresh food and not mystery grub that comes out of cans or boxes and heated up for you. If you ate that food, you would consume all natural ingredients and someone’s family recipe and not a bunch of chemical flavorings and preservatives. Most of us aren’t used to that. Homemade is something that Mom might do once in a while or Grandma will do when you stop by and visit.

I have talked to some kids that have NEVER had anything homemade! They will tell me that their parents either eat out all the time or just buy a bunch of frozen, boxed, or canned food that gets tossed into the microwave. I love fresh food. I understand the body’s craving for fresh food. This type of lifestyle behavior is the reason why nutritionists now call the American people both obese and undernourished at the same time.

Am I off base or does this situation just not make a whole lot of sense?

The picture at the top is a kvass vendor. Kvass is found in Russia, the Ukraine, and other eastern European and ex-Soviet countries where it is a popular drink. It's made of fermented dry rye bread and a dash of yeast. It is sweet, naturally carbonated and contains very low amount of alcohol (usually less than 0.5%). You can see that it is homemade by the vendor in the large tank. It is cheap, healthy, and all natural. Most people look at that as "dirty" but it is not.

Why can't we do that here in the US?

How Did We Get Here?

2009-07-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, we didn’t always go to gyms to stay in shape. At some point in history, there were no Nautilus machines. Aerobics classes were non-existent. People also didn’t have Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, or Slim Fast to keep the pounds off. No one heard of “fat-blocking” medications or artificial sweeteners.

I’ll bet you’re wondering how all those out-of-shape folks got slim. How did they fight mounting heart disease, cholesterol, and diabetes risks? How did they overcome cancer or avoid strokes?

You want to know the truth? I mean the REAL truth and not some Madison Avenue strategy to get you to buy something. It is so simple that most people don’t want to admit it or believe it.

People weren’t fat because they simply worked hard all day and ate wholesome food!

I know what most of you are saying to yourselves. You want to tell me that you do work a full eight-hour day and that you do eat only health food. You see, that is the problem. You have been told (sold?) that and now you believe it. I am sorry to say that you have been ripped off and manipulated. Don’t feel bad. Everyone else is in the same boat.

Here’s what happened:

People used to do hard laborious physical activities as their work. They couldn’t rely on technological advances to do the work for them. Farmers worked crops by hand. Factory workers put heavy things together by hand or things by hand. Very few people worked in an office and even that was a lot more physically demanding than now.

People walked everywhere or they rode horses. Ever rode a horse? That is a workout by itself if you are not used to it.

People picked things up by hand and moved things with their bodies. They mostly carried objects in their arms instead of using dollies. They hammered and sawed with their hands instead of using power tools.

Food usually came straight from the source. Fresh eggs, milk, and meat came straight from the farm or from the local store where it was just dropped off by the farmer that day. No processing. No additives or preservatives.

The outdoors was a primary source of recreation. They didn’t stay inside and play video games or watch TV. Kids regularly climbed, walked on their hands, flipped in mid-air, swam, or played in the snow for hours. They even did this into adulthood.

Doctors would do minimal procedures to fix someone. Most of the time, they gave their patients advice on how to let the body heal itself. Very few medications were needed and most of the time they were simple and natural.

Technology came by and made life easier which was nice, for the most part. We could get more done with less effort. But people then worked less hard when the body was really meant to be used hard and often. Food became a business. It was found that you could stick cheap chemicals in foods to make them have longer shelf life, to taste better, or to even make you eat more. This is how these businesses made a profit while unwittingly making our food less nutritious or even dangerous.

Exercise became a concept of something everyone had to do to stay healthy to replace the ever decreasing work in people’s lifestyles. Instead of doing activities that were demanding and physically educational, people usually didn’t do anything. If they did do something, it was usually a sport or fun activity that was occasionally played. Activity became only a hobby and not a healthy way of life. Physical work, which is healthy for the body and mind, was increasingly becoming something that “had to be done,” if done at all.

Now food and health are “industries” because we don’t have quality food or health. They have to be “fixed” and now there is money in fixing them. But they really don’t get fixed. We are told that the solutions are there but this is usually not true. Remember, there is money in making us well. If we are constantly sick, then we are a “cash cow.” Why actually make us well? There is no money in that.

Jack-Of-All-Trades

2009-02-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

We have all heard the term "Jack of all trades and master of none" and we have probably met a few. It is easy to superficially dabble in a lot of things but it is really hard to take the time and get REALLY good at something.

There are more and more people falling into this category. I think it is the sign of the times. Stick-to-it-ivness isn't valued like it used to be. People tend to be more like collectors now.

In my opinion, I believe there are two reasons for this and both revolve around ego and insecurity. First, I think that many people haven't experienced the satisfaction of undertaking something for a very long time and doing it well. They then become impatient before the process is complete and try something else. Secondly, I believe that people feel they need to do as many different things as possible to keep up with the Jones'. It is like a high school kid who has friends who all do different things and feels that he or she also has to do all those things too to be liked or accepted.

The center of attenion.... "Look at me! I'm better than you. This will make you look up to me with great awe!"

It's hard for a person that deep into themselves to really see it for what it is: imaturity and insecurity. They think if they have "more" of something then they have a greater value as a person.

I see this in both martial arts and fitness. Martial artists seem to want to do as many different things as possible or whatever the latest fad may be. Why? Don't they feel comfortable with what they are training in already? Are they bored? Do they think that it will make them better than everyone else? Fitness trainers are the same way. They have to get a whole bunch of certifications that revolve around a "scattering" of skills like post-pregnancy fitness, pilates, aqua-robics, step interval classes, kickboxing, youth functional training, diabetic fitness, etc. Do they think it makes them more marketable? Are they hoping to make more money (scam) with all this extra "knowledge"?

All of these are examples of a bunch of "Jacks" but no masters. They are trying to get a huge breadth of knowledge when what they should try to get first is a great depth of knowledge in one area before they branch into other things. They think they are experts. Experts look at them as fools.

Budo Geeks

2009-02-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

Beware the pocket protector!

What is it about martial arts that draws in the kooks? I'm not saying that I don't have a little inner geek in me but I don't go shoving it down people's throats. I have met so many people who come up to me and start talking about how much they know about martial arts. It's especially irritating when they try to tell me about my martial art when they have never trained in it. People who really do know what they are talking about usually don't say anything. And they especially don't try acting more Asian than the Asians.

Some have done a martial art for a while and then think they know everything. They show off all the terminology and history they know and then emphasize how subservient and dedicated they are (like a good enlightened martial arts student should be ;-) ). They have obviously had very little sleep because of all the years of internet surfing which is where they gain all their knowledge. And we all know how reliable online information can be....

The one thing that ties 99% of them together is that they have never trained. They read and study and then think they are an expert. This is especially true of a particular type of martial arts geek: the Budo Geek. The Budo Geek seems to have seen too many samurai flicks and knows everything about Japanese martial arts especially sword arts. They can give you a who, what, and where on just about every Budo art and they LOVE to tell you all of it. But they very rarely get on the floor and train because then they will obviously give up their "expert" status. If they do decide to train, they don't last long. They have to have an outlet for their "expertise" and a traditional class definitely isn't the right place for that type of egotistical behavior. They also get frustrated when they realize they actually have to work really hard to get better and that it takes a really long time. Knowledge is gained through patience and sweat and not just by reading a book or an internet article.

We did a demonstration one time a few years ago when one of these Budo Geeks came up to us and told us we were wrong because of something he read on the internet. He told us we had no right to do what we were doing and actually yelled at some of our group who were not involved and didn't understand what was going on. All of our classes are completely separate and the people in one do not know what is going on with any of the others. When asked if maybe what he read was wrong, he then said it was an internet expert that he followed. He did not train so he did not understand anything about what we were doing and he was a "wannabe" with his internet guru. The guy took himself too seriously like a small child who is sure he knows more than his parents. He not only showed his true ignorance but he also ticked off the group.

Some Budo Geeks try a little of a few different martial arts and gain their "wisdom" from their limited experience even though they think they know a lot. They sometimes think they have the inside scoop on everthing martial arts. They also cannot hold their tongue about all the comparisons of martial arts they have done. They are in love with themselves and their limited knowledge and skills. They care more about showing off and talking about themselves than actually developing respectful relationships with those around them. Then they wonder why they have no friends.

I highly encourage people to study and become more knowledgeable. If you "show off" your knowledge, you just may alienate yourself.

Release Your Inner Animal

2009-01-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

I’ve taught a lot of self-defense classes over the years and one of the biggest issues that women have to overcome is their meekness. I’m not saying every woman is non-assertive but a lot are….especially in a confrontational situation. It has been documented many times in assault cases that the victim, man or woman, that fought back during a fight survived the incident. Interviews with criminals that asked why they chose or didn’t choose certain people to be victims show that assertiveness and awareness was a major deterrent.

Women display meekness for a variety of reasons. Fear, societal conditioning, poor advice, and personal beliefs are the major ones. I could go into each one in depth but the situation is still the same. Women, and some men, need to reach deep down inside when the time arises and let their “inner animal” instincts out. This can be hard but it is made easier and more effective through training. Many people think that they can go to a self-defense class, learn a couple of cool tricks, and they will be OK. Sadly, that is ignorant and not the case. A person has to go through training to develop that skill just like any other skill. Becoming assertive, and aggressive if necessary, is a skill that needs to be developed and maintained.

I have seen many women open up during training and turn up their response level usually due to the fact that they figured out how to do it, what it feels like, and how to “tune in” to that level of emotional release. I believe this is what every man and woman needs to do. Women are victimized more than men and they usually take care of children and the home. They are usually the first-line defense of a child or elderly person. It is essential that they learn proper protection skills.

Have I Got A Deal For You!!

2009-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

Do you consider yourself a savvy consumer?

Have you ever been "taken" by a fast-talking salesperson?

No one wants to feel that a scheister took them for a ride but that is what happens every day for thousands of martial arts schools and health clubs around the country. I used to work in a "big box" gym years ago. My job was to sell memberships. I eventually quit because of how they wanted me to sell. I felt like used car salesman as they showed me how to "force" people to sign up and ignore them later when they realized that they signed a contract that they didn't want.

When I started my own dojo and started working with martial arts business consulting companies, I realized they did the same thing. No wonder gyms and martial arts schools have such a bad reputation. I still continue to hear stories about people who never received what they perceived were "the goods" once they signed up. I think it is safe to say that all gyms and most larger martial arts studios are this way. They force people to pay on contracts when they stop training through no fault of their own and don't try to help the client in some way. Those are not the "Budo Values" that we espouse.

To us, our dojo is a family. Whether they are a martial arts student or a fitness client, we care about their phyisical and financial well-being as much as they do. Now there are always those that are trying to shaft us and we will treat them accordingly but we will work with loyal and honost people who deserve it.

Watch Your Mouth!

2009-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Going through the local convenience store yesterday paying for gas, a mom and her son were ahead of me in line by a couple people. The kid was probably around twelve or so and they were obviously continuing an argument that had started earlier in the car. Even though they were trying to keep it low key, I could tell that the child was very aggressive in his interaction with his mother.

As the guy ahead of me moved to the counter, I could hear the son call his mom a "dumb b*tch" as they went out the door. It wasn't loud but it made a few of us in the store look through the window at them as they walked to their car. I expected mom to lay into him for talking to her that way but it looked like it didn't even phase her. Did her son speak to her all the time to where it doesn't bother her any more?

Respect for others is key to surviving in this world. Lack of respect for others shows a lack of respect for oneself. There is no excuse for not showing others basic expressions that you value them as a human being. To me, it starts with family and close friends. That is the breeding ground for future success.

I wonder how long it will take that young man to learn how to treat his mother even when he is angry. He is young and it is not too late but it worries me that this behavior will "catch on" with other young people who haven't learned fundamental principles of trust and respect.

McDojo? What's That?

2008-08-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Years ago, some martial arts schools started watering down their curriculum so that they could start teaching large groups of kids. I think that is alright to a degree because, generally, kids don’t learn like adults. They can’t perform like adults. What ended up happening is that a lot of schools also watered down their adult program because the adults and kids trained together. Some also watered it down too much to where no one never really learned a whole lot of “real” martial arts. It looked like martial arts but it wasn’t. But it was fun and a lot of kids enjoyed doing it and those schools made a lot of money and the students and parents were delightfully ignorant.

Now we have to deal with the product of this ongoing mentality of what some schools think martial arts are supposed to be. This is very prevalent in some of the bigger schools and the ones where the head instructor originally learned in the “watered-down” environment and now they have no idea how to teach martial arts any other way. These methods are easy to learn so people go through the ranks fast.

The “McDojo” term is reflective of big corporate business that forsakes substance and authenticity for modern society’s need for BIG, EASY, CONVENIENT, and NOW because that is what they want. Let’s look at fast food. Everyone knows that it is not good for you. It is convenient and it makes us feel good and some things are tasty but it is not real food. It is not REAL nourishment. We know this but yet we rationalize a million ways our decision to go through that drive-thru.

Martial arts schools are the same way. The techniques and training look the same on the surface but some schools don’t have the substance of others. They can make it look good and talk a good game but the truth comes out on the workout floor and the mats. There is just a higher quality of some schools that gets lost in the hype and “cookie cutter” mentality of the others.

It is sad to see how a lot of the noble and effective “old-school” martial arts studios get lumped together in the public’s perspective with the “McDojos” or “K-Mart Karate” schools. Most people don’t realize what kind of gems they have just down the street that have real training that “nourishes” and sustains instead of just bleeding the money out of their wallets.

Mr. Expert

2008-08-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

“It’s nice to meet you. So, what do you do?”

“I teach traditional martial arts and fitness to help people improve their health and safety.”

“Oh, so you do Tae Kwon Do. I did that for a couple months when I was a kid. Hiyaaa!”

“No, we do Traditional Karate-do. It is quite a bit different from Tae Kwon Do.”

“No, it’s the same thing. So, when you are not doing Tae Kwon Do, what do you do for real?”

I really hate it when people think they know what I do better than me. These morons see a couple movies or do a couple lessons at Brand X martial arts school on the corner and think they are Einstein reincarnate when it comes to fighting arts. Too many people only experience the “surface” of an art and don’t have any depth of understanding. Then, thanks to that wonderful ego, they try to sound like a genius and only look like a fool.

No two martial arts or activities are alike. If you don’t know something, you don’t know it. If you think you know something, you still probably don’t know it. It’s okay to say “I don’t know.”

Thank You For Killing My Beloved Push-up

2008-04-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

I saw an article in the paper the other day that highlighted how the push-up is making a comeback and how it is a great all-around exercise. I agree it is a terrific exercise but I don’t believe it is making a comeback. I don’t think enough people think outside of the “machine paradigm” and actually do push-ups. Some athletes probably do and a couple of die-hards who grew up with push-ups still include them as a part of their exercise regime. I don’t think it is anywhere near main stream. People still look at it as an antiquated dinosaur from their PE days in middle school. Most folks think that all their fancy machines in their over-priced health club do a better job.

Fools.

I also didn’t agree with how the “fitness expert” demonstrated the push-up. Which brings up the question: How are people taught to do push-ups and why that particular way? I teach one way to do them which lays a biomechanical foundation for other progressive movements and activities. This is also the basic way that they are taught by a Russian Masters of Sport. Some of the ways that I see push-ups being taught are downright dangerous. Some trainers will teach it as if it were a bench press.

Guess what….It’s not a Bench Press! It’s a Push-up!

If you don’t do it right, you won’t get all the benefits from it. These ignorant “experts” keep great gems like the Push-up in the Dark Ages and, therefore, prevent it from making the comeback it so rightly deserves.

The Pacifier Crew

2008-04-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

Yes, I agree that life can be hard sometimes. It’s okay to let loose and blow a little steam. Then get back to work.

We have to keep a balance in our lives and juggle our priorities. Priorities being things that need to get done and not necessarily what you would like to do. Sometimes we have to sacrifice a little so the important things get done. Suck it up and drive on. It is better in the long run.

Main priorities should be keeping yourself and family safe and healthy. Maintaining a healthy financial/work situation is important but that also relies a lot on being safe and physically healthy.

Training is important. Consistency is key. People would rather invest time and money in their Hot Wheels collection but not in making themselves healthier or safer. They rationalize that they will get around to the important stuff sometime. Too many people are focused on the here and now and satisfying their short-term pleasure.

What are your priorities?

Don’t put off taking care of your priorities and because that is stepping onto a slippery slope.

Bye, Bye!

2008-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we get a lot of egos coming through our front door. People think they were hot stuff "back in the day". I think they want to start training just to show off assuming that we will be impressed with their UBER-SKILLS. It makes them feel good (based on their prior experiences). In some ways, they are just big bullies trying to assert themselves on others that they consider inferior.

99% of the “ego mongers” go out the door soon after starting. Why?

-It’s too hard.
-They are not used to the level of detail.
-They can’t live up to their own expectations.
-Learning something real actually takes some work and you don’t necessarily look “good” doing it.
-Real training didn’t match their “Hollywood” expectations.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. Quality takes time. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.

The other 1% of the ego-driven monsters that stick around are usually here to try to break in to “the inner circle” so they can feel as if they are a part of something greater. The key to get close, be trusted, and really reach the higher aspects of training is to LOSE THE EGO!

“Empty your cup.” It’s almost too simple.

One-Day Wonders

2008-03-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever really wanted to take a kickboxing or yoga course to get in shape? Ever tried to find a personal trainer or gym that offers aquarobics or that specialized weight training that your friend talked about years ago?

Sometimes it’s not hard to find someone like that these days. They are a dime a dozen because of specialized one-day or weekend certification programs designed to make money for the “certifiers.” These short courses are basically like diploma mills in the academic world and their “graduates” basically know enough to get them in trouble.

Are the instructors who offer these courses bad? Not necessarily depending on how much other experience they have accumulated. I know a physical therapist who specialized in hydrotherapy and she needed a dumbed-down weekend certification just so that she could get pool time to teach some extraordinary classes. She was world class but she had the same certification as a aquarobics teacher who only taught it to make a couple extra bucks and really didn’t know what she was doing.

On the other hand, some of these instructors are selling snake oil. I knew an aerobics instructor who collected certifications like baseball cards. She was out of shape but very charismatic and people liked her. In my opinion, she had no idea what she was doing. She took a one-day yoga certification course and ended up hurting people because of her lack of experience and knowledge. That made all yoga teachers, legit or not, and fitness professionals, legit or not, look really bad in the public’s eyes.

I really see this with aerobic kickboxing classes. Non-martial artists or low-level martial artists get a cookie-cutter certification and end up hurting a lot of people. It really chaps my butt when I hear of these things happening all the time. This seems to be a natural consequence of our “need it now” society. Rarely do people go after quality anymore. People who disagree with me on this are usually still eating at McDonalds.

Quality instructors, in any area, take some time to find and give a consumer so much more value. Broad and deep experience is key to getting the best training and instruction from someone. Protect yourself and don’t fall for charisma or the sales pitch. When you meet someone who is truly knowledgeable and high quality, you’ll know. Go with your gut.

Another Non-PC Observation

2008-03-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Are all martial arts equal?

NO!!

Am I a self-righteous snob?

I may come across like that sometimes.

Some martial arts or schools are started by 1st degree black belts or low-level instructors for a variety of reasons. Mostly greed. Then their students get their black belt and start teaching students. So what you eventually have is a student learning “how to fight” from a low-level instructor of a low-level instructor. Hmmm……

Can you believe that in some cases this process was started in the 60s and 70s with some folks and now we have multiple generations of low-level students doing their own thing and running around with apparent high-level rank in and they have no idea of the levels of their own ignorance.

Did you realize that ANYONE can buy a black belt out of a magazine, create a rank certificate on the computer, and open a martial arts school? Do the suckers that sign up with them really understand what is going on? Unfortunately, no. That is why the martial arts have a bad reputation as being only for kids or stuff for movies.

Not Done Baking Yet

2008-03-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Bruce Lee who, in my opinion, was a good example of someone who wasn’t “done baking.” Just like a chocolate cake that is taken out of the oven too soon. It is still raw. It didn’t stay in the heat long enough to rise to its full potential. It is not what it was meant to be but you can still enjoy it as something else. Maybe as some cross between pudding and cake but it is not the intended cake.

Mr. Lee stopped training with Yip Man before he had a good understanding of what his martial art, Wing Chun, or traditional martial arts, in general, are all about. Then he started to fill in the blanks with training and techniques that he found somewhere else because he didn’t realize that a lot of what he was striving towards was in the traditional system he left. I’m not saying that he wasn’t talented or that he didn’t know what he was talking about.

You also hear this sentiment from a lot of people who also didn’t stay with their training long enough, practice hard enough to get the benefit, or they trained with an instructor who didn’t have the experience to know what was what. Each generation that passes on this mentality makes the gap between understanding and foolishness grow wider. “Why should I do that if I don’t spar like that?” is a common sentiment that I hear from people who expect certain things from their training before they are ready. They proudly declare that they have “moved beyond” their prior teachers and training.

Let’s take fighting with a bo (staff). Some people just learn the basic strikes and then want to move on to more advanced training. They think the further in the curriculum they go is an indicator of their ability (this is an ego-driven concept). They don’t really understand what they already “know”. When you explore and study just a single technique, such as a downward strike, you uncover many different techniques and concepts. Within the one strike you find disarms, deflections, and preliminary strikes and basic concepts and insights into weapons fighting even before the point where the strike lands. Knowing, understanding, and the ability to actually work that knowledge is a better indicator of “mastery” than just simply memorizing a bunch of forms and not knowing what they do. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each movement? What are the combative strategies being taught? How do the techniques vary depending on the combative scenario? What muscles are involved and how do they work together to maximize speed and power? What is the timing and maiai (combative distancing) involved? How are the various angles of the technique and body adapted to the situation?

That is an example of just ONE technique with one weapon! You can’t get that without years of study. Years of falling down and getting back up and learning from your mistakes.

Keep the cake in the oven long enough so you can experience the full enjoyment for which it was meant. The chef created the recipe that particular way for a reason.

Dandruff

2008-03-07T11:48:00.002-08:00

I like and get along with a lot of people and I enjoy their stories. Especially the FLAKES! Endlessly entertaining, I will always hear the martial arts autobiography from someone who has trained himself in some unknown form of martial arts for years. What really happened is that he didn’t make it past his yellow belt test down the street at the corner Belt Factory and then decided he knew enough to start his own style with the help of some books and movies. Voila! Instant Master!

Flaky masters know everything and are so proud they are on the top of their own mountain. Perfect example of how martial arts training builds self-esteem.

Why do they always feel they need to legitimize their “training” (I use that term very loosely) by cozying up to me?

Don't Buy The Snake Oil!

2008-03-07T11:48:00.001-08:00

Myths and legends have revolved around martial arts ever since martial arts have “come out of the shadows.” Like most legends, some are based in fact while others are greatly exaggerated or outright lies.

Why? Because we are human and that is what we do. Part of being human is that we also WANT to believe that which is out of the ordinary and sensationalize it. Just look at the media and how much sensationalism and fraud is thrown at us from the worlds of politics, marketing, and Hollywood. Martial arts are no different with all the spectacular stories of Shaolin monks, ninja, and Samurai. Movies and TV also promote the exaggeration because it sells, as most rational people sometimes forget. It is fantasy. It is fun.

Reality is usually not as fun and exciting. I have found that people interested in sensationalism WANT their view to be true and fight to keep it. Their own refusal to question what they consider to be truth leads them down the road of ignorance. They believe what is told to them and refuse to verify the veracity of the information and that is a step toward cultism.

See what is out there, good and bad. It will help you appreciate what you do or it will start to point you in the right direction. Don’t settle for fantasy. Don’t fall for something you don’t understand because someone told you they were the best. That’s a used car salesman.

Making Kids Successful One Therapist At A Time

2008-03-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Talking to a student recently, we came to the conclusion that most parents aren’t the great role models, teachers, or parents they think they have become in their own minds. We also agree that the best influence that some kids have is their experience with us at the dojo. A true dojo is a family and it should not feel like a business. People honestly care about each other and help each other. We give of ourselves and we teach the children to do the same. Unfortunately, many parents don’t do that and then wonder why little Johnny is rude, selfish, and undisciplined.

We want the best for our children. We want them to be happy. Then, why do so many fail to give their children the self-discipline that will be the foundation for their future happiness and success? Why do so many parents want their children to “be happy” with them now only to sacrifice their ability to have strong relationships and healthy skill sets for years to come?

Keep it up and realize that you are investing in the retirement of your child’s future therapist.

Cosmetics?

2008-03-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

The main philosophy behind Budo (Japanese Martial Arts), and in true physical culture, is to get better and more effective without regard for outside appearances (ego). So why are so many people involved in martial arts and “fitness” only concerned with how they look or what people think about them?

The big shift toward “cosmetic” martial arts began when low-level practitioners who weren’t fully trained began to bring their arts from the Orient to the West. These fellows, some not knowing any better, began to teach and create their own systems and associations. When their students got to a level that challenged their own ability, these instructors then implemented controls to make training physically tougher or tortuous and incorporated techniques from other styles to fill in the apparent gaps in their own knowledge. All this happened while usually promoting themselves to high black belt degrees so they could stay on top in their new “business.” Then they would sell people on how their martial art was the best.

Old-school traditional and classical martial arts never had to do this because the instructors didn’t stop training and would not teach until they were ready.

I think that “cosmetic” fitness and health began when technology started taking over society’s need to be physical to get work done and eat natural and homegrown food. I’m talking around the time of the Industrial Revolution or, arguably, earlier. It really hit hard when sports took over the physical education curriculum in the US. People forgot or “unlearned” how to properly use and care for their bodies because winning a game was more important. I would also like to blame the bodybuilding movement that really took off in California in the mid-20th Century. They tried to emulate the old strongmen like Sandow, Hackenschmidt, Calvert, and Saxon with fancy new adjustable barbells and dumbbells and a lot of muscle isolation techniques to enhance hypertrophy. Nothing was truly functional.

Up to this point, people exercised with precision and used a variety of techniques to perfect strength in movement and didn’t care if they won an event or had huge biceps. Looking good was a by-product of being active, strong, and fit.

Can people now see this wisdom from our past? Can we leave the cosmetics behind?

Is Certification or Experience More Important?

2008-02-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with fitness certifications. Yes, they show that someone has a minimum amount of knowledge. Yes, that helps to protect the consumer. Yes, they give a standard for which trainers should strive to reach.

Do they guarantee that a client is getting a good trainer?

NO!!!

What goes into making a good trainer? Many things make a good fitness professional. Knowledge is one but experience and the abilities to communicate and solve problems are also critical skills. Those are attributes that I think a lot of new, and some not-so-new, trainers really lack. These areas are also hard to improve because it takes more than just reading a book.

I have spent countless thousands of dollars on certifications and continuing education over the years. The mentoring I have received from key people and key experiences comprise what I now use most. I also now realize that the certifications have done very little for my career or level of knowledge.

I work with and mentor a lot of different trainers and exercise physiology students around the country. My feelings are that they tend to focus more on the certification than experience. Many feel that they will gain immediate respect from supervisors and peers when they get that certification or finish their degree. Everyone needs to know that the piece of paper is a starting point and not an end itself.

Certifications are usually geared toward one area of fitness and health education. Many are, in my opinion, very low level and are only in existence to increase profits for the “certifying” agency. I have seen many of the big ones go through some pretty profit-driven political changes that made me lose a lot of confidence in them. Especially when I see some of the certificate recipients dumber than a proverbial “box of rocks” by many peoples’ standards.

Unfortunately, the public puts their ignorant trust in these certificate holders who don’t understand what part they just played in the big picture.

I’ve always prided myself on staying on top of the latest research in the health and fitness arena. I remember working for a health club years ago that used interns from various Exercise Science programs. I was always surprised at how much they DIDN’T know after so many YEARS of study. They always talked about how well they did or thought they were going to do on a certifying exam.

Certifications and degrees have their place but real experience should be what people focus on in their search for a competent exercise professional.

Value of REAL Training

2008-02-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

I was at a kobudo training camp recently in San Antonio and it really drove home how strong of an organization we have. I love going to these events that show me again and again how our traditional arts, both empty hand and weapons, have the highest quality training that I have ever come across…. and I have trained with a LOT of people, styles, and schools. I have heard all the excuses people have spewed about how the Budo (Japanese martial arts) are less then effective. Some of the criticisms I agree with because some traditional instructors or schools don’t understand the “whole” picture because they didn’t have the best teachers or didn’t get to the proper level of instruction. They don’t have enough training and don't understand what real fighting is and, therefore, don’t train appropriately. Then, when others see these misguided individuals’ technique or training in action, they can immediately tell that it won’t work in a lot of situations. Their training is not complete. Do you use a high school kid to give an understanding of college-level calculus? Probably not.

Here are a couple truths that combative master trainers in law enforcement, military, and martial arts circles agree on:

1. Some fights may go to the ground but striking is KING! Striking is combatively more efficient than grappling especially in REAL environments that involve MULTIPLE attackers and WEAPONS.

2. Practicing precise motions repetitively ensures that a person can recall those same motions again under the stress of a life-or-death fight.

3. MMA is a great sport with great athletes but it does not prepare people for a REAL fight in a REAL environment.

4. Martial arts/combat training that does not push people beyond their limits and expectations does nothing for preparing one for real combat.

Traditional Karate is one of the few methods of fighting that creates real fighting skills in an orderly & safe environment. The real gem about this is that it has these benefits for both children and adults. When people see what we do after they have experienced another type of training, they immediately know what they have stumbled upon.

It is a great feeling when you KNOW that what you are doing is right on target!

Behind The Scenes In Martial Arts

2007-12-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to lose my naivete with modern martial arts schools and the so called PC atmosphere they try to promote. I’ve been teaching for a long time and in a lot of different places (thanks to the military) and most martial arts schools are a lot alike. They are territorial and don’t admit their short-comings very well. Almost all are always trying to promote two things to the public:

1. They teach character and have a character development program.
2. They respect other martial arts because they are all the same and we should all get along like one big happy family.

I found out these same schools lie, knowingly or out of ignorance, to people when talking about other schools and instructors. They put down other schools and instructors saying that they are no good but these "scavenger" schools will use anything that they find of value from those same instructors and use it for their own. I teach certain things that are totally unique to me and my arts. I have had people/instructors from other schools either come by to watch classes or participate in a regular class or seminar and learn some unique skills for the first time. I tell them explicitly that they are only learning the “surface-level” technique (for obvious reasons) and don’t understand the entire environment of how or why it works. It is dangerous to teach something that they don’t understand completely and have only practiced marginally or not at all. I am also known for giving out A LOT of information. Usually more than what other martial artists or fitness trainers can absorb. I also have them all sign a clause that states they will not teach what they learn or see from me without my express permission. Anyway, I find out later they have taken the small amount of material they have learned from me and used it to create a whole new part of their own curriculum and are now teaching it for a profit. When you inquire about it, they deny that they are teaching that material. So much for character and respect.

Some of these schools also have their students and instructors tear down flyers of other martial arts schools that are displayed throughout the community. They will be the first ones to publicly say that there are enough potential students for all martial arts schools but they are also the first ones to prevent people from even looking or finding information about anyone else since they only see the public as dollar $ign$. This is just another example of character and respect going out the window. Maybe my values are just too old-fashioned.

Their students come to us after training with them for a while because they are not happy with how the other club or gym did business or that they only taught water-down martial arts while trying to make everyone feel pumped about what they were learning. These other instructors were just trying to make a purse out of a sow’s ear. They use high-fives instead of high standards to produce self-esteem and a sense of belonging. Techniques that are taught are easily seen as ineffective by others with some experience and know-how but these charlatans tell their students that they will be able to protect themselves. Then they ask for more money. Some of these guys really believe in what they are teaching because they were told by their teachers that it would work or that it was “demonstrated” as an effective method in a non-realistic, but convincing, manner. It is just another aspect of the martial arts “salesperson.” When these students come to me and I show them how to train the techniques in a more effective manner, the light goes on and they realize that they finally found what they had been looking for all this time. I like it when these folks say they will never go back.

Our students and fitness clients like to keep in touch with us after they move on. It was pointed out to me the other day that none have started training at another gym or dojo unless they moved out of town or out of state. They tried to find something similar or they didn't train at all. It gives me a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling when they tell us how much they miss training at our dojo. That tells me that we are doing something right.

We push our students to check out other schools and see what they do. We tell prospects to check out others and then to come see us. I also warn them to watch out for the sales pitch from sales people or “program directors” at these other places and inform them of the tactics that will be thrown at them.

It is hard for an outsider to understand. Martial artists used to be honorable. Now they are profit driven and pure business. There are two types of schools:

1. Traditional ethic – we want to promote the art that was passed down to us. If we make a little money along the way, that is fine.

2. Wealth ethic – this is what we do to make money and I want to make as much as possible while giving as little as possible.

Each ethic is propagated by students of instructors that usually have the same ethic. It doesn’t mean that traditional instructors have to run themselves into the Poor House while teaching martial arts. They can still make money but they weigh every business decision not by “how much will I make with this” but by “is this better for the students, for the school, and the art.” That is the ethic that is sadly losing ground to the “Wal-Mart” mentality that is now so deeply ingrained in the martial arts and fitness industries. It is passed down from teacher to student and a lot of the old values are being lost.

Best Way To Lose Weight

2007-12-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

Everyone always wants a magic pill for losing weight. Sorry, they don’t make one no matter how well the marketers say they do. Information is key in the weight loss fight and motivation is essential. No pills involved! Real and permanent weight loss requires a two-pronged attack and the information that goes with each part. The dual weight loss weapon is the same with getting results out of almost any system: control the inputs and control the outputs.

“Controlling the Inputs” is basically watching what you eat. I hate using the word “diet” because of all the negative connotations people put on it. But in reality, the set of bad eating habits make up your bad diet. You need to replace it with eating habits that promote weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. Here are key points to healthier eating:
Portion control
Fewer manufactured foods
Cut out fast foods
Eat as all-natural as possible
Eat smaller meals/snacks more often
Eat for what you will be doing immediately after

“Output” is activity. This is accumulation of both your daily exercise and just what you do to get by each day. Walking to your car, housework, cooking, playing with the kids, golfing, and watching TV all fall under the activity category. Some activities burn more calories than others. The idea is to increase the bigger “payoff” activities:
Exercise harder for shorter periods
Involve the entire body
Don’t hurt yourself so that you can continue to move
If you sit at a desk, find reasons to get up and move more often
Park further away from buildings
Wear a pedometer and increase your number of steps each day
Stretch and mobilize your joints everyday
Do more resistance training to increase muscle mass
Build physical skills that incorporate balance, coordination, and agility

Once you understand how the body works and what it takes to drop pounds, weight loss has both short- and long-term obstacles that one has to overcome. Immediate emotional motivation is commonly used to overcome immediate roadblocks. Anyone can diet and exercise for one or two days. Even a couple weeks or months aren’t too difficult for most people but what happens when the realization hits that this will be a permanent change of lifestyle for the rest of your life. That usually takes long-term support and understanding of the emotional triggers that made you heavy in the first place.

The best thing to do is get a knowledgeable and supportive weight loss coach. I have heard so many times from people that have come to me after trying to lose weight on their own:

“I didn’t know what to do.”
“ There was so much information out there that I didn’t know what was right. One source or expert seemed to contradict another.”
“I would lose a few pounds and then gain it back.”
“It was impossible when no one else in my family was eating or exercising with me.”
“My old personal trainer was good but I just couldn’t lose the weight.”
“My former trainer didn’t really know what to do with me. She treated me like an example in a magazine she read.”
“I had to buy a lot of expensive food with the last program I was on.”
“I hate myself for getting this way. I am so embarrassed.”

Follow these tips and create a plan and anyone can and will lose the weight they want. I’ve helped so many skeptics get past their own egos and roadblocks to really find what they need to do to drop pounds and inches to look and feel great. I can write terrific programs but they are no good if you don’t do your part and follow them.

A Nice Winter Run

2007-12-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

People always put on weight during the colder winter months because "they can't get outside as much." Personally, I think that is a pretty poor excuse. People work and exercise outside in the winter all the time. Some say it is uncomfortable. Good intense exercise is supposed to be uncomfortable anyway. If you dress for it, exercising in a cold climate can be very comfortable. Just ask all the people who run, bike, snowshoe, and cross-country ski all winter long. We have even had some EPT sessions outside. One was in the middle of a blizzard last February! Great workout!

Anyway, running outdoors in the winter is great exercise and it offers great benefits just because of the colder climate. Calorie burn goes up so you can stay warm which is great for anyone trying to keep their weight down. I really like winter running because of how it stresses agility because of the unpredictability of the surfaces. Running on nice, dry roads and paths during non-winter months is much easier. Unless you are going cross-country, most running paths are usually smooth and hard and you can get a good grip with each step. That is the way we normally run which our bodies have become accustomed. Most muscle action is in a front-to-back sagittal plane with very little stabilization needed side-to-side. Abs are not stressed much. Hip, knee, and ankle flexion remain generally consistent. It is easy to keep your balance because the running surface doesn't change and has a high friction co-efficient.

All that goes out the window running in the winter. You have to carefully choose where each step goes which means you may have to step offline or take a longer or shorter stride. This slows you down a little but it increases your body awareness and eye-foot coodination which enhances your agility. Maybe you hit a slick patch. Then your brain has to react to the change in ground reactive forces on the slippery surface or, in everyday turns, you gotta keep from going down hard on your keester. This forces you to pull in all your stabilizing muscles throughout your body to keep your self upright and moving. You can see that the risk to life and limb increases but all this added coordination, agility, and stabilization makes this an ideal training methodology for sport-specific or life-specific training.

I was first introduced to winter running was during my assignment to the 10th Mountain Division in northern New York State. We had to run all the time in the winter and it was quite a challenge trying to stay in formation while we all slipped, slid, and bumped into one another. Sometimes someone would go down in front of you and take out a half-dozen others and you had to jump out of the way of the writhing pile while not taking anyone else out. From a safety aspect, it was not good and injuries did go up. From a physical training point-of-view, it was great! You could not replicate that environment or conditioning anywhere.

Many people aren't training this way because they don't understand the benefits. Most people will choose the easy route and wait until spring to go running or they will opt for a treadmill or indoor running track. My opinion is that training outside in nature is the best way....regardless of the time of year or the weather.

Good Rules On Living

2007-10-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Randy Pausch has been on the news a lot lately. He is a professor at Carnegie-Mellon University and he will die soon from pancreatic cancer. He gave his final lecture and everyone showed up. This was the first in a series of lectures at the university about peoples journeys through life.

Everyone will learn something from this man and his outlook on life and death. He is a true mentor of character.

How will you live your life?

mms://wms.andrew.cmu.edu/001/pausch.wmv

Drop The Ego At The Door!!!!

2007-09-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ego has no place on the training floor!

Don't show off. Don't try to intimidate. Don't question in public. Maintain courtesy and respect on all levels and in all ways. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't think that you have to be good at everything. Don't think you know or can do everything. Don't think anyone really cares what you look like. Don't think that anyone should "over respect" you. Don't try to be competitive during a warm-up. Don't think that you can't learn anything new. Don't attack someone's self-esteem. Don't lie or deceive. Don't try to draw attention to yourself. Don't be dramatic.

Think about what you can do to improve. Concentrate on how you can help others. Think of the safety of others. Develop others. Practice to become better, not to look better. Accept your failures and weaknesses. Think about how what you say and how you behave affects other people. Accept feedback and critique to help you improve. Critique with encouragement and caring. Think of your integrity of purpose. Be responsible. Be honest. Work hard and never quit. Be a good follower. Be a good friend and training partner. Protect those around you.

Egotistical behavior shows insecurity and selfishness. It is a character flaw. How can anyone trust you during high-level training if they don't think that you have their best interest and safety at the forefront of your attention?

High-Fives

2007-09-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

What is with High-Fives during a traditional martial arts class?

Growing up in "old-school" martial arts, this irritates me immensely. Encouragement is something that is earned. It is earned through hard work and given out by higher ranks. When you get it, it REALLY feels good and you know you deserve it.

Most "McDojos" want to keep students because they are only dollar signs to the management and instructors. They just don't understand what REAL martial arts have always been about. They take in anyone who is willing to pay and feed these ignorant souls a bunch of watered-down BS and then make them feel good about it. High-fives are a regular part of these classes to make the students feel like they are doing well. It is only pulling the wool over innocent eyes. Then these students are hurried through the ranks to become instructors and perpetuate the ignorance.

I have trained with plenty of these McDojo types. The lack of real training is apparent once they get on floor and they see what someone looks like who has tempered and conditioned themselves with REAL training. They become embarassed. They make excuses. They sometimes don't even understand what is happening. They realize they have only a surface-level understanding of REAL fighting.

High-fives and similiar behaviors only encourage this low-level type of training.

Goofy Self-Defense Training

2007-09-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

I constantly hear about self-defense programs or instructors that teach God-awful techniques and methods! I see everything from pinching to formeldahyde in spray bottles. Almost all fall outside the realm of common sense. A few seem like good advice at first but usually go by the wayside after some clear thinking.

Why do people fall for this? Worse yet, why do they throw their hard-earned money at this crap?

I think it is that they are completely ignorant of what really happens in conflict or they only go off of what someone else has told them. The kooks that are teaching this also usually fall into this category and never asked themselves if it would work or, better yet, test it.

I was teaching a Combatives class to a bunch of military guys one day and a kid with some BJJ training made a comment about how his grappling was the ultimate. He had taken part in a couple MMA fights in a couple local bars and did pretty well and had a big head combined with a very narrow and immature view of the world. I let him put me almost completely into an armlock and bet him that I could get out of it while he was cranking hard on my arm. He took my bet and two seconds later I was free and he was hurting.

Someone is going to get hurt or killed some day from relying on these self-defense fallacies.

Today's School Policies & Decisions: Necessary Or No Common Sense?

2007-09-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a story about a "no touching" school policy:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19293872/

Overreacting to "Zero-Tolerance" in schools:
http://www.rd.com/content/thats-outrageous-no-mercy-kid/

Breadknife?????????
http://www.rd.com/content/thats-outrageous----zero-tolerance-school-violence-hype/

Nice way this school stood up and protected its Kindergarten teacher:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A52241

School policies are put in place to protect children and employees while trying to minimize liability for the school. In today's litigious society, these same policies sometimes get twisted the wrong way. A little common sense and some integrity on the part of school administrators could solve a lot of problems.

By the way, I really don't have a lot of tolerance for Zero-Tolerance policies.

The Reason the Giant Sloth Died Out

2007-09-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

One of the contributing factors to today's obesity epidemic is a lack of activity in everyone's life. The body was meant to move but we have developed a habit of not moving. We are in a habit of taking the quick and easy way to do any common activity that comes our way. We also choose quick 'n' easy fast food as opposed to fresh homemade meals. Unfortunately, we also teach our children and those around us that it is okay to have these same lazy and careless habits.

I recently stayed in a hotel while on business. I am usually pretty happy to travel and get out of town every now and then. I like seeing what new cities have to offer. I like meeting the people, seeing the local sights, and....eating the local cuisine. I love food and I like to discover new places to eat that serve great food. That just makes my trip!

I decided to get a bite to eat at a little Greek restaurant (real home cooking by Grandma in the back!) I found a couple days earlier that was only a few minutes away by foot. Going through the lobby, I overheard a family I met the day prior talking about eating dinner at the fast-food grease pit right next door to the restaurant I was planning to visit. I asked them if they wanted to tag along. It was only a five minute walk and the drive was your typical "long way around." I thought I might have some company along the way (who wouldn't want to walk on such a beautiful day!) but they rolled their way out the front door to hop in their rental.

For a moment, let me tell you that no member of that family was anywhere even close to starving. I met them the day prior and spoke to the parents for a spell and realized that they were all about convenience, satisfaction, ego, and taking the easy road. The conversation turned to how they got into martial arts to help combat their collective diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a myriad of other lifestyle diseases. Unfortunately, they didn't take any responsiblity to actually work at getting out of their comfort zone and making real change in their lives.

They pretty much ate fast food everyday, drove a gas guzzler everywhere they went, and spoiled the kids with anything their little chubby hearts desired. They weren't exactly the type of folks I normally hang around with in my spare time. Now, I was kind of glad they decided to drive. Dad even had the audacity to say “Race ya!” as he climbed into the rented SUV.

I left the hotel at the same time they did and I walked through the door of my eatery before they even pulled into the parking lot. I walked the whole way so don't think I ran just to beat them because I really didn’t care. He and his wife were lazy jerks and they were slowly killing themselves and their kids with their lifestyle and lack of self-discipline.

It's not even their slovenly lifestyle that got to me. Their attitude was more irritating than anything else. They were stuck up and acted like they owned the world. Typical bourgeois trash. Luckily, I didn't have to interact with them anymore during my stay. This type of attitude and lifestyle, I believe, is becoming more typical and it is hard not to find people that we know getting sucked into it. This is the beginning of a whole life of lifestyle diseases and health problems. It's a pretty rough and useless way to live while waiting for a premature death.

I hope I don't sound too overboard on the subject but it is something I obviously feel pretty strong about. I see so many personal training clients that come through our doors that are ready for a change and just as many, like these folks I just told you about, that don't understand that just a little effort will make huge changes in their lives and the lives of their families.

Does It Feel Good Kissing Your Money Goodbye?!

2007-09-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

I hate seeing people throw away their hard-earned money. They fall into the marketing hype of martial arts schools or health clubs that really don't have a lot of substance to offer. These places cater to the lowest common denominator. They don't realize their ignorance until they see or experience training that really works. I have seen so many of these stories over the years....and heard many more from folks who now train here.

I sometimes wonder what a lot of these folks feel like when they realize they've been blowing $125 to $150 per month for essentially someone to pump them up and make them feel good as they are lightening their wallet.

Whining....

2007-09-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

I talk to other instructors and they sometimes have the same gripes I do.

Why do people think they need to whine during their training? For one thing, a traditional martial art is not a democracy. People pretty much know what they are getting into when they start training. Practices can be harsh, fun, challenging, thought-provoking, monotonous, exhilirating, and frustrating all at the same time. That's the way it is. Get over it.

A person's martial arts "career" can be the same way. Some parts are easier than others. If the instructor wants to change something in your curriculum or training or gradings, then he or she has that ability and right. That's the way it is. Get over it.

Effective exercise is supposed to be pretty intense. It can be physically, mentally, and emotionally uncomfortable and exhausting. No one said it would be easy. That's the way it is. Get over it.Coaches have to tell their athletes some things that they need to hear but don't necessarily want to. Growth can be painful. That is the nature of change. That's the way it is. Get over it.

Secret to success: Be flexible. Be ready to change. Don't take things personally. Know what you want and don't be afraid of the process to get it. Drop your selfish needs and wants.

That's the way it is. Get over it.

Simple and Easy Weight Loss

2007-09-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

What is so hard with weight loss?

The secret: Eat less and be more active!

This is the most consistent result of multiple scientific studies on weight loss. People have lost weight by doing nothing more than eating a little less and working/moving more than they did before. You can do certain things to increase the rate of weight loss such as keeping your protein intake high and doing more intense exercise.

Is this really so hard?