Martial Vitality

Do you carry a firearm? Are you prepared to use physical skills to manage and employ that firearm? Prior to last month I had not fired a weapon since Air Force basic training in 1990. Last month, however, my wife and I attended a four hour introduction to handguns class. This started my journey towards increased proficiency with firearms. The intersection with Krav Maga happened shortly afterwards! I started December by taking a 4 1/2 hour seminar on Krav Maga for Concealed Carriers and Handgun Users. Pat Hards from First Defense Krav Maga was the lead instructor, and NoVA MMA  hosted the class. The picture above shows our group, which was a mix of Krav Maga students and civilians simply interested in the material. Pat emphasized three main skills. After warm-ups, Pat first drilled striking without a weapon, i.e., using empty hand techniques, along with kicking. Second, we practiced using a gun as a blunt object, for situations where we cannot use it as a firearm. Third, we traine...

Have you considered the effect of online video on the martial arts? The publication of the newest Krav Maga Global technique Review of the Week and a  recent thread on the /taekwondo Reddit reminded me of how interesting this topic can be. Consider the training environment 400 years ago, when martial arts in China, Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippines were developing into forms we might recognize today. If that is too distant for you to imagine, going back even 100 years is sufficient. In those days, one could not capture motion, or even sound, using anything like a movie camera as easily as we do now. Perhaps 100 years ago one could use an imaging camera to take still pictures, but they would have been largely staged scenes. In such an environment, how could one make a record of the movements, tactics, and philosophies that comprise a martial art? One method was the creation of forms, or patterns. These sets of movements might capture the essence of a martial arts style. Iain Abe...

Would you believe Bruce Lee affected my career in cybersecurity? For several weeks I've been listening to the Bruce Lee Podcast . The "Bruce Lee Moment" is a segment where a listener explains how Bruce Lee's life and/or philosophy affected him or her. In this post I'd like to share my submission to the podcast. Hello Shannon and Sharon, I love your podcast. I want to share how Bruce Lee's philosophy affected my career in cybersecurity. In 2000 I was an officer in an Air Force cybersecurity unit. The previous year my wife and I enjoyed a three-week honeymoon in China, and I was a practicing martial artist. A top-tier book publisher saw me speak at a conference and asked if I would write a book on detecting and stopping hackers. I considered this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I declined. I distinctly remember saying that I wasn't ready to write a book yet. I did not feel that I was prepared to authentically express myself in written form. I spent sev...

Is fighting inner demons the way to greatness? This is a question that has bothered me for years. Steve Jobs is one person who may have achieved greatness by battling inner demons. A review of a Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs notes "[f]rom his childhood, Jobs suffered from the emotional wounds inflicted by his unmarried biological parents, who put him up for adoption." Would Jobs have been so successful creating, and then saving, Apple, without inner demons from his childhood? I was reminded of this question when I listened to another great edition of the Whistlekick podcast, featuring Jose Dimacali . In the episode, Kyoshi Dimacali describes how winning tournaments was a way to seek approval from his father. When he won a local tournament, his father didn't say anything. When he won a state tournament, his father didn't say anything. Even when he won a national tournament, his father remained silent. Kyoshi Dimacali went so far as to win a world title, bu...

There are some great deals happening today, or today through Monday. If you need some martial arts gear, consider these offerings. DiamondMMA is offering a 20% discount through Monday. Check out my July post that explains why I think they make the best male protective gear. Use code GIVETHANKS. The KMG USA store has some Black Friday deals. I picked up another sweatshirt and pair of pants. The Kali Center is offering 25% off their store items, and 20% off their online videos. Did you find any good deals that you want to share? Stay informed of new blog posts by following me on Twitter  @martialvitality . If you like martial arts history, be sure to check out my  Martial History Team  project.

Podcasts keep me sane. If you're at all familiar with the traffic in the northern Virginia area, you know what I mean. I spend hours every week driving, many times slowly and with the company of thousands of my not-so-closest friends and neighbors. Thanks to podcasts, the experience is much more enjoyable. When I returned to martial arts training in January , I switched from listening to courses-on-iPhone-or-iPod to podcasts-on-iPhone-or-iPod. (Yes, my car is old enough to require me to use a 2007-era iPod as my primary digital music player!) In this post I share my favorite seven currently active podcasts. I finish by listing a few that were recently active, and perhaps will make a return in 2017. I am not listing the podcasts in order of preference. Many times whatever podcast I'm listening to at the moment is my "favorite." Each offers something novel. The order below does not reflect any favoritism. 1. Bruce Lee Podcast. The Bruce Lee Podcast is relatively new; i...

Eyal Yanilov addresses the group. Have you ever trained in your martial art for a weekend or more? I just returned from the annual Krav Maga Global (KMG) Practitioner and Graduate ("P&G") camp, hosted by Battle Born Krav Maga . It was my first camp and I'd like to share five reasons you might want to attend similar training, whether in KMG or your own system or style. I finish with two bonus reasons for the KMG family! 1. Instructors everywhere.  I am fortunate to train regularly at First Defense Krav Maga in Herndon, VA. Our lead instructor, Nick Masi, is an E-2, and USA director for the system. As of yesterday's grading (more on that shortly), we also have an E-1 instructor, and multiple G-level instructors. I do not take these instructors for granted! However, at the camp we had access to even more instructors -- and this was an amazing opportunity. At P&G Camp, participants learned from some of the highest ranking people in the system -- starting with th...

Are you a martial artist who pushes his or her limits? Do you look for ways to extend your experiences outside the martial arena? Over the last few months I've tried a few new exercise programs to complement my martial arts training. I describe them here and share why I think they could help you as well! 1. Jungshin Fitness.  In August I attended an instructor workshop for Jungshin Fitness . Jungshin is a Korean term meaning “straight spirit” or “awakened mind.” I learned about Jungshin via this Fox News Health TV segment . Annika Kahn, a fourth degree Kuk Sool Won black belt, developed Jungshin as a physical and mental conditioning program. Jungshin workouts are unique in that they use either one 40" wooden sword or two 21" wooden swords as levers to enhance the exercise experience. Classes integrate strength, breathing, balance, precision, aerobic conditioning, and meditation. Participants execute a variety of sword cuts, footwork drills, stance transitions, fingertip p...

Has your martial arts trainer ever crossed the line? I recently watched a YouTube video that, in my opinion, went too far to supposedly demonstrate a martial arts technique. I subscribe to the Funker Tactical YouTube feed because I like seeing Doug Marcaida's Filipino Martial Arts. On September 12, 2016 they published a video titled VIP Knife Defence | INSANE LIVE BLADE DEMO by Fred Mastro!!!  The link starts at the 5:15 mark, with the screen capture at left 12 seconds later. In the video, Fred Mastro instructs his demonstrator to hold a real knife to Doug Marcaida's throat. Fred then strikes the knife holder in the leg to disarm him, without harming Doug. My read of Doug's body language and facial expressions is that he did not think this was a good idea. However, he trusted Fred and the demonstrator enough to not expect his throat to be cut. There is absolutely no reason to use a live weapon in a demonstration like this, for three reasons: 1. It's more dangerous than ...

Fellow martial artists: do you train your mind for violence as much as you train your body for violence? This was the question I pondered last week at the Krav Maga Global Combat Mindset and Mental Conditioning class taught by Mr Eyal Yanilov at First Defense Krav Maga in Herndon, VA. This was a three-day class that combined mental and physical drills with lecture. We shared part of the time with the Combat Fighters Instructors Course practitioners, who somehow endured a separate, unbelievably intense eight day class. The CFIC candidates called our group the "Mentals" and we joked that we were busy staring at goats  while they hammered each other into the mats. In this post I will share five take-aways from the mindset class. 1. Three elements comprise mental training to enhance self-defense, fighting, and third party protection . These three are 1) courage (alternatively: determination, persistence, aggression, and confidence); 2)   focus (or concentration); and 3) re...

On Saturday I tested for the Practitioner level 2 in Krav Maga Global , at the regional grading event at First Defense . The test came a little over five months since my P1 test . It was my first experience testing with students from other schools. It was cool to meet other Krav practitioners and see how they interpreted and expressed Krav culture and technique. The event featured testing opportunities for all Practitioner and Graduate ranks. There were so many participants we occupied space in the First Defense school and the nearby dance school! In this post I want to share five tips that helped me pass the P2 test. By writing these tips I do not intend to portray myself as obsessed with rank. Rather, I want to share some thoughts to consider if you are interested in progressing through the KMG levels. 1. Approach every practice session with the next test in mind.  I did not implement this suggestion until July. Previously I was happy to soak up whatever knowledge I could gain i...

Used martial arts gear. Serious person not included. How does your school manage its inventory of used training equipment? In  How Super Was the Martial Arts SuperShow?  I promised to share more martial arts business  tips that I picked up at the SuperShow in July. In this post I will share a brief note on managing used training equipment. When I train, I don't place a lot of emphasis on the condition of the equipment. So long as it still performs its intended function, I am fine with seeing signs of use. Newer students might not think this way. They have not yet developed the cues of quality that a more experienced martial artist might use. For example, I am much more interested in watching how the more senior students move than I am in the condition of a kick shield. Nevertheless, all equipment can degenerate to the point where it's not effective, or potentially even unsafe for use. As an instructor, I believe you have a duty to your students to train them in a safe man...

Iain Abernethy's Martial Map For the last month I've been listening to the outstanding Iain Abernethy Podcast , starting with the first episode from 2006. The January 2011 edition was titled The Martial Map , and it introduced Iain's model for thinking about what he calls self-protection, martial arts, and fighting. He argues that these are three distinct disciplines, but they do overlap. The graphic depiction of this concept appears in the figure at left, and Iain's podcast (which he describes as an "e-book" due to its length), explains what the seven areas mean for those of us doing combat-related practices. I really enjoyed learning about this model because it helps me better understand my own journey. However, it does introduce some problems. For one, is there an overall term that captures all three elements? Naturally I would expect the term "martial art" to include self-protection, fighting, and the activities Iain labels "martial arts....

This week I attended several extended training sessions offered by Trident Martial Arts . One of the sessions included Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-styled grappling, with a focus on extracting elements for combatives situations. It sounded like I needed a BJJ gi. The last time I wore anything like that was my sophomore year at the Air Force Academy, when I took a judo class for one of my physical education requirements. I turned to online vendors with a very clear mission: buy a gi that was of decent quality, and was as plain and white as possible. I had read about the "plain white gi" requirement in several articles. Basically, when visiting another school, you don't want to be an advertisement for your home school. Now, I don't train BJJ at my home school, but I still didn't want my gi to look like the inside of a MMA octagon. Therefore, I searched for plain white gis. I bought the  Your Jiu Jitsu Gear Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Uniform White with FREE BJJ White Belt pictured ...

I'll admit it. Last week I checked out what sorts of shoes the guys in my Krav Maga classes were wearing. I prefer to wear sneakers when training, because I wear orthotics. I also don't walk barefoot on the street, so I like to train in shoes. I didn't always practice martial arts in shoes, but at this point in my career I prefer to wear them. For the last seven months I wore black Nike Air Monarch IV cross-training shoes. These worked pretty well, but they suffered a few drawbacks, especially weight and undue contact with mats. I primarily chose them because they were sold in wide sizes, they were black, and they were cross-trainers. Last week I decided to take a closer look at the shoes the instructors were wearing. That primarily means you, Sam and Chris. I noticed these two high-ranking gentlemen were wearing wrestling shoes. I hadn't wrestled since high school gym class, and certainly not in special shoes. However, I decided to do some research and buy a pair. The...

Have you ever broken a board? If you practice a Karate or Tae Kwon Do-related system, I assume the answer is yes. So what's the point, especially for kids? In this post, part of my series on martial arts business practices, I will share why board breaking might be a tool for attracting and motivating younger martial artists, and perhaps even their families. Several of the  Martial Arts SuperShow (MASS) speakers talked about the power of board breaking, especially for kids. At the time of the show, I had little experience with the kids version of the exercise. I had only broken boards as an adult during my year in military intelligence school, when I studied Tae Kwon Do. I remembered thinking it was a fun exercise, and that I needed to pay close attention to placement and punching or kicking "past the board." So how could this be useful for kids? The MASS business consultants discussed board breaking in several contexts. First, they offered four benefits for kids who bre...

In Five Tips to Maximize Private Training , I blogged about how I returned to my Kung Fu school near Boston to relearn material I first practiced in the 1990s. I wanted to concentrate on forms, which are sets of techniques and movements performed in a specific manner. Most if not all "traditional" styles practice forms, also called kata, patterns, and the like. In this post I will document the process I have been following to maximize the results of this training. For me, success means I am increasing my capability to execute forms properly. "Perfection" is not the goal -- consistent improvement is my target. 1. Begin with in-person lessons.  It is simply too difficult to begin learning a form in a completely solo manner. You are likely to make mistakes without realizing it. You need an instructor to teach you the form, and then monitor your progress as you learn it. As with any martial arts activity, you are going to need some small, some medium, and perhaps even s...