Entries Tagged 'Articles' ↓

So a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Dojo…

oh noesMartial artists are crazy.

Aside from people in the military, police and bouncers, who really goes around getting into fights on a regular basis?

We put our bodies through hell, all the time, training for something we will (hopefully) never have to do.

Well, I’ve got another reason:

Funny stories.

The crazy hobby that we all enjoy ends up being the source of countless “It seemed like a good idea at the time” and “Check out this scar” stories.

Send me your crazy, funny or just plain weird training stories, and I’ll feature them right here!

I have a few of my own, so here’s a choice cut from the vault of Dan (It’s only fair if I start this off):

Find out what happened

How to Master Any Skill by Working Less

GymnastAre you working harder than you need to?

Without realizing it, most people and schools actually do twice the work needed to learn any skill. Even worse, common mistakes can actually hurt your progress.

Muscle Memory – What you need to know

Muscle memory is the reason why the expression “It’s like riding a bike” exists. When an action is repeated enough, the body learns to do it automatically.

Brushing your teeth, tying your shoes and blocking a punch without thinking are all examples of skills learned through muscle memory.

Greasing the Groove – Russian Strength Secrets for Skill Training

The Russians treat strength training like any other skill. Rather than do a set of exercises until their arms drop off, they use a technique referred to as ‘greasing the groove’.

Learn more about Greasing the Groove

Energy Drinks 101 – What You Need to Know

energy drinks

Energy drinks are crazy popular, but have you ever stopped to look at their ingredients?

I like to let loose once in a while with some liquid energy, but I’ve also educated myself on the ingredients.

Here’s what I’ve found:

Energy Drinks and Health Risk

While energy drinks seem to have everything from Ginseng to rocket fuel, their main health risk seems to come from their sugar, calorie and caffeine content.

Here’s a breakdown of the contents of common energy drinks and alternatives:

Coffee Energy Shots Energy Drinks
Calories 4 4 120-220
Sugar 0 0 30-60 g
Caffeine 135 mg 135 mg 125-160 m

For the sake of this comparison

  • Coffee is black (no milk or sugar)
  • Energy shots are those little bottles you find at the counter of most convenience stores
  • Energy drink scores are a cross-section of the most common drinks, such as Red Bull, Monster and Rock Star

Read the full article

How to Get More by Doing Less

dew drop

Pareto’s Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, can change your life.

The Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto long ago came up with the theory that 80% of results come from 20% of the work.

Examples of this are:

  • 80% of your speech comes from 20% of the words you know
  • 80% of your time is spent with 20% of the people in your life
  • 80% of your nutrients can come from 20% of an unhealthy diet

Pareto’s Principle is the greatest thing that I’ve added to my training, and my life in general.

When I was working on the splits in high school, I had a series of stretches that I would go through over the course of 10 minutes.

I realize now, I could have spent that ten minutes really focusing on a split stretch, relaxing into over the time I’d spend moving from one stretch to the other.

I’ve recently 80/20′d my strength training workout, seeing that 80% of my strength gain could come from 3 simple exercises: the squat, bench press and deadlift.

The 80/20 principle can be applied to almost anything:

  • Muscular Endurance
    instead of dozens of different exercises, could you benefit from a simply routine or sit ups, running and push ups?
  • Martial Arts Techniques
    Could you narrow your workout to the three most common techniques used in your art?
  • Studying
    Instead of reading every book out there, you could focus on the few that cover everything

Using Pareto’s principle, you can analyze almost every facet of your life, striking out the filler and becoming more effective every day!

Where could you use the 80/20 principle to be more effective? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Photo C/O annia316

Get the Gig! How to Make a Perfect Demo Reel

post guy kick

There’s a movie looking for stunt performers. Now’s your chance.

You’ve put in the hours. You’ve got the sharpest Parkour skills around and you can pull off flashier kicks than all of your friends.

You grab your demo reel and give it to the casting director.

The catch: so have 50 other people.

Want to keep your demo reel out of the reject pile? Keep reading.

Keep reading how to make the perfect demo reel…

How to Lose Friends And Alienate Students

post schmuck

It’s easy to be liked. Play nice, don’t push, share your crayons. We all know the rules.

But what if you want to be a jerk? Maybe your job sucks, your kids don’t listen to you or you’re not as good as you want to be.

What better way to get over all that than to make everyone else miserable? Make sure no one likes you with these tips:

Learn more about being a jerk…

Kick-Ass, The Movie

post kick ass poster fullBeing a comic-book geek, I’m usually the first guy to know when a new superhero movie is coming out.

But, for some reason, the comic Kick-Ass completely slipped by me (possibly because my local library doesn’t carry it. I’m cheap.).

I hadn’t heard about the comic until last week, but I now want every issue ever made. Ever.

Guys without super powers, donning masks and fighting crime. Awesome.

Continue reading →

Are You Ready to Teach Martial Arts?

Photo C/O The U.S. Army

You’ve been studying martial arts for years. You know who started your style and can tell its history front and back. You’ve defended it to your less-than-fit friends. You’ve even pulled muscles showing off at the family barbecue.

But, can you teach?

Many people are passionate about their hobbies (to the point of freaking out when you call them ‘hobbies’). But is it enough?

If you’re serious about teaching martial arts, there are some things to think about:

Continue reading →

You Suck! Slaying Motivational Vampires

post little vampire

What’s the biggest hurdle martial artists face? Finding a good dojo? Making time to train? Perfecting techniques?

Nope.

The biggest stumbling block to today’s martial artist is other people. Specifically, the naysayer.

You know this guy. He’s the first one to say why an exercise, workout program or karate technique won’t work.

Some of the most common things heard by martial artists are:

Continue reading →

The Ultimate Taekwondo Resource List

Finding quality info on martial arts in general, let alone a specific art like Taekwondo, can be a pain. Websites either have pop-up ads, are unreadable or are trying to get you to sign up for classes. I sifted through the eye-sores so you won’t have to.

Enjoy.

Continue to the Ultimate Taekwondo Resource

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